Lindsay Lesage is a Registered Yoga Teacher with degrees in Psychology, Education and training in Psychotherapy. She lives in Wasaga Beach with her husband, daughter and her dog Jean Luc.
She has a passion for using yoga, workshops, and telling stories from the every day to help others shed insight and find gratitude in their own lives. A social scientist at heart she is always trying to find out why and how people live the way that they do and do the things they do - particularly in the pursuit of happiness!
Read along below to find out what first inspired this blog and check out the other sections to see where you too, might find gratitude in the everyday!
She has a passion for using yoga, workshops, and telling stories from the every day to help others shed insight and find gratitude in their own lives. A social scientist at heart she is always trying to find out why and how people live the way that they do and do the things they do - particularly in the pursuit of happiness!
Read along below to find out what first inspired this blog and check out the other sections to see where you too, might find gratitude in the everyday!
The First Gratitude Attitude
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A first class seat on the airplane looks a lot like this. Reclining loungers. A personal TV and DVD player. Employees wearing that obvious uniform who bring you blankets and little cups of ice. Lots of water in those little wee cups. And of course people watching. The kind you can’t help but you’re in such tight quarters that you’re trying hard not to make it awkward.
Reality check: this is not a luxury vacation but it is guaranteed to be one hell of a ride.
Hello chemo ward. It’s been awhile…. five years exactly. I wish I could say that I’m happy to see you again, but that would be lying.
This time it’s my sister’s turn. Five years ago was my mom’s. Same cancer, same surgeon, same doctor, same nurses, same February diagnosis, same spring chemo start. I shit you not, it’s like being in the twilight zone.
This is the first time that I’ve seen her in her hat and I’m shocked even though I watched her head shaving video on her facebook page.
We visited the doctor first and of course the three of us, Stephie, my mom and I are in the waiting room giggling over the fact that my mom is re-arranging the furniture. She can’t sit still and when she does her knee begins to shake up and down as though there is a colicky baby needing to be bounced.
The Dr. comes out to greet us, no nurse, no secretary – she’s a straight shooter.
She tells mom that her mammogram results are good and that she is in the clear and we move on to Stephie. They go to appointments together now because, now they are a package deal.
She asks her how she’s coping. Stephie starts in about how she has been meditating and taking her pain meds when needed and that most of all she makes a conscious choice every day to model this, all of THIS with grace because her children are watching. BAM. I am holding back tears which I don’t usually do but am careful to make sure not to deter any of the Dr.’s attention away from my sister.
Stephanie being the big sister that she is asks the Dr. to please explain to me what the genetic testing is all about and why it is important for me to consider. Turns out the biggest risk factor for me in developing breast cancer is the fact that I am a woman and I have breasts. Ugh. Of course other factors come into play, about 25% of all breast cancer patients have a family history, but there are other factors to consider as well – environment, diet, obesity, alcohol, smoking etc. Sounds like one too many parties.
Off to the chemo ward we go. Stephie checks in. We don’t wait long. There is another woman who looks to be about my mom’s age who hasn’t yet lost her hair. It’s her first time, the nurses are explaining everything to her and her family members. She looks nervous as she takes it all in.
My mom is doing well, she’s still bouncing, and she’s getting tired. She’s closing her eyes a lot. Stephie’s husband is here too, he’s been here the whole time but for now (because he does this so often) let us girls do the heavy lifting while he worked remotely on his laptop at the hospital’s Tim Horton’s.
Stephie settles in to her lounge chair. Reclines and gets comfy. Her nurse comes along with a hot pack for her hand where they will put the IV in. To my surprise (okay not really if you know my sister) Stephie is asking the nurse all about her kids hockey tournaments and if they have any more fundraising t-shirts (Stick It To Cancer).
The nurse walks away, my mom goes to Tim Horton’s to get something to eat and she and I are alone.
“The nurses here are so amazing, I’m so grateful” she says. I just nod.
“Take a picture of me” she asks. I do. It feels weird. She’s smiling and giving a thumbs up. It’s so that she can update her blog and Facebook.
“A lot of people have been having a hard time with this” she says with her hands painting a big circle in the air. She likes to post things and assure people that she is doing well. It’s her way of comforting others.
There was a life defining moment weeks before this treatment where her and I were on the phone together and she had just told me the news.
“It hasn’t spread. But I still need chemo and radiation and drugs after that. I’ll be just fine.”
I was so happy and relieved but within a moment I held my breath – I could hear her do the same.
“So many people don’t hear those words” she whispered. “I am so, so lucky.”
I could feel the wind being pulled out of me in the same way as the nurses continued to usher patient after patient into the chemo ward.
In this moment now, and in this place I feel a tidal wave of gratitude overcome me. I have never been so thankful in my life. The nurses, the doctors, living in Canada and the healthcare that we have.
