Talking about our problems has become our greatest addiction-Break the habit-talk about
your joys.
A dear friend of mine said that to me when I visited him in the hospital yesterday. He got shot in Vietnam and has had numerous issues to deal with in the years after Vietnam.
I met him in group therapy dealing with P.T.S.D.
His position in Public Relations brought him next to Governors,Senators,and so many famous people I lost count. When he learned I had Parkinson"s,he called former Governor
Booth Gardiner who also had Parkinson"s,to meet with me. The Governor died from Parkinson"s before I got my meeting.
My friend has been fighting Colorectal Cancer for 17 years. Many of those years he worked and came to the group and kept everyone in stitches with his jokes. I call him
the Renaissance man because of his knowledge in so many fields. He was the person who told me to read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail",If I REALLY wanted to learn about
Martin Luther King.
I walk in to see him ,and he says 'I can fxxx from my pxxxs. " Don"t you say hello first?"
I asked." He ignores me and says "no really after I am done going number 1 (he put it another way),brown gas came out".
After we hatched a scheme to sell tickets,I asked what that all meant. 'It means 'I have less than 5 months to live." Cancer was winning big time. My smile turned upside
down.
'Hey pal,I worked on the die with dignity bill,we have it and I intend to use it.""when the pain is too much, I drink some cool stuff and fly away."
"Booth did that,and you should as well when that day comes."I assured him that was my intent.
I will write about about him again when he leaves us and prove to him I can so put pictures in my stories.
We never talked about Death again,we talked about life.Every breath he takes is a joy,
every sunrise,sunset, rain. Every sensation is more vivid to him. He has never felt more alive just before he must die. You will find no pity,no sorrow,only love on his shoulders.
What ever you face in your world, stand tall with dignity and class. Life is too short
for hate.
My friend faces the future with acceptance,and a vow to REALLY live every second.
If he can do it,so can I.