May 22, 2020 – To say that my birthday (May 20th) helped restore my faith in humanity would be a bit hyperbolic. I would say, however, that the outpouring of well wishes and Happy Birthdays from friends, colleagues, and family meant so much to me. Obviously, I enjoyed the attention, and it left me with some great memories along with a warm feeling deep inside my restless soul.
I posted my thanks on Facebook, but I wanted to mention my thanks here on my blog.
Once again, thanks to everyone for making my birthday special.
I’ll leave you with some of the lyrics to the Beatles Birthday song, which is one of my favorite Beatles’ songs…
They say it’s your birthday
We’re gonna have a good time
I’m glad it’s your birthday
Happy birthday to you
May 31, 2020 – It’s been a little more than ten days since my birthday, obviously. I’ve been a bit unmotivated to write and/or complete any blog posts (hence the lag in posting dates). I finished the last two posts for my Corona Blues series (Parts 3 and 4), and, as you can see above, my birthday thank you post. In that ten days, however, our world has become even more surreal, so its understandable that my motivation has been lacking. All I will say is this – as a society we need to come together and figure some things out. I’ve said something similar before, but it really rings true for these past five or six days. We have some terrible problems that are going to continue tearing this country apart.
That’s all, for now…just a small vent.
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.
Greetings…if you’ve made it this far then you have found my blog. Let me give you a quick introduction to the post page and an explanation for the blog’s name.
First, the title: In Difficulty Lies Opportunity
The title comes from an Albert Einstein quote – “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” I believe that last line of Einstein’s quote hit home with me as I continue to deal with the reality of my most recent cancer diagnosis.
My Journey with Melanoma
You’ll also notice that my sub-title is “My Journey with Melanoma…”
There are two things to note here: First, I don’t want to use “battle” or “fight” which have both been used too many times to describe dealing with cancer. Not that I am not a fighter. But my current situation is part of a life-long journey that we all take. Using the word “journey” is much more in-line with my philosophy of using my difficulty as an opportunity. What type of opportunity? Well, that’s what makes life a journey.
Metastatic Melanoma
Second, it’s also important to note that I have metastatic melanoma. Unlike other forms of cancer, melanoma – once it finds it way inside your body – is not curable. Treatable? Definitely. Livable or sustainable? Certainly. But – technically – it is not curable. Yes, it could be removed. But the reality is that the cancer may return to another area of the body.
That’s a lot to process when you’re sitting in an examination room thinking you were going to get another “good report” from your oncologist, like I was doing about a month ago. Needless to say, this has been the ultimate emotional “roller coaster” for my family and me. As I continue to add posts – the plan is to do so on a daily or weekly basis – I will include more of the technical details to help everyone understand my situation.
My Blog
Finally, I continue to tweak this blog layout and “appearance” to make it more appealing. If something doesn’t look right to you or you have trouble accessing the blog, just send me an email. Also, I will include some prior notes from my own journal to this blog (so don’t get confused by the dates).
Thanks for your love and your support.
May 22, 2020 – To say that my birthday (May 20th) helped restore my faith in humanity would be a bit hyperbolic. I would say, however, that the outpouring of well wishes and Happy Birthdays from friends, colleagues, and family meant so much to me. Obviously, I enjoyed the attention, and it left me with some great memories along with a warm feeling deep inside my restless soul.
