gayathri | (no subject)

I saw this and thought of the many friends and family I've lost to cancer, as well as those friends of mine fighting these battles:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08/20/obit.miles.levin/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

the thing that struck me was:

He declared that his motto would be simply: "It's always something."

And it was. He got sick and then better and then sick again and still managed to navigate the milestones of adolescence: keeping up in school, a first serious girlfriend, college applications, prom. He became a little famous and laughed at himself. He wrote about the value of life and somehow acquired an almost supernatural ability to appreciate small pleasures such as a sunny day and the presence of a loving family.

I think appreciating small pleasures in every day living is truly important. The real courage for all of us is to just keep going. I watched a tv show this weekend about a diabetic who has hiked tot he top of the tallest mountain on each continent... his comment was basically the way to get to the top was just put one foot in front of the other. Both of these items really struck me -- the hiker because my wise friend lil_brown_bat says something pretty similar and I always loved that image and the lovely idea that one's motto could be, "It's always something,"

So here's my small appreciations for today:
I could do 3 miles in 38 minutes on the pre-cor. My father can see out of one eye again after his laser surgery. I'm sleeping better.

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Boy howdy, yeah, do I ever know about the "it's always something" with cancer. But it doesn't have to be the Big C, or the Big D, to be dragging you down. Entropy is out there, and if you aren't climbing that mountain, one step at a time, what are you doing?

Hmm, must post on this later...

that's EXACTLY it -- we shouldnt need to be reminded because someone is dying to realize we _all_ are dying, arent we? What ARE we doing in those moments between now and then?

I'm really glad I've been taking the time to really take care of myself in all the ways I need to, emotionally, physically, intellectually, psychologically -- because I want to spend all the moments I have, living. Even if after enlightenment, I'm still eating rice and sweeping the floor. :)

Good message.

And so true on Sunday. We did 6 miles, and then I was really tired and starting to get achy. The last 3 consisted of putting one foot in front of the other.

But I did it. And I learned something. KEEP STRETCHING, and DON'T STOP. If you stop, your body freezes up just like the Tin Man, lol.

[smooch]