Power of Three

I have decided that I do believe in the power of three and  here is how I have come to that decision.  My Best friend, Luke mentioned that an item on his Bucket List was to do Tandem Hang Gliding. I told him if he wanted to do it, I would do it with him. Hey, one item I could remove from my own list!  I thought why not make it happen prior to his next Chemotherapy session. This was also going to be prior to the first CT scan to see if the first three chemo treatments had done anything to his cancer.

So we researched and found Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding. They offered tandem hang gliding at two different levels 1800 feet or 3000 feet. I told Luke if we were going to hang from a big kite we were going all the way. So I booked us for the 3000 foot flight.

So on April 20, 2013, Luke and I made our way to Lookout Mountain. We signed our waivers and made our way to the flight field. For this flight, you are placed in a harness and basically hang from the center of the hang glider along side a qualified instructor. Your Glider is then attached to an ultralight plane and you are pulled up to 3000 feet. Once you are at the desired altitude your instructor pulls the rip cord and you are Hang Gliding back to earth.

I can tell you it was the most awesome experience I have ever had. It was peaceful and exhilarating at the same time. At 3000 feet on a beautiful clear day, you are able to see the foot hills of the Smokey Mountains which are about 100 miles from where we were gliding. You are able to see some of the most beautiful landscape in Tennessee and Georgia.

Following our great flying experience, Luke and I spent the day in Chattanooga where we ate at the Fork & Pie for lunch and the tab was $30.00.  We stayed at the  Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel that evening in a train car and the number was divisible by 3.

On Sunday, April 21st, we made our way back to Nashville where Luke had the CT scan. This scan was to evaluate how the first three chemotherapy sessions had performed on Luke's cancer.  On Monday April 22nd, Dr. Goff gave us the results of the scan. Dr. Goff gave us the beat news possible after three sessions all the cancer lesions on liver and stomach tumor was showing decrease in size.  A very good sign that the current treatment was doing its job. 

So your see the number three follow us around all weekend and Luke could not have gotten better news after only three Chemo treatments that all lesions and tumors showed a decrease in size.  The power of  three , Yes, I will latch onto any possibility to assist my friend in his fight. 

Keep Dancin’ Larry B.

LIFE

Funny how we take life for granted every single day.  When life is so precious and we are never guaranteed that we will have another day.  Over the past year, I have been reminded of this fact over and over. Yet everyone is so busy with making a living, making ends meet, meeting deadlines, rearing kids, ensuring their place in society. We worry about what our neighbors, co-workers, friends and the man on the street think of us that we tend to forget the most important aspect of life.

Being yourself, being happy with whom you are and accepting that God has a true purpose for you. We should be showing those in our lives just how much they mean to us every single day. We should be living our lives and not working ourselves into emotional and physical wrecks.

Oh sure, easy to say and even easier to type; but to truly enrich our lives, we should be focused on ourselves and those in our lives more so than our jobs and status among our peers, co-workers and the man on the street. I know when I was younger; I was focused on a career and my status among co-workers, peers and the man next door.  I see that all that was just an attempt to be accepted by the standards that society had set forth as being the norm.  Sure advancing in my career has provided a nice living. But over the years there were times that the job superseded family, friends and my personal wellbeing.

Anyone that knows me; knows I am far from being labeled as normal in today’s society. I have accepted who I am and I have grown to love the man I have become over the years. I take pride in my family because without them I would not be who I am today. I don’t really care what society says is normal, I don’t care what the man next door thinks.  I strive to show respect to my co-workers for we are all in the same struggle with corporate America. My friends know that they become part of my family and are cared for just as any other family member.

Oh sure everyone needs to be productive to simply survive in today’s society but we should not let our jobs rule our lives. We need to maintain a balance between the job and our personal life. We should not let Society dictate normal but accept that we are all unique individuals. We should not be concern what others think as long as we are true to ourselves and cause no harm to others.

I guess what I am trying to express this week is each of us need to take a step back and reassess our lives every chance possible. The bombing in Boston this week is just another example of how life can change in a heartbeat. Time to reassess, regroup and refocus on life...

Keep Dancin'   Larry B.

Ex Spouse Day

Well if that Title did not grab your attention, nothing will! As you all know, I am totally into this wild and crazy days of recognition project. I think there is always a reason to celebrate life in some unique way.

I came across Ex Spouse Day, on April 14th,  is in recognition of your Ex. Someone must have been kidding when they created this day, right? Is there anyone that wants to recognize their Ex. Most of us want to forget them. Once again, I will remind you that I do not create these days, I merely find them and pass them on to you. So, please don't shoot the messenger.

