One Day At A Time

When I was seventeen years old, I was voted senior class president. I was given a dark blue physical calendar shaped like a notebook. Just before the school year started, my ASB (Associated Student Body) partners and I had to sit down and write inside those calendars all the events we had for the entire school year. Everything from homecoming to prom to graduation. We had to write down start times, end times, and possible themes. It was at that moment that I officially became a planner. From then on, I would plan everything. Even after high school, I continued to write down life events each year on physical calendars, which I still have today even at the prime age of 42.

How my diagnosis changed my perspective on time

But once I got cancer, everything changed. All of my plans went out the door. The urgency of having to plan a birthday party or attend holiday parties dwindled away. My life was on the line and all of those extra things—like planning my next vacation or planning a dinner with close friends—didn’t seem important to me at all anymore.

However, once I beat cancer, the joy of planning slowly returned; but it returned in a different way. I still enjoy planning and writing in my physical calendar, yet these days I plan more loosely and I take it one day at a time. I never plan too far ahead anymore because truthfully I don’t know if I will get that far. Navigating life after cancer has taught me to enjoy the present moment and take things one day at a time.

Redefining productivity and managing daily energy

Taking it one day at a time doesn’t mean that I have stopped planning and organizing my days and the days. It simply means that if I don’t get to accomplish everything that I intended to do that day, then it’s okay! Before cancer, I used to be so hard on myself if I didn’t complete my daily plans.

But the truth is, I sometimes don’t have enough energy to get everything done in one day. Oftentimes, certain tasks, chores, or appointments end up carrying over to the next day, and I have learned to be okay with that.

Learning to give myself grace in the present moment

I have learned to give myself grace. The fact that I got out of bed and brushed my teeth today, is a big deal. The fact that I was given another day of life today, is a big deal. The fact that I can breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth today, is a big deal. Everything else is just extra.

There is a Bible scripture that comes to mind when I think about living one day at a time. The scripture reads, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). That verse rings true to me now more than it ever before. I refuse to worry about tomorrow. I refuse to beat myself up if I don’t get around to doing the things that I set out to do.

Honoring your physical and mental energy tanks

Some days my emotional energy tank is full and ready for what may come my way. But I also have to consider my physical energy tank and my mental energy tank each day. Each day is different and each day will be its own. When all is said and done, what matters most is that we showed up and gave our all as best as we could, each and every day of our life with cancer.