Don’t waste time!
I’m sure we’re not consciously doing that but there’s a lot of life lessons from the Stoic philosophy of the ancient Greeks that I think we can apply just as much to a life being lived with a serious illness as one that’s illness free. It’s useless to wish things in the world were different, some things we can’t change, and that includes living with our fears. But this isn’t meant to be a downbeat blog, quite the opposite! Focus on what matters to you and persevere!
It’s about giving yourself permission to do the things that will add value to you, not to be obligated to do what others might try to impose. It’s not about being bloody minded, but it is about defining what matters and spending time on those things. The ancient philosopher Seneca said, you should guard your time like you guard your property. Carve out “me time” and don’t let anybody else have any of it. This isn’t to be selfish, but time spent making yourself a better person ultimately benefits those around you too.
Cancer might impair our ability to do everything we’d like, but at the same time it should enable us to recognise what is important to us, and and then encourage us to do what we enjoy, how we relax, and how we learn, as we live with this situation.
I think so much of what we see and read, especially in the news or social media is a big distraction, it eats our time and we have more important things to focus on, if we just take the time to think about what that is. If it’s not interesting move on, if it’s negative, if it’s not relevant avoid it. From my experience, cancer is a time for reflection and to consider what is important, and then if you can, go and do it. We’re not talking big things necessarily, small things are just as important, but it’s what you value, it’s your time.
