"I never saw it coming." [Cancer and divorce.]Hoda was on a plane when a conversation with her seat mate changed her life. She quotes him as having said:
"Breast cancer is part of you, like getting married or working at NBC. You can put stuff deep in your pockets and take it to your grave or you can help somebody. Don't hog your journey; it's not just for you."Hoda goes on:
"Getting sick and divorced was probably the worst chapter of my life. I never would have imagined that the best chapter was [coming up] ... Life is like that. One day it's great, the next it's terrible, and the day after you're in love and on top, saying, 'It's great again.'"
The article then explains 'tackling adversity, Hoda style':
"Surround yourself ... with people who fill you up ... don't hog your journey; share it to help others ... allow yourself dark days to stay under the covers watching Law & Order reruns and eating junk food."One of my dear friends, a breast cancer survivor, dived into yoga and old movies while healing. Another healed by diving into her work. When I need to heal, I dive into the dark side of my mind in hopes of cleansing my closet of baggage. And low and behold, each time I dive, insights, which lighten my load, float to the surface of conscious awareness, and my spirit brightens.
While teaching at the college, I shared insights into taming mayhem and resolving conflicts by telling stories about raising my family. Today, my focus has expanded to include each stage of life that I've experienced, thus far. At the outset of 'my life story', I was ten. Then twelve. Now, we'll take a flying leap back to three. Why jet back and forth across the time line?
As additional details expand that which we think to know, a deeper understanding of ripple effects develops for the reader and this author, as well.
For example, once you get to know me at three, you'll understand why I told no one about being bullied at ten. And if insights emerge as this story unfolds, it's likely that our understanding, concerning why some children open up and ask for guidance while others stuff their baggage inside, will deepen.
So thank you Hoda, for sharing your personal experience as well as your seat mate's perceptions—thus validating my dedication to writing this blog.
You see, it's impossible to heal until we know the deeper reason for our pain, so presently, I want to know why I feel a sense of dread, each time I sit down to fill in the details of this story. So why do I persist?
While making my way through the process of uncloaking another spot of subconscious pain, my vision of the future moves past surviving, because my spirit 'knows' the joys of thriving—and that's where I'm headed, again. J
No comments:
Post a Comment