My comments on previous post “Jeff’s marathon”
I am not the only person who has a loved one fighting for his life right now. As I have shared Jeff’s story I have been touched by so many of you sharing similar stories… of those who still fight and of those we have lost.
It is cruelly ironic that cancer can bring out the best in some people. More specifically, it can put your character to the test and reveal it for all to see. It also forces you to make a decision… about how you want to live.
I admit I thought Jeff was a little crazy to hike the Grand Canyon and run a marathon so soon after his last round of treatments. Now I just feel proud of him. He is not only proving to himself that he’s going to live a full life, he is saying to every other person living with cancer that they are LIVING with it, not dying from it.
I’ve changed the way I look at my life in the past 17 months since Jeff began his battle. I’m consciously considering how I spend every day. Am I really using my talents to help other people? Am I wasting time with blame or regrets? Am I letting anything stand in the way of finding and acting on purpose in my life?
This is my wish for you today. That no matter the circumstances or obstacles in your way, no matter what you THINK you can’t do… you will choose to live.
Powerful, David. And fortuitous timing for me. I’ve been immersed in a pity party over the last week – and this shows me that it is time I stop that and move on. I choose to live. You are certainly using your talents to help others. Thank you.
So true, so true. My father passed away this year after a struggle with cancer. In his last 18 months though he enjoyed life to the fullest — spent time with his grandkids, travelled to Japan for his Middle School reunion, and just…connected into the world. He was always a stoic hardass when we were growin’ up. So my brother and I thought, wow, the old man has really changed and embraced life! Yes and no. Yes, he has embraced life, but he always had. The no part was, he was still being a hardass. You see, he left behind a final, monumental lesson (and of course homework) to us kids. On the week prior to his death, Dad said “I have no regrets.” THAT was his lesson. He wasn’t patting himself on the back for a life well lived. He was really telling us, “One day, you’ll be on your last days. And when that happens, I *challenge* you to say the same words and mean it.”
Well, Dad. Challenge accepted. And thank you for making us strong enough to be worthy of the challenge.
Jeff ran the marathon and hiked the Grand Canyon because now he can. It is terrible to find out that you cannot do this or that anymore, especially when you are still young. So many people take time and good health for granted and do not do anything. It is human behavior not to appreciate what one got until it is all gone. Health is wealth. When you have health, you have and can do everything. I appreciate what you said in this article. In other words, don’t live like you are already dead. Go out, do things, and celebrate your life through every moment and everything that you do. Enjoy people. This life is ful of happiness. Get away from the people that make us unhappy and be happy. Life is short. When people ask me why do I run, I say that I do it because I can. Just do it because you can, push yourself out of your comfort zone so you can do even more. Building your muscles now is an investment so you can do more in old age. Don’t live only for the moment. Invest in your health for old age as well. I know how Jeff must have felt during his cancer treatment. He felt that he no longer could do the things that he used to do. Well, now he is doing it because he can. Ah….what a feeling!