Moments — words to live by...

It came about in a conversation. We were talking about the challenges of the day and I was struck with how profound these words were, “I will find a way to make it happen”.

I suppose the struggles of the day and how we work through them are not new, but there is a realization that countless others have walked the same path, said the same things, and that this is something that connects us throughout the ages; offering up a profound insight.

nosce te ipsum 

(Know Thyself)  

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam

(I shall either find a way or make one)

Memento mori 

(Remember that you will die)

Time smoothens everything and history reflects our memories, interpretations or simply represents good public relations; these may be the words uttered by philosophers, great military men and have adorned great temples — or maybe not, we may never truly know. You can be assured though, these words (and countless others) have been spoken long before the conversation of this day, and resonate just as profoundly.

In the current vernacular, these words make for very good Guiding Principles to live by—

 Know who you are, what you are good at (and not good at), and be comfortable with it; make things happen and don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done; don’t take any of it for granted because this precious, fabulous life is shorter than you think.

My words. Not theirs (to the best of my knowledge).

iamgpe

The reason I will ask you to donate generously...

Waiting rooms are hushed at 9:30 in the evening.

I know this because a few months back I found myself in one such room as I helped a friend who was having a CT scan. It was where people in gowns wait quietly for their name to be called; wait for diagnostic tests to be completed, and I suppose, wait for the news that comes with these kinds of tests. At the Princess Margret Hospital the news more often than not involves the word cancer.

On this particular night the room was empty except for a couple of people.

Although I tried not to look, tried not to intrude, my eyes were drawn to a woman in her early twenties. Like all young woman she was pretty, and like all people in this room she was clad in a hospital gown; she stared straight ahead — only her hands moved ever so slightly. In the time I spent in that waiting room she never moved except for her hands; her stoic gaze never faltered; she waited alone for her name to be called…

I will ride in the Princess Margaret Hospital’s Ride to Conquer Cancer again to support the advances to defeat cancer in our lifetime and to ensure those who are battling cancer know they are not alone — and that their character is an inspiration to us all.

As Canada’s largest cycling fundraiser, the Ride to Conquer Cancer has raised over $194 million for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The funds raised through the ride support Personalized Cancer Medicine research, treatment advances, education and new standards of care at the hospital, across Ontario and around the world.

Any donations are greatly appreciated.

Please pass this on as you see fit.

iamgpe

Moments — who says the universe doesn't have a sense of humour

I looked at my calendar for the week and was struck by two appointments I had on Wednesday and Thursday — I even mentioned it to a friend who just laughed. I’m still wrestling with whether it’s funny or just ironic; either way “someone” has a sense of humour.

On Wednesday I have a colonoscopy* and on Thursday I have an appointment with my tax accountant**.

In fairness, there will be some who just see this as two appointments with little appreciable correlation; let alone humour. In reality I suppose this is true, but I will say both involve some discomfort to work through; for both I’m prepared and expect everything to go as planned, so in the end, it’s all good. I also just found out that my new bike (which I have patiently been waiting to ride for two months) will be ready Friday for fitting and pick-up. Maybe, as I look at this week, Friday is just a reward for working through Wednesday and Thursday, and in the end everything will have gone according to plan — although I’m now starting to question who’s plan it actually is.

Yup, the universe has a sense of humour, and I will just have to grin and bear it until Friday.

iamgpe

* a procedure in which a flexible fiber-optic instrument is inserted through the anus in order to examine the colon.

** Tax accountants are the financial experts who understand all the government rules and regulations that determine the amount of money owed to federal, provincial or local agencies.