April 25, 2020 – Here’s the third installment in my pictorial journey through self-imposed home quarantine. As I said in my first post (see
Part One), I want to keep this light with some humor thrown in. However, as the pandemic wears on, my mood has become much darker. I sincerely want everyone to smile – heck, I want to smile, too – but I’m having a hard time doing so right now.
‘Like Walking in Wet Sand’
It’s been another month of the same old, same old. I saw this quote somewhere on the internet and thought it was appropriate. One day just seems to roll into another. We’re all just trudging along.
It’s the Little Things in Life
Pretty flowers, a cold beer, a good book…it’s the little things that I look forward to nowadays. Yet, I can’t seem to remain happy, or satisfied. I constantly worry about everything and everyone. There’s a definite “lack of control” that for people like me is unsettling and unacceptable. I’m beginning to understand how isolationists feel…stressed, paranoid, not able or willing to think clearly.
The Great Escape
As I first posted on Facebook on April 14th, after more than two weeks at home, I broke quarantine and toured Memphis from the safety of my car. While far from a ghost town, I was taken aback by the empty feel of the city – especially in downtown and Midtown. At the same time, I was surprised by the number of construction workers, city work crews, etc. hard at work like any normal day. Most, if not all of them, had no face coverings at all.
You Gotta Have Faith
My relationship with the Almighty is a tenuous one to say the least. This situation has neither strengthened or diminished that relationship. I honestly don’t understand people of faith who turn their backs on fellow human beings all in the name of politics or a particular way of thinking. I sincerely hoped that our country would figure out some things, maybe even come together. That lasted for about two or three weeks. Now, it’s everyone for themselves and to hell with others.
Easter was particularly troubling. Frankly, I’m not sure what I believe any more. But to paraphrase the late George Michael…You gotta have faith, faith, faith.
Note: As I mentioned in Part Two, I’ll have a longer discussion about people and religion. That will be in Part Four.
Old School Becomes New School
It’s funny how because of work-at-home and safer at home measures – self-quarantining included – old things have become rediscovered, even in our digital age. Pictures of people playing board games, trivia night via Skype or Zoom…people walking, jogging, and bike riding. I’ve seen and met more neighbors in the past two months than have in the past two years.
Folks hanging out on their porches and listening to music. Even sidewalk art has become a cheap, easy time-filler. Reading, even through digital means, has become a popular pastime, once again.
A Green Thumb and Brown Knees
Gardening, too, became a more popular pastime. It’s late April, so around here that means it’s time to work outside in the garden. I finally got out of the house – with the help of my daughter, Emily – to buy plants and such at a local nursery. It was good to be around plants, once again. Zoe even went along for the ride.
Manna From Heaven
After a full day of yard work and gardening, I was exhausted and starving. Meals, like Vicki’s famous spaghetti sauce (as seen on the right) made it all worthwhile. In fact, cooking and eating have become central characters in this weird pandemic teleplay we find ourselves in.
Meals are a combination of our tried and true favorites, or new recipes found online…as long as we can have the right ingredients. In some cases, our meals are simply improvised with whatever’s on hand. Nothing wrong with that and no complaints from me.
Every time Vicki (or, Emily) goes grocery shopping it’s like Christmas when she returns. Oooh, what did we get? Oh, toilet paper! I love it! Did you get any candy? It’s amazing what being holed-up for almost two months does to your expectations.
Advocacy Work Continues
My latest article for Skincancer.net was posted on April 23rd. (Recurring Vigilance) Since that time, it’s been difficult if not impossible for me to write on a consistent (and focused) basis. That’s one reason this post is more than a month after its date.
Hopefully I’ll soon get back on-track.
For now, thanks and stay safe.
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December 31, 2019 – It’s been a year. Man, has it been a year! Like many folks, the end of the calendar year brings reflection and remembrance…and, perhaps, a little remorse. For me, even the month of December brought a flood of new experiences along with memories from the prior year.
I decided, in an indirect way, to have a heart-to-heart talk with myself. Maybe this time I’ll listen.
Writer’s Block
Two more feature articles (see screen shot below) were published online this month (December) at StoryBoard Memphis. While I’ve enjoyed writing these stories along with researching and learning about my subjects, feature writing has taken me away from my true writing love – fiction. So, at some point in 2020, I want to block out enough time to finish my novel.
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| Yes, Elvis is truly everywhere…even in Arizona’s Verde Valley. |
Heart-to-Heart
It’s been one year (December 21, 2018) since I had a heart attack. I wrote about my experience last year at this same time (see All I Want For Christmas…). Life has changed, life has stayed the same, and, as we all know, life moves on. My heart attack was essentially genetic, but I’ve got to continue to take care of myself – like all of us – in order to prevent any more issues.
In an ironic twist, on December 21st (2019), Skincancer.net re-shared one of my blog posts (A Walk in the Park) in their Facebook feed. It’s one of my favorite pieces from 2019 with a very simple message: nothing in life is a walk in the park.
Survivor’s Guilt
One definition of survivor’s guilt states that someone may feel guilty – as though he or she has done something wrong – because they have survived a traumatic or life-threatening event when others have not. Those of us who deal with cancer walk a tightrope of emotions, and survivor’s guilt can rear its ugly head at any moment – especially during the holiday season. I previously talked about my own guilty feelings in the post An Emotional Morning.
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| A great shot from Miles for Melanoma. Our Centrum Silver moment.
