Cancer

What does cancer have against us people? Why are we are still hearing stories about losing another close friend or family member to cancer? It seems that life is going great and then all of a sudden.....................BAM!...............someone else has cancer.

Seriously, are we waiting to kill off the Greatest Generation with cancer because keeping them around would prove to be too costly for our country? Are we going to miraculously have a cure AFTER the baby boomers are gone? Being a Generation Xer....I'm ok with that but in the meantime we are going to lose some pretty great people. Even though we don't appreciate our elders we do still enjoy having them around. Spend some time with an old person and you'll be glad you did, they know a lot about everything. Matter a fact they know more than all of my know-it-all friends combined.

Who is winning the cancer battle? Some do and will continue to.....like Lance Armstrong the the Army of LiveStrong.org folks. The yellow bands may not be in style but I still where one because the last time I checked.....we still have cancer kicking around.

Have you seen the salaries of the American Cancer Society? It's good work and the pay is not bad either. With cancer gone, jobs in this field would take a hit big time. Also...the number of non profits supporting this cause doesn't fit on the first page of a google search. There are a lot of groups out there, supporting individuals, families, and everyone else affected by this sucky cancer stuff that could simply change their focus. We'll give them all a copy of Who Moved My Cheese? and they'll be helping children with autism.

There are also lots of types of cancer. You name the body part and you've got a great matching cancer to go along with it. Like peanut butter and jelly or rice and beans or bagels and cream cheese or breathing and water we get throat and cancer or brain and cancer or lung and cancer...you get the point.

We can fly to the moon, we can put a plastic knee in person, and we can switch out a person's heart for a new one but we can't beat cancer. We are losing to cancer and it's not fair. Cancer is winning and that's not to say I'm giving up but come on......we need a breakthrough. I'm ok with baby boomers breaking the bank by draining social security and bankrupting our country and exhausting our medical services if we can just get cancer under control. I hope there isn't a person out there in the world who would not give up everything in their bank account to find a cure.

Is the cure out there sitting in a lab? Are 'they' waiting just a little longer to have less folks here in the US? I'm sitting in the USofA so my thoughts are US based. My wife is from a country in South American so her country is also in my thoughts. I'm sick of it...I'm sick of cancer!!

In 2008, I spent a month with my Mom as she finished her last days on Earth. It was cancer, her second go around with it that finally took her down. When I first arrived at my parents house she was aware and in somewhat good spirits considering she had cancer. I took notes, pictures and the memories of being there 24/7. I am so grateful to have had 30+ years as her son and 30+ days at the end. She passed without pain at the Auburn Hospice in 2008 and I played golf the next day. After 9/11 happened in the morning I decided that I'd better get a quick 18 in case it was all going down but I digress. Being around cancer is painful and I'm not the one with it. It's painful to know that you are helpless and you'd give anything to help that person.

We all have to go sometime but does every person have to die of cancer? What happened to dying of old age? Everyone dies of cancer it seems and it's becoming the norm. I'm over it, cancer really needs to be old news and soon. Can't we go back to dying of old age or in a fiery crash at a tragically young age? Frostbite? Natural causes?

cancer sucks and I hate you cancer seriously!

Welcome to the good life!

http://www.youtube.com/user/bscottkelley
Over the last 2 years I've been able to do many things.
Starting with the Fall of 2008 I got to spend the last month of my mother's life with her. Cancer is not something you want. Spending time with her at our home until the final days in the Auburn Hospice House. I am blessed to have the time with her and our family.
We move on from and live life as she would want us to. Be strong and always enjoy each moment you have.
First trip was back home with my love. Next off was Austin City Limits. The Drive By Truckers are on stage singing 18 wheels of love and I've never heard it. The singer tells 'the rest of the story' and while surrounded my thousands of screaming fans I'm crying my eyes out with sadness and joy all wrap up in one. It was such a magical moment. Later they have an autograph session and I have the band sign my Mammoth Mountain koozie. I tell them the story of my mom and they were blown away. They said thanks for sharing that story. Good experience and have that koozie holding my cold beers the rest of the festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AW14edk9w4
Next up Brasil.
2008/2009 New Year's Eve with your closest 3 million friends on Copacabana Beach in Rio. Dancing on the beach until 4am and the party continues even after we leave.
Down the road from Copacabana Beach is Barra Beach for some cold Skol and snacks. Who is sitting in front of us? Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira "Lil Nog" Photo yes!!

