{"id":24,"date":"2006-06-22T13:15:53","date_gmt":"2006-06-22T03:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/2006\/06\/22\/some-inspiration-for-the-day\/"},"modified":"2016-10-11T07:25:57","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T21:25:57","slug":"some-inspiration-for-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/2006\/06\/22\/some-inspiration-for-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Inspiration For The Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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How to Enjoy Life's Special Pleasures<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/tt>\"Image\"\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/div>\n

Yes, indeed -- life is short. But it is never too late to <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>fully realize <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>how precious <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>our <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>time on Earth really<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>\u00a0is.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>Joni Rodgers learned this the hard way. In 1994, the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>then-32-year-old drama <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>teacher <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>and mother of two children, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>ages five and seven, was diagnosed with <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>non-Hodgkin's <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>lymphoma, the immune-system cancer.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>For six months, Rodgers <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>underwent a <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>grueling course of <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>chemotherapy treatments, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>along with <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>naturopathic <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>methods -- <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>but <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>she never lost her capacity for humor, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>compassion <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>and <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>insight.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

R<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>odgers, now 41, has been in remission for seven years. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Here she shares the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>lessons <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>of her harrowing journey -- and <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>tells what we all can do to live fuller <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>and <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>more <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>joyous <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>lives...<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

EMBRACE WHAT YOU HAVE<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>Before I had cancer, I was a perfectionist. I missed out on <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>lots of fun because<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>of <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>my too-high expectations about the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>way things should be regarding my <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>marriage, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>children and <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>career.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Example: My husband, Gary, is an airplane mechanic who <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>works the night <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>shift. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>For a long time, I really hated his <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>absences from home. After I had <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>cancer, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>I <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>realized <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>how <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>little this matters. I learned to appreciate the time we <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>spend <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>together <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>on <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>weekends and in the mornings rather than <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>resent the time <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>he <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>is away.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Now I'm unsympathetic when people moan about not having <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>enough money or <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>being <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>in a bad marriage. If you're not <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>happy, do something about it -- or learn <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>to <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>appreciate <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>what <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>you have. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>You sometimes will hear that someone \"lost the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>battle\" <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>with <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>cancer. To me, if they <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>embraced happiness, they won, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>whether <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>they <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>lived to <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>32 <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>or 92.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

ENJOY YOUR PLEASURES<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>You are not wasting time when you watch TV, sleep late or <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>otherwise do <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>nothing. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Wasting time is when you are not <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>loving someone or not enjoying your <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>life. I have <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>discovered <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>how to take pleasure in the simplest things. Even when I <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>am <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>sitting <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>quietly or taking a long drive, there is always <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>something interesting <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>to look at or <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>think about.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

LOVE WHO YOU ARE<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>Like many women, I always wished I was thinner. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>If I could go back, I wouldn't <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>obsess about something so <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>trivial. The tragic irony is that I lost 40 pounds <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>during <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>my cancer treatments -- and wished every one of those <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>pounds back. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Now I treat <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>my body well. I exercise and eat <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>right -- not to lose weight, but <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>to stay healthy.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>FIND FORGIVENESS<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>We waste a lot of time and energy harboring grudges. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>My breakthrough: A few <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>years ago, I ran into the doctor who <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>had first misdiagnosed my cancer as <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>premenstrual syndrome. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>When I saw him, I was consumed with hatred. Then I <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>realized <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>that just getting angry was not going to change anything. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>So I wrote <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>him <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>a letter explaining how I felt. I never <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>heard back from him, but writing the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>letter <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>allowed me to <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>let go of the anger.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

\u00a0FOCUS ON INTENTIONS... NOT WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>When someone has cancer, people often make inappropriate <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>statements, such <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>as, <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>\"We could all die tomorrow\" or \"What <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>doesn't kill you makes you stronger.\"<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>At <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>first, such <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>comments annoyed me. Then I realized that these people were <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>struggling <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>to say the right things but didn't know how. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>When someone says <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>something that <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>annoys you, give him\/her <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>the benefit of the doubt. Look past the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>words to find the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>loving intent.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

SEE THE HUMOR<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>Cancer isn't funny -- but there are some funny moments. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Gary and I tried to see <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>the humor whenever possible. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Example: I always had a good laugh when Gary <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>would come up <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>behind me, move his hands over my bald head and say, \"Look <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>deep into the crystal ball. I see dinner at the Chinese <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>buffet, followed by a long <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>and healthy life.\" <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>Laughter relieves stress and gives us strength to face the <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>challenges ahead.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

TAKE COMFORT IN PRAYER<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

<\/tt>Many people think they don't know how to pray. Just think <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>of God as a great <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>river that runs through the universe. The <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>idea of prayer is not to pull God out<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt> of the stream but to <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt>put yourself into the stream with God.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/tt><\/p>\n

------------------------------------<\/tt><\/span><\/tt><\/p>\n

Joni Rodgers is the author of two novels and the memoir Bald in the Land of Big Hair. She lives in Spring TX, USA. Visit her website chemoheads.com<\/a> – a resource center for people living with cancer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Enjoy Life’s Special Pleasures \u00a0 Yes, indeed — life is short. But it is never too late to fully realize how precious our time on Earth really\u00a0is. Joni Rodgers learned this the hard way. In 1994, the then-32-year-old drama teacher and mother of two children, ages five and seven, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":729,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions\/729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piecesofmyheart.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}