This week was my birthday. I am not sure how to even explain how I felt this year. A birthday after cancer carries both a weight and beauty that’s hard to put into words. It’s no longer just cake and candles, but about honoring another year that wasn’t guaranteed. I used to feel like having a birthday was making me old. But now I am glad that I get to be old. Survivors often find themselves celebrating the more simple things. Each birthday becomes a symbol of resilience, healing, and the preciousness of time. It’s a reminder that life is fragile, but also incredibly powerful, and that every year gained is a reason to celebrate with gratitude, hope, and an open heart. It’s a matter of reframing things from “I don’t want to get old” to “I get to get old”. Never thought I would be saying this in my late 40’s, but I also didn’t see a lot of things coming this year.
On a good note, I passed day 50 on Tamoxifen with no debilitating side effects. My biggest complaint? My hair. It sheds constantly and I feel it has thinned so much. My hairdresser said if she didn’t know my hair, she would never notice it if I walked in off the street. I hope it’s more just something I notice, but it’s frustrating nonetheless. I feel like cancer have sometimes robbed me of my most feminine traits. I guess that should be a tolerable trade off to be alive, but I wouldn’t be sad if someone had a remedy for these things.
For my birthday, I figured I would shower YOU with gifts of my latest finds and go-to products from the past two months!
As I continue to swap out toxic products, I started focusing on clothing. I am LOVING the items I have gotten from Pact, specifically their comfy underwear and leggings. Pact uses GOTS-certified 100% organic cotton, grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs. Some products include sustainable fibers like TENCEL™ Lyocell or recycled poly/nylon. You can treat yourself to 15% off your first order via the link HERE.
I also requested a new air fryer and new soup pot to replace my old teflon items. Isn’t this soup pot gorgeous? I love the copper accents and the cut spoon that was included! You can find it HERE. The air fryer is also a gem and can be found at this link HERE.
It’s so expensive to swap out all of these things and it can seem overwhelming. You really have to do it in steps and over time to make it less daunting. Next post I will share about my new shower head once I test it out and can share my results.
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