A new chapter
Today deserves special recognition.
And that’s because I’ve just finished 12 weeks of intensive treatment with an incredible bill of health.
It might come as a shock if you know me, especially if you’re a good friend, because I decided to tell as few people as possible about the diagnosis.
In actual fact, I only told four people, and three of those were purely for logistical reasons.
I didn’t even let my family know, for fear of causing them worry.
But, today’s result is unbelievably good news. Glowing news, that a horrible health problem is now a thing of the past.
I’ve been granted a fresh, sparkly blank sheet in my life. A brand new chapter that’s not clouded with the pain of the past. It is pristine and I hope to keep it that way.
Other than making sure I always remember this day, I decided to write about it because I’ve increasingly noticed a harshness between people that, on the other side of recovery, bothers me now more than ever.
Maybe I’ve spent too long on Twitter, but people seem increasingly sure that only they have the ‘correct’ outlook.
There’s not a drop of doubt that they are absolutely right and everyone else, is not only wrong, but stupid too.
They’re quick to point fingers, mock, criticise, bully and generally rubbish anyone with an alternative outlook.
This arrogant rise in dogmatism and absence of kindness is darkening an already troubled world that desperately needs light.
While undergoing my treatment, it came into sharp focus that we often have absolutely no idea what others are going through and, hence, where their current standpoint comes from.
Whatever we’re looking at, we often only have our own vantage point - it’s very rarely the overarching wisdom of the bigger picture.
Over the past 12 weeks I’ve learned to be kinder and gentler to myself to adapt to the treatment and it appears to have worked in a remarkable way. Softness seems to be a marvellous medicine. My final results on discharge astounded my clinician, who said she’d rarely seen such an astonishing recovery.
My biggest lesson has been to develop more compassion for myself as well as for others. I know I’ve been too hard on myself for too long and that harshness undoubtedly contributed to me becoming unwell.
None of us know how long we’ll have on this earth, but we do know love and kindness are what make it worth living.
As I start my new chapter, I’d encourage as many people as possible to abandon their anger, negativity, vitriol and self righteousness in favour of finding the middle ground, staying open minded and building a bridge of kindness to meet in the middle.
Ultimately, hate takes away from our capacity to love. It’s a miracle to be alive - so let’s lift each other up. It feels a lot better than tearing people down.
