What is "normal" anyway?

My turnaround day came on Wednesday!  Everything gets a little easier and more "normal" each day after I reach that day.  Just like with most things in life, the memories and emotions begin to fade and I settle into my "normal" routine.  I spend my days trying to catch up on the duties that I've been unable to fulfill for the last week...most of which are the never ending kind of tasks.  I find myself tackling them with so much more pleasure and joy than before I got sick though.  I still get tired and I have to rest more.  Like I said before, I'm not 100%...but I'm at least 80%!  I've changed in so many ways over the last month and a half.  One of the things I've noticed is that a simple conversation means so much more to me now.  The chance to sit and talk with someone is so much more important to me.  I've spent so much of my life stressed out because "I have so much to do I'll never get it all done!".  I realized I was right.  If I have that much to do...I probably won't get it all done, so engaging in a conversation and actually thinking about what we are talking about and enjoying being with that person isn't going to make that big of an impact on whether I get the "million and one things" I have to do done.  Now don't get me wrong.  There are things I have to get done and in a timely manner, but the stress part I'm learning to leave behind.  I'm not saying I don't think I'll ever stress again (wouldn't that be nice though!).  I stress daily, but I'm trying to realize when I'm stressing and overcome it.  Each day we wake up to is a gift from God.  I've always known that, but didn't understand it the same way as I am coming to understand it.  I always thought that meant that in order for it to be appreciated fully that I needed to cram as much activity into it as possible.  I'm coming to understand that sometimes the gift is just the joy we get in living it.  My to do list is so full right now, but the to do list can wait while I put a puzzle together with my little girl.  Sometimes the joy of the day comes from knocking out half the list while I feel good.  The days after chemo, the gift is just that I woke up and God carried me through the day.  It's not something I can explain, but life just looks different now...and in such a good way!