Living Life the Way It Was Meant to Be Lived
Human nature for many reasons focuses on living. People are busy making plans, setting financial goals, establishing career moves, building a family life, and not dwelling on the end. Often much time is wasted on unimportant things that are valued at that moment or time in your life. Having breast cancer brings your mortality to the forefront. What your beliefs have been before now may be questioned as the reality sets in that our life on earth is only temporary.
Life is meant to be lived. You are a unique partner in life with purpose and meaning to your existence, so why not live it with a participatory viewpoint? It is easier to prioritize the important things, experiences, and people in your life when you have dealt firsthand with breast cancer. You can choose to waste less time or waste more time. Spend less time at work and more time enjoying your family and friends. You may decide to finally go on that trip you have been putting off for so long.
Essential
Living with the end in mind is one way to participate in your life with a zest, awareness, and appreciation that may go unnoticed prior to having breast cancer. Being diagnosed with breast cancer is not a gift in itself, but the wisdom that comes from the experience is a gift that can enrich and fulfill your life. Life is meant to be lived with the thought that “life is not a dress rehearsal — you only have one chance at it.”
Once you have come face to face with your mortality, then you can truly live. In that spirit, Debbie Mazza-Taylor, who lost her five-year battle with breast cancer just days before her forty-first birthday, wrote this poem:
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind?
