Stephen and I have gotten really good at "The Glad Game," an idea from Pollyanna, a 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter, later adapted to a 1960 Disney movie. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. The main character explains, ?... there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.?
It is not always easy to seek out the good from difficult times. It involves recognizing our challenges, while focusing on the blessings. Language like "at least," "but," "however," and "thankfully," is used quite often. For example, "I have to pay my entire $6,000 deductible and out-of-pocket maximum on the first appointment of the year, but at least it's met in the first week. Thankfully, we've saved an emergency fund, so it's doable. We didn't want to have to get stuck with a huge chunk all at once, but now we have the rest of the year to save up for next January!"
This type of thinking can change outlooks on terrible events. Looking for the good over and over, even when there seems to be nothing good, stretches our ability to endure the storms of life. We can learn to have faith and hope, even when life gets dark. That is the game: to be glad when being glad is the last thing you want to be.
This game has inspired my motto for 2016:
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
Maya Angelou
Much like the classic, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade," this motto reminds me that sometimes the only thing we can change is our attitude, and it is better to make something good out of a bad situation than to become bitter. The glad game doesn't erase hardships from our lives; it only changes us.
In my case, there are things about cancer that I cannot change. It's aggressive. It will most likely come back. I will have this burden for the rest of my life. I will always feel like I am looking over my shoulder, waiting for cancer to sneak up on me. HOWEVER....
I am strong.
I am a survivor.
I am young enough to be mostly healthy and able to tolerate chemo, even if I need another cycle.
Experiencing difficult times strengthens us and brings us closer to God.
I only have to come in once every 3 weeks, unlike the 3 times per week I was coming before.
My treatments now do not make me ill.
My hair is growing back.
My boys are getting older and able to help me much more than they did in 2013...and 2014...and 2015.....
I love my doctor and nurses.
And----as of today, I AM IN REMISSION!!!
I received my PET scan results today, and they are fantastic! Dr. Fleener is EXTREMELY pleased with how I responded to chemo, and says that I am now in remission. There is "no evidence of disease" and "a complete response to therapy." {These are GREAT phrases!!!}
I will be in maintenance indefinitely, which means I'll come here for infusions of cancer blocking drugs every 3 weeks. There will be checkpoint scans and tests to watch for any evidence of cancer returning. For now, I'll celebrate chemo that did its job and I can go back to my new "normal."
I can't change cancer, but I have have a good attitude about living with it.
I kicked it to cancer!!!
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