Photo: The New Normal for six orphaned kittens and their adopted Mama rabbit!(I just wrote my blog entry and was doing the final read through and I then pressed the wrong button on the computer keyboard and bam - it all got deleted. Impermanence. Ahhh – letting go. Sigh. So here goes again : )
The “New Normal”. I first heard this phrase on a breast cancer message board.
Life often comes up with unexpected and unplanned events, and the road takes a different turn. And, of course, we can’t wait for it to turn back so we can get back to “normal”.
But often times the road doesn’t take the turn back. And we are left headed in a new direction, and not by choice. With this new reality comes the opportunity to go forward into new territory... or to yearn for the Old Normal. (What’s Normal anyway?)
One of life’s certainties is that everything will change. This is one thing we can be sure of about life. Change is certain to happen.
With my breast cancer journey, there was the concept of how it will all be, and then there is the reality. I worked hard to prepare myself for the reality. But truth be told, one does not “Get It” until you’re actually in it!
I knew I would have my breast removed. In place of my left breast I now have a six inch scar (I know in an earlier post I said seven inches but I re-measured; but I can assure you six inches is still a pretty cool scar!!). I still have some pain. I have aching up by my collarbone. When the surgery was done, they had to remove breast tissue over a largish area, extending from the lower ribcage up to the collarbone, and from the breastbone to the far side of the armpit.
My New Normal is both a physical and a psychological one. The physical reality is hard to ignore. Pain is a good attention getter! And the visual perspective of only having one breast on your chest is not exactly the same as it was before! That’s a good example of a New Normal ;)
I have been working quite hard physically this last week. Moving furniture, boxes, garden pots, etc. (I gave up on the twin beds, a little too ambitious) Okay, so maybe I’m asking for it by doing too much.
“But, hey, I can do it. I’m not a wuss (wimp). I don’t have to ask anyone to help me, so I’ll just do it myself; I’m only 41, not old yet! I’m fine now, I should be healed by now (7 weeks post-op!); I’m back to normal now (see – there we go); I’m Joby Super Woman the Amazon…..”
Okay, so I am getting to know my New Normal my way. But here I am writing this post saying it all. I’m learning.
This is my practice. This is it. Life. 100%. Full. No holding back. Right now.
My quest is to free my heart though living more fully. With more love; with more compassion and empathy; more openness; in the moment; with more wisdom; with more letting go; with more of “this is it,right now”.
Who knows, maybe this New Normal is a Better Normal. We shall see.
Onwards! Life is waiting.
(And for you, too ;)
