Reclaiming October

As is true for many affected by breast cancer, October has been especially rough on me.

How have I dealt with all of the pink hoopla invading this month?

Not very well, I'm afraid. But that is about to change.

For the first half of this month, I put myself into a self-imposed "house arrest," avoiding stores and having groceries delivered to me instead -- all because of that dreaded pink ribbon.

I couldn't bear seeing all the pink balloons, pink ribbons on various food items, and pink whatevers of any kind. My exile involved becoming hermitlike, avoiding TV. I couldn't handle seeing any more smiling people on breast cancer commercials, and I couldn't watch the news. I even couldn't keep up with the many wonderful blogs out there.

Right now, ignorance is  bliss to me. I have felt so inundated with pink, that it seems like someone vomited Pepto Bismol all over the world.

But then, something remarkable happened. I fell in love with October all over again. My "exile" and daily power walks helped me see the forest for the trees.

The trees' change of color and the sweet crunch of the leaves under my feet all overtook me. And I realized that, in the natural order of things, October is a beautiful month. In the natural order of things, October is not meant to be dressed in pink.

So I have decided that for the rest of this month, I need to take a break from blogging and focus on enjoying life. I need to focus on spending time with my wonderful daughter, going to fall festivals, and appreciating all the autumn colors and  beauty that make up October.

I am also spending the rest of this month working on my book proposal.

So, for now,, I am taking a break from the blogosphere. I hope my readers understand, but it's important I do this now. I will be back in November, but right now I am admiring the beauty of this month:

I'm writing a book titled Calling the Shots: Coaching Your Way Through the Medical System. Please feel free to subscribe to this blog by clicking the orange subscribe button. I am a professional writer and have published numerous academic and magazine articles, as well as an essay on my breast cancer experience in the anthology Voices of Breast Cancer by LaChance Publishing. I can be contacted at bethlgainer@gmail.com and gainercallingtheshots@gmail.com.