Great trip overall - got to meet my future wife's family for the first time.
April 15, 2009 Tax Day!! For us - it was our wedding day at the local courthouse. Just us, our love, and our desire to be together. Later that day, my new wife goes to work.
Summer brings many trips to dog beach in Huntington Beach. She is seven pounds but has no problem running with the big dogs!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bscottkelley#p/u/30/wOXU4jIs4Mo

July is here and our honeymoon is starting. Flying into Anchorage you get to see the wonders of nature. We land, see our close friends, and head up to Denali. We have our Westways AAA magazine with us and have our picture taken with it at Wonderlake. We later send the photo into AAA and they publish the photo in a future magazine.
Seward, Exit Glacier, Whittier, and so many other beautiful places visited during our time in God's country.

Wanting a repeat of Alaska we head to Sequoia National Park. I love trees. If you love trees you need to enjoy some quality time around a sequoia. Nothing like being humbled my nature.

As Fall approached a best friend has a wedding in Maine- the best time to be there. Fall foliage is in full force and the colors are amazing. After the wedding on the coast of Maine we head to Acadia National Park for some sightseeing. Our family plans a party to celebrate our wedding and then back to California.

Winter 2009 is filled with skiing trips. My wife has a package to learn how to ski and after 3 lessons she is the newest Peakaboo Street. Ok not really but she is comfortable on the snow and looks great in her outfit.

More trips to the beach with Pippy for some exercise.

2010 has been about preparing for another trip to Brasil. One month starting in May for our official wedding and family visits. Two short flights - LA to Miami and Miami to Belo Horizonte and we are home. A friend's wedding the next day and then daily visits/dinners/lunches to catch up with her many friends. She has so much love down here that it amazes me that she gives it all up for me.
Soon a honeymoon in Salvador, Bahia and I have my koozie. See you on the beach!

Bloom where you are planted....

An associate of mine had that on her signature for years and I never knew where it was from.....nor did I ever ask....we were not close......just business associates.
The other day I was flipping through the idiot box a.k.a. the tee vee and saw Bloom where you are planted on the screen. I stopped and it was Joel Olsteen.
First off, that guy fills the room and more importantly he fills the stadium. Very impressive and he really does have a good message and seems sincere. I try to find something I don't like about this guy but I have yet to find a good reason to. I'll keep looking but in the meantime I like his flow. He must practice all week to pull off a service without taking a breath of air.
I got to thinking about this Bloom where you are planted and what Joel O. means by it and it's dead on. What ever you are doing right now....do it to the best of your ability because it is not about where you want to be but about doing the best now; to get to where you want to be. It's all about accepting that in good times and bad you should perform to your best abilities to prepare for what is coming next.
I have had some great jobs and some pretty crappy ones. I worked at McDonald's and I worked in a factory and I worked at cushy bank job and with every job I've had I have my best.
It's the blue collar kid in me that will never slack off because I don't love the job; I just do it.
I have been blessed with a role model that has taught me about life. My father has worked 3 jobs and helped his wife of 50 years raise 6 kids. My father never gave up on anything. When he was laid off in his 50's, he kept a positive attitude and never showed defeat. He got through it and worked until retirement only to volunteer in a food bank. The only fight he ever lost was the one his wife of 50 years lost to cancer. Throughout 2 bouts of cancer, my father kept a strong and positive attitude. He took care of her without fail and without hesitation.
Witnessing this has made me appreciate life and everything that encompasses it. I am thankful for being there for the last 30 days of her life and seeing the final moments of such a beautiful relationship. I can only hope that witnessing a great husband, father, worker, and friend in action will make me better in each category. The apple doesn't fall from the tree and I hope this expression is right.
As I prepare to marry in June; I bring all of what I've seen and have been taught into my new life and relationship. I will bloom where I am planted and may the seeds germinate and thirst for water and grow under the sun. Grow tree grow and branch out to create shade.
Bloom where you are planted is a great chakra to live by.
Take note world that no matter what you are doing, do it the best you can. With that attitude everything will turn out better.
I had a little understanding about what that signature meant on their email and now 10 years later it hasn't changed. Bloom where you are planted.