The Conception of My Wings

Nine years ago, I heard the dreaded words everyone fears and secretly thinks will never happen to him/her.

“You have cancer.”

Those words cleaved a gorge the sand.
My life before/my life after.
Nothing was the same.
Nothing will be the same.
Ever again.

The beauty is so much of my life is greater than before.
I am greater than I was before.
Staring into the eyes of death changes you in unimaginable ways.
Beneath the ashes, my wings were conceived.
My perspective and gratitude grew deeper and wider.
My strength and courage came out of slumber.
My humor carried me through the roughest spots.
My wisdom heightened.
My heart expanded.
I evolved.
Nancy, version 3.0.

My loved ones held my hand, cradled my heart, and walked by my side. Writing helped me process the worst of the storm, was cathartic for me, and captured a still shot for others to peer through my lens.

Nine years later.
A lifetime away.
A blink of an eye.
A warp of time.

Lessons learned.
Growth continues.

As the canyon dividing the before/after becomes more distant, there are times, I get tangled up in daily stresses. My pink-colored glasses become askew. There is beauty in moving far enough away that for just one moment, the rose hue fades into the background.

Calendar pages are flipped.

Pink is not the only color on my palette.
Life contains a burst of bright, bold colors,
sparkles and glitter,
rainbows and prisms.
Today, I celebrate how pink
blends, highlights, and integrates
within life’s continuous spectrum!

Nancy L. Baskin Michlin
December 16, 2020
Dedicated: 9 Years
Poem #414