In this moment I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards my sister and her attitude. She has chosen to take this shitty thing that life threw at her and grow from it. Maybe it wasn’t a lump, but a seed that was planted within her in order to learn and grow and now inspire others.
I felt something stir within me that day in the chemo ward with her and I realized how important gratitude is in terms of healing, dealing and moving forward with grace.
So that’s how this all started. I feel strongly compelled to share the power of gratitude and building strength and resilience through adversity.
I hadn’t expected to visit the hospital that day to find it this way, but this is where it all started.
This is My Gratitude Attitude.
****Update: Stephie has started her own blog so check her out here!
Reality check: this is not a luxury vacation but it is guaranteed to be one hell of a ride.
Hello chemo ward. It’s been awhile…. five years exactly. I wish I could say that I’m happy to see you again, but that would be lying.
This time it’s my sister’s turn. Five years ago was my mom’s. Same cancer, same surgeon, same doctor, same nurses, same February diagnosis, same spring chemo start. I shit you not, it’s like being in the twilight zone.
This is the first time that I’ve seen her in her hat and I’m shocked even though I watched her head shaving video on her facebook page.
We visited the doctor first and of course the three of us, Stephie, my mom and I are in the waiting room giggling over the fact that my mom is re-arranging the furniture. She can’t sit still and when she does her knee begins to shake up and down as though there is a colicky baby needing to be bounced.
The Dr. comes out to greet us, no nurse, no secretary – she’s a straight shooter.
She tells mom that her mammogram results are good and that she is in the clear and we move on to Stephie. They go to appointments together now because, now they are a package deal.
She asks her how she’s coping. Stephie starts in about how she has been meditating and taking her pain meds when needed and that most of all she makes a conscious choice every day to model this, all of THIS with grace because her children are watching. BAM. I am holding back tears which I don’t usually do but am careful to make sure not to deter any of the Dr.’s attention away from my sister.
Stephanie being the big sister that she is asks the Dr. to please explain to me what the genetic testing is all about and why it is important for me to consider. Turns out the biggest risk factor for me in developing breast cancer is the fact that I am a woman and I have breasts. Ugh. Of course other factors come into play, about 25% of all breast cancer patients have a family history, but there are other factors to consider as well – environment, diet, obesity, alcohol, smoking etc. Sounds like one too many parties.
Off to the chemo ward we go. Stephie checks in. We don’t wait long. There is another woman who looks to be about my mom’s age who hasn’t yet lost her hair. It’s her first time, the nurses are explaining everything to her and her family members. She looks nervous as she takes it all in.
My mom is doing well, she’s still bouncing, and she’s getting tired. She’s closing her eyes a lot. Stephie’s husband is here too, he’s been here the whole time but for now (because he does this so often) let us girls do the heavy lifting while he worked remotely on his laptop at the hospital’s Tim Horton’s.
Stephie settles in to her lounge chair. Reclines and gets comfy. Her nurse comes along with a hot pack for her hand where they will put the IV in. To my surprise (okay not really if you know my sister) Stephie is asking the nurse all about her kids hockey tournaments and if they have any more fundraising t-shirts (Stick It To Cancer).
The nurse walks away, my mom goes to Tim Horton’s to get something to eat and she and I are alone.
“The nurses here are so amazing, I’m so grateful” she says. I just nod.
“Take a picture of me” she asks. I do. It feels weird. She’s smiling and giving a thumbs up. It’s so that she can update her blog and Facebook.
“A lot of people have been having a hard time with this” she says with her hands painting a big circle in the air. She likes to post things and assure people that she is doing well. It’s her way of comforting others.
There was a life defining moment weeks before this treatment where her and I were on the phone together and she had just told me the news.
“It hasn’t spread. But I still need chemo and radiation and drugs after that. I’ll be just fine.”
I was so happy and relieved but within a moment I held my breath – I could hear her do the same.
“So many people don’t hear those words” she whispered. “I am so, so lucky.”
I could feel the wind being pulled out of me in the same way as the nurses continued to usher patient after patient into the chemo ward.
In this moment now, and in this place I feel a tidal wave of gratitude overcome me. I have never been so thankful in my life. The nurses, the doctors, living in Canada and the healthcare that we have.
In this moment I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards my sister and her attitude. She has chosen to take this shitty thing that life threw at her and grow from it. Maybe it wasn’t a lump, but a seed that was planted within her in order to learn and grow and now inspire others.
I felt something stir within me that day in the chemo ward with her and I realized how important gratitude is in terms of healing, dealing and moving forward with grace.
So that’s how this all started. I feel strongly compelled to share the power of gratitude and building strength and resilience through adversity.
I hadn’t expected to visit the hospital that day to find it this way, but this is where it all started.
This is My Gratitude Attitude.
****Update: Stephie has started her own blog so check her out here!