Blog
How I Deal With the Unthinkable
Having thoughts about the unthinkable does not mean you’ve made a decision. It means you’re confronting reality and choosing how you carry what’s heavy instead of pretending it isn’t there.
The Cost of Fighting Everything
I spent a long time believing that I could do everything for everyone. I was good at it too. But capacity has limits, and every yes carries a cost that isn’t always visible until it’s too late.
One Year Down – A Lifetime To Go
Saturday February 10th represents the one-year anniversary of receiving the diagnosis. The one where the doctor told us that he couldn’t promise I’d be here in a year. Just like my 11th grade wrestling season, I have done everything that I was supposed to do and more resulting in reaching a place that few doctors thought I would be: Still here.
Life After Surgery: The Ostomy Adventures
Six weeks after surgery, I was learning the realities of living with a urostomy — including leaks, unexpected situations, and a few lessons along the way.
What Is Winning?
In 1986, author James P. Carse published a book titled "Finite and Infinite Games” where a finite game is defined as a contest with known players, fixed rules and an agreed upon objective. There is a clearly defined endpoint and there are winners and...
Just Another Adjustment
Navigating life is nothing more than making constant adjustments to an ever-changing landscape. Like most people, I’ve dealt with my fair share of change. In 3rd grade, my family moved across town, and I had to switch elementary schools in the middle of...
We Got To Ring The Bell
In the chemotherapy room at Texas Oncology in the Willowbrook area of Houston, TX, there is a bell with a sign that says, “Hip Hip Horray! Today is my LAST Chemo Day!” It’s simple. When you finish your chemotherapy regimen, you get to ring it. It...
Confronting Reality and Remaining Resilient
The fourth chapter in Jim Collins’s best selling business book, Good to Great, is titled “Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)”. The book is a case study where similar companies are compared at the points where one took off to become great (based on...
An Amazing Day
The word “overwhelmed” does not do justice to how we really felt after this past Sunday. The people, along with the outpouring of love and support was unreal to us. For an event that we never wanted to happen, it was truly amazing. The amount of gratitude...
The Power of Perspective & Some Rules To Live By
We were still in a bit of a daze when her phone rang. We were in the car after having just walked out of the doctor’s office with the initial cancer diagnosis. It was my wife’s brother. He was calling her to inform her that his health problems were...
The Dog Days of Summer
Last weekend, while camping in the woods of East Texas, my wife and I were dubbed “The Best Geriatric Pet Parents” by her aunt. We earned this title because of our crew of kids. We have two dogs and two cats. All four of them travel with us, it’s why...
Dear Cancer
Dear Cancer, I think it’s time we had a heart to heart. You caught me by surprise when you showed up. Of all the things that were going on with my health, I never thought it would be you. I want you to know that I’m not mad at you. I’ve come to understand...