Balance

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.

                                                                                                          Albert Einstein

What good advice from Albert Einstein.  Not only was he a brilliant scientist and mathematician, he was very wise.  I clearly remember learning to ride a bicycle.  In fact, to this day when I drive down the street where this important milestone in my life happened, I still think about it.  When I was learning to ride, I don’t think I really thought about the fact that if I would keep moving, I could keep my balance and I am sure the physics of riding a bike never entered my mind. After several attempts, I was able to keep my bike moving and stay upright.  On that day I became a proud bike rider.

In a recent post, Metaphor, I told about feeling that I had lost the wind at my back after my multiple myeloma diagnosis, treatment and recovery, remission and the ensuing stage of survivorship. I felt out of balance and I was not moving and I was languishing in the doldrums of life. At the end of the post, I mentioned that I thought was starting to feel a little breeze.  

I am happy to say that the breeze is picking up and I am beginning to sail out of the doldrums.  My participation in the Livestrong Exercise and Thrive program for cancer survivors at the YMCA has been a positive change and it is literally keeping me moving. I have high hopes that this program will help me to achieve balance.  

 In a few days, I will be flying to Denver for a conference of Alpha Delta Kappa International Organization for Women Educators.  This is a big step because I will be going by myself.   I have ventured out without my husband very little since my diagnosis. I did travel to Germany last November without him, but my daughter was with me and I wasn’t alone. However, it did feel like a giant step to be getting on an airplane without him.  For so long, I have felt vulnerable without my husband there to watch over me as he has done throughout this myeloma journey.  When I get to Denver, I will be with friends and I am looking forward to that.  I know this conference will be rejuvenating and it will keep me moving and help me keep my balance.

It is my hope with each new step forward, my balance will get stronger and I will be fully living again with the wind at my back. 

This has nothing to do with my post, but I must share this picture of my dear cat, Lily.