Reflect. Refocus. Rebuild. Live.
February 25, 2013
By: Mikey Lang
In a nutshell, the above words are the foundation of every Survive & Thrive Expedition, whether that be in a sailboat, on a raft, or in your own kayak. In addition to an adventure of a lifetime, we spend a couple of evenings on each trip focusing on each step in the journey forward.
Reflect. In a world filled with demanding jobs, kids to take care of, houses/apartments to clean and bills to pay, it’s tough to take time after finishing treatments to pull quietly away and reflect on your cancer experience. What’s really happened to you besides all those medical treatments? How has cancer changed you? “Unplugging” from everything in the wilderness helps make reflection possible, and for many people it is a great first step to moving forward in your cancer journey.
Refocus. After having reflected on the past, it’s important to refocus on the present and take stock of where you are in your life. What’s important to you now post-treatment? Have your priorities changed? Do you want to live differently than before cancer, or do you want to focus on regaining what has been lost? Working through these questions in a supportive, open, and honest community is what happens in the middle of each trip, having already built strong relationships through the challenges faced together.
Rebuild. It can be tough to know how to actually implement change in your life, especially after such a huge life event like cancer. We spend the last few days of the trip exploring how to rebuild and move forward. This is the most important part of the whole trip. If there’s no next action step, all the reflecting and refocusing will not result in a better, more fulfilled and happy life. We take the time to build a life mission statement to guide you in moving forward and in creating practical action steps to follow once we leave the river, mountains, or sea, and go back to our cities and jobs and “to do” lists again. We encourage both a cancer survivor and one close supporter to come on the trip together, as having someone close to keep you accountable to your mission statement makes all the difference.
So, where does “live” come into the picture? EVERY DAY! Survive & Thrive Expeditions gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself at different levels through the adventure-of-a-lifetime experiences, as well as kick-start your survivorship journey, no matter where you may be starting from.
Will you step out this summer? Will you take the plunge to reflect, refocus and rebuild your life and live well despite cancer? It’s time.
Reflect. Refocus. Rebuild. LIVE! https://vimeo.com/59419133
