Forum Discussion
Doing what you LOVE to do - before, during & after BC! What's YOUR favourite?
Hi guys
I am really lucky in that I have 2 BIG passions that consume a lot of my time ..... and (no surprise to some of you ....)
Ukulele Playing - this was a library gig we did last year .... (I am 4th from left, front row.) Our ages range from the 50s - 80s. Every 4-6 weeks we play 'gigs' at 4 Nursing Homes - and we practise weekly at another nursing home ... so I guess you can call us 'volunteers'?? Some of our members are older than the people we are playing for! LOL
and
Kayak Fishing - I love nothing more than hitting the lake with a bunch of buddies.
Yesterday, I was getting cabin fever from lack of fishing (wet & windy here for the last week), so I grabbed a warm jacket
& walked the edge of the Boat Ramp .... I was busted off on the first fish :( (a good sized Flattie from the power of it's head shakes!) then dropped the next few that spat the hook .... then finally landed another nice one, that came home for dinner!!
So WHAT IS IT that puts that 'gleam in YOUR eye' - is it Golf (I play it badly), Playing Bridge (never tried it - I think you have to be 'serious' to play Bridge), Singing (that goes hand in hand with Uke Playing), Community Groups/Volunteering, Tapestry, Running (I couldn't run round the block to save my life!), ..... that gets you out of bed quicker in the morning if you know you are going to 'do it' ........
How has your surgery/treatment impacted on you doing 'YOUR TIME" stuff? Have you had to stop doing it or can't do it as often due to your treatment? Do you find you find you are still expected to do EVERYTHING ELSE at the expense of 'Your Time'?
Prior to my surgery, my uke group were amongst my greatest allies - I had to tell them straight away as we were gearing up for a big performance at the Blue Mountains Uke Festival - and I didn't know if I would be there for them!! After my surgery, I was back playing again 2 weeks later - but was very mindful of where my uke sat - as it was right across the affected boob!! The Blue Mountains gig was 3 weeks after my surgery - and luckily, I made it!! 4 of my Uke group have had BC & were able to offer info & support.
My Fishing Buddies were also an immense support to me as well (as indeed they were when Hubby was going thru his cancer in 2010) - I've caught up with a fair few of them since I was diagnosed & it has just been terrific. A bunch of my kayak fishing ladies had also had BC and were a wonderful source of info & advice!
Part of my philosophy to recovery is to try & keep 'busy' with 'stuff' so that your mind is kept active & is a 'happy thing' compared to what we are going thru daily just now (Hmmmm - tho I REALLY should be decluttering our home - but that doesn't excite me as much! LOL)
SO, let's get a list going of all your favourite pastimes ..... then, if anyone on the forum is living near you or passing thru - you may be able to share your passion with them to help them 'while away' the time!!
I am really lucky in that I have 2 BIG passions that consume a lot of my time ..... and (no surprise to some of you ....)
Ukulele Playing - this was a library gig we did last year .... (I am 4th from left, front row.) Our ages range from the 50s - 80s. Every 4-6 weeks we play 'gigs' at 4 Nursing Homes - and we practise weekly at another nursing home ... so I guess you can call us 'volunteers'?? Some of our members are older than the people we are playing for! LOL
and
Kayak Fishing - I love nothing more than hitting the lake with a bunch of buddies.
Yesterday, I was getting cabin fever from lack of fishing (wet & windy here for the last week), so I grabbed a warm jacket
& walked the edge of the Boat Ramp .... I was busted off on the first fish :( (a good sized Flattie from the power of it's head shakes!) then dropped the next few that spat the hook .... then finally landed another nice one, that came home for dinner!!
So WHAT IS IT that puts that 'gleam in YOUR eye' - is it Golf (I play it badly), Playing Bridge (never tried it - I think you have to be 'serious' to play Bridge), Singing (that goes hand in hand with Uke Playing), Community Groups/Volunteering, Tapestry, Running (I couldn't run round the block to save my life!), ..... that gets you out of bed quicker in the morning if you know you are going to 'do it' ........
How has your surgery/treatment impacted on you doing 'YOUR TIME" stuff? Have you had to stop doing it or can't do it as often due to your treatment? Do you find you find you are still expected to do EVERYTHING ELSE at the expense of 'Your Time'?
