About a week ago, I ventured out hatless for the first time since my hair went bye-bye. Walking into the grocery store with my not-quite-inch-long 'do felt almost like that moment in those nightmares when you realize, "Crap! How did I forget to put underwear and pants on this morning?" Of course, no one in the whole place so much as batted an eye, even though I was still quite sheepishly getting used to shorter hair than I had when I made my grand entrance into this world ... 42 years ago today. Whatever. It's just hair. Then again, it is, and it isn't. In ways that my ex-breast will never be, my formerly bald head and the cute hats I wore over it told the world, "Why, yes! I have cancer!" I never felt bold enough to bare my baldness (except doing laps at the pool), so there was always this sense that, adorable as those hats were, I was hiding something. Not anymore. Here I am, people, sprouting a new head of hair like all the daffodils and tulips that are blooming all over. I'm feeling pretty darn good and getting healthier by the day. So far, I'm still doing fine on my aromatase inhibitors. I'm getting better sleep more consistently – thanks in part to the recent discovery that I'd been overmedicating a thyroid condition. Yup, symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, racing thoughts, night sweats, all kinds of unpleasant stuff I thought was just part of the early menopause crud that chemo had triggered. Go figure. I've had a wonderful birthday, beginning with breakfast with the family at one of our favorite local restaurants. I went out on an invigorating if not vigorous jog in ridiculously gorgeous sunshine, treated myself to a post-run kale smoothie and a couple cute pairs of earrings, then shared some cupcakes with a friend and birthday buddy who turned 8 today. All day, my Facebook feed's been all lit up with happy messages. Emails, texts, phone calls galore have reminded me how grateful I am to know so many kind and supportive people. During this trying year, our family has given less to the many causes we like to support (thanks for being such a drain, stupid medical bills!). Today, it felt good to give to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. A cure can't come too soon. In the meantime, anytime I have some spare change jangling around (and sometimes even when I don't) I'm going to support the researchers who are doing all they can to cure this shitbird of a disease. Join me today ... or the next time you feel like giving cancer a kick in the crotch.