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Bottle Half Full Isn’t Always Good

Hanae Mori perfume bottleThis is my bottle of my favorite perfume, Hanae Mori.  It is a great fragrance that my then boyfriend, now husband, bought for me on a Caribbean vacation about 15 years ago.  This is time when the bottle half full isn’t a good thing.  The other day as I walked past this half full perfume bottle, I was irritated with myself and had to do a little self talk.  The reason this bottle is half full and not completely empty is because I put it on a shelf to take down and wear only for special events.

Well, I definitely need to change my definition of special events.  When I survived breast cancer, I made a list of things I loved to do and said that I would do more of them.  I outlined all of the things that have brought me joy from the small (going to movies and comedy shows) to the large (traveling throughout the Caribbean), but somehow in these last 4 years and 10 months, there have been too many times that I let “life” get in the way.  The irony is that I know, more than ever, that no day is promised.  Life is the reason I should be celebrating.  Waking up is a special event.  Listening to music (yes, music was on my list) is a special event.  Having the opportunity to have a conversation with my husband, 9 year old son or 6 year old daughter is a special event.  All of the moments of my life – a life that is not guaranteed – are special events.

So, I plan to empty this bottle quickly.  (Somehow, I’ve got to get back to the Caribbean soon :-).  When I get up in the morning, I’ll dab some on and do what I said I would do, what I’ve urged others to do – celebrate survival, celebrate life ’cause they are special events.  EVERY DAY!

Melanie A. Nix – Triple negative breast cancer survivor.  Always striving to color outside of the lines when defining my new normal.  October 7, 2013

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