Princess Kate's recent interview remarks about nature and her cancer journey have given one patient a new focus for difficult days. The writer, diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in the summer of 2023, says the Princess of Wales's words will be firmly in mind on days when hospital visits are not on the schedule.
A Shift in New Year's Resolutions
Each year since the diagnosis, the writer has replaced the old resolution of "drink more cocktails" with "go outside at least once a day." The easiest days to achieve this are hospital days, when early scans, blood tests, or chemotherapy sessions provide a reason to be out. The difficult days are those when darkness falls not long past 4pm, when it is cold and rain feels like a blanket soaked in misery.
On those days, it is easier to stay inside and forget resolutions exist, only venturing out to put the bins out. The writer notes that Princess Kate is "spot on" about there being good days and bad days, and precisely right about the importance of getting outside.
Finding Small Wonders Locally
While the writer's town is known more for knife crime and tower blocks than wooded groves, the resolution for next year may be to embrace the small wonders of the natural world. A tree in the street is full of little birds as spring arrives, offering a chance to listen to them sing. A display of purple flowers near the cancer hospital could be admired if an earlier train is taken. An allotment near the bus stop, where the writer waits after scan results, might provide a distraction by watching people dig.
The colours of falling leaves remind the writer of a connection to the natural world, with new life following death. A Scandinavian-designed raincoat bought five years ago for a trip to Cornwall, where it did not rain, could finally be tested this winter.
Hope in Darkest Times
The writer suggests a new cocktail for happiness: one part going outside, mixed with three parts paying attention to what is seen there. This may mean taking more photos to look back on, and tracking down gloves in the Black Friday sales. The first step, as Princess Kate says, is to find a sense of hope in the darkest of times.
For the writer, this begins with planting two bulbs in pots on a windowsill tomorrow, as flowers give hope after a tough day of chemotherapy. It continues with hoping the cancer does not spread too quickly, so the writer will still be alive when the bulbs sprout and flower in the spring.
