🩺 Letting Go of the Fear: Choosing Joy Over Worry

📖 Introduction
Let’s talk about something we all look forward to—colonoscopy prep. Said no one ever.

Yes, I’ve got another one coming up, and while the younger me might’ve lost sleep over it, this version of me knows better. I've been through enough to realize that fear might knock, but it doesn’t get to move in. And that shift in thinking? It started years ago, the day I found myself face-to-face with a word no one ever wants to hear: cancer.

🩺 Facing the Big C
When the doctor said it—cancer—the air got real heavy, real fast. But it wasn’t just the word. It was the way he looked at me, the urgency in his voice, the nurses suddenly in motion like we were all in some medical soap opera.

Time stood still. My heart raced like a freight train, but weirdly… I didn’t fall apart.

Instead, I was sent to the oncologist that same day. Talk about express service. Within a week, I was sitting across from a surgeon talking about options like we were ordering off a menu. It all moved fast, but I stayed calm. Why?

Because somewhere deep down, I’d already started to believe something I now hold as truth: our thoughts create our reality.

💭 Worry Doesn’t Work—Trust Me
Worrying never helped me sleep better, heal faster, or feel more in control. All it did was steal my peace and give me a headache. So I stopped feeding it. These days, I focus on what feels good. Because what we focus on grows—and I’d rather grow gratitude, joy, and maybe a few laugh lines.

Someone recently asked me if I was worried about something, and I honestly couldn’t remember. Not because nothing's happening—but because not everything deserves space in my head. I’ve only got so much room in there, and at my age, it's standing room only.

🎯 Too Much in the Brain Box
You know how older folks forget things? I’ve got a theory: we’re full. Our brains are like junk drawers—one more paperclip and the whole thing jams. So I make room for the good stuff. I keep joy front and center. Gratitude rides shotgun. And fear? Well, it’s back there somewhere with my high school algebra and the lyrics to "Tie a Yellow Ribbon."

⚖️ Choosing Joy (Even in a Gown with No Back)
I still get that tight feeling in my chest when I drift into old habits, but now I listen to my body. That’s my cue to refocus. To get back to laughter, to gratitude, to stories that make my heart feel full.

So yes, I’ve got a colonoscopy coming up. But instead of dreading it, I’m thinking about how grateful I am for medical care, for my body, and for the fact that I can still crack jokes about it.

💬 Wanda-ism:
Worry doesn’t fix the problem—it just eats your snacks and hogs the remote. Choose joy. Even when you’re wearing a paper gown.

🌟 Pull up a chair. I’ve got a story. 🌟