Knowledge is Power

Have you ever noticed that it's so much easier to be proactive and the cocreators of our lives when we have knowledge? There is a power that comes from knowledge. I don't mean power in a negative sense but power in that you are rooted in yourself and your intuition and can make choices that steer you on the right course. Let me give you some examples.

1. Today I called the member services department of my insurance company asking some specific questions so I can write a letter of protest regarding my copay on the Neulasta shot. I spoke to Anice. She did not know Dr. Nathan's first name. She did not know how I could contact him. She did not know who sets the policies for the pharmacy benefits of my plan. Her suggestion to me was to contact my sales agent and try to get a plan that didn't have such a high copay for injectables. What a joke! How is it that I know more than she does and she works for this company? This reminds me that it's important to stay informed. To take notes when we are experiencing "situations" in our lives and to ask questions. If I had been sleepwalking through this experience I'd be in trouble right now.

2. Yesterday I was reading an article in Time Magazine about Breast Cancer. It's becoming a world wide issue and breast cancer is no longer a rich white woman's disease. In many 3rd world countries right now Breast Cancer is a death sentenance for women. The $50 or $100 required for a treatment is more than a years worth of pay in some of these places. More and more is happening in the area of DNA research to help with treatment. I learned of a new test that I intend to ask my medical oncologist for. It's called an "amplichip". This test extracts DNA from a blood sample to detect an enzyme that controls the way a cancer drug, Tamoxifen, is broken down. Certain genetic mutations can virtually shut down a cell's ability to metabolize tamoxifen, dramatically reducing the estrogen-based drug's success in containing tumor-cell growth. Screening women for this enzyme is sparing low responders the expense and time that would be lost trying an ineffective treatment. Here's the rub folks. Right now everyone is prescribed chemo, radiation and tamoxifen. But it doesn't work for everyone. I have been told that I need to take Tamoxifen. But what if my body shuts it down? This is a reminder that I need to be constantly reading and researching new information about breast cancer for the rest of my life in order to design my treatment and my life the way I want it. Isn't this then the case in all areas of our lives? If we don't have the right information because we are asking the right questions there can be huge gaps. It's good to see the gaps. But once we see them we need to change direction.

3. I went to have blood work yesterday. I am honored to have to go to a special department of my medical provider for this because I have a port in my arm. Apparently they just don't want anyone to stick me. 2 separate women in this facility told me that I looked beautiful without my hair and said that not everyone could get away with walking around bald and look good. First, this definitely stroked my ego. But one of the gals said something that stuck with me. She said "this reminds me that God knows exactly what he is doing." Then today I chatted with a beloved friend via phone and she told me that someone I respect said to her last week, "I keep hearing about this Lisa. I heard about her 2 times on Monday and then 3 times today. That is wierd! Who is this woman?"

Now keep in mind that this person lives 3.5 hours away from me and we only know each other in passing and by face. But for me what it means is that this journey that I am on is so much bigger than just me. My choices, communications and actions are having a ripple affect and are reaching beyond my local community. It's a reminder that I must have knowledge and look for truths because how I am walking this road has an impact on a larger world. So once again knowledge is power.

I am so grateful to the Beloved Source of all that is for these constant reminders that I am exactly where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing. Realistically I'd prefer to put my head in the sand but these reminders serve to show me that I must continue on and I must do this with excellence. I must be a statesperson because the world is watching how I handle this experience and it's makes a difference. Even if it only made a difference in 1 persons life so what, it matters and could help change the world. This excites me and makes me feel passionate. This is a place where I find joy and I am so grateful. Joy is the nectar of life! It's the reason we are walking in this realm.

It's a great day to be alive. I continue to have Nausea and wonder if that will be part and parcel of the next 3 months. In the past I've only experienced this when I've been growing a child within my womb. There is no baby at the end of this process. So what am I growing now? Is this part of becoming Lisa and the powerful, grounded woman I wish to be? Is this part of becoming more compassionate? Is this part of becoming softer around the edges? What incredible and unknown energy will I birth? Peace.