Home Sweet Home

The last couple of days back home have been great. Jet lag has turned me into a morning person, I've caught up with family and friends, and planning for my charity basketball tournament and silent auction is coming along swimmingly. I'm drinking my green juice and working out at the gym and cuddling with Winston on the couch. Everthing feels just right, and I can officially say I'm back in action.

Even though my European vacation was epic, filled with beautiful sights and breathtaking moments, being back home feels even better. It's a pretty good sign that you're living the life you want to live when, at the end of a wonderful trip, you're jazzed about getting back to your normal life. I think I've always been this way, but going toe to toe with cancer made me even more grateful for my "normal" life.

You see, cancer rudely deprives you of your previously-scheduled life, forcing you to fill your days with doctor appointments for chemo or scans or surgery. The fabric of your everyday life is changed immediately. For me, the absolute worst part of it was taking a medical leave from O'Melveny. I loved my daily life as an attorney and letting go of my cases and my daily interactions with colleagues was worse than chemo plus surgery combined times ten. Not being able to work out or play basketball during post-op times were a close second. Not being able to see a ball I shot glide gracefully through a hoop and swirl down into the net was more troubling to me than post-op pain. All I wanted were the simple pleasures of my life back (yes, I considered working a pleasure and I still do). But I had to scratch and claw and bleed and fight to get it back.

These days, I can hoop whenever I want. And I'll be back at O'Melveny in under two weeks. I earned my life back, and I'm returning to my normal life wiser, stronger, and determined to live it even better this time. And I will.