May has always been an incredibly special month for many of us. While we
celebrate graduations, special religious holidays, and Memorial Day it is also the month
of Mother’s Day and my mother’s birthday. As a kid, May is a month I always remember
as one of great anticipation. School was ending and summer vacation was right around
the corner. It’s that month that you really appreciate all of the world around you. It is
when nature blossoms and we reflect on an enriching season.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. I will forever be indebted to my mother
telling me since I can remember how much she loved me and was always praying for my
health. She told me continually if you have good health you have everything. I think
sometimes of my diagnosis and other survivor’s mental health. It’s important to take
small breaks in the day to pray, reflect, think of what you have and how you will use your
life to benefit others. I have always been energetic and at times it is hard for me to focus.
I am taking this month of May and Mental Health Awareness serious by reflecting on my
excitability and gratitude in my everyday life.
May is a month where I tend to be highly creative. As a survivor and writer, I find
myself especially feeling motivated with spring colors and scents abound. That sparks
new ideas about what to look forward to when I write new projects. Springtime is thought to
be the best time for renewal as we witness the ending of the winter, gray and cold
season as we know it.
To many people May represents rebirth and development of our personal
transformation of the year. My mother said on occasion to me throughout my
adolescence, how life was precious, and I would someday understand the importance
of May. Today, I think of May standing alone as a modest month saying, “I am not jazzy
like July or merry as December, but I am cool like no other month.” As survivors,
perhaps we think of May as the beginning to holding onto life.
Our planet can simultaneously be majestic yet broken in various ways. That is not
unlike us humans. For instance, Cancer has not beat us. Cancer didn’t beat me. Cancer
stands alone then Angels sing. Our lives are majestic yet broken in various ways. And that
is OK. I have to remind myself to be calm in many situations. The calm inside me can
be the most beautiful and loving thing. Why sometimes do I not react to my life in
a positive way? It stands to reason that the same thing may be happening right now to
many people.
We might all go about our way scrutinizing more of the negatives and give
little thought to other, more positive aspects of our lives. However common this might
be to us, we can always try to improve ourselves in this aspect. For me, controlling my
breathing and purposefully calming my mind is my tactic. It gives me a few moments to
be thankful for the opportunity to be placed in that moment and decide how I can respond.
I can choose to pile on to the negatives or to bring positivity to it and remind myself of
the goodness I have witnessed.
I’m sure many of you can relate to the feeling of dread that comes Sunday evening
at 10 PM knowing what comes next in 10 hours. Perhaps you recall that mistake you made
at work last week or the many priorities in the next few days you will face. What will be
your tactic to chase the negative thoughts away and bring out a positive outcome? If you’d
like to send me your tactics, please do and I’ll anonymously share on my website next month.
As a final reminder about Mother’s Day and in June, Father’s Day, the best investment
you’ll ever make is being the best son or daughter you can. I believe, no matter how old you are,
being a great son or daughter says a lot about your character. No one can take that away. Now
years removed from my cancer diagnosis I feel each day is my chance to live well and give
back to my parents. My parents have always been by my side and supportive of everything I
did. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that type of upbringing. But I was. To this day,
I try to impress them. But I know it’s a tough act to follow. I’ll keep trying.
I invite all my followers to sign up for my Running Wild Newsletter for fun, inspiring,
and thought-provoking musings as I continue my writing journey one stride – or keystroke – at
a time. I’ll be sharing thoughts on the world around us, what makes us all tick and maybe even
add some excerpts from my books and upcoming projects.
