I've had the opportunity to share my story a few times lately. Once I was given a couple minutes, the next I was given 10 minutes, and most recently I was given free reign, and that time I spoke for over an hour and a half. I realized that my life timeline over the past 10 years was self-defined by the times I had cancer. I would speak in terms of cancer 1, 2, or 3...'when I had cancer the first time...' or ' that happened when I had cancer 3..'. If you have kids, time can also be defined by what grades they're in, when they graduate(d), leave for college, etc. I believe everyone does this. We look back at our lives and describe it in highlight reel. Social media doesn't help much because of course we now document events the same way to the general public. Here's what I realized during my 2 hour storytelling event...life is about everything that happens in between and if we keep focusing on trying to have social media worthy moments we will miss being in the present. I don't want to miss a moment to feel and see and smell and touch; whatever the emotion, I will be in it and accepting of it for the time, whether it's grief or joy. I don't want to waste my time projecting into the future and let a second pass not fully engaged in the present. So here it is, Cancer 4. I will cry, kick, scream, and fight, but most of all I will live in the in-between with intention because life is so beautiful. 'You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.'― Henry David Thoreau