Welcome 2010
Well, here we are; the start of a new decade — and I’m STILL not dead yet. 
As I thought about what to write, I decided I’d go back and see what I said this time last year. I actually did reasonably well on some (and well, not so much on others). Last year I resolved to exercise more (did that for much of the year); focus on the present (better at this at different parts of the year); take 1 picture a day (yeah, well, um…this would be the ‘not so much’ resolution); and be more productive at work (I think I was somewhat successful here, but certainly more room for improvement for 2010).
My final resolution was to live life to the fullest, taking pleasure in the little things in life. I also said I wanted to spend as little time as possible thinking about my cancer. Although, I was not actively thinking about my cancer a lot of the time in 2009, it was also there in the back of my mind. People would ask how I’m doing, I would say I feel fine, but… always acknowledging the uncertainty of the future. Interestingly, as I thought less and less about my cancer, I also lost site of the “little miracles” of every day life. For better or worse, I returned to looking at life as I did prior to cancer — still happy to be cancer free, but less willing to dismiss the everyday annoyances we experience. That’s something I would like to work on in 2010 — to avoid letting minor annoyances influence my day.
One way I am going to investigate doing this is to talk with my oncologist about changing my medication. When I was first diagnosed, I experienced quite a bit of (understandable) anxiety. During the last 2-3 months, I have found that I have been “out of sorts” and not feeling like myself more often than not. Sometimes, this manifested as feelings of blueness, others with feelings of anxiety. All this to say, that next week, I’m going to talk with my oncologist about adjusting my medication to help with these fluctuations.
My continued good health notwithstanding, I hope that 2010 is a year of improvement (over 2009) for me and my family. I will say that I have been enjoying thinking about and beginning to plan TumorPalooza 2 (August 14, 2010). More info forthcoming.
I will not state any resolutions this year (though, I do have several that I will attempt). I wish everyone a very happy New Year and that 2010 is a year of health, happiness, and good will for all of you.
Warmest Regards,
Merle