Well, that didn't take long

This weekend proved that my re-entry to Life is speeding right along.  Can you believe that I walked the 5K at Race for the Cure on Saturday morning?  Three weeks and three days post-mastectomy #2.  Boom.

That's me in the middle of the back row, surrounded by a bunch of awesome family members.  For additional awesomeness, check out my dad's wig (front row, left side).  

After the race, I came home and cleaned my toilets for the first time.  You might think that this is mundane, gross, and unworthy of highlighting, but I beg to differ.  I have not had the energy to spend on toilet cleaning in seven months.  Seven months!  This weekend I had the energy, and the confidence that my energy would be sustained following the toilet cleaning.  It was therefore with a certain amount of gratitude, if not outright joy, that I cleaned my toilets between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 on Saturday, October 4th, 2014.  Afterwards I bypassed my former rest on the couch and went for a victory lap by tidying up the kitchen.  Chores have never felt so good.

Having energy to perform a task is only half of the solution.  The other half of the solution is a side-effect of having energy, and that is the reclamation of my time.  During cancer treatment I spent gobs of time sleeping and resting.  By the time I had attended to my bodily chores (appointments, eating, bathing) I had scarcely any energy-charged time for the family, let alone activities of my choosing.  The gift of time is almost as sweet as the energy itself. 

This weekend I possessed energy-charged time for the family.  Race for the Cure was invigorating, toilet cleaning was satisfying, and throwing my daughter's 7th birthday sleepover was...surely there's a word for the warm loving glow that has surrounded my heart all day?  It was wonderful.  She had her three best friends over for a sleepover.  We made pizza from scratch, frolicked in the leaves outside, built a fort in the girls' bedroom, and gobbled Ian's famous stovetop buttered popcorn with Mary Poppins.  Ian and I didn't even stress with additional organized activities, we mostly just let them play.  They all fell asleep between 9 and 10 pm, and they all woke up just after 7 am.  They drew pictures quietly for half an hour before I got up to make pancakes (also from scratch--I do love homemade foods!).  Just over half of them let me braid their hair while we watched The Magic School Bus.  Then we turned off the TV and played Twister until parents started to arrive.  A glorious time was had by all.   

This is the life.