It's Monday!

It’s another Monday, and another weekend survived. My weekend was pretty good, although I still need to remember that I have limits. Oh, I pushed them when I was a kid, is it any surprise that I push them now? On Saturday, my employer sponsored a 5 K walk for health , so of course I went, KNOWING that I could not walk the entire 5 K (it’s about 3 miles), but thinking that I could walk a little. (There I was thinking again—when will I learn?) I walked about a quarter of a mile. I was exhausted and worthless for the rest of the day. Then, since I’m a slow learner, I went strawberry picking with my family on Sunday. I picked a few berries and was wiped out after about 30 minutes. Thanks to Mom and Dad and youngest son who together picked enough berries so we could eat some now and freeze some for later. Oh, and thanks, Dad for buying the berries. My $13 really wouldn’t have covered it.

Also this weekend, I read in the local paper that “chemo brain” is a REAL condition, which is a mixed blessing, at best. Is it better to know that the forgetfulness, lack of concentration, the lack of immediate recall, and the slow rate at which thoughts come is all to be expected? And doesn’t it make sense that chemotherapy WOULD affect the brain? After all, look at what it does to the body; it’s probably a miracle that those of us on chemo can think at all, much less hold jobs, drive, shop, & feed ourselves. Although some of us feed ourselves cookies. And chocolate milk.

All in all, a good weekend. Most of my days are good, weekend or not. Except for being tired (regular or extra), I feel pretty good. I’m not in pain, not depressed, not sad, and not passively waiting. I’m generally happy, very grateful for the blessings I have, and still mad enough to insult the cancer every chance I get. I’m working, doing laundry, shopping when absolutely necessary and mostly letting the housework go. Eventually vacuuming becomes crucial, lest we drown in dog hair (the seasonal shedding has begun!). When the dust gets thick enough to write messages in, then it’s time for it to go. We laugh at clutter. We scoff at dirty dishes. We happily ignore unopened mail, especially bills. Eventually, it all gets taken care of, although never on the same day, mind you. See? It’s the good life, I tell you! Ok, so maybe not THE Good Life, but A Good Life anyway. Honestly, if I had the energy to keep up, I would. (Well, maybe.) But I don’t and I can’t let it bother me. So if you come to visit, expect a little clutter and a few dishes in the sink. And we will sit on the couch, eat cookies, and ignore it all.

¶ 3:15 PM