Nurture With Nature

AtoZChallenge

I have come across a lot of people who get holed up in the safety of their homes when they are undergoing cancer treatment. One of the reasons is that they are scared of catching infections when exposed to outdoors and more people, the second is coping up with the changes in body like removal of cancer infected body parts, hairfall and low energy levels.
Safety of home is good, but do not deny yourself the goodness of Nature. Sunlight, flowers, fresh air, water, hills and trees fill you with a lot of good will, happiness, energy and positivity. My children enjoyed walks and very often I took them out on long walks. Even from a very young age my son could walk miles without tiring. 

All wiped out after long walk.. only my son is ready for another round

My daughter was in a pram because she was yet to walk. We would talk, joke,sing and observe everything around us during our walks. My daughter would point at something, and my son would explain it to her in detail. I don’t know what she understood, but she enjoyed it a lot and her expression said it all. 

He is an amazing brother to her always

This helped me deal with the side effects of chemotherapy and anxiety to a great extent. Those walks with my children in the evening were life saver.

Sometimes your curse becomes your boon. In the initial days of my survival, I could not afford the school bus fare for my son. So we decided to walk to school. We would go through fields and enjoy our walks a lot. We had our share of adventures, especially two encounters with snakes during these walks. Fortunately they all ended well for us with just a scare.

Due to the financial crunch I faced, I used to walk a lot if I had to get somewhere, and this helped me become more fit after my treatment. I had to carry my daughter and take care of her, for which my hand to be moved even if it hurt a little. Doctor said that was what made my hand gain all of its previous strength and kept its mobility intact after total radical mastectomy.

We spent a lot of time on our terrace as well. My daughter was 1 and son 5 when I battled cancer and this helped me a lot to recover. I had to take them out, play with them and have fun. What better way to recover than to be with children and living their life? I feel besides the treatment, it was my children and my need to be there for them with their activities that helped me heal and get stronger both physically and mentally.

We enjoyed a lot of time on the beach as well, which was our favorite picnic spot. We would just wander away on the hills whenever we felt like it. Whenever I was at the sea and looked at it, I felt so free and grounded at the same time. It is a special feeling which can be given only by nature. The vastness of the sea, or the enormity of the hills, the never ending skies always made me feel so tiny, and so were all of my problems reduced to smaller grains.

Not everyone going through cancer treatment can experience outdoor due to the challenges and health issues accompanying the course of treatment. There was a time when my WBC count went too low and I was not allowed to go out for a few weeks. I had to wait, and that was the wise thing to do at that time.

Go out there in the rain, sun, moonlight and enjoy the beauty of nature. Stop to smell the flowers - this is one of the most underrated quotes of all. Feel the water, touch the earth and talk to the trees. Nature can nurture you better than most of the expensive pills.

There cannot be a post about nature without beautiful pictures accompanying it.. so here we go!!