Sometimes you wander innocently around a corner in life and meet up with something totally unexpected that changes everything.

The past couple of weeks mark the first anniversary of receiving my cancer diagnosis and the beginning of the flurry of tests and treatments that followed.

This year, the hard-core treatments are behind me, I’ve been declared cancer free, and the treatments that remain are much milder and aimed at preventing the cancer from coming back.

My energy levels are still pretty low, but gradually improving. I’m told I should expect recovering from the treatments to take about as long as the treatments did, so I’m trying to be patient.

I’m also looking ahead with excitement and working toward meeting some of the goals that had to be set aside last year. Here are some things I’m working on: