Cancer Checkups & Body Vibration

A rare morning ride to work with the sun already up and the clouds painted with the softness from the suns last morning yawn.  Yesterday, I taught Laughter Yoga to a small group of cancer survivors and caregiver 2-hours before my 3-month cancer checkup.  The days of cancer checkups my body has either an anxiousness vibration created by fear, or a joyful vibration created by gratitude.  After our last breathing exercise I had the class hum, and then put their hands over their ears, and hum again noting the change.  One caregiver described the change in vibration as stronger, and yet more intimate.  Learn to listen to your daily vibration, a window into your spiritual health.

Aliveness

Monday the Katy Prairie Conservancy provided an educational tour of our prairie on the corner of Holcombe and Fannin.  They are very pleased with its progress as a giant greenhouse experiment to watch plants; insects and animals that made up the Texas native prairie ecosystem come back to “aliveness”.  Mesmerized by a butterfly it reminded me of Tolle’s description of aliveness in his book Stillness Speaks, where he describes aliveness as the entire being that you feel, a presence in which you don’t need to think.  Shifting throughout your day from thinking to aware presence opens a doorway for a deeper sense of aliveness unclouded by thought. 

Disappointment - Autumn Rose

We all experience moments when we disappoint ourselves and others. Maybe it’s a rushed task, or procrastination that results in a missed opportunity, or words we wish we could immediately take back. My dad faced many challenges and disappointments in life, but he taught me that life is a series of moments to practice being with things the way they are. He never let disappointments linger, nor did they become his life story, he had a way of transforming disappointments into passed moments. Life is a series of moments to practice being with things the way they are and being grateful for the moments to come. First winds of autumn / wrap around my soul / waking deep feelings / moments caught in the seasons of my soul

Life Isn't Measured in Years, but Moments of Living Well

Wednesday night I got to the Philly airport after midnight, and chased the last train going to the city as it slowly pulled away.  A conductor stopped the train, smiled as I jumped on board, and I thanked him, took a seat, and then experienced one of those internal smiles that spread instantly and deep.  On the plane from Houston, I’d been working on my cancer survivorship presentation that focuses on how “well” a person is able to live after treatment, not how long.  Life isn’t measured in years, but moments of living well filled with love and internal smiles.  The conductor softly touched my shoulder and woke me from a short sleep, we were in downtown Philly.  Once again, I thanked him and watched his smile spread instantly and deep.  This week focus on moments of living well.      

Moments of the Heart

An early evening skate last week took me by a tree house perched just right in a wise old live oak.  I circled the block and came back to the tree house, stopped and listened.  1981, my wife and I drove down to Houston from Denton for the final interview and what I remember about my first impression were the trees and how much it felt like Baton Rouge, and home.  That feeling stayed with me during the multiple interviews that could have been a disaster, but I was home, and glowed with a comfortable confidence that showed.  Melody Beattie’s book, Journey to the Heart, is about discovering and trusting moments where life lines up.  Learn to trust those moments.    

Encouragement

Today, I visited a friend at MD Anderson. My visit reminded me of a story I read years ago called the Hospital Window. Two elderly men, both seriously ill, and sharing a hospital room talk for hours on end about life. The man by the window sits up every afternoon and describes in exquisite detail life outside the window - park, lake, children playing, lovers walking, and the grace of the city skyline. The man by the window dies and the other man is moved by the window. He strains as he sits up anxious to see life outside, but finds a brick wall. He turns to the nurse, "Why did my roommate lie?”, and the nurse responds, “He was blind; he wanted to encourage you”. Encouragement doesn’t take sight, but does takes vision, faith, and our belief in the goodness of life and connections to others. Become an encourager!

On Our Watch

MD Anderson Moon Shot

Worldwide obesity has almost doubled since 1980, and childhood obesity has been termed the greatest health challenge of the 21st century with a worldwide estimate of 42m overweight kids under the age of 5 (WHO). As people in developing countries adopt the unhealthy behaviors practiced in developing nations chronic disease is no longer a problem of the rich. Almost half the world’s children breath air polluted by tobacco smoke and in the 20th century tobacco was the cause of 100m deaths, but in the 21st century its predicted 1b will die. Yesterday at MD Anderson I participated in a strategic framework meeting, and walked out feeling part of a revolution. MD Anderson is drawing a line in the sand around cancer, and maybe, just maybe our boldness will nudge others to standup and begin to care!