Yesterday was the day we were scheduled to leave on our dream 
trip - to visit the Grand Canyon. We began planning over a year ago because it takes a year to get reservations at the hotel on the rim of the canyon. I spent hours reading everything I could find about the area and I'd planned this trip to be everything we wanted it to be, including a train ride to the canyon and a stay in Sedona's red rock country. We were beyond excited about this trip. The last real vacation we had was over 3 years ago, and we've never been able to take regular vacations, so this was going to be a real treat. Instead, I was visiting the oncologist and finding out that chemotherapy was in my future. How life turns on a dime!
When I went for my mammogram in January - the last of my annual check-ups for the year -everything changed. Things change quickly in life - in an instant it all hangs in the balance. When I realized we'd have to cancel our long-awaited trip I was so disappointed. Not only for myself but especially for my husband, who works so hard and rarely gets a break. Instead of hiking the canyon he'd be helping me recover from surgery and taking care of the house. I hated to be the reason he wouldn't get away. And now, on top of that, he'll be helping me get through the rigors of chemotherapy. He doesn't deserve that. Such a bummer!
So anyway....yesterday was a bit melancholy for me as I considered what we might have been doing, flying out for an adventure we'd never forget. But I've been careful to keep things in perspective throughout these past months and I don't want to lose that perspective now. After all, I'm well now, recovering more quickly than hoped for, and feeling really good. The Grand Canyon is not going anywhere. And with any luck, we'll get to make our dream trip some time in the future. Once I am through with chemo and get my strength (and my hair) back, we can plan for the future again. Life is a real roller coaster ride and we never know for sure when the next drop or twist is going to come, so we need to be ready to roll with it all.
And at the end of the ride we want to be able to say we enjoyed every minute of it - even the stomach churning ones.
trip - to visit the Grand Canyon. We began planning over a year ago because it takes a year to get reservations at the hotel on the rim of the canyon. I spent hours reading everything I could find about the area and I'd planned this trip to be everything we wanted it to be, including a train ride to the canyon and a stay in Sedona's red rock country. We were beyond excited about this trip. The last real vacation we had was over 3 years ago, and we've never been able to take regular vacations, so this was going to be a real treat. Instead, I was visiting the oncologist and finding out that chemotherapy was in my future. How life turns on a dime!When I went for my mammogram in January - the last of my annual check-ups for the year -everything changed. Things change quickly in life - in an instant it all hangs in the balance. When I realized we'd have to cancel our long-awaited trip I was so disappointed. Not only for myself but especially for my husband, who works so hard and rarely gets a break. Instead of hiking the canyon he'd be helping me recover from surgery and taking care of the house. I hated to be the reason he wouldn't get away. And now, on top of that, he'll be helping me get through the rigors of chemotherapy. He doesn't deserve that. Such a bummer!
So anyway....yesterday was a bit melancholy for me as I considered what we might have been doing, flying out for an adventure we'd never forget. But I've been careful to keep things in perspective throughout these past months and I don't want to lose that perspective now. After all, I'm well now, recovering more quickly than hoped for, and feeling really good. The Grand Canyon is not going anywhere. And with any luck, we'll get to make our dream trip some time in the future. Once I am through with chemo and get my strength (and my hair) back, we can plan for the future again. Life is a real roller coaster ride and we never know for sure when the next drop or twist is going to come, so we need to be ready to roll with it all.
And at the end of the ride we want to be able to say we enjoyed every minute of it - even the stomach churning ones.
1 comment:
Isn't that one of the reasons we get married? To know that there is someone there, your favorite someone, who can help you through the rough times? I'd like to know that if and when I'm sick, I have my husband by my side and I won't be feeling badly for him because I'm sure I'll return the favor at some point...after all, isn't that what marriage is all about? You'll get to the Grand Canyon and I'd like to see you hiking there too as well as Dad!
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