All too often, relationships don't work out. Life provides us with many ex-girlfriends, and ex-boyfriends. There are many ex-wives, ex-husbands and ex-partners. Most likely, we would prefer to forget them.

If you value your Ex in any way, give him or her whatever appreciation and recognition you feel is appropriate today. If you cannot find any redeeming trait, no one will fault you for skipping today's celebrations altogether.

April 14th is a busy day of recognition, not only is it my dear sister's birthday but also International Moment of Laughter Day. This special day will put a big smile on your face. The objective of this day is to get people to laugh, and to laugh more often. After all, "laughter is the best medicine".

To celebrate this special day, simply tell jokes or do funny things that cause people to laugh. A smile is not a good enough reaction. Successful participation in this day results in whole-hearted laughter.   As a boy of 5, when my Mom told me I had a baby sister, I cried. Who knew it would turn out to be the day of laughter.. sorry sis.

But we are not finished with April 14th, this date is also National Pecan Day.  It's a day to celebrate and enjoy the popular, tasty pecans. Apparently, someone thought that it was such a great nut, that they created two days to celebrate Pecans.  Pecan Day is March 25th.  A little nutty perhaps, but true.  April is also National Pecan Month, but why not the Pecan tree is the only native nut tree to North America. Celebrate Pecan Day and National Pecan Day by cracking open and eating a few pecan nuts. Also, have some pecan pie.

Finally a day I can relate too, April 16th is National Stress Awareness Day.  Is work or school putting on the pressure? Are the kids on your nerves? Is there enough money to pay all of those the bills? There are literally thousands of reasons for you to get stressed out. 

RELAX!!!  This is your opportunity to recognize that there is plenty of stress in your life... as if you didn't already know. More importantly, today is an opportunity to learn, and to do something about the stress...... before it drives you batty or worse. There was a method behind the madness. April 16 was designated as Stress Awareness Day because it is after taxes are due! 

April is also designated as Stress Awareness Month . Stress Awareness Day and Stress Awareness Month is sponsored by the Health Resource Network(HRN). They started this holiday in 1992 to increase public awareness of the causes and cures of stress.

So Keep Dancin’  it is a great stress reliever..   Larry B

Our Ms. Katelyn

Not ever being a parent myself, dealing with a 6 year old girl has been a wonderful experience. Seeing the world from her point of view is refreshing and challenging for she is one tough negotiator. Katelyn is the daughter of my friends, Joyce and Luke.

Since Luke's diagnosis of gastric cancer, Paul and I have become a fixture in their home. We see them nearly every day and have been included in Katelyn's bedtime ritual. So now Paul and I are requested by Ms. Katelyn to put her to bed which includes her reading to you and for me a Minimum 20 question inquiry before I can get her down to sleep.

This week's inquiries consisted of the following from Ms. Katelyn; are veins in leaves like veins in your hand, why couldn't I just stay at her house all the time, why couldn't I just sleep in her house every night, who was older than me in the house, why couldn't she have a boyfriend now. Now on the last one I told her no boyfriends till 18 and I was promptly told that God said 15.  Now how could I argue with God. Score one for Katelyn..

A few weeks ago, it was Michael's birthday, Katelyn's older brother, he was having a party and friends over for a sleep over. Ms. K did not want to be in the house so she asked Paul and I if she could spend the night. I told her if she could earn 10 points in a week she could stay. My rules, no trouble at school, no fighting with Michael, no tantrums, and staying in her own bed all night.  I even let her start out with 4 points.  Ms. K made her 6 points without any problem, although Michael even begged his parents to pay me off to take her. Needless to say, if I ever thought of adopting,  keeping track of a 6 year old for 24 hours was enough to change my mind.

The best comment from Ms. K this week was one to her Dad. She told him that Mr. Paul was the oldest in Our family. When Luke tried to explain that her grand parents were older; she immediately said no Mr. Paul was the oldest in "Our family" and she formed her hands into a closing globe shape. She meant in her immediate world her family was Mom, Dad, Michael, Mr. Larry and our oldest Mr. Paul.

Looking at the world from a 6 year old view is refreshing, to see the world as an innocent child with the only decision is which adult in "Her Family" will put her to bed.  Oh and how many points she needs before Mr. Larry and Ms. Katelyn go shopping! If only we adults could take a moment each day to see the world from the view point of a 6 year old..it just might make it a better less stressful place.

Keep Dancin  Larry B