There have been a lot of trials since I ended chemotherapy five years ago, but that hasn’t prevented me from experiencing some amazing things—things I wasn’t even supposed to live to do.
I violated quite a few laws of nature by not dying the dozen or so times that I came face to face with death (sorry Darwin). This in itself was impressive, but my biggest accomplishment was learning how to feel truly alive after so many years of suffering.
For the time being, my adventures have been few and far between. But every good experience I’ve been able to have helped remind me that this life has things worth living for.
The athlete in me got to re-emerge in high school and win the title of league champ and qualify individually for state in cross country.
Everyone thought I would never be able to hike again, and instead, I was able to climb entire mountains and stand above the clouds.
I have swum in pools beneath waterfalls and stood in the ocean as the sun set slowly over the waves.
A newfound love for backpacking led me to breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful places that few people ever journey to (such as the one at the very top of this page! That is me at Cracker Lake in Glacier National Park).
A few traveling opportunities have allowed me to experience amazing new places and comprehend how big and full of beauty the world is.
But it is not just the active things that I have been able to do.
I have been able to capture unforgettable moments in photographs and write things that will inevitably leave my mark on the world.
I have read books that have transported me into different fantasy worlds and others that have changed the way I view the world.
I have met some amazing people, have had the opportunity to learn how other people perceive the world, and have been in love.
I have spent countless hours sitting and admiring the infinite number of stars in the night sky or running outside to stand in the rain and just feel the drops on my skin.
And I learned how to love who I am, how to overcome, and how to find the good in life when it seemed hopeless.
My ability to do all these things was taken from me for a long time. Some of these things continue to be in and out of my reach. But this juxtaposition of my experiences has taught me something important: When I do have the things that make me happy, the things that make me feel alive, and the things that are worth living for, I can appreciate them all the more.
After I survived cancer, I became determined to experience as many of the good things in life as possible. I decided to make up for lost time and take advantage of whatever time I have left (be it long or short).
Despite its trials, this life is full of epic adventures that come in every shape and form. And big or small, I will always jump at any opportunity to partake in one of those adventures. For, in my opinion, those are the kind of experiences worth living for.
I’ll be honest, I am pretty impressed by just how short this post is. For everything else written on this blog, my impression is always “dear god, this is SO LONG!”.
But this length was intentional. As the first post in the “My Adventures” category, I just wanted to give you a 3000ft overview of some of the experiences I have been able to have. There will be much more detail (and many more words) in all the future posts to come! 🙂
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