A Hydrated Earthly Vehicle (Points 11 and 12)

Living gratefully today, I enjoyed a peaceful evening outdoors with a relaxing fire and my family. 

It also gave me an opportunity for some solitude and some grieving for Mary Jo later in the evening.
Grief has a way of showing up and I try to honor it when it does. I don't want to forget my sister and her life and the difference she made.

Points of Clarity 11 and 12: 

11. My body is just a vehicle. The life in it is what counts. But I take care of both. 

12. Drink lots of water. Then drink some more.

I would like to think I have taken pretty good care of my body over my lifetime, but I drank too much and smoked for a few years, so there is that. I have always been active, and that has countered and repaired damage done, not to mention saving my sanity.

As I age into my mid-50's and encounter what peri-menopause has to offer, I realize that my body is telling me there is a balance to all of this activity too. I am learning to cut back on miles, save steps instead of always looking to add more. Tune in to aches and pains more. Rest.

My body and I got along better than my mind and I did for decades, but I wasn't all that thrilled with my earthly vehicle. I could look to my muscular legs and my eyes and smile as highlights, but I didn't feel as confident with the rest of me. Marriage and motherhood helped significantly. Recovery too. I arrived at a place of feeling pretty comfortable in my own skin--emotionally and physically.

For me, the process of making it through chemo and three surgeries, including a double amputation, somehow brought my body and I to better terms. I know that other women with BC have had different challenges in this area. This is my story and I honor it, just as I hope they honor theirs.

The hydration aspect picked up when I got pregnant and then breastfed our son Sam, a crowning achievement for my breasts and one that I will always cherish. I was in my mid-30's and trying to do all I could to be healthy and prepared for it all. I realized how much better I felt and more efficiently everything seemed to work when I drank plenty of water.

So I haven't stopped drinking. Water that is. After my sisters were diagnosed with cancer, then I was, I found another reason to keep hydrated. I am not an alarmist, but I also don't have my head in the sand. There are plenty of toxins in our environment and in the foods we eat. It is certainly possible that they contribute to illnesses like cancer.

Why not keep flushing them out of my body on a regular basis? Does it make a difference? It does, because I feel like I am taking another step to remain healthy. Again, my story. I encourage others to do what works for them.

In that grief last evening, I pulled out my phone and looked at pictures of Mary Jo from a year ago, on one of our visits to Colorado. And I pulled to mind what she looked like the last times I saw her, before and after she died. Her earthly vehicle was ravaged by cancer. Ravaged and wrecked. Damn cancer!

I'll keep doing what I can to take care of this earthly vehicle of mine, aging and all. At least I get that chance. Something to keep in mind, some gratefulness to tap into, as I head out for a run.