Take a minute to stop and smell the stomas …

Take a minute to stop and smell the stomas …

Not literally of course (because we all know how that could end up!!). I’m talking figuratively.

This post marks my 4-year stomaversary. 4 years with an ostomy. Where on earth did that time go?! I know exactly where it went! To getting back to living life! 

Over the last 4 years, amongst many other things, my ostomy has enabled me to travel the world, get married, go to music festivals, and fulfil my lifelong dream of moving to London. I am no longer anxious about leaving the house or constantly needing to know where the closest toilet is. I’m back to living and loving life again!

Whilst we’ve had countless amazing adventures over the last 4 years, my ostomy and I have also done all those normal everyday things like go to work, do the grocery shopping, hang out with friends and family. Whilst I like to keep life exciting and am always up for new experiences, everyday living inevitably comes with an element of routineness. We need to pay the bills after all (and I’m still looking for that dream job that I am truly passionate about and so far, blogging hasn’t made me a millionaire)!!!

With routine comes a sense of security. I love my stoma and everything it’s done for me, yet I know I’ve become complacent, and as a consequence sometimes take it for granted.

The other day I was standing in the shower. I’d decided to shower without my bag (which is a rare occasion for me) and as I looked down at “my little guy” (stoma) I realised just how much I’d been neglecting him and how awesome he is. I don’t mean neglecting as in not looking after him (I think I do a fairly good job of that), but neglecting to acknowledge his awesomeness!

I’ve used this analogy before, but it’s like going past the Sydney harbour bridge every day on the train and not bothering to look out the window anymore. Since moving to London, I make sure every time I walk past Big Ben or the London Eye, St Paul’s or Westminster Abbey, any of those iconic London sights, I look up and take them in, rejoicing in finally living my London dream. So why don’t I do that with my stoma?

Human beings are naturally habitual creatures. There is nothing wrong with that, but it scares me to think how easily routine can take over. Having a stoma is honestly just a regular and natural part of everyday life for me now, which is a good thing! However, I should also be flourishing in what my ostomy has done for me! It’s given me a second chance, and I admit, after 4 years, I am sometimes guilty of overlooking that.

So that day in the shower, I stood there enjoying the water flowing over me, and took the time to look down at my stoma. To really look at it and acknowledge how much appreciation I hold deep down for it. I hope this doesn’t sound too creepy, but I even circled my finger around the skin surrounding my stoma several times, reinforcing my gratitude, thanking it and my body for doing the incredible job that it does. This somehow felt like a very important and meaningful thing for me to do. For anyone with a chronic illness, knowing that things might not always be as they are now, it feels crucial to acknowledge, be grateful, and make the most of the present.

We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the busyness and craziness that is life. In some moments in the middle of a busy day, I almost forget my little guy is down there, ploughing on as I / we do. It is my stoma that enables me to be healthy and live this life. I don’t ever want to take that for granted, today, or any other day! So, on this, my 4-year stomaversary, I am making that conscious effort to stop and take the time (even if it’s just a minute) to smell my stoma!!

Laura xx