Since all I want to do, after a high energy day yesterday, is settle down into the couch...today's Sunday Question is somewhat whimsical.
How would it change your approach to life if you started out old and ended up young?
(Happy birthday, Charlotte...wish we were there!)
I suppose technically this post belongs in the Cancer Blog bucket or on the Golf on Monday, Chemo on Tuesday blog...but I landed here and here I shall post.
It's been a hectic few days following a sort of down and out couple of days earlier this week. I had some low energy on Monday and Tuesday, along with some minor stomach pain/upset.
Then Tuesday morning, I got notice that my insurance company had approved me for a new chemo protocol. This will involve two weeks on chemo and one week off. And I have absolutely no idea what to expect!
Welcome back, my friends, to the cancer coaster.
A scan (also a hearty welcome back to barium...blech!) from yesterday show that starting up chemo again is an appropriate move since I have had progression (growth) of the disease in both liver and lungs.
So I had my first treatment today. The rest of the week, I'll be taking two pills in the morning and two in the afternoon. I go in for another infusion next Thursday, repeat the pills for 7 days and then get 7 days off.
I'm interested to see how my body reacts to this new regimen in terms of side effects...and how effective the regimen will be.
But in the meantime, I'm off to take a nap!
Having accepted a purloined flower for Mother's Day Brunch, I have things parental on the brain. This leads to today's Sunday Question.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, at what age would you be and what advice would you give?
I've been meditating/pondering this question for a few weeks now. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
Something that has a beginning also usually has a middle and an end. It's my personal experience that our spiritual lives are intended for vibrant and challenging growth during our physical lifetime here on earth.
So given these premises; what is the center of wisdom and what is the fulfillment of wisdom?
I recognize that sometimes I see trends where others see coincidences, so I'm serious about the title of today's blog.
The trend I think I've identified is a return to a male-dominated/oriented society. I first noticed the trend with the success of the (heavily ironic) series, "Mad Men." It's set in the early sixties...when we were close enough to the mythical American Family and American Society to miss those halcyon days but before the full effect of the late sixties societal changes drew back the curtain on these myths.
Soon after the second season of the show (which I quite like by the way), I noticed a series of car ads in which the women were all dressed like the sex toy "stewardess" of fantasy; and in which they existed only to serve the men in their "My Little Pony" universe.
Then came the current set of ads for Chivas. You've seen them. Handsome young scions out celebrating, doing good things like pushing a stuck car out of the mud or snow, carrying a young (ornamental) woman through a rainstorm. Etcetera, etcetera. The ad's tagline? Live with chivalry.
I am sure they were going for a play on words between Chivas and chivalry. And the "code of chivalry," which came into being in the middle ages talked of protecting women. Unfortunately, at the time what women needed protecting from was mostly men as women had no rights, no voice, no chance for inheritance, investment of intellect or personal power. Ugh. Here's to that NOT being us anymore.
The last penny to drop about this particular trend came as I was reading the eminently well-written book by Jon Krakauer: Where Men Win Glory. It's a biography of Pat Tillman and of the geo-political trends that lead to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The women in the book are given solid supporting roles...and that can certainly be justified since it was the biography of Pat Tillman. But it occurred to me while that justification was running through my head that I have never read a biography written by Krakauer about a woman. A quick check of Amazon confirmed my conclusion.
Now, Krakauer's not obligated to write about women climbers or adventurists. But their absence in his body of work does beg the question, why don't they interest him? (Or worse, why don't they interest his publisher?)
So there you have it...my trend in the making (remember, I correctly predicted the Iraq war months before Bush uttered it publicly): A return to chauvinism.
Hello darkness, my old friend.
Is it more rude to speak throughout an entire film, thus disturbing other film goer's experience of the movie; or to shush the person who is speaking?
One of the ten commandments is that we not "bear false witness against another." Combine that with one of my tea bag tabs this week, "Speak the truth," and I am left scratching my head.
It seems like a two-part question to me:
1. What is the truth? Are we talking about objective Truth, subjective truth, what?
2. Is it always best to speak the truth or are there times when a little lie is the better choice?
Is there a difference between shouting "Fire" in a theater (not protected speech) and burning a copy of the Koran in today's political environment?
If so, why and what is the difference?
We had a great day in Kona today. Woke early and after we had breakfast, Dan worked on stuff upstairs and I worked on sorting through the kitchen trying to restore some sense of order. It was nice not to do it out of frustration or compulsion but simply wanting to make things more convenient for the next round of renters, at least.
Then, after meeting with our friend and property manager, Wayne, we headed into town for lunch at the Kona Inn. We finally put a name to a face with our waitress, Michael-Anne, and then went for a short shopping jaunt in the many small shops north of Kona Inn.
When we stopped at Donkey Balls for some chocolate and a doppio for Dan, I sat outside. The guy next to me asked if the name of the coffee shop was really Donkey Balls. It really is, as I told him and we struck up a conversation over journaling (he does his the same way I do mine...all on the right page, flip it over and come back the other direction.) David is recuperating from a near-fatal neck injury by kayaking around the Big Island in stages.
We chatted about my Chilkoot adventures and I was delighted to know he lived one ferry stop short of Skagway. David was heading south, so we offered him a ride and he showed us a beach we'd never been to before where he is camping.
It was fun to meet David, talk about the meanings of life and how injury changes us, how some people are open to being approached and some aren't. I surprised myself because I'm normally a little more reserved...but maybe that's because I compare myself to folks like my Mom and our friend, Tom, who have never met a stranger.
It was a great adventure and a fun way to make a new friend (one of my goals for this year!). Amazing the opportunities provided by our creator if we just stay open to them.
I had the perfect Sunday Question in my head earlier this week...and didn't write it down. So to the tea bag tag we go.
The quote is "You will feel fulfilled when you do the impossible for someone else."
Do you agree or disagree with this quote? If you disagree, what do you think leads to a fulfillling life?
