Here it Goes...

I am a poet…

In the way I dress,

In the way I move,

In the way I write, and -

In the way I express…

because words are just words until they connect, until they breathe what they are to be.

My words, most recently, are connecting to fear.

Specifically, to the end of my treatment.

I know cancer, and I understand it.

While treatment may be an uphill battle, the end of treatment is like jumping off a cliff.

And just like a word before it’s connected to purpose…I too, felt lost.

Until the image changed for me…

Maybe standing at the edge of a cliff is not a risk -

But rather an opportunity - to reinvent, to rediscover, and to reintroduce a connected self.

Because the jump itself isn’t scary as long as you know you have people when you land.

We all have our words, our cliffs, and our connections.

In the past -

I was always moving in and out of time, thinking if cancer couldn’t find me, it couldn’t have me.

But, not knowing yourself doesn’t make you invisible, it just makes you lonely.

In order to connect, you have to BE.

This is an adventure.

And this time, when I jump, I’m not going to close my eyes.

I’m not going to miss one more thing.

I love this season, cause it’s right where I’m supposed to be.

And it’s time to tell our stories - every layer.

I’m the mama bear, poet, fashionista, gentle breathing self that I am.

And I hope, more than anything - that as I am learning to breathe -

I evoke compassion and connection. Otherwise it’s all for nothing.

And that is a tragic poem.

So let this be my song, my intention, and my prayer…

Live life, no more hiding.

Amen