Marianne Emery

But, it wasn't alone; it's sidekick is chest pain and shortness of breath, some really goofy headaches and fatigue that I can't shake. Unfortunately, as we age, things start going wonky and trust me; you're not popping up on any doctors crystal ball- And that folks, is how I found myself knee deep in Christmas decorations, covered in glitter on Friday the 13th of October waiting for results. A cancer survivor waiting to be scanned and twiddling their thumbs (or in my case: decorating for Christmas way too early) waiting for their results is a very fragile creature.

I'd be crazy not reflect on the blessings that I have seen in the last year, the ways that my life has changed for the better and all of the fun that I have had. I'm sharing this news with you because I want you, the people who I care about the most, to reflect and realize that getting another year older is a gift. Age is just a number, and regardless of how high that number gets, it's still important to be thankful for the chance to see another birthday. I wouldn't want ya' all to wait until something crazy happens in your life for you to start seriously celebrating the crap out of your birthdays and genuinely appreciating the fact that you are celebrating another year.

A typical morning looks something like this: 5:00 wake up, let the dogs out, start coffee, realize I have to pee, then remember I need to make the bed, oops forgot about the coffee, go to look at my watch and realize I'm not wearing it, go find the watch, "you need to do laundry",  coffee... make the coffee.... But, seeing how I have made an art form out of finding silver linings, embracing my ditziness and my new 2 second attention span seems like the most fitting choice. I have crazy amounts of energy, I sleep much better, nothing aches, allergies are gone, and I don't remember the last time I had a headache, and in general I feel like I'm 25... but then again, maybe I don't really remember what 25 really felt like. In light of all of this, it is time for me to accept that I'm never going to find that tiara again.

I can make the choice every single day to feel GRATEFUL. First and foremost, every single morning that my feet land on the floor, even though things crack that never used to sound that way, I am grateful. I can make the choice every single day to be EXCITED; this is a hard one for me. Making the choice to surround ourselves with other people who are happy, and people who care about our happiness is something we need to do.