The sky's the limit.
The Cielem’el Survival and Growth Journal evolved out of two web logs I have maintained over time.
Begun in 2009 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, The Cielem’el Cancer Journal documented my trials, tribulations, and spiritual growth during breast cancer treatment, with information on the diagnoses, surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and hormone therapy treatments, as well as all the personal and professional life stuff that still goes on throughout living a life with cancer. As a breast cancer survivor, I endeavor to inspire other young women like myself to fully engage and manage their cancer and treatments, and know that there are many women out there who are experiencing a similarly challenging emotional journey. Life doesn’t stop because you have cancer, it just gets more challenging.
About a year after finishing radiation, while still posting to The Cielem’el Cancer Journal, I started posting The Cielem’el Personal & Spiritual Growth Blog, which focused more clearly on areas of personal growth, self-development, and spiritual growth. My life journey and growth as a person neither began nor ended with cancer, and the Personal Growth blog was more of a continual journal of life experiences and learnings along my ongoing life journey beyond cancer. The journey honestly began when I was a newborn, shuffled and abused in multiple foster homes before being adopted by absolutely wonderful parents, and my life journey, consciously and continuously seeking personal growth, self development, and spiritual growth continues to evolve.
Over time it became clear that these two subjects cannot be divorced and maintained separately, because it is everything together that makes my web log what it is, meaning, an online journal of life experiences, survival, and growth from the perspective of someone who has survived multiple severe life trials and nurtured a conscious approach to personal and spiritual growth and self development. Hence, The Cielem’el Survival & Growth Journal. :)
started the vegetarian thing kind of accidentally the other night when the group of us went out to dinner, but by the 3rd day I’m having serious, serious cravings. I decided to put a post in the Pavlina Forums to ask for help. Going Vegetarian – mentors needed for 30-day trial I was inspired from talking with vegetarians at CGW#5 […]
Continue reading »I will make my flight, I will make my flight, I will make my flight! So I’m in the team meeting in Atlanta all morning. We started half an hour early so that we could finish by 11:30AM, but by 11AM it was obvious that if we were to finish the planned agenda, we were going to be there until […]
Continue reading »In my experience, though it is unlikely the best way to develop good habits and make changes in your life is, I often have a tendency to decide I want something to be different and then “just do it.” That leaves a lot of openness though, which diffuses your resolve to make the change. Even when the decision to try […]
Continue reading »My gosh, the fact that I haven’t had time to write until now is evidence enough that the weekend was exceedingly busy. But somewhere in there I manifest a three-car accident and accidentally become a vegetarian! So, I met this guy . . . ROLF!!! Two guys in as many weeks, I must be crazy . . . So I […]
Continue reading »I don’t think I’ve mentioned or explained what CGW is, but going forward it’s going to be important for you to know about it. Caesar’s I was excited tonight because I was going to meet some of the CGW attendees at a little pre-event gathering. And I was also excited because the meet-up was going to be at Caesar’s Palace, […]
Continue reading »You’ll get to know why that phrase is so humorous a subject title soon, I think. You can predict a particularly common but amusing ending when I start a story with “So I met this guy . . .” My Favorite Restaurant in Vegas I went to the Paris casino to have dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, my favorite French […]
Continue reading »I’m not going to write about every detail of my Grand Canyon trip, mostly because I didn’t write much of it down. I made voice notes on my phone recorder whenever I had a thought like something I may want to write about later. But, there are 96 voice notes now, and my vacation is over. I need to find […]
Continue reading »Argh, the PAIN! Someone kill me now. It’s so bad I scream if I put my foot on the ground, the neuropathy is the worst it’s ever been, and it’s because I’m speaking at this damn conference at a freaking convention center, where getting from one thing to the next is like taking four laps around a football field. Considering […]
Continue reading »I can’t sleep. It’s been one of those nights where Ambien seems to be the anti-sleeping pill, keeping me jitteryly awake hours past my usual bedtime, many, many hours past. I gave up tossing and turning around 1AM. My alarm was set for 4AM because of a 4:30AM call with India in the morning. Don’t think I’m going to make […]
Continue reading »Write, or Stir Soup? I worked six to ten this morning, then lost the rest of my day to doctor stuff, which, as usual ran 90 minutes. It’s flattering and I enjoy talking with them, but man, I already have to drive 45 minutes each way (or two hours, when it’s Sac) so if the appointment is going to take […]
Continue reading »Gratitude Wow, I got a surprising e-mail today, from a guy I taught with and performed with at Spotlight before I was diagnosed with cancer. He e-mailed me this morning because he had a dream about me and woke up thinking about me and our friendship. And he felt compelled to write to me, immediately. His expression of gratitude was […]
Continue reading »I didn’t know until Friday afternoon that this is Memorial Day weekend and we have Monday off. Yesterday I did a month’s worth of laundry, and today I’ve been messing around setting up my laptop. I’ve also been reading more of Steve Pavlina’s blog and about his experiment of inspiration, and now it’s evolving into subjective reality. I just read […]
Continue reading »Genevieve’s wedding at Tuttu’s . . . God Artie, it was such a hard day. Did I do what you wanted me to?The Rune: Sowelu – Wholeness. And thus, more tears, but more of relief and tiredness rather than pure grief. I was doing great. I’ve been hanging out with Artie’s family, and I’ve been fine, enjoying spending time with […]
Continue reading »Wow, I am soooooo not in the mood for driving this weekend. I can’t decide how important it is for me to be working from my house during the ocean webinar on Tuesday. Either the satellite on the RV is truly wicked slow, or this laptop is more than just past its prime, it’s an extinct species. Too bad, I […]
Continue reading »I’m reading a blog by Steve Pavlina. His ideas and areas of interest are related to mine, and I’m thinking about how I may have a fulfilling life doing what I love. I’ve been frustrated at work. More than frustrated. I’ve felt my role squashed down into a mindless administrator constantly buried in tasks to make other people’s plans happen. […]
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