The power of positivity

Hello! Rachel here (the other one!), writing on World Cancer Day. It's been a good day which started with a clear, frosty morning and a small act of defiance. Actually it was a huge act of defiance but I'll get to that later. 
It's been a pretty good week since our last blog post with a short visit from our good friend Tracey last Sunday, a 2 day visit from one of Nick's oldest friends, Tosh, a night out with Tony & Ivor (friends from Hindleap days), some lovely cards & gifts arriving (from Australia, from a dog named Elvis, from the USA, from Nick's mum Betty...) and most wonderful of all, many more inspiring press-ups from all over the place! These things coupled with Nick feeling really well, pain-free and infection-free have given me a wonderful sense of wellbeing, happiness and gratitude. When we most need love and support it seems to come at us in spades. There are so many troubling, terrifying, shocking events unfolding across our globe that it feels more important than ever to just be kind to each other; "Give a little love and it all comes back to you..." (Bugsy Malone 1976)
From the very start of this cancer journey, however hard it has felt at times, we have tried to accept what is inexplicably happening to Nick's tall, strong, beautiful body as just the next chapter in our lives. That's not to say we were ever prepared to take it lying down or to give up without a fight but that we were determined not to be taken over by it or be overwhelmed by it. That we would live every day, love every day, make time for good times, see friends, talk to those who are far way, reconnect with old friends, stay connected with nature and stay positive. 

One of the cards that arrived this week was from a friend in Minnesota, Kim (aka KVZ) who led our incredible canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota in 2015. It was made from a photo she had taken whilst canoeing in the BWCA and its sentiment struck such a chord with us. It's a beautiful silhouette of trees against the sunset, reflected perfectly in the mirror-calm lake. One of those 'which way is up?' photos. 

I want to quote the words she wrote about this photo & why she'd sent it:

"When I look at it I am inspired by the fact that even when it's upside down it's still beautiful. Kind of how I like to look at life. Even when things are out of order, going the wrong way, backwards etc it is still beautiful. It is still life with all that goes right and all that doesn't. I think about our BWCA trip...all that went so very right - even when we were lost, hot, tired, hungry. It's just the way of the wilderness."

This sentiment echoed exactly how we'd been feeling. The menace, the threat, the reality of cancer has somehow given the world a new clarity. Not just the physical world but everything and everyone in it that makes life worth living, worth celebrating, worth grabbing by the throat with both bloody hands. That clarity I think comes from being present, aware of every moment and from love. 
So, yes, it's been a good week and today has been a good day. We drove an hour to meet our friends Di and Jon (& Elvis the dog) and to join them for Killerton parkrun. It was a milestone for Di, her 50th parkrun, and something to celebrate. So Nick and I decided to run with her. This is Nick who could hardly walk three weeks ago due to the pain in her hips & back, running 5k on rough muddy tracks and then of course we all did press-ups at the end!!  She is a true inspiration isn't she? But the power of positivity is a two-way thing - Nick puts it out there and people everywhere are sending it right back and the combination is a force to be reckoned with. So move along cancer, you've picked the wrong people to mess with here! But while you are here we thank you for all the wonderful things that have happened because of you.