There are three virtues in life that I find the most difficult to maintain: patience, peace of mind, and open-mindedness. Going through sorority rush this past week reminded me of my struggle to be patient and calm while keeping my mind open to new possibilities. When going through my cancer treatment, especially at the very beginning, I struggled with this the most. There are many times in life when things do not go the way you planned, like with rush, but a diagnosis of cancer definitely takes “not going the way you planned” to an entirely other level. Initially, I took my diagnosis to mean the end of all I knew, the end of my happiness, basically. I had this “all or nothing” mentality and I took my diagnosis to mean that I would never live the life I wanted.
I could not have been more wrong. Life for me has been more incredible since my treatment than I ever could have planned. I know now that I should have been more patient and more open minded to change. People always say, “things work out the way they were meant to” and “they will always work out in the end,” but those are really hard words to believe when diagnosed with cancer or when facing any experience in which things do not go as you plan. I myself am still trying to keep those words in mind!
At the same time, however, looking back on my journey through cancer treatment, I try to remind myself of how very true those words seem to be. Sure it was horrible to go through treatment for the second time, and suffer as I did, but things have definitely worked out ok. Going through sorority rush in college this spring, I did not get accepted to the sorority that I had originally wanted, but was accepted by a different one. I forgot to keep my mind open to change, so at first I was upset. Once I remembered my cancer experience, I could accept it as fate, not a disappointment. Now, having spent two weeks with my sorority, I can say for certain that I love it and it is the best sorority for me! So, I really believe that dealing with changes in plans can be much easier if you keep that kind of positive mentality.
In short, life will never stop throwing you curveballs, as I have unfortunately begun to notice. But, you can make it much easier on yourself by trying to be patient with life and its challenges, staying calm if possible, and keeping your mind open to new possibilities.
I could not have been more wrong. Life for me has been more incredible since my treatment than I ever could have planned. I know now that I should have been more patient and more open minded to change. People always say, “things work out the way they were meant to” and “they will always work out in the end,” but those are really hard words to believe when diagnosed with cancer or when facing any experience in which things do not go as you plan. I myself am still trying to keep those words in mind!
At the same time, however, looking back on my journey through cancer treatment, I try to remind myself of how very true those words seem to be. Sure it was horrible to go through treatment for the second time, and suffer as I did, but things have definitely worked out ok. Going through sorority rush in college this spring, I did not get accepted to the sorority that I had originally wanted, but was accepted by a different one. I forgot to keep my mind open to change, so at first I was upset. Once I remembered my cancer experience, I could accept it as fate, not a disappointment. Now, having spent two weeks with my sorority, I can say for certain that I love it and it is the best sorority for me! So, I really believe that dealing with changes in plans can be much easier if you keep that kind of positive mentality.
In short, life will never stop throwing you curveballs, as I have unfortunately begun to notice. But, you can make it much easier on yourself by trying to be patient with life and its challenges, staying calm if possible, and keeping your mind open to new possibilities.
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