How One Inspirational Quote About Stars Impacted a Cancer Survivor

 Yes, in the words of our dear old friend and astronomer, Galileo:

 “I’ve loved the stars all too fondly to be fearful of the night”.

Before I can explain why this quote means so much to me, I have to first explain that I used to hate inspirational quotes.

Yes, it’s true.

When I was in the midst of my chemo treatment, feeling like I couldn’t get any lower emotionally or physically… BAM!

Inspirational quotes would seem to appear out of the blue, being served to me on a silver platter by Facebook or Pinterest or handwritten cards.

These quotes would talk about how “suffering made you strong” or how there was “a silver lining” or some other whimsical combination of words that I saw as complete BS. I was suffering so much, I couldn’t take any of that rainbows and butterflies crap.

My tolerance for the common “Inspirational quote” reached absolute zero.

I never wanted to see, hear, or think about anything that resembled an inspirational quote ever again.

I used to hate these quotes because I thought they were written by a bunch of clueless optimists who didn’t understand what it was like to really suffer.

At the time, I didn’t realize that the interpretation of quotes was highly subjective. I thought that they were simply someone else forcing a “more appropriate” opinion on me.

This mindset did not allow me to appreciate the wisdom and truth found in inspirational quotes.

Years later, when I was further away from immense physical pain Galileo’s quote changed that.

When I stumbled across his quote, the bit about stars gave me pause. Instead of dismissing it, I scrutinized it.

I was like: “All right, I have respect for Galileo, and he seems wise. And I like stars. This quote likens stars to good things and the night to suffering in life… I like that symbolism. Okay. I can appreciate this!”

Galileo’s words later became my senior quote in high school.

This was the beginning of my begrudging acceptance of inspirational quotes.

It was then that I realized something:

I had been unable to appreciate inspirational quotes while I was sick because my suffering was so great I couldn’t “see the stars”. I couldn’t see the good because the number of good things was negligible during my years of chemotherapy. And All inspirational quotes ever did was point out the good.

Everything that had brought me joy was taken away during chemotherapy, and I had no hopes or dreams for the future during that time that could be my “stars”. I didn’t even know if I would live.

Then, when I was no longer dying, I still couldn’t see the good because I had forgotten what good even looked like.

So I had to remember what joy and happiness looked like. I had to change the perspectives that cancer had instilled in order to see the good. I had to learn to look at life differently and see past my pain and suffering.

And when I did this, the stars appeared amidst my darkness in all their brilliant, flickering glory.

And I was reminded that life could be beautiful, even during the darkest hours.

It’s Deep Stuff. I know.

We get ideas in our heads about things. And we hold on to those beliefs. For the longest time, I believed inspirational quotes were worthless without questioning why.

One inspirational quote about stars gave me the perspective I needed. I realized I was just allowing my pain to overshadow the good things. Now, I read inspirational quotes and allow them to inspire me. (who would have thought?)

And as a former cancer warrior and current cancer survivor, this one quote about stars will always have a special place in my heart.

I truly do love the stars. Stargazing is one of the most awe-inspiring and thrilling experiences in this life (in my opinion).

I have also recently begun to do astrophotography, as you can tell by all the pictures on this page. Just imagine me backpacking into the middle of the woods, waking up at some ungodly hour or the night, at looking ridiculously happy as I take pictures of the stars until I kill my camera battery. It’s a beautiful time. 

So, Galileo’s quote is not only metaphorical for me.

It does not just remind me to focus on the good things when life seems hopeless or too overwhelming. It does not only encourage me to fearlessly face the trials of this life.

For me, whenever my life and the challenges that arise become too much for me to bear—whenever I am terrified of what is in front of me or what is to come—I just have to wait until the sun sets. Then, I walk out into the pitch-black night, look up into the sky, and see that the stars are still shining just as brightly as ever before.

And it is on the darkest nights that the stars are the most incredible.