Lucky should be my middle name. And I’m sure you’re now wondering if I’ve officially lost my mind.
The last six years haven’t appeared so lucky to an outsider looking in, with two rounds of cancer – one while pregnant – the agonizing health decline and passing of Criz, my talented and larger than life mother-in-law, three house moves, three house floods (and repairs), two home remodels, and all of the stresses that go with it. And these are the bad stressors. Imagine all of the good stress piled on top; raising a spirited and gifted child, opening and running three spa locations, and just all of the other ‘fun stuff’ that comes with life.
But lucky is just how I’ve been feeling of late. I can’t imagine a more beautiful life, amazing family and group of friends.
Today as I was receiving my fourteenth proton treatment, an enormous wave of gratitude washed over my body and tears of joy streamed down my face. It was part euphoria and maybe a little bit of nostalgia from the awesome yacht rock station on Pandora, complete with memories of island-hopping on a sixty-five-foot catamaran in Martinique, drinking the best rhum on the planet, and hanging out with great friends. (Steve Livigni and Ben Jones, I owe you for that!)
My luck today also came in the form of a few super-awesome milestones. My dad just pointed out that I’m a third of the way through treatment, I just had my third of seven weekly chemo treatments today, and tomorrow marks 30 very short days until we return home. Yay, sleeping in our own bed!
Oh yes! It’s also St. Patty’s day and that means everyone is wearing my favorite color, green, and drinking green beer. Not me, but maybe next year. : )
So in honor of these exciting milestones, I created a little list of some simple life observations I have made in the last few months on this journey.
Without further ado:
- We as people are divine. Each of us is the embodiment of God. Some just don’t know it yet. They will in time.
- Forgive and try hard to forget, no matter how painful. Forgiveness is the greatest liberator. But do remove toxicity from your life, it will reduce stress and add years to your bottom line.
- Thank God (whichever God you want to thank – or the stars, or that 100-year old piece of driftwood) every day for that which you are grateful. The abundant feeling of joy you receive (and get back) from feeling grateful is impossible to convey in words.
- When times are tough, ask for help. If you don’t have the good fortune of an amazing family like I do, reach out to your friends who love you. They are honored to help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of good old-fashioned common sense.
- Stress is the bane of our existence. Do whatever you can to reduce it and set it free. Daily yoga and meditation are the best ways I know to do this. And to think I forgot.
- Experiences are better than things. Although you don’t have something tangible to hold, the memories will last a lifetime. No fancy brass peacock side table can do that. (damn you, Anthropologie)
- You can pay it forward in life with a smile or a hello. I am convinced that the world would be a better place if everyone would make an effort to be kind and open.
- Everyone has something going on that is causing them pain. So it’s nice to pause and think about that before engaging in road rage or nasty yelp reviews.
- Some people don’t really like Scrabble and it’s probably a good reason not to play since it stresses them out. (haha, love you Wyatt)
- Please and thank you are not optional. No need to explain this one.
- Yoga mats need showers too, but it is better to do this while you are taking a shower, not standing outside of it.
- There should never be a shortage of hugs and kisses. Give and you will receive.
- Every day, and I mean every single day, start with a simple meditation. It will only take one minute, and it goes something like this: “Thank you for this day. Thank you for each breath I am given, and the offering of another beautiful day in this life.” Breathe it in, realize how precious this life is, and your day will automatically start out with rainbows.
Thank you for letting me share. 🙂
Love, love, love,
Kristin
p.s. I forgot one observation: Album covers have improved over the years. I caught this one on my yacht rock station and all I could think was someone had to say, “oh yeah, that’s the one. For sure.”