No, I haven’t started horse-riding, nor have I embarked on another trip in the van (not yet).

I am going back to work.

Technically, I never stopped working behind the scenes (apart from the bit where I couldn’t move my arms). But this month, tentatively, I am heading back part-time and will gradually start to meet clients again after an 11 month break. I can’t wait.

Ten years ago, I started a business doing a job that I liked and that I have grown to love. I used to hop and skip through job roles, never wanting to stick for too long at anything lest I then have to prove my expertise. Much safer to keep changing jobs, that way I could stay under the radar and no-one could ever judge how good I was as I had never been there long enough to master it.

An ex-boyfriend once challenged me on this. ‘ Why don’t you ever do anything long enough to become really really good at it?’. We were sitting in front of the fire and after a shocked pause, I realised he’d nailed it. I had never really considered it before but at that time I had a role I could work on, develop. I could become a specialist. I could become really good at this. So I stuck with it and here I am eight years after the fireside pep talk (Thanks!), excited by my job and looking forward to making some really good things happen. Watch out, world of financial planning, I’ve got some catching up to do.

Another huge influence on my decision (I had planned to wait until the new year originally, when my treatment stops) has been my clear-headed and much less fatigued state now that I have given up the sleeping pills. I really cannot convey just how much better I feel with a healthy sleeping routine. The power of the human mind to block out frightening thoughts if you will it hard enough, is impressive. I’m amazed yet again by my body and brain and their resilience in the face of some pretty heavy fire.

The determination of humans to not just stay alive but thrive is impressive. I salute our creators and entreat you to test yourself and take care of yourself. Doing the latter will give you the energy you need to do anything you want.

For anyone who struggles with unwanted worries keeping them awake at night, I can offer you my advice, in case it helps (harder to implement with small children).

Each night, as the thoughts start their brain-takeover ‘ What if it comes back?’ ‘What’s that twinge?’, I remind myself that life is short (it helps, I promise) and that whatever my future holds, I certainly have no window for worry. The logic of this seems to calm me down and once the eye-mask is on, I’m drifting off in no time and the next thing I know, I’m up with the birds.

I don’t allow myself to sleep twice, I get up as soon as I wake up to avoid feeling groggy and slipping into a second sleep cycle and then off I go! I am a woman transformed by the easiest sleep routine in town (and the discovery of how easy it is to make soup). No set bedtime but a nice little pattern as I get ready for bed. No need for an alarm (not yet anyway, the clock changes might scupper this a bit for a while) and awake naturally by 7am. Remember that just 2 weeks ago it took 2mg of Lorazepam to get me even close to sleep each night and my routine was erratic.

I for one, am astonished…and bloody delighted.