When I talk about living quietly I mean letting your actions be your voice, lead by example. I know we have talked about lies, truth, integrity. But what about your actions, how are they interpreted by those who observe them? Honestly the old adage actions speaks louder than words is so accurate it isn't funny. Every day I strive to live by my word and let my actions show my affection and love. Many people aren't used to that so they don't know how to take me. Yet, it is the way I think is effective in demonstrating that you practice what you preach.
When you are confident about yourself there is an air around you that others notice and are drawn too. Almost like there is an energy field around you and your quiet confidence and sureness lends authority to your manner. You demonstrate through actions that you know what you are doing and that you are firm. Living this way will impress everyone around you. They are going to want to be like you and envy you. But it isn't all about that. What it is about is that those who see you know immediately that they can trust you, that you aren't going to let them down. You have a certain gleam in your eyes, you are not over ambitious or one that is going to pull the wool over their eyes. You are truly a man of integrity and someone that others can look up to and emulate.
Think about it, I am sure you have seen a very confident person, a person who has everything going for them. They are positive, outgoing and receptive to new ideas and things. They are people persons, those who go out of their way to show that they care about themselves and others. These are the people that are soon moved into leadership positions and can command the attention of a room just by walking into it. The don't demonstrate fear, they show understanding and compassion as well as learning. Usually they are accomplished and intelligent and wear their confidence like a second skin.
If you can be more like them I am sure you can see how this will open doors for you. If you are grouchy, crotchety or any other nasty euphemism I can think of do you think you will get very far in your career or with the goals in your life? If you are sitting there waiting for things to happen for you, do they? The answer to both of those is NO. You have to grab life by the horns and take a step forward. You have to know what you want and not let anything stop you in getting it. This will build your confidence and if you soften this with letting your actions show how you are feeling you will find that you have become and unstoppable force.
But if you sit there waiting for your ship to come in or for the right opportunity to come knocking at your door, you are going to wake up one day and find that life has passed you by and you have missed all the opportunities that you we waiting for. You have to go out there and live. You cannot sit idly by and hope and pray that things will come your way. Remember that sometimes a door is closed so that we can open it and step through. You might be surprised at what you find on the other side of it.
See I keep trying to tell people it isn't where you end up that matters it is the road that you took to get there that builds you up and makes you the person you are. Remember what I said last year about us being the sum of all our interactions, decisions, choice and the consequences of them. Well, that is the road I am talking about here. See it is all of those things that have brought you to your stopping point that have tempered you and molded you and made you ready for where you are at.
So please go out there show others how much you care for them through your actions. Have that air of confidence around you always and see what doors it will open for you.
Take some time and think about it, I am sure you will come to find that I am right. Just like when you are in and interview if you are successful in selling yourself to the employer you have got the job. If you aren't successful guess what they move on and select another candidate. It is all about your confidence level.
Trust me it works.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
On my mind
You walked out the door once again with no words on your lips. You lied to my face and disappeared without a trace. I have called and text but to no avail. Where did you go and why did you run? I have helped and worked, cheered and supported. Did what no one else was willing to do, yet how do you repay? With disappearing without a trace.
I worked and did all that I can to get you free from your past and still you turn around and go back again. You said to trust you and yet again you have let me down. Actions speak louder than words you say, and here you go disappearing without a trace.
You say you love me and have asked me not to leave, but don't you see I am not the one who leaves. I am the rock, the fixture that is always here when you disappear without a trace.
I have begged and pleaded for you to stay, but once again you just walk away.
You have broken my heart and my spirit and I don't want to live this way.
I love you still but I can be no more, you are the one that shut that door.
Can't you see that you have lost me, the one you said was the best thing you had
Why have you hurt me so bad?
Sometimes love is just not enough
So here I am calling your bluff.
I don't want to walk away
But with you I cannot stay
You made it this way!
I worked and did all that I can to get you free from your past and still you turn around and go back again. You said to trust you and yet again you have let me down. Actions speak louder than words you say, and here you go disappearing without a trace.
You say you love me and have asked me not to leave, but don't you see I am not the one who leaves. I am the rock, the fixture that is always here when you disappear without a trace.
I have begged and pleaded for you to stay, but once again you just walk away.
You have broken my heart and my spirit and I don't want to live this way.
I love you still but I can be no more, you are the one that shut that door.
Can't you see that you have lost me, the one you said was the best thing you had
Why have you hurt me so bad?
Sometimes love is just not enough
So here I am calling your bluff.
I don't want to walk away
But with you I cannot stay
You made it this way!
Not being able to sleep a lot on my mind
Sorry I haven't written much this week. I am still overwhelmed by what has been happening in my life. At least part of it has been sort of resolved, my bf is back home finally. He was gone for a minute and it was a lot to deal with especially with what has been happening with my mother. Apparently around September 6 my mother was admitted to the hospital. She was having severe pain in her back and down her legs. As of the 7th she couldn't walk at all, something was pushing on her spinal cord and her legs wouldn't respond.
