I often wonder about the effect everyday life has on our general well being. How often do you hear somebody bemoaning they never seem to have any time and/or how fast time seems to fly by now? This is a theme that seems to keep coming back to me.
I've had reason to consider this even more over recent months as it seems indisputable that I'm falling back into some old ways and not strictly following the path I set myself three years ago.
Yep, it's been three years since the diagnosis - and in another couple of months it will be time to celebrate my 3rd re-birthday as I mark the end of the treatment.
While my health is now pretty much stable/normal, I've noticed that as time passes, the lifestyle changes my journey delivered are being pushed to the back by the "pressures of modern life".
Deep down I know the importance of staying true to the changes I promised myself, but it is no longer so easy to make sure they are always considered as part of the decision making process. Is that an issue, am I "falling off the wagon"?
Life has indeed moved on, and April has again seen some major changes in my life. This time, being faithful to the "new normal" wasn't so hard. As a result of changes at work, the opportunity arose to consider moving on to a new job, and after some not insignificant deliberation, I decided that it is time to face a new challenge. I've been where I am for fifteen odd years now, and honestly before the cancer I would have probably thought I'd retire from there. But now, I know I need to be true to myself and despite some last minute second thoughts, I handed in my resignation on April 17th.
I have no idea where my search for a new job will take me, but I know I have made the right decision.
April played another card as well - my annual Diabetes check-up. Before my cancer journey, I was diagnosed as border-line type 2 diabetic. The weight loss and diet changes have effectively put paid to that, but I'm still in the system and always dread that as a result of diet or exercise lapses, the HbA1c level in my blood will be above what it should be. As it happened, there was no need to worry - my level was 27 (53 is the trigger level apparently).
So,what I've learnt over the last month or so is that despite not necessarily "walking the walk" all the time, when something does come up that "threatens" them, these new values just rise to the surface and reexert themselves. I now know that I can trust myself not to regress to the bad lifestyle choices that used to be my life. While we Taurus' are renowned for being stubborn, this is a whole new level of subliminal determination that I know is wholly attributable to my 2010 journey, and man , am I grateful for it.
As an aside, I continue to have cause to realise how lucky I have been in successfully coming through my journey. I was lucky to be correctly diagnosed early, the radiotherapy and chemotherapy did what they needed to, and the love and support of my extended family helped get me through it all. That is why whenever I become aware of a family that hasn't been so lucky, not only does my heart goes out to them, but it serves to harden my resolve to make the most of my second chance.
