I told you I was going to stop writing about bizarre holidays, but every so often I come across a holiday that really gets me excited and I want to share my thoughts with all of you. Sunday, March 3, is “I Want You to Be Happy Day.” So this blog is going to be a twofer – a post containing a bizarre holiday and an inspirational quote.

First, let’s tackle the fact that I want you to be happy.  I encourage you to be happy no matter what stage of your journey you are at – the beginning, the middle or the end.  There is much research to support the fact that your mental outlook has a lot of influence over how well you do during treatment, how well you feel in general and how well you do as time goes on.

I came across an article in About.com, which listed10 things to stop doing to yourself if you are diagnosed with breast cancer:

• Stop blaming yourself for getting breast cancer.
• Stop eating junk food and fast food.
• Stop being Superwoman.
• Stop sabotaging your recovery.
• Stop being a Lone Ranger.
• Stop being a couch potato.
• Stop acting passive and uninvolved about your treatment.
• Stop negative comments and self-talk.
• Stop enduring side effects in silence.
• Stop letting your diagnosis define you.

JUST STOP!

Just stopping is easier said than done, I know, and this is where the quote fits in perfectly.  It was given to me by someone who reads my blogs regularly. She saw that I was giving up the bizarre holiday theme and moving on to quotes, and she had a quote that has inspired her to travel her journey, not the breast cancer journey, but another journey that is equally life-changing. Her quote is from Carlos Casteneda.

According to Casteneda, “The trick is what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

Now, isn’t that the truth. It takes just as much energy, time and effort to see the glass as half empty or see the glass as half full.  The choice is up to you.

If you don’t know who Carlos Casteneda was, he was the well-known author of The Teachings of Don Juan.  According to Time magazine, Casteneda, was the “Godfather of the New Age.” His 12 books, supposedly based on meetings with a mysterious Indian shaman, Don Juan, made the author, a graduate student in anthropology, a worldwide celebrity.

I’ve always told people breast cancer saved my life. If you are new to the blog, you may not know that my breast cancer found my lung cancer.  I wouldn’t wish either of these diseases on anyone, but you need to realize that it is five years later and I am doing fine.

Cancer did indeed change my life!  And I know it changed yours.

Share your changes.

Stay healthy,
Muriel, the editor,  5-year survivor

PLEASE JOIN THE CONVERSATION
As a part of our mission to make The Journey a powerful voice for everyone in our community, we invite each of you to consider joining the conversation and sharing your journey with comments and feedback.  You don’t have to be a breast cancer survivor, you can be a caregiver, or a friend, or a concerned citizen. What we are looking for is meaningful and helpful conversations that will encourage other people as they travel along their journey. Sharing is caring and very cathartic. I sincerely urge you to take part.