Take Time to Smell the Martini and Laugh with Friends

Before and even into the beginning of my breast cancer diagnosis, I was working too hard-never taking any time for myself, always on mom-duty.  I had even stopped going to the gym.  Don’t even ask me when I last attended a “girls night out” with friends or had “date night” with my husband.  Having moved 4 times in the past year and having just had a baby, while still working full time was starting to take its toll. So, when some friends invited me out for a mid-week Girls Night, I thought “Yeah! I need to do this!”

The evening of the scheduled Girls Night arrived.  I was working furiously trying to meet a deadline, when I started experiencing tightness in my chest and intense trouble breathing.  I stopped typing and tried to breathe in.  I could tell I was having a panic attack.  Apparently, chemo and stress do not mix.  So I stepped away from my computer, turned off the lights and tried to just breathe in.  After about 15 minutes, I felt like  a weight had been lifted from my chest and I could breathe again.  I looked at the clock.  If I was going to make it to Girls Night I had to leave soon.  I looked at my computer and my unfinished work.  There was no way I could go.  Just then, my husband came home.  I told him my dilemma.  Without skipping a beat, he walked over to the computer, turned it off, and declared, “You’re going to Girls Night.”   I stood speechless.  “I can’t go,” I thought. “I didn’t finish my assignment.”  As if he read my thoughts, my husband responded “You can go. You need to go. Remember what the doctor said, “Relax, de-stress.”  He was right.  I needed to let go and enjoy life.  “You’re right,” I said.  “I have cancer, dammit!  I’m going to go have some fun!”   And I did.  It felt so good hanging out with friends.  I realized, this is the important part of work/life balance that I had been sacrificing.  Telling funny stories, laughing hysterically–this was exactly what the doctor ordered.

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HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!