"Want to see them?"

I did it.
I got through my first full week back at the office.

It wasn't bad.  It was time and I was ready to be back.  I was happy to get back to all of my clients and coworkers and start making things happen.  Of course, everyone wants to know how I feel and how I'm doing, so I've developed a line.  "I'm doing good.  Everyday is better and all the doctors say that I'm tracking the right direction".  It sounds like I'm describing a tropical storm.  That actually might not be too far from the truth.  I'm trying not to think too much about going through forced menopause later this summer.  Who knows, there might be warnings for tropical storm Eileen.  Hopefully, it won't become a full-fledged hurricane.  As a confident, fairly assertive corporate woman, there are times when I receive feedback that I should work on "softening" my style.  This feedback has come during times of free-flowing estrogen and hormones.  How "soft" will my style need to be after I'm gutted of the last vestiges of my woman-hood and sent back behind the desk.  Who knows, with my voice a couple of octaves lower and chin stubble, I might get respect from a whole new demographic of peers and clients.  I should use this to my advantage...

Well, I gave my first show-and-tell this week.  I met with a friend who is a couple of months behind me with her breast cancer diagnosis.  It felt good to answer her questions and be the open-book about this topic I said I would be.  And at the end of lunch, I said, "you want to see them?"  I had a friend show me her new breasts six weeks after a double mastectomy with reconstruction and it was very helpful.  It was good to see the results of the surgeons cutting out the life-threatening cancer with the context of the individual that was trying to get back to her life.  It gave me some peace-of-mind and the confidence to keep pushing forward.  If I can help give some of that to other women, I'll be flashing my boobies all around town (don't get too excited).