(A), (B), or (C)

I had a conversation the other day.  The premise was that someone who is suffering could not keep a positive attitude throughout the process.  If they did, they would either be proven to be a liar, or a faker.  It came down to two choices: (A) They are not in as much pain as they are leading on, and therefore a liar.  Or, (B) They are in as much pain as they are leading on, and therefore faking their positive attitude.

Although I agree that it would be nearly impossible to keep a positive attitude 100% of the time, I believe the answer is (C) Your attitude is a choice that you get to make every day, and has nothing to do with the pain or suffering in your life.

Every morning we get to wake up and decide how we will approach this new day.  The choice is 100% ours to make.

You can wake up with a smile on your face, and start with a positive, optimistic attitude, or you can choose to adopt a negative, pessimistic attitude.

I can say, for the most part, I wake up happy every day.  I am a morning person.  I like getting up before anyone else in the house, and easing into my day.  And, what is my favorite part of my morning?  Breakfast.  I love to eat breakfast first thing.

I typically get up at about 5:30am every morning.  Occasionally, I will wake up at 4:00am, and lay there wide awake thinking, "I get to have breakfast soon."  The thought of having breakfast begins to overwhelm me.  I really start to get excited about the whole idea.  Then, by 4:30am, I get up and go make breakfast.

What's funny is, I eat the same thing every day.  I came up with a breakfast bowl idea probably four, maybe even five years ago - and I love it.  I might as well tell you what it is.

Start with a one pound roll of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage.  Get it browned up ahead of time, drained and in a container in the frig, ready for breakfast.  Next, a package of Chicken Flavored Ramon Noodles, crushed in the package, poured in a bowl with the season packet, with not so much water to make it soupy, but enough to cook the noodles.  (The directions call for two cups of water, I use about one and a half.)  Pop the bowl in the microwave for three minutes.  While the noodles cook, get out a frying pan and fry up two eggs over-easy.  Remove the noodles from the microwave and throw in a good sized handful of the cooked sausage.  Slide the eggs on top of the noodle/sausage combination and begin cutting them up with a knife and spoon.  Watch as the over-easy yokes blend into the noodles and sausage converting the broth to a creamy, savory, delight.   Your taste buds will be overwhelmed by the multi-level flavor complexities of this 500 calorie culinary masterpiece. (My coronary arteries are clogging as we speak)

Enjoy with a big spoon!  

Now, how could anyone start their day on the wrong foot with a breakfast like that?  I'm telling you, you have got to try it.

I choose a positive, optimistic attitude, in spite of what this life throws at me.  We can all sit here and dwell on all of the problems in our lives.  We can let them drag us down to a point where we let them completely immobilize us.  Or, we can take them as they come, do our best to solve them, and keep moving forward.

With this cancer diagnosis, I could be one to sit here and worry about all of the what-if's.  But, in the end, worrying isn't going to change anything.  Most the time, we worry about things that never even happen.  I have a team of amazing doctors that have rallied around me, and are determined to give me the best care possible.  I can't ask for more than that.  All I can do is trust in the Lord that He will use them to the best of their abilities, and keep moving forward.

I also believe that equally important is that we live with no regrets.  We can all look back on thousands of decisions that we have made in our lives, and some were just plain bad.  But, we made those decisions with the best information that we had on hand in that moment.  It's in the past now.  Look forward, and make the next best decision.

I'm not lying about the pain I'm in, or faking my positive attitude.  I've been saying all along that I have had good days and bad days - days when it is easier to stay positive, and days that aren't so easy.  But, in all of it, I am choosing to look forward to my treatment, my recovery, and everything that goes along with it.  Good or bad.

Thanks again for joining me on this journey.  Treatment starts Monday the 15th!