I started 2014 off on a very relieved note.  Now, the story I’m about the share I kept to myself for two reasons: the first was that I didn’t want to worry anyone, the second was I was actually worried about the outcome.

I noticed at the end of summer that I had a red bump on my chest that had to me resembled a bug bite.  Knowing that some exotic bug bites could take several weeks to heal, I didn’t think much of it.  That is, until the end of October came and the spot on my chest hadn’t gone away.  Having had a suspicious mole before, I didn’t make much of it seeing as it wasn’t a mole so it couldn’t be anything bad.  Until December rolled around and my mom asked me about it. Giving her the quick synopsis that this spot had been there for nearly four months she pressured me to have it checked out.

So I did.

Luckily for me, I was able to get an appointment with my primary doctor within a week (unfortunately it would have been a three month wait for a dermatologist).  After having the spot biopsied, my doctor informed me he wasn’t sure what it was.  I was a nervous wreck. If a doctor can’t spot good or bad right then and there, then it had to be bad.

I began running through every possible scenario in my mind and just prayed.  I realized right then and there that whatever the outcome would be that it would just be a way for me to grow as a person and to appreciate the blessings in my life. I began to think of the work I had done in cancer awareness and fundraising – maybe this was just a way to get a deeper understanding of the nonprofit work I happened on by chance.

But all it was was just a scare.

Luckily for me I got a call two weeks after my biopsy that all was well.  The spot was not malignant and I was healthy.  Through it all I  realized I didn’t need some disaster diagnosis to find meaning in the process. I had already found meaning before a diagnosis could be made.  I had faith that whatever the results were would be for the appropriate reason in my life and my journey.

Sometimes all it takes is a scare to put things in perspective.  We get a slight picture of our lives that has colors of disaster and we can let it destroy us, or we can fight to make sure we rise above any hell that may try to burn us.  If you choose the latter, you can find a meaning in the (potential) mess and when you do that all the scares in the world are just that: scares – momentary jolts that kickstart moments of serious change.

While I may not have any ailment as a result of the red bump, I’ve gotten a little more conscious about my health. It’s the one thing that stacks the odds in our favor to live a long, happy life. So don’t let yourself get scared, but when you do, try and turn that scare into a motivation to change your life for the better.