Acknowledging that we’re good enough as we are
We in the CF community already show up every single day
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Every January, society seems to insist that we reinvent ourselves. The new year calls for a new you, new goals, fresh starts, and clean slates. The message is always the same: You’re not enough as you are, and your goals aren’t ambitious enough.
While sitting on my meditation cushion this morning, I noticed my mind doing what it always does: drifting off, then returning, drifting off again, and then returning. I realized that I’ve been beginning again with every breath for five years now. These transplanted lungs have taught me that fresh starts aren’t reserved for Jan. 1, and that I was already enough before any calendar told me it was time to make a change.
Those of us in the cystic fibrosis (CF) community know that we work harder than most people simply to maintain our bodies. The medications, treatments, vigilance, clinic appointments, and careful navigation through every cold and flu season are our daily reality. We don’t need society’s trends or the latest self-improvement schemes to tell us we need to do more, be more, or transform ourselves into something else. We are enough, exactly as we are.
Our goals shift from day to day, sometimes even hour to hour. One day, the goal might be something big and attainable, such as walking around the block, finishing a project, or meeting a friend for coffee. The next day, it may simply be to take medications and stay awake all day. There’s no judgment in this.
We cannot hold ourselves to the standards of society’s loud voices shouting about material success and superficial cosmetic trends. Our lives with CF have made us aware of the deeper meaning in life: the profound value of breath, presence, and simply being here.
The quiet contentment of existence
In meditation practice, there’s a concept called Shoshin, or “beginner’s mind.” It’s the practice of approaching each moment with openness and curiosity, as if for the first time. This attitude is not about erasing what came before or becoming someone new, but about meeting what is right now without dragging along all of our stories about how things should be. It’s about acceptance, not reinvention, and that is the key.
Each morning, I meet my life as a beginner. I am a beginner at having and caring for these lungs, at being the mother of a married daughter, and at facing each winter cold and flu season, when vigilance is necessary but fear is optional. Every morning, I begin again — not because I wasn’t good enough yesterday, but because life itself is a practice of presence.
When I sit for meditation, I notice the quality of each breath, observing how the air moves in and out of lungs that aren’t mine yet are also completely mine now. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about prescriptions or clinic appointments or wondering where my daughter is in her workday schedule. When I realize I’m thinking, I come back to clearing my mind. And I begin again. This isn’t failure; it’s the practice itself.
What five years post-transplant have clarified for me is that we don’t need permission from a calendar to start fresh, and we don’t need to fix or improve ourselves to meet anyone’s expectations.
There is a particular kind of happiness in simply being here that I didn’t understand before the transplant. It’s not the happiness of achievement or acquisition, but the quiet contentment of existence itself. Things like breathing without effort, hearing my daughter’s voice on the phone, and feeling the cold air on my face during a winter walk aren’t small things — they are everything.
So, this January, as the world shouts about self-improvement and transformation, I invite you to join me in something radical: self-acceptance, mindfulness, and self-love — not as destinations to reach, but as daily practices to embrace.
We in the CF community know what it means to fight for every breath, to show up for our bodies day after day, and to persist against considerable odds. We don’t need to reinvent ourselves; we need to recognize that we are already extraordinary, already enough, already whole.
I’m not making resolutions this January. I’m practicing what I already do: beginning again every day; meeting my transplanted life with curiosity and compassion; recognizing when I’ve drifted into worry, “should,” or comparison; and intentionally returning to gratitude for ordinary moments and for myself.
My New Year’s wish for you is to continue showing up, paying attention, being kind to yourself, and accepting yourself exactly as you are. I am proud to be part of this community with all of you.
Note: Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cystic Fibrosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.
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