What do I have control over?

I don't know why I have cancer, and neither do the doctors. It's just one of those things that happen. Before I got sick, I've had a very healthy and active lifestyle. I've always tried to live my life with high moral standards and believed in universal karma. I've come to understand that sometimes the good and bad don't always balance out. Sometimes terrible things happen to good people as a result of no fault of their own. Life is unfair like that.

We don't have control over the awful things that happen and the deep pain that we experience, but what we do have control over is our attitude towards it. We can either go through life bitter and angry at the world, or we can accept the fact that something bad has happened to us, and move forward. I've chosen to do the latter. Don't get me wrong. I definitely have moments when I'm feeling down, but I try not to let those feelings take over my life because in the end feeling sorry for myself doesn't change anything.

I always thought that everything happened for a reason. I don't know if that's true anymore. Perhaps there is no important life lesson in all this. What am I suppose to take from this experience then? I'm not sure, but I can make it meaningful for me.

Throughout my life, I've always been very school oriented. Consequently, that didn't leave me much time for family and friends. As I got older, I let more time let slip by and unintentionally put those important people on the back burner. Having to abandon my dreams of a Ph.D. in Philadelphia, and returning to California for treatment of my cancer allowed me to rekindle these relationships. During this whole ordeal, I've had wonderful support from my amazing friends, my caring family, and my loving boyfriend. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by people who give me the courage to stay strong and help see me through this. This is what meaning I take.

Two of my close friends, Amy and Tammy, sent me beautiful fruit bouquets from Edible Arrangements. I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but aside from the delicious fruit, kale is used as the greens at the base. Although it has a slightly bitter taste, it's very nutritional. I thought I wouldn't like it at all, but turns out, my taste buds love it.

Krispy "Kale" Chips (Courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian)

• 1 head kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Washed and thoroughly dry kale. Remove the ribs and cut leaves into 1 1/2-inch pieces. 
3. Place leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until completely coated. 
4. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet . 
5. Bake approximately 10 minutes, or until crisp. 
6. Remove from oven. Turn the leaves and bake for additional 10 minutes, or until crisp. 
7. Serve as finger food. 

Chefs's Note: To ensure the kale chips remain crisp, place in sealed container. 

Uncooked kale leaves seasoned with olive oil, salt, black pepper (left). Kale chips (right).