Prior to my surgery, my uke group were amongst my greatest allies - I had to tell them straight away as we were gearing up for a big performance at the Blue Mountains Uke Festival - and I didn't know if I would be there for them!! After my surgery, I was back playing again 2 weeks later - but was very mindful of where my uke sat - as it was right across the affected boob!! The Blue Mountains gig was 3 weeks after my surgery - and luckily, I made it!! 4 of my Uke group have had BC & were able to offer info & support.
My Fishing Buddies were also an immense support to me as well (as indeed they were when Hubby was going thru his cancer in 2010) - I've caught up with a fair few of them since I was diagnosed & it has just been terrific. A bunch of my kayak fishing ladies had also had BC and were a wonderful source of info & advice!
Part of my philosophy to recovery is to try & keep 'busy' with 'stuff' so that your mind is kept active & is a 'happy thing' compared to what we are going thru daily just now (Hmmmm - tho I REALLY should be decluttering our home - but that doesn't excite me as much! LOL)
SO, let's get a list going of all your favourite pastimes ..... then, if anyone on the forum is living near you or passing thru - you may be able to share your passion with them to help them 'while away' the time!!
184 Replies
- I reckon every trout I catch costs me about $50. At least one lost spinner, beer, fuel and snacks. Worth every penny :)
- @kitkatb - YAY! Another fishing tragic! AND it looks like you are in a comp there - which one?
Where is your home base (roughly)?? I reckon that with @Brenda5, you & me, we could have a 'Team Breasties'!!
My Dr's advice to you, would be to get out on that boat & get back into it - at least 2 a week (if you are physically able to do it!) As soon as I was able push & pull my kayak - I was back 'into it' a month or 2 after my surgery - and I seriously reckon it has been an integral part of my recovery & more positive outlook on life. (And my uke playing - I was back to that 2 weeks after surgery!)
AND, some states have a "Casting for Recovery" Fly Fishing program .... where those with BC are taught how to fly fish by experts - taken to great locations & loaned all the stuff you need to do it - waders, rods, flies etc and hopefully you will catch your first trout on fly! .....
I am currently in discussion with a couple of people for doing a Salt Water version here in the Mid North Coast area of NSW with some of the BEST fly fishos in Australia keen to jump on board as instructors! WATCH THIS SPACE! So far, I've caught bream & whiting on fly (my biggest bream was caught on a topwater fly I made up myself - so doubly chuffed!) Flatties remain elusive!
My own design for my topwater popper .... it works a treat!
This was my first 'decent bream' in the mid 30s ... on a bought topwater fly
After hearing about the OTIS Foundation this year, I've got my name down (hopefully for the Jindabyne House ..... still waiting to hear when it may be available!)
Hang in there, girl ..... get back to your fishing & you won't look back! xxxx If you were over here, I'd have you in my other Hobie kayak (pedal) - it is just SO much easier than lugging boats around!!
Take care xx - Taking the big holiday box up to the high country, setting up next to a creek and catching dinner.
- Fishing is my passion as well as painting. Have lost my mojo at the moment for the painting but I know it will come back. Have been contemplating a series of really bright linocut greeting/birthday cards and have been working on their design at the moment. Fishing I would never get sick of but have not been out in the boat since BC reared its bloody ugly head.
( Just thinking about bouncing around in the boat as it moves makes me grab my chest LOl ) - Terrific, @Blossom1961 - keep doing what you can with the resources you have ..... after completing your treatment, you should be able to do all those things again! ;)
Yes, it is a bitch of a disease that keeps moving the goal posts! grrrr
Take care & all the best with your continuing treatment xx - I love having people over for a meal. I love going to the theatre. I love food. I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles and reading but struggle to stop either until they are completed so end up with some very late nights. I absolutely adored travelling around Australia but we had to come back home when we ran out of money, then my FIL got Melanoma and my MIL needed support after his death and then I got BC. I am planning our next trip but this little side 'adventure' called BC has caused our business to go belly up so the next trip will have to be a two year work stop and then we will move on to the next place and do the same thing. I am getting very antsy so am willing the next eight months of Herceptin to fly by.
- Yep, this is me!
- @Stork & @Joannie I am happy to help with advice on planning a trip to Africa, we went Tanzania & I organised our trip with a local company.
we haven't been to Rwanda but it's on my bucket list too !!
happy to answer any questions here or just PM me - Hi @joanne we are leaving on 28Th August
5 days in Nepal
10 days in Tibet
3 days in Varanasi then 2 weeks around Rajasthan
We are going with World Expeditions
I am looking forward to the trip but I am slightly anxious in dealing with the poverty, in the past I found it to be upsetting
any ideas of how to cope?
Stork