She is a strong woman but this has really gotten too her, she stayed in the hospital for a week and was transferred to a nursing home and has been there till Friday when they transported her to another hospital an hour away from where she lives. They have found a tumor on her spine and an abnormal growth. Right now I am not sure what any of this means. But she is telling me that she may never be able to have surgery or be strong enough with her many other problems to survive the chemotherapy and other treatments they are wanting to give her.
While my bf was gone I spent a lot of money trying to keep in contact with him that I am not sure I have funds to drop everything I am doing and go up there, however, I feel just plain awful about that. I feel she needs me and I should be there, but there is so much on my plate right now. I am trying to start my own treatments and get the liver biopsy done, as well as handle other personal matters, that keep me running across the state and the country.
One of my best friends called me yesterday and wants me to come and help him move, this is right before I am supposed to go out of town with Kerry. I have tried to talk to my dad about what is going on and how I am feeling overwhelmed and like I am drowning with everything that is happening. He just told me that I can't save the whole world and I have to do what I have to do to survive and everyone else must fend for themselves.
For those of you that know me this is a hard pill for me to swallow, however, yesterday has been very strenuous for me, because once again I felt abandoned and left alone. I have no one to lean on or confide in. I don't understand why I have to be the strong one that everyone depends upon. When will I have someone that I can lean on and depend on? I thought that I had that but every time something comes up in my life that is hard or devastating I seem to be sitting in the room all alone. What a feeling!!
So here I sit at 3:23 in the morning writing in my blog because I have no one to talk to about the things going on in my life. It seems like I have nothing and no one and I have to stand alone and face all of it by myself. Again what a feeling! It shouldn't be this way, I am in a relationship, why isn't he here for me to talk to and cry on his shoulder? Good question! And one that I don't have the answer too.
I have been sitting around all day with all sorts of thoughts going through my head, not knowing what is actually going on anywhere. The only one filling me in on my mother is her best friend and she is trying to spare my feelings knowing that I cannot be up there with my mother at this time. I have tried to be a good son.
I am so sad and frustrated this morning, I don't know which way to turn!
Please pray for me. There is so much other stuff that is going on in my life that I can't put it in here right now because I don't want to upset anyone else...
She is a strong woman but this has really gotten too her, she stayed in the hospital for a week and was transferred to a nursing home and has been there till Friday when they transported her to another hospital an hour away from where she lives. They have found a tumor on her spine and an abnormal growth. Right now I am not sure what any of this means. But she is telling me that she may never be able to have surgery or be strong enough with her many other problems to survive the chemotherapy and other treatments they are wanting to give her.
While my bf was gone I spent a lot of money trying to keep in contact with him that I am not sure I have funds to drop everything I am doing and go up there, however, I feel just plain awful about that. I feel she needs me and I should be there, but there is so much on my plate right now. I am trying to start my own treatments and get the liver biopsy done, as well as handle other personal matters, that keep me running across the state and the country.
One of my best friends called me yesterday and wants me to come and help him move, this is right before I am supposed to go out of town with Kerry. I have tried to talk to my dad about what is going on and how I am feeling overwhelmed and like I am drowning with everything that is happening. He just told me that I can't save the whole world and I have to do what I have to do to survive and everyone else must fend for themselves.
For those of you that know me this is a hard pill for me to swallow, however, yesterday has been very strenuous for me, because once again I felt abandoned and left alone. I have no one to lean on or confide in. I don't understand why I have to be the strong one that everyone depends upon. When will I have someone that I can lean on and depend on? I thought that I had that but every time something comes up in my life that is hard or devastating I seem to be sitting in the room all alone. What a feeling!!
So here I sit at 3:23 in the morning writing in my blog because I have no one to talk to about the things going on in my life. It seems like I have nothing and no one and I have to stand alone and face all of it by myself. Again what a feeling! It shouldn't be this way, I am in a relationship, why isn't he here for me to talk to and cry on his shoulder? Good question! And one that I don't have the answer too.
I have been sitting around all day with all sorts of thoughts going through my head, not knowing what is actually going on anywhere. The only one filling me in on my mother is her best friend and she is trying to spare my feelings knowing that I cannot be up there with my mother at this time. I have tried to be a good son.
I am so sad and frustrated this morning, I don't know which way to turn!
Please pray for me. There is so much other stuff that is going on in my life that I can't put it in here right now because I don't want to upset anyone else...
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Yet another Update!
Today was the last full day of testing, and I got another clean bill of health. It looks like we are definitely on for the research project that the VA is doing. I am going to be 1 of 200 individuals trying these new experimental drugs to treat my two remaining illnesses. It seems that if the treatments are successful, there may be no trace of either disease left in my body when we are finished.
