Life With A Vengeance...well sort of

I didn't get an opportunity to post yesterday because I was busy working outside on my hedge and in my garden.  I'm enjoying the outdoors and even enjoying my chores that used to be an inconvenience.  This is partially because I'm not working but also I have a new lease on life.  I went for a long walk with my husband last night and when I returned home, I was very tired.  I spent some time on the telephone with family and then off to bed I went.

I'm sleeping well other than my night sweats which are due to menopause.  I have about one or two hot flashes each day.  I just dress in layers and take sweaters or hoodies off when I start to get hot.  At night I have found that if I have a night sweat, I can reduce it by putting my feet out from under the covers.  This helps keep them cool and I end of going right back to sleep.

Today, I walked to my dentist and back.  I was able to walk further today before I started to pant heavily.  This is good news.  My muscles are less sore each day.  I also sat on the bleachers at the baseball park for a whole 7 innings today.  My back started to tire in the fourth inning but I made it through the whole game.  Tonight, I'm feeling the muscles that are tight in the small of my back.  I'll continue to use my core muscles and try and strengthen them every day.

Today I was picking rhubarb and putting it into bundles to sell tomorrow in my driveway.  This is called Relay For Life Rhubarb...$5/bundle plus a recipe.  At the same time my daughter and her friend, who are also on the Cathy Conquers Cancer team, are running a bake sale in our driveway from 12 Noon until 3 p.m.  The money raised will be going to the Relay For Life.

Relay For Life is being held on June 1 from 7 p.m. to June 2 at 7 a.m. and it is a walk/run event.   Money raised is used to fund support programs for families and individuals who are living with cancer.  Some of the money raised in Relay For Life is also used for research in our local area.  The Relay For Life runs overnight to symbolize what it is like to live with cancer.  The 7 p.m. start symbolizes being diagnosed with cancer and feeling your emotions and attitude start to sink into darkness and as the evening progresses.  The middle of the night, when it is cold, dark and participants are getting tired and it is hard to stay the course, is very similar to the middle of treatment when the cancer patient is tired all the time, feels ill due to the treatment and doesn't see an end to the misery.  As morning creeps closer and the sun starts to rise, it is very much like seeing the end of treatment and your emotions start to improve as you see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The burst of seeing the sun in the morning is very much like being given the news that your cancer is in remission or even cured.

So tomorrow will be a busy day as I live life fully.  I still have to watch that I conserve my energy as I don't have a lot of stamina.  It is so nice, though, to come to the end of the day and feel self-satisfaction for a life worth living.