It’s been a quiet week. Post-surgery, there’s been anesthesia brain where my mind didn’t feel like focusing or thinking. My eyes either. It was news to me that they tape your eyes shut during surgery. In a way it makes sense, to not startle the surgeon or nurses with your…

As a young girl, I was instructed to say my prayers before going to sleep. It was a nighttime ritual that goes back many generations. I can see myself kneeling in front of my bed and saying: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul…

Today I had the initial consult with an oncologist. First off, oncologist has been a really odd word to say and write. My family doesn’t have a history of cancer. So, this diagnosis of breast cancer has been a surprise not only to me, but to many in my family. …

I’ve been in judgment of my body for as long as I can remember. There’s a saying that when I point a finger, three are pointing back at me. In this case though, when I’m in judgment of some aspect of self, it’s not just four fingers pointing at me…

It’s an age-old question that we use to open up conversations. But when you have something deeper going on, being asked this question isn’t always so innocent. Sometimes there’s an underlying, “what’s going on?” This journey of breast cancer is breaking me open in whole new ways. And people, my…

There’s a fascination with women’s breasts that goes back for millennia. They’re vessels via which we feed our babies. So they’re important from a childrearing perspective. …

Living in the Open Question I received the call late Friday afternoon. “I’m sorry to give you this news, but you have invasive carcinoma in your right breast.” The doctor who’d performed the biopsy was talking about next steps, an MRI, meeting with a breast surgeon, choosing a mastectomy over lumpectomy. I was thinking, “shit!” …

You will never be able to win your game as long as you’re playing by someone else’s rules. Why boundaries are vital to your being. I’m not typically interested in royal shenanigans. They’re human just like us, but with a lot more money and level of prestige greater than many…

Magic happened every night when our Christmas tree was lit up. Looking at the lights on the tree, the reflection of the ornaments, I saw into the possibilities. The anticipation of what would be. I remember the gifts, all carefully wrapped. …