Finding joy in the season you’re in

There will always be times when we wish we were somewhere else, having a different experience.

I was sitting in the waiting room of the breast assessment clinic today, looking at the many women around me – each one accompanied by a supportive partner as they awaited checks on the obscure lumps and bumps in their breasts, hoping there weren’t traces of cancer cells. And I found myself wondering: “Would my emotion be eased in this moment if I too had a supportive partner by my side?”

I’ve survived breast cancer twice now (I’m only 41) , and today I was back to have an abnormality on my recent annual mammogram investigated. While I feel confident that it’s nothing serious this time, a part of me can’t help but recall the emotions tied to the cancer journey – the uncertainty, the waiting, the heaviness – especially when you’re navigating it as a single person.

As I reflected more deeply today, I realised something: there’s joy to be found in every season of life. Whether we’re in a happy time or a challenging one… whether we’re single or in a relationship… there’s always joy to be uncovered in our current situation, if we’re willing to reframe our thoughts and look for it.

For example – if I were to give up my singledom today, I’d have to let go of the bliss of having a double bed all to myself. I’d have to compromise on my solitude, give up the peaceful quiet I enjoy, in exchange for emotional connection, physical intimacy, and the support of a partner sitting beside me in the waiting room. But here’s the thing – once I have that doting partner, there will undoubtedly be moments when I long for the space, the solitude, the freedom of sleeping alone! Life has a way of making us nostalgic for seasons we once couldn’t wait to move away from.

My message to you is this: no matter where you are in life, no matter what you’re going through, enjoy it – embrace it. Because there will come a day when you’re living something new, and you’ll find yourself looking back, longing for the beauty of where you are right now.