October 2018 marked the 5 year anniversary of being cancer free. But I was still a long way from being back to my healthy, active self. It's a wonderful gift to hear cancer free, and the 5 year mark is a huge milestone. The thing most people don't realize, just because you're cancer free doesn't mean you're completely well. For many people, there's a much longer healing road to travel.
After beating cancer, but losing a lot to cancer treatment, not only did I find that my body wasn't in great shape, but my heart & head were also in limbo. I was alive, but not living in a way that nurtured my soul. As best I could, I started to pursue things that brought me peace, calm & beauty.
This included several in person art classes and gardening workshops. Still struggling with tons of fatigue, my world opened up when I found the right mix of online art classes in early 2018 and online horticulture & garden design classes in late 2018. They were simply more manageable for me. Then in Spring 2019, I stumbled across an article about flower farming. All these combined set my soul on fire. I was starting to find moments of true peace as I worked on my art and my gardens. Something I hadn't realized was missing even before my cancer diagnosis.
Fast forward to 2020. My husband enrolled me in 2020 Floret Workshop as my Christmas gift. Something I would have never done for myself. For February - March 2020 my art was selected for a solo exhibition at our local community center. My my first juried art show.
Even now, 6 years after my cancer treatment, I have good days and bad days physically. Thankfully I also have a lot of peace in my heart and soul.
For a bit of a PSA about early menopause, pernicious anemia, B12 deficiency, peripheral neurophathy, MCI, and fibromyalgia caused by radiation treatment,
click here
to read the not so glamorous side of my story.