My ‘One Word’ this week is: THERAPY

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝.

I was certain I was going to be a widower with two young children.

When my wife was 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟, life changed in a snap. The thought of juggling a demanding career and being an engaged father without my partner by my side was terrifying.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

Not against cancer, but against the 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 I had carried since childhood.

I grew up 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. I buried that pain under achievement, degrees, and corporate titles.

And I leaned on Sharon to make me feel whole. But when I faced the possibility that she might not be there to complete me, the truth hit like a tsunami:

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬.

Her diagnosis became my 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. It cracked me open and forced me to start the hardest journey of all, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲, to discover my own identity.

I am beyond grateful that Sharon beat cancer. Fourteen years later, she is thriving. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲, peeling back the layers, owning my story, and uncovering who I am at my core.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐮𝐩. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

I wish I had an answer for why we wait. All I know is this: sometimes you don’t get the second chance I did.

Start now.

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.