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That guilt and pain took center stage right after New Years when I found out that yet another friend had died from cancer. This friend and I shared the same birth date (May 20) and with his passing the close-knit blues music community (national and international) lost a great advocate.
Reflecting on Another Year
I’ve grown tremendously this past year – both as an advocate for skin cancer research and melanoma prevention and as a writer with several published stories to my credit. One of my big successes -under both advocacy and writing – was a piece published (online) nationally by Coolibar Sun Protective Clothing. As it turned out, the original story (from July 31, 2019) was re-shared by Coolibar on Facebook on December 30th.
December 31st
It’s been five (5) years since my mom died, so 2019 ended with an anniversary that no one wanted to celebrate. I’ve written two posts about her decline from dementia and her passing. My dad still misses her very much, of course, but it’s a sad way to ring in the new year…any new year.
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September 26, 2019 – Melanoma has also left an imprint on Ken’s family. “Vicki has been my rock throughout this entire process,” says Ken. “She goes with me to every appointment. She also tackles all of the insurance forms and doctor’s bills so I can focus on getting better. Most importantly, she’s the ultimate glass-half-full person.”
The above quote is from an online article – that I co-wrote and edited – about my melanoma journey recently published by the Melanoma Research Alliance (CureMelanoma.org).
The article highlights an important aspect of battling cancer – support. I wouldn’t be here now without the love and support of my family and close friends. And I have no closer friend than my best friend, Vicki. She is truly my rock and the glue that hold our family together.
It’s also important to understand that not everyone has this loving support. That’s a horribly sad aspect of having a potentially fatal disease. It’s also, unfortunately, part of our cultural and, in some ways, part of human DNA. That’s why the work of organizations like the MRA and the American Cancer Society and so many others are so necessary in the fight against cancer. All cancers, not just melanoma.
Here’s the link to the MRA article:
https://www.curemelanoma.org/blog/article/living-life-with-melanoma
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Over the past several months, I have shared – online – my melanoma journey story. The posts have appeared on Facebook, Twitter, this blog, Skincancer.net, and even LinkedIn. Each post has a slight variation to it. Some of these I have authored myself and some – like this one from the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) – were written by the organization. As I said in several of the lead-ins to the posts, I am humbled by the responses and the support I have received. I am truly fortunate.
Thanks, as always, for listening.
Note: If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.) Sorry for any confusion.
Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment. Thanks.
Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
August 4, 2019 – It’s been a week filled with a lot of emotion and humility. Mostly it’s been many highs with just a couple of lows. As cliches go, it’s been a whirlwind. I guess I’ll begin at the beginning:
During the prior week, we celebrated my six-year metastatic melanoma (Stage IV) diagnosis. Obviously, it’s a bittersweet celebration, but as long as I’m still around to celebrate – I’ll take it. Here’s an old post from the first year anniversary (July 2014 anniversary).
On Monday, July 29th, we saw my cardiologist for my six-month visit. It’s been a brutal summer here in Memphis, and the heart meds – along with Gleevec – have done a number on me. Tired, fatigued, dehydrated, etc. My heart doctor says that we should stay the course with my medications. In other words, get through the rest of summer and then we’ll re-evaluate his cardiovascular cocktail in December.
Tuesday, July 30th, brought me a sense of relief. With the help of my editor and friend, Jayden Terrell, I completed my novel manuscript sample and submitted it for agent/editor review. The agent/editor critique will occur during the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference, which will be held later in August in the Cool Springs area, just outside of Franklin, Tennessee. I’ve been writing this book – off and on – for almost ten years. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, July 31st, I took part in a video conference panel on living with melanoma sponsored by Skincancer.net. It was both an eye-opening and humbling experience to share survival stories with other melanoma warriors.
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| My teammate!
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Note: Skincancer.net is part of the Health Union family of online support communities. Earlier in July, I became a paid contributor (known as an advocate). My work will appear on their website.
Later that afternoon, I found out that my melanoma journey story was published online by Coolibar Sun Protective Clothing. My skin diary story is now on a national website along with survivor stories by Holly Rowe of ESPN and Nora O’Donnell of CBS News. To say that I was psyched would be an understatement.
On Saturday, August 3rd, was the Miles for Melanoma – Memphis (5K) held at Shelby Farms Park. The run/walk is an annual fundraising event for the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF). I am highly involved with the MRF and their various advocacy initiatives. This was the fifth year that I participated in the Memphis race. It will likely be my last year of active involvement in this event.
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| Very cool!
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To top off a crazy week, I was recognized by the MRF for my fundraising efforts. Another cool, yet humbling, experience.
Let’s hope next week is a little more calm.
Note: If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.) Sorry for any confusion.
Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment. Thanks.
Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.
It’s been another month of the same old, same old. I saw this quote somewhere on the internet and thought it was appropriate. One day just seems to roll into another. We’re all just trudging along.
As I first posted on Facebook on April 14th, after more than two weeks at home, I broke quarantine and toured Memphis from the safety of my car. While far from a ghost town, I was taken aback by the empty feel of the city – especially in downtown and Midtown. At the same time, I was surprised by the number of construction workers, city work crews, etc. hard at work like any normal day. Most, if not all of them, had no face coverings at all.
My relationship with the Almighty is a tenuous one to say the least. This situation has neither strengthened or diminished that relationship. I honestly don’t understand people of faith who turn their backs on fellow human beings all in the name of politics or a particular way of thinking. I sincerely hoped that our country would figure out some things, maybe even come together. That lasted for about two or three weeks. Now, it’s everyone for themselves and to hell with others.
