A wonderful quote (and its impact on my life)
Just now I read such an impactful quote regarding my quest for joy.
Health is neither good nor bad, since it is neither virtue nor vice; we can be happy whether we are healthy or unhealthy.
~ Epictetus
My constant focus on joy is even more important in my life now I have cancer.
I will post something later this month on the subject of joy (one of the most impactful posts I've ever written for myself). It's a post I work on all the time, adding new insights and observations.
Thing is, I can even be joyful if the chemo really messes with my body.
In fact, earlier this year, chemo made me so sick, I nearly died and I was in hospital for three weeks. In that time I constantly focused on what makes me happy, even when I was on the IC for four days.
And I left the hospital happy and healthy.
I am a stoic at heart, something I forgot when I was struggling with my health and my mind for years.
This year I reconnected. This year I embraced my philosophy again.
So here I am, day one of chemo, doing something I love deeply, surrounded by things that I love to do or work on, phone in hand to type this up (that reminds me, I should post the blog about writing on my phone some day too).
I am joyful, even with all the meds and chemical stuff in my body.
I am joyful while my body slays tumors (to me, chemo is Klingons beating up the evil tribbles from Star Trek prodigy), even if I am in pain.
I am joyful drinking tea, knowing that in a few days I will probably have an upset stomach and can drink only water. I know that's temporary, my hankering for tea will come back again.
It isn't an easy thing to do, when all you want to do is wallow in misery. I'm sick of that though. This is why there is so much stuff I enjoy around me. Whenever a thought grabs me, I can grab my crochet project or a book or my art journals and lose myself in joy.