So, here I sit with my green tea brewing, it's supposed to have cancer fighting ingredients in it, but please don't quote me I just go by articles I read and some dieticians recommendation and hey this one has a Root Beer flavour, can't go wrong with that. I sometimes have no idea about what I'm going to blog about, but here's what I do know, after a sluggish week and one day I couldn't keep my eyes open after supper and slept for over twelve hours, that was crazy. I'm going to dedicate more time to this blog and hopefully vlog and make it my full time job / passion. Now to think this is going to make ends make, especially to start with, I don't live in fantasy land and understand there's very little money involved. I believe when I last looked at my add revenue it was 30 cents, lol, but I never really ever thought about this as a money maker. Being Full-time just means committing more time and energy to something that started out as just a way to express my thoughts, and I've felt that has come through pretty good. I get enough comments from people all over the world who thank me for writing this, knowing their not alone, along with many messages of encouragement to keep fighting and telling my story. Oh, tea's ready....be back in next paragraph.
Cancer Fighter
Alright so green tea done and a healthy Mediterranean type diet for lunch eaten, now my realization for attempting to make this a full-time endeavour came to me when I was out for a morning jog today and it was a tough one just under 8km, but at a plus 6 min/km mind you it was -10 degrees Celsius this morning, and my legs were pretty stiff from a stricter workout routine I've adopted in the last week. Now as a cancer patient you're always given information on the right kind of treatments for you, the scans and reports that need to be done and in some cases, at least mine the resources to help deal with then stress and anxiety. I've even had nutrition advice, which is sometime contradictory just because the fact I'm prone to bowel obstructions. So in other words eat healthy, cut out sugars and processed food and add lots of fruits and veggies, which I'd love to do. On the other hand I'm told, because of the obstructions, to eat a low residue diet....i.e. basically the opposite of how I want to eat, it includes white bread, white rice....easy to digest food......ARGH. Since my last obstruction was six months ago, I generally have tried to move back to a Mediterranean type again, but am careful to chew my food and take mine time. Leading me back around to my habits and eating slowly is one of those that is taking a while to conquer, I grew up on a farm, so when it was dinner time you ate and you ate fast...bottom line.
Now although the resources I have in order to help deal with a diagnosis like this are great, the on that is kind of, I feel, that's left out is exercise. I totally understand that a lot of cancer patients who undergo chemo and radiation are unable for a time left with very little energy to make this a part of life. Many who also suffer from neuroendricine cancer also suffer from extreme fatigue as hormones are thrown out of whack, leaving them exhausted. It's hard for me to write this and not offend people, cause although my disease is very advanced see http://stephenmedhurst.ca/2021/04/13/how-serious-it-is/ I'm fortunate enough to have energy to still have an exercise routine and I believe that has played a key role keeping it stable for the past year. To me it only make sense along with a strong mind a strong body puts up a better fight, if I could do anything over the next year it would be to help those who may be lost where to start, get started. A brisk walk, hike in the forest, whatever it takes just to move your body. I believe there's a fight in everyone, they just need a helping hand to get started. More info about the benefits in the hospital, cancer related websites...THAT ARE EASY TO FIND, would be a good starting point. Can we call it preventative treatment, before medical treatment. Sure would lower visit's to the emergency room. Little bit of a rant, sorry, but I'm done.
So in an impromptu list here's some of my habits that I'm trying to put in place.
- Move to tea over coffee....I love coffee
- Get up and have bed made by 8.....some days after treatment requires more rest, so be easy on me
- Meditate...I'll explain in next paragraph
- Always exercise, makes the body and mind stronger....cancer hates that, it prefers the weak.
- Read / Research...once again cancer wants you thinking about it 24/7.
- Spend more time expanding the reach of my blog, I want to reach more people like me and form a global community, working with one another for the better...whatever that may be.
Now those are a few that I'm trying to implement I have a lot more ideas running through my mind right now, but the key I've learned over the year is not to overwhelm yourself with a complete over-haul all at once....it doesn't work and only makes you more stressed and therefore revert back to you old ways or worse. Moderation is the key, for me anyway, and it has taken me nearly 48 years on this planet to figure it out and a palliative diagnosis to do something about it.
Just Can't Get It
Ok, so the meditation? I so badly want to figure this out and for something that appears so easy to do.....I just can't 100% commit. I move to a quiet room, we even have a pillow to sit on, have tried multiple YouTube channels / apps / wellness websites and I can't seem to just be in the moment. I find my mind always wandering to different thoughts, and getting off track on what I'm supposed to be focusing on, inner peace? I will keep trying, but if any of my readers have tips, I'm wide open.
Getting back to making this a full-time venture, seems odd to say that because full-time to a guy who used to work by the hour meant clocking in at 7 and clocking out at 3:30, now it means something completely different, but in a good way now it's something to be passionate about and hope to help others, by helping myself. It takes some determination and will power to make something like this keep going and thankfully I was born with a lot of this. Now I'm not talking John Wick type will or determination, if you haven't see the movie I apologize, and it's not for everyone. Some of these ideas may fail and fail again, but eventually by grinding it out and putting in the work we can all be successful in our dreams, whatever they may be. For now mine are simple, remain as healthy as possible, work hard on this blog, do the research, keep minimizing my/our life to be ready for life on the road and continue to write about my / our forthcoming adventures....and primarily to defeat cancer, a tall order I know but I choose to be a strong, determined, resilient guy, who doesn't quit.....ever, just ask my wife....lol....sometimes to a fault.
Don't do what you think the world needs you to do, do what you love, the word needs people who love what they do