I had a health scare over the past two weeks. It started with having my first mammogram, a screening exam that I put off for various reasons, none of which was that I was worried about my risk of breast cancer. I wasn’t. So when the results came back abnormal, I was truly surprised.

 

First of all, I have almost no risk factors for breast cancer (other than being African American). I also have no family history, though most breast cancers are not familial. I don’t drink except an occasional glass of red wine, I don’t smoke, and I’ve been at a normal weight for the past ten years. As my posts in the past reflect, I keep chemical exposures and artificial fragrances at a minimum in my environment. I breast fed my babies for more than 6 years altogether. So what was this nonsense about an abnormal mammogram? My breasts ought to be wearing a medal, not being set up for more testing!

 

Anyway, I had the follow up mammograms, ultrasounds, and finally biopsies on both breasts. And then we waited for results. Now, I could go on a rant about how mammography is an imperfect imaging study, how so many women are subjected to unnecessary radiation in the follow up studies and unnecessary biopsies and procedures because of the limitations of mammography, but it’s already been said. We already know it. And even though I knew I would likely turn out to be in the group of women who had unnecessary procedures from this mammogram, my mind had already gone somewhere else…

 

What if I have breast cancer? What if it’s aggressive? Maybe it’ll be early, but I might have to have surgery, maybe even lose my breasts and my hair! And what about my husband and the kids? It would be so hard on them for me to get sick, or even lose me. What would that be like for them, to grow up without a mom? Sure, he’ll probably get remarried, but she won’t be their mom…

 

Yup. I went there. I had to get a grip on myself, do some deep breathing and listen. And I heard down inside, “It will be fine.” And I knew it would. Even if it wasn’t, it would still be fine. Because today, I’m still breathing. Today, right now, I’m still here. So even in the midst of the panic, I knew some good things were happening. I was going to slow down enough to enjoy the ordinary moments of my life. I wasn’t going to rush through them and lose them in busyness. And, I was going to gain even more compassion for my patients because of this experience.

 

In the midst of this back and forth to the doctor appointments, my middle daughter mentioned that I hadn’t made them pancakes for breakfast in a long time. A “long time” is relative in kid time, but this time she was right. I don’t usually make pancakes on weekdays and Saturdays is breakfast by Daddy (waffles and bacon, nitrate free of course!). My first instinct was to put it off, but then I paused. If the worst were to happen, I’d be wishing to be able to make these babies pancakes for breakfast. So, I made them the pancakes, and they were very happy and appreciative. And I was glad I made them, and the memory that went with them!

 

Live today, live this moment. It’s all you really have anyway. You can’t live in the past or the future without missing what moment you have right now. So slow down, maybe just enough to be here now. You could live in the regrets of the past or learn from it, but you’ll do better not to stay there. You can try to project yourself into the future, ask lots of what-ifs and worry about what will be, but you miss now if you do too much of that. Now, the present moment, is your life. Don’t miss it!

 

So, in this case everything turned out fine. The biopsies were negative and all is well. The bruises are fading and the soreness is gone, thanks to arnica gel and tincture of time. And in honor of living in the moment, I am giving you the recipe for the pancakes I made for my babies. And maybe you will make them and a memory to hold on to. Now go make some pancakes!

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter Pancakes (courtesy of detoxinista.com)

(gluten-free, grain-free, vegan option)

I tripled this recipe. The original makes eight pancakes, but I needed more to feed the kiddos. Also, these freeze beautifully, so I make extra for a quick breakfast another day!

 

First, I gathered all my ingredients.

 

 

 

Then, I laid out the baking pans and parchment paper. Yes, the parchment paper is required – it makes it work!

 

 

I used my scoop to put the batter on the pans.

 

 

Bake ’em up and enjoy!

 

 

I served them with some coconut whipped cream from the first batch of gluten free birthday cupcakes (check out the Food As Medicine post for the cupcake recipe) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yum!

 

 

Ingredients

• 12 oz organic smooth almond butter (It’s expensive, but you can use conventional. I found some organic on sale!)
• 1 1/2 cups organic pumpkin puree
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I add a little freshly grated nutmeg)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp raw honey and/or stevia to taste

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to form a smooth batter.
3. Use a scoop (for small pancakes) or a 1/4 cup measure (for larger pancakes) to scoop the pancakes onto the baking sheet. You can bake both sheets at once!
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until fluffy and golden. No flipping necessary 🙂
5. Serve warm with your toppings of choice (we like the coconut whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, but grass fed butter and syrup is good too).

 

 

How do you remember to live in the moment? Share in the comments section and help us to enjoy our moments!