Cancer Selfies

Sunday September 11, 2022

A walk at the marsh

I've been under no illusions about my situation since I first learned of the diagnosis, but the past few days have been the emotional weight of it all coming to fully rest on my shoulders. It's been hard. Really hard. I'm tired a lot and today I has to give up on something because it causes me physically too much pain. I'm still haven't fully accepted that, yet.

But I met some swans up close, and Thomasin is very cute, and I have amazing friends and family (all the readers included ❤️) and I'm excited/terrified that I start chemo in four days.

Thank you all for sticking with me so far ❤️

A man with green hair stands in front of a wetland, Photo 1 A man with green hair stands in front of a wetland, Photo 2 A man with green hair stands in front of a lookout structure in a wetland A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 1

My swans ❤️

A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 2

My swans ❤️ (no idea why it's always this face)

A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 3

More swans! From above

A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 4

Swans! The sun was bright

A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 5 A man with green hair stands in front of some swimming swans, Photo 6 A man with green hair sits on the upper platform of a lookout, marsh is in the background, Photo 1

From the top of the lookout

A man with green hair sits on the upper platform of a lookout, marsh is in the background, Photo 2 A man with green hair sits on the upper platform of a lookout, marsh is in the background, Photo 3 A man with green hair stands in front of a bush covered in red barries

Thousands of berries

A man with green hair stands in front of marshside forest A man with green hair stands in front of a marsh, Photo 1 A man with green hair stands in front of a marsh, Photo 2 A man with green hair stands in front of a marsh, Photo 3 A man with green hair stands in front of a marsh, Photo 4 A man with green hair stands with only the sky visible in the background, Photo 1 A man with green hair stands with only the sky visible in the background, Photo 2 A man with green hair stands in front of a small hill, Photo 1 A man with green hair stands in front of a small hill, Photo 2 A man with green hair stands in front of a small hill, Photo 3

The mound looks like where you find the folk horror monster

A man with green hair stands on a dam with a channel extending behind him, Photo 1 A man with green hair stands on a dam with a channel extending behind him, Photo 2 A man with green hair stands on a dam with a channel extending behind him, Photo 3 A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with an orange cat in his lap, Photo 1

Loooong leggies

A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with an orange cat in his lap, Photo 2 A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with an orange cat in his lap, Photo 3 A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with an orange cat in his lap, Photo 4 A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with an orange cat in his lap, Photo 5

We're cute together ❤️

From the comments

James Petrosky: Other junk I didn't get photos of but I found super exciting to see at the marsh:

  • So many green frogs and leopard frogs. So so so many. Every step a cascade of frogs jumped away, especially the leopard frogs because the path they were on was a lot less rraceled
  • a small seige of sandhill cranes, three of which landed and put on a bit of a show, stretching their wings and making silly crane sounds
  • a single very smol garder snake, at the folk horror mound
  • I accidentally treed an American Bitern, a bird I had never seen before today, and got a really good look at a majestic water bird looking extremely goofy at the top of a tree. 10/10 recommend viewing beautiful majestic wildlife outside of its preferred environment (except moose, leave them in the swamps, you don't need a highway kaiju fight)
  • Evidence of a moose or other large animal, which I didn't investigate because the last thing I want to meet in a swamp on foot is a territorial moose
  • Did you know swans sing? And that their song is profoundly beautiful? And they harmonize with each other? I'm still 100% team Canada goose, but the water fowl alliance of ducks-geese-swans is simply unbeatable. A whole lot of swan watching is on the remission list

Sarah: You've got this. And sometimes you will feel like you don't. And that's okay. I think the biggest lie that people are made to beleive is that they have to hold it together and be strong. But it's okay to be soft and get messy. You're entitled to it and those feelings are perfectly valid. Be gentle with yourself, give yourself grace and cry when you need to. Treat yourself and give in when you want things thay bring you comfort. You deserve those things.