The Best Medicine

Hello! Sorry it has been awhile since I posted. Something ridiculous takes up a bunch of my time, and it's called work. I won't regale you the details of the 150 essays I've been reading, but trust me, they take up my evenings for sure, and there are lots of more fun things that we could focus on. One lesson I've learned on this journey is not to take myself and work too seriously. I mean, life is too short. I might have 1 year. I might have 5 years. I might have 20+ years. I have literally started pretending that I have 5 years left. No one has told me this. My prognosis is good, so don't start worrying, but the point is that it helps me to think and manage what I want to do with my life much more closely. What have I always wanted to do? What gives me the most joy?

I have learned something about joy from my friend, Katie. She plans it. Yes, did you know that joy and happiness are things that one can plan? This girl puts it on the calendar. She calls up friends. She calls up family. She designs days of fun. And you know what? It's not hard. We can all do it! A few weekends ago, we planned TWO ENTIRE DAYS O' FUN with her Aunt Pat who hosted our crafting extravaganza weekend, and this was us the morning of the first day! Do we look happy or what?

A big reason for the smiles on our faces is due to Katie's Aunt Pat. Thank goodness for her Aunt Pat, who is now my Aunt Pat, even though she may not know it! Pat has the ability to make you feel special and spoiled even if you don't think you deserve it. She always does too much, whether it is getting you something cute "just because" or sending you home with pie, or making you something incredible that has your name on it. She is just amazing!

Also, you might not know this about me, but I LOVE to make things. Every day, I have to draw, sketch, make, write, or create something into being that wasn't here before. Thank goodness I've found these two great friends who love it as much as I do. Here we are out at dinner that weekend celebrating nothing and everything.

We might look like some unassuming ladies, but when we get together, the power of creativity gets unleashed, and it feels like nothing can stop us from smiling, laughing, talking, and just being surrounded by JOY.

But... all this happiness takes some planning:)  When we get together, we all bring creative projects to work on for each other. This time it was Christmas cards and holiday items. The best part besides all the crafts is that we spoil each other rotten! Are there wrapped gifts involved? For sure. We will squeal over new markers, sequins, designer paper, fancy chocolates, and disco-ball slippers like eight-year-olds and feel young at heart every time.

 
Look at what we made! If you're lucky, you might get one of them for Christmas!

We have been getting together for years and marvel at how time has flown by. Babies have been born. Houses have been sold. The great world keeps spinning, and this year, even though we had to plan around my chemo, we were definitely able to still find joy, which really is the best medicine.

Love and light,

Jennifer

Hair-o-pocalypse

Happy November greetings! It's that time of the year in central Minnesota when the leaves are all falling off the trees, the geese are flying South, and everything is looking more and more barren. How appropriate then, that this past week, my hair began to mimic Mother Nature. The trees and I have really been having our moment trying to cling to our last remaining foliage. Last Saturday, however, I faced reality, called my local salon, and had them cut my hair down to 3/4".

It was a humbling experience to say the least. I have never had my hair buzzed before. I have never worn it short, so going from 50 miles per hair to 0 mph was really drastic. I thought about asking for a pixie cut or a Kris Kardashian hairdo to give my brain time to acclimate, but ultimately, I didn't want to keep seeing hair all over the place and live in denial of what was to come. Let me just say that it was a peaceful moment. It was soft. The buzz of the razor felt measured and even. The hair just lightly fell away. When I looked into the mirror, what did I think about?

First thought: Oh gosh, this is pretty awful looking.
Second thought:  Anne Frank (and all the Jews who had their hair cut off during the Holocaust)
Third thought: You can't feel sorry for yourself when you think about Anne Frank because her life = always worse.

Needless to say, I put my bestie Heather on really quick.We are like two peas in a pod now, but she gets irritating sometimes, and when that happens I have to put her away in the cabinet and lounge around in beanie caps. Here we are at the end of the salon session looking presentable though.

There are some ironies regarding the great hair-o-pocalypse. For one, I am trying to save every last eyebrow and eyelash like they are some kind of endangered species. My sister can attest to our many conversations about facial hair woes that we lamented about in the past, but now? Now, I'm hoping that my Austrian European ancestry kicks in and that those suckers stay put. Take a look a this picture of my grandmother (center) with her sister and brother....

Are they related to Frida Kahlo? Maybe not, but these folks have some serious dark hair, eyes, and eyebrows that I think I inherited. Let's hope that roots run deep and that I get to keep what they sold me down the genetic line as long as I can during this cancer process. I sure hope they are rooting for me in spirit!

Lastly, I have gone back to work, which deserves it's own post, and I have been feeling good and scheduling some fun activities for myself, so no, I don't think about hair all the time, but it has been on the forefront this week, so I will share one last hair picture taken last night. Some friends from work and I attended a play based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at a local university, and all of us are in the wig phase with cancer, except Barb, so we brought a wig for her to wear just so she wouldn't feel left out. Guess what...she wore it! Bet you can't even tell which one she is! :)

Love and light,
Jennifer