I went to the dentist today and picked up the mouth guard they made for me yesterday. I’ve been grinding my teeth at night. It’s a long-standing problem, but it’s gotten worse over the last year. Imagine that. My sister who works in a dentist office said that if you notice your teeth touching, then you’re probably clenching your jaw. In a normal, relaxed state, the teeth shouldn’t touch. Hmm…mine touch all throughout the day, too.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but here it goes again. Straight up. If I had to define this past year by one emotion, it would be fear. Of course when you’re given a life-threatening diagnosis like cancer, it’s instinct to be afraid. How bad is it? Is it curable? Will I die? Once those questions are answered, then it’s worry about treatments and side effects and potential risks. Always, there is the fear of making a wrong decision when presented options. After getting through treatments, it’s wondering if everything worked. How do we know it’s not anywhere else? Finally, and I’m sure this will linger forever in the back of my mind, will it come back?

Lesson Three: The side effect of fear is exhaustion. And stress. And teeth grinding. It’s time to let it go. I’m going to work really hard not bring it into the new year. These two quotes will be my reminders. What fear do you need to leave behind?