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I've started learning the guitar.
Why would I do that ? I'm living with the uncertainty of cancer. Why would I take up a hobby that will chew up time, take months of effort to become even slightly competent ?
Because I choose life.
You could just as easily ask somebody without cancer, "why waste your time with that ?"
The key thing, the absolute thing - your time is YOURS to waste.
Don't let cancer steal that from you.
"Living with cancer", that implies cancer is your companion (an unwelcome one!), but don't think of it that way.
Cancer is a destructive event in your life, it may rob you of your life .. but don't give it more power than it deserves. It's a disease, it can be treated, and if treatment fails .. you're reading this, so you still have time left.
With whatever time you have available ... choose life.
I hope you can have fun, do something active, light a candle. I hope there's room left for that.
I just think along the way there are some occasional forks in the road where you are asked to choose between:
Cancer: allow the disease more strength and influence than it already has
Life: make choices as if you intend to live and prosper
I'm not saying go out and get pregnant right now, or neglect your treatment schedule - but if there's room in your circumstance for having a little fun, forming or indulging a hobby, getting irresponsibly drunk with your oldest and dearest friend, writing that novel you've been meaning to start working on for the last 6 years ... whatever it is .. if there's room for it .. when you have that moment of choosing between cancer-moping and life .....
Choose life.
Captain Australi
Great attitude,like your explanation about not living with cancer Inspiring words from your post
Three months of post-cancer life invested in learning the guitar.
Can incompetently play:
Wish you were here (pink floyd)
Horse with no name (america)
Row Row Row Your Boat (some genius from times long past)
Fuck cancer. Go out and do something. See a movie.
Instead of looking for ways to manage "LIVING WITH CANCER" find new ways of "NOT THINKING ABOUT CANCER MORE THAN IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY"