DEAR THYROID^TM

Divine Wine- A deep mauve/plum color

When I was a little girl I used to imagine what my life would be like when I grew up.  I wondered what I would look like as an adult, what job I would have, where I would live, etc.  I dreamed of being a dancer, a singer; I dreamed of being swept away by a handsome prince (or someone close to the likes of Scott Baio back when he was Fonzie’s nephew or when Joanie loved Chachi).  I dreamed of living in a beautiful home and having wonderful girlfriends and basically that ‘happily ever after’ so often seen in fairy tales.  Don’t all little girls have those dreams?  I thought I’d be taller and smarter, and of course, richer.  What I didn’t dream about was growing up and getting sick…who wants to even consider?  When I was ten, I wondered what I would be like at 20.  When I was 30, I wondered what 40 would be like.  Well, I’ll stop there.

In all honesty, most of my dreams have come true.  I’ve danced and sung on many a stage from my youth until now, I have a job that I like most of the time, I have great girlfriends, and I married a tall, dark, and handsome man.  Now, I didn’t get much taller and I only got a little smarter, and now, being 40+, I am on my fourth round battling it out with the cancer that won’t leave me.  Does that mean I have to stop dreaming?  I refuse. Do I dare say this is one of the best times of my life?  Of course not, but it is close.  When I stop to think of all that’s transpired in the three and a half years since cancer, it’s overwhelming.  I have written a book, I have made some new, deep and incredible friendships, I have taken more risks, I have tolerated less bullshit, I have learned not to be a pushover, I have learned to speak up for what I want and believe in, I have learned to love and connect with people in a capacity beyond what I thought I had, and best of all, I have learned to live intentionally, to soak up every minute of life and cherish every second.  Would I have learned that otherwise?  Maybe, but most of us don’t ‘stop to smell the roses’ very often.  We tend to roll through life planning for the future and just pushing forward.  My eyes are wide open, my heart is wide open. Hurt is more painful, but joy in the small moments overflow.  I have changed, my dreams have changed.  I now dream of getting a phone call that says my scans are clean, I dream that I have no more surgeries, no more radiation, I dream of growing old gracefully and being there for my kids when they graduate, get married, and have kids of their own and I still dream of singing.

I chose Divine Wine lipstick because I love the shade and the name.  It makes your lips look like you’ve had a wonderful glass of Merlot.  So raise your glass and toast, and keep your dreams alive!

written by Anna Warner

Tags: how dreams change after being diagnosed with cancer, keeping your dreams alive, life through lipstick lenses, living with thyroid cancer, thyroid cancer, Thyroid Cancer Survivor, written by Anna Warner

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