A Personal Sanctuary

One of the many reasons that I love Sanibel Island is that it is a sanctuary island.  The residents are fiercely protective of the land and the animals that inhabit the island.  Much of the island is undeveloped; there are no stoplights on the island and no structures over three stories tall.  The wildlife is abundant which allowed me to spend my morning on the lanai, having coffee and blogging with “Perry”, the alligator.  Perry lives in the Sanibel River, which is  just a few feet from the pool.  Everyone who spends time on the Sanibel Island knows there are gators everywhere and we all have a healthy respect for them.  We watch over the sea turtle nests and the manatees and fence off the dunes.  We love our island and protect it from as much as humanly possible...hurricanes and tropical storms often take their toll, but those things are out our of our hands.

Spending time on this island brings out my contemplative side, which made me start thinking about life.  So many times, our lives become cluttered with things that we don’t really care about.  We say yes to obligations that don’t really matter to us, spend our time with people who don’t care about us and store “stuff” in our homes that we don’t really need.  What if we all treated our lives with the same level of love and reverence that the islanders treat Sanibel?  Fighting fiercely for what matters most, putting fences around that which is too vulnerable to stand alone, and accepting that sometimes, dealing with intrusions that are beyond our control. 

What truly matters most in your life:  family, friends, hobbies, work?  Do you fight fiercely to protect your time with those things?  I often find myself postponing time spent with my boys to finish cleaning the house or working...striving to find a balance is the key.  Island time is a perfect opportunity to hit the reset button and reconnect.  Take a moment to reflect on what matters most and how you can spend more time doing that which makes you happy.

How can you protect the most vulnerable part of your life?  Moments of solitude, time for reflection, date night with your significant other, time to heal old wounds...it’s important to know where your vulnerabilities lie so that you can protect them from the outside world.  As mothers, wives, daughters, friends, we often give of ourselves until we are depleted.  We fail to protect or even recognize that quiet part of ourselves that needs nurturing.  Logically, it makes sense that we cannot give of ourselves when we are empty...so at some point, we go through the motions of the day.  It is not until we make a conscious decision to protect what is most important that we can embrace the world as our true self.  Are you depleted from too many obligations?  What part of yourself have you lost along the way?  It’s time to build some fences against the outside world and nurture yourself.  You deserve it.

The toughest part of life is dealing with that which we cannot control.  Breast cancer has been my biggest challenge in life, so far.  If you have dealt with a life threatening disease, you know how it feels to have your world turned upside down with one phone call.  The first few weeks after being diagnosed felt like a hurricane...everything was out of control.  Going through treatment is tough, but sometimes you have to batten down the hatches and ride the storm out.  Eventually, the winds die down, the rain stops and we are left to clean up the devastation.  Slowly, we begin to heal...physically, emotionally and mentally.  We never know what the future holds with this disease, but we cannot control all of it. We have to find a way to move past our diagnosis and get back to living life.  The knowledge that life is precious is even more reason to protect it fiercely.  I wish you much luck in your quest to protect that which is precious in your life.

Thanks for reading!

Beverly McKee (The Breast Cancer Warrior)

For more information about The Breast Cancer Warrior or if you know a 40 year breast cancer survivor, please visit my website at www.breastcancerwarrior.org.

Watch my video to learn how I became the Breast Cancer Warrior by clicking here.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates about my journey through breast cancer and the latest studies about breast cancer prevention and treatment options.