Do you ever find yourself completely still – despite knowing that you could be swirling with all there is to accomplish?

Thankfully my daughter locked the keys in the car today. Thankfully it happened in our driveway. Thankfully the beautiful sun had warmed the shade with just the right amount of (no) humidity. Thankfully she was able to run across the street to the neighbor’s house to sort out next steps. Thankfully I found a moment to sit, close my eyes, and be still enough to hear the birds. The wind chimes. The car roll through the stop sign at the end of the road. Then suddenly, nature was even more still than my mind.

How fleeting, serenity!

Thankfully our neighbor had a key to the house and despite calling the husband home early, and missing the brief window to complete a project before evening obligations arose, all turned out just fine.

Striking, the difference in reaction… pre-HSCT I know the inconvenience would have triggered a stress response. I might have raised my voice over what my daughter thought was a game because the dominoes fell in an order different from what I had planned. Yet today, nine months post-HSCT (happy birthday to my new immune system!), I embraced the situation as a gift. Opportunity to sit and be still in nature. No raised voice. No stress response. As during transplant, I trusted in the universe and all turned out just fine.

A few conversations over the past couple of weeks reminded me how important it is to revisit my HSCT experience, reflect on lessons learned during my journey and embrace them more intentionally, more often. I’ve learned so much listening to others’ journeys, as I have asked them to revisit their own HSCT experience, reflect on their lessons learned and their journeys in response to the interview protocol I developed for my latest project… actually, a project I thought of while inpatient at Northwestern Memorial. It took some pondering and creative thinking. Research and reflection. Asks for help and lots of time spent getting smarter.

I am thrilled to announce that with a lot of help from a few amazing people, two weeks from today on August 1, the HSCT Warriors Podcast will debut its first two episodes. So far we’ve recorded five episodes and I am beyond excited for you to hear these inspiring stories of HSCT Warriors’ journeys grounded by faith, resolve, tenacity, courage, and confidence… stay tuned!

Until then, if you can, try to find stillness – you’ll be rewarded.

be kind. stay curious. be well.