Writer's Workshop: Repeat it and Believe it!

Participating in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop again this week! Love it!

The prompt: "I need all the help I can get and if repeating something healthy and inspiring to myself several times a day helps, then I'm going to do it! -- What affirmation makes you feel better. Inspired by Shanna at Smiles, Miles, and Trials.

I've got a few, so let me share.

1) I've always sought refuge in music. I was that angst-filed teenager who spent most evenings in my bedroom listening to everything from The Smiths and The Cure to Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. These are still some of my favorites!

Last year, while undergoing chemotherapy treatment, I found myself inspired by the lyrics of Tom Petty. A song I had heard a million times, "I Won't Back Down," came on the car radio while pulling into the driveway one afternoon. I sat there and listened to it until the end and told my husband - "this is my cancer anthem."

I played that song over and over for months. It inspired me, it gave me hope, it made me believe that I could make it.

Tom - yes, we're now on a first name basis - sings: "No I won't back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won't back down...I'll keep this world from draggin' me down, gonna stand my ground and I won't back down."

Pretty powerful.

2) I got a beautiful necklace from my husband for Christmas. The card attached was the best part. It reads: "I am healthy and my body is strong" and instructs you to repeat it and believe it! I do.

From Dogeared.com

3) Finally, my Grandmother and I had a falling out some time ago and we haven't spoken to each other in almost ten years. That's for a whole different post -- but I will never forget a saying she taught me when I was in junior high. For a long time, I thought she had come up with it on her own but Google says different. Anyway, it goes like this:

"When a task is once begun, never leave it 'till it's done. Be the labor, great or small, do it well or not at all."

I might say this to myself at least once a day and it really, truly, honestly helps me get through whatever I'm struggling with! Though we may no longer have a relationship, I do thank her for teaching me this lesson in perseverance.

What Gets You Going?

Music always gets me going. Do you remember blasting your favorite songs from the stereo while getting dolled up to go out with your girls? Or playing that one song over and over again on your tape deck as you cruised by that boy's house you crushed on when you were seventeen (...or was that just me)?

I'm thrilled to see that Audrey loves music just as much as I do. The kid has great taste but I might seriously die if I have to hear "Barbara Ann" by the Beach Boys one more time! How can I resist her request though when she says "more Ba Ba?"

When I was going through chemo treatment I felt I needed an anthem. One day we were pulling into the driveway and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" came on and the lyrics "You can stand me up at the gates of hell and I won't back down" - I sat in the driveway until it was over and declared that song my anthem.

A couple others really resonated with me too during that time. From 1991, Tom Chocrane's "Life is a Highway" - "Tell 'em we're survivors" - yep, I thought, I'll be singing this one someday soon! And when my hair fell out I was trying to feel better about my new look and Pink's "So What" lyric "I got a brand new attitude and I'm gonna wear it tonight." I'm not going to lie - the song helped but I

NEVER owned that bald look. Yikes! One of my all time favorite rock bands - Foo Fighters and their song "All My Life" - "Done, done on to the next one. Done, I'm done, and I'm on to the next." Or otherwise known as my chemo-countdown song - in heavy rotation especially towards the end of treatment. And finally, John Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb." No special lyric, just great music that me and my bald head danced around too (behind closed doors, of course)!

Now, during radiation - Monday through Friday, for seven weeks - I was drawn to the Jigga Man, Jay-Z (Beyonce's husband, for those of you who don't know him). Almost everyday, windows down, I'd blast "Show Me What You Got." I'm sure the patrons of Hoag loved that. Bad words and all.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I'm trying to get into a regular exercise routine. Of course, I've turned to music to get me going. I've been playing a lot of Gwen Stefani's first album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." - "What You Waiting For" and No Doubt's self-titled first album - I usually play "Get on the Ball" [sidenote:check out this vintage clip of ND] as the first workout song because it's so upbeat. I'm also loving Kelly Clarkson's latest "All I Ever Wanted" - especially this song: "Don't Let Me Stop You."

So what gets you going? Please share by leaving a comment below!