Breast cancer - assessing the situation so far

I have breast cancer. C-A-N-C-E-R.

I. Have. Breast. Cancer.

Sounds pretty crazy. Doesn't it? It still blows my mind.

I was lying in bed during the night thinking about my life. The shear absurdity of it all... or is it? Life, in it's most natural form, is an imperfect flow of living things. Society creates labels of which people attach emotion. Of course, "emotion" is one of the things that separates humans from animals (this could be debatable in some animals, but I'm no scientist).

In this run of treating breast cancer, I have tried to step away from the emotion of it all and move forward as if it's just another pesky task I must do. I think this approach has helped me to deal.... well, at least on a I-gotta-get-through-the-day level. If I think about the bigger picture of the meaning of the word "Cancer" then it overwhelms me. So, I realize there is no point in doing that at all. One of the things that has become amiss in modern life is the ability to be "in the moment." In my opinion, it's not healthy to dwell on the past or fret about the future. I can only think about the future in a positive way - such as where I'll be on my 40th birthday.

When all is said and done, treating this breast cancer (to date), hasn't been as bad as I've expected. It's only during the week of chemotherapy that I feel like death. But, when I take care of myself and push forward - enjoying each moment as it comes - the rest of the time is manageable.

Up next for treatments:
LAST chemo on Sept 20th (only 12 days away!)
Lumpectomy on Oct 11th
6 weeks of daily radiation, dates tbd

Here is today's message from the Dalai Lama. And by the way, it is purely coincidental the similarities between my post and his message! I just looked it up as I was ending this one. CRAZY.

**There is much we can do to influence our experience of suffering. Old age, sickness, and death are inevitable, but, with the torments of negative thoughts and emotions, we certainly have a choice in how we respond to the occurrence of suffering. If we wish, we can adopt a more dispassionate and rational approach, and on that basis we can temper our response to it.**