I am celebrating my “independence” this Independence Day Weekend, and you should do the same.
Independence Day is one of my all time favorite holidays, even more than Thanksgiving. Why? Because, while I love giving thanks for the good things and the good people in my life at the end of the year, I love celebrating my brand of independence at the most beautiful time of the year- Summer.
“Independence” defined by Webster’s Dictionary translates to the state of being self-sufficient or self reliant. The opposite is being “dependent.”
Now, one year after completing cancer treatment, depending on doctors’ opinions and decisions for my well-being, and undergoing months of rehab to gain back the strength in my arms to lift even a full wine bottle (very important!), I am celebrating my new independence as a healthy, self-sufficient, self-reliant woman. I am a little over a year out of treatment, and all four surgeries and reconstruction are behind me. I am celebrating my independence from cancer.
Independence to me means being free to choose how I want to live my life, who I want to share it with, what I want to believe in and what I want to express. It is freedom of choice, freedom of thought and freedom of speech. Oh, I still have a way to go seeking total independence. It is not all that rosy when it comes to making a living and paying the bills in this economy – but I have choices, and I have the freedom to make changes.
So many people around the world don’t have independence. It is more important than what you are worth and who you know and how smart you are. Independence provides you self-worth, and that is invaluable. Independence gives you self-identity, and that is more important than other peoples’ opinions about you. Independence offers you freedom of thought, and that is more important than a university degree.
So, how am I celebrating my “independence” this weekend?
By sharing it with good friends and really taking time to listen to them and to laugh with them.
By choosing not to work this weekend and to disconnect from my emails. (This blog is not work. It is a labor of love and my means of sharing and thinking independently.)
By taking a few long walks on the beach by myself to just be in the moment and not being dependent on deadlines.
By celebrating my independence from a nasty disease and an even nastier treatment.
By vowing to become more independent from toxic people and toxic situations that lead to unneccessary and unhealthful stress.
How are you celebrating your independence?
you will have an important blog right here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my weblog?
Sure! What do I need to do?
This is the perfect blog for anyone who wants to know about the different topics associated with going through Breast Cancer. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want…). You definitely put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!