My Bday list- My Take on New Year’s Resolutions
Here we are, a new year. In December I was full of appetite. Now I’m full of good intentions. Here are my must-do’s to get healthier and give back in 2010. This list reflects my involvement with the American Cancer Society’s Movement for More Birthdays and my family’s personal experience with cancer treatment this year. I know it’s not enough just to say “I’m going to lose weight and exercise.” What does that really do for my soul? For the soul of my family? I’m trying to be holistic this year. Here goes:
1) Exercise three-four times a week (even it’s just 20 mins- just do it, as they say!)
2) Participate in a Relay for Life in Boston this spring
3) Smile more and laugh out loud each morning. It’s been proven to help– see laughter therapy.
4) Dance with my son everyday around the living room- honestly. He loves it, and it’s good exercise.
This is my “more birthdays list.” What’s yours?
Click here for some ideas and to join the community.
Bloggers for More Birthdays: to the community of women
When my son was about three weeks old, a group of women on my block held a shower for me. It was an incredible gift. I was in the midst of my baby blues, bleary from lack of sleep and the shock of my life being just completely turned upside down. And so I was grateful for the company of these wise women who were my neighbors. I only knew one of them well, but we settled into the easy camaraderie of women sharing a beloved and familiar topic: babies, husbands, and the like. My mom was there too. Most of the women are grandmothers themselves, and they brought me the most wonderful, and wonderfully wrapped gifts. We ate cake, swapped baby stories and we had a grand old time. I nearly forgot I was tired.
Somehow, the subject of cancer came up. All six of the women, my mother included, were breast cancer survivors. We could only laugh at this uncanny coincidence. They all got cancer at different stages of life- some young, some post-menopause. Their stories were different, but rooted in similar and painful experiences. I sat and listened and was struck by the new fragility I felt as a mother: the sense that life is a gift, and that it is fragile as well. Like my tiny newborn, something to look after with care.
My mother doesn’t like the term survivor; she says it doesn’t fit what she feels like. Her cancer is done, we hope, and “survivor” is not an identity she claims. My neighbors, too, talked saltily about the nastier sides of chemo, treatment. I marveled at their ability to balance their cancer experiences within the larger scope of their lives. Some choose to be active in the breast cancer community and some prefer not to think about it. But they all fought the disease, and they all think about it every day. They did’t stop their lives, and they didn’t let it block them. I marvelled at this and felt grateful to listen in on the conversation.
It’s bittersweet that my baby shower included such a poignant and intense discussion of cancer. But its also somehow fitting. It reminds me of the cycles of female life, and the shared experiences that bring us women together, sometimes in happy circumstances, sometimes in sad, and mostly in a bittersweet way. I dedicate this post to my neighbors, to my mom, and to the community of women fighting breast cancer.
I’m supporting the American Cancer Society by blogging for more birthdays– blogging to raise cancer awareness. Please, join Bloggers for More Birthdays and dedicate a blog post to someone you love with cancer.
More links:
Darryle Pollack http://blog.darrylepollack.com/2009/09/birthdays-on-the-brain/
Catherine Morgan: http://www.catherine-morgan.com/
Julie Pippert- “Celebrating More Birthdays”
About Me
Morra Aarons-Mele utilizes social media strategies to help employers, employees and communities connect. She also consults with leading organizations on how women can use the internet for professional and personal development. In her spare time, Morra enjoys blogging about women and politics. Read her full bio >>
Recent Posts
- Dual-Income Parents: The Exhausted American Middle
- Women Online: My new company
- Listen in- What Do Kids Really Think About Their Working Parents?
- Learning how to be equals at home and work
- F-ing brilliant