Stop Hiding From The Holidays With Ailments

Yesterday I posted a list of a holiday to dos:

1. Be present, don't buy presents
2. Wrap someone in a hug, instead of wrapping gifts
3. Send love, not gifts
4. Donate food, don't shop for it
5. Make memories, not cookies
6. Be the light, instead of hanging lights

Then I started thinking (sorry). I know I am guilty of not being present at holidays. At Thanksgiving, hosted here, I got tired and ended up lying down in our bedroom for long enough that my mother came down to lie down for a minute and talk to me because I was gone so long.

I really have limited abilities and get tired or end up in pain and need to rest. Normally, I would sit down and let everyone else do all the work. But if we are hosting, I never get to sit down because people keep asking for something so I have to get up. Now that I have had a chance to think about it I realize that I am not being present. I am hiding away.

So I have to come up with a plan. First of all I will talk to my husband and siblings because I know I can't do everything. I can also enlist one of my nieces and nephews to help.

I think I have dealt with my health for so long that I have learned to hide away so much that I start hiding away too soon. I need to work on staying out with everyone else and relax and let everyone else do the work and delegate.

That is actually pretty funny because last week I talked to an old friend who was stressing about the holidays. I told her I thought she should delegate part of the work to her husband and let him do it. I ran into her in the grocery store yesterday and she was shopping with her husband and he was doing the work. She had delegated and was very happy to do so. I have to take my own advice.

I (state your name) will stop hiding on the holidays and delegate instead.

A weekend away

I took advantage of the long weekend and went camping with my husband and my brother and his four kids. I resisted the urge to bring technology with me and only brought my phone, and then killed the battery. So I was low tech.

Now we are back. I have 190 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! emails downloading as I type and am facing piles of laundry. (And a nasty bowl of spinach that I left in the microwave instead of bringing it along to reheat for Friday night's dinner). It was nice to get away and hang out with my nieces and nephews.

But I am glad to be home so I can sleep in a real bed and then, damn, I have to go to work tomorrow and have a doctor appointment. Triple damn.

Withheld information

A few times in my life, I have had people say me 'we didn't want to tell you but so-and-so was diagnosed with cancer, we thought it might upset you'. I hate this. It goes back to my request not to treat me any different because of my health. Unless you want to shower me with money.

I am capable of handling news about other people diagnosed with cancer. I live in cancerland where everyone has cancer. Its not a nice thing to hear about someone getting cancer but believe me I can handle it. The only time it would upset me seriously would be if it was me again. And it really pisses me off when information is withheld.

Just a little rant today. Its been on my mind recently.

Separately I just learned yesterday that an old friend from childhood who lived across the street was diagnosed with breast cancer and died 8 weeks later. Her cancer was hidden behind a benign breast condition so it was not diagnosed until too late. This makes me sad that this could happen in this day and age of modern medicine. She was 54.

Risk factors????

Now what the hell am I supposed to do? Look at the length of this list of risk factors for breast cancer!!!!!!!!!

These are the established risks: Being female, age, family history, genetics, personal history of breast cancer,  radiation to chest/face before age 30, certain breast changes, race/ethnicity, being overweight, pregnancy history, breast feeding, menstrual history, using HRT, drinking alcohol, having dense breasts, lack of exercise, and smoking.

Then there are the emerging risks that they are just starting to realize their importance.... (Or but wait, there's more!): Low Vitamin D Levels, Light Exposure at Night, DES (Diethylstilbestrol) Exposure, Eating Unhealthy Food, Exposure to Chemicals in Cosmetics, Exposure to Chemicals in Food, Exposure to Chemicals for Lawns and Gardens, Exposure to Chemicals in Plastic, Exposure to Chemicals in Sunscreen, Exposure to Chemicals in Water, and/or Exposure to Chemicals When Food Is Grilled/Prepared. 

How the hell am I supposed to avoid them? That's it. I am moving to live under a rock!