Today was the eye exam and apparently I too have 20/15 vision which is better than normal. There seems to be no ocular or macular degeneration in my eyes at all and all she could find was that I needed reading glasses. The final phase of this poking and prodding will be in the next week or so where once again I have to brave the I-4 corridor and head back to Orlando and have a liver biopsy done. Once complete I should be totally enrolled in the research program and can begin the treatments and getting paid for doing the study.
I am looking forward to this, they tell me that there are less side effects with these 2 new drugs and that I should be finished with the treatment in as early as 26 weeks. Though I will be followed by the principal investigator and the team for up too 2 full years. Now, if they had done this the first time I got sick with cancer, I might not have suffered from the radiation damage that the initial rounds of chemo and radiation did to my body.
Most of the problems I am having now in my 40's are a direct result of the treatments that were used in the 90's and the lack of follow up by the doctor's and surgeons. Here we are 20 years down the road and oops we forgot to tell you that radiation might have damaged your liver, spleen, pancrease, stomach, small and large intestines. I hope you can forgive us this little error. The answer is NO I can't forgive that little error because it has had a great big, no huge input into my life, one that I personally would have chosen to live with out.
No one said having a colostomy was going to be a walk in the park. Hell, if they could have warned me that having a colostomy could have been an option back then, I am sure I would have told them no thank you and continued suffering the way that I was. However, I wasn't given the option, I went in for a routine exploratory surgery and woke up with part of my intestines sticking out the wall of my abdomen and it has been that way ever since. Life hasn't been easy and I have just now started to come to grips with all that has happened to my body over the years, but I can honestly say that I am still alive and that I am pretty damn healthy finally after all of these operations, and treatments that I have come through over the years.
The worst part of all of it was when they told me that I would have to keep the ostomy for the rest of my life, that was something that I wasn't prepared to hear and I am still not sure that I am 100 percent comfortable with the idea that I will have to endure this till my dying days. At least I finally found someone that doesn't seem to mind it all that much and it makes dealing with it that much easier.
Anyhow I thought you guys might be interested in what is going on in my life today. I am getting rested to head out to Atlanta this evening I have to go up there for court. I am hoping that the answer is going to be positive in my direction.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Today was the eye exam and apparently I too have 20/15 vision which is better than normal. There seems to be no ocular or macular degeneration in my eyes at all and all she could find was that I needed reading glasses. The final phase of this poking and prodding will be in the next week or so where once again I have to brave the I-4 corridor and head back to Orlando and have a liver biopsy done. Once complete I should be totally enrolled in the research program and can begin the treatments and getting paid for doing the study.
I am looking forward to this, they tell me that there are less side effects with these 2 new drugs and that I should be finished with the treatment in as early as 26 weeks. Though I will be followed by the principal investigator and the team for up too 2 full years. Now, if they had done this the first time I got sick with cancer, I might not have suffered from the radiation damage that the initial rounds of chemo and radiation did to my body.
Most of the problems I am having now in my 40's are a direct result of the treatments that were used in the 90's and the lack of follow up by the doctor's and surgeons. Here we are 20 years down the road and oops we forgot to tell you that radiation might have damaged your liver, spleen, pancrease, stomach, small and large intestines. I hope you can forgive us this little error. The answer is NO I can't forgive that little error because it has had a great big, no huge input into my life, one that I personally would have chosen to live with out.
No one said having a colostomy was going to be a walk in the park. Hell, if they could have warned me that having a colostomy could have been an option back then, I am sure I would have told them no thank you and continued suffering the way that I was. However, I wasn't given the option, I went in for a routine exploratory surgery and woke up with part of my intestines sticking out the wall of my abdomen and it has been that way ever since. Life hasn't been easy and I have just now started to come to grips with all that has happened to my body over the years, but I can honestly say that I am still alive and that I am pretty damn healthy finally after all of these operations, and treatments that I have come through over the years.
The worst part of all of it was when they told me that I would have to keep the ostomy for the rest of my life, that was something that I wasn't prepared to hear and I am still not sure that I am 100 percent comfortable with the idea that I will have to endure this till my dying days. At least I finally found someone that doesn't seem to mind it all that much and it makes dealing with it that much easier.
Anyhow I thought you guys might be interested in what is going on in my life today. I am getting rested to head out to Atlanta this evening I have to go up there for court. I am hoping that the answer is going to be positive in my direction.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Positive Affirmations
I know that last summer we talked a great deal about positive thinking, positive energy, and positive living. We also talked about words and how they have power, they can either build or destroy depending on their usage. But, as I have found out over this year, these same words of power can have meaning all to themselves and can benefit you in your daily life. I call these affirmations, these are sayings that you tell yourself over and over again. You can post them on your mirror, or somewhere where you will see them often, and everytime you do say them aloud. These are positive tips that will help you, they will also help you maintain and keep your positive mental attitude for the day.
Remember that the more positive you put out in the world the more positive you get back. Just like everything else in life if you live what you say you are going to go far. Trust me when I tell you this. Many self-help teachers and authors will tell you that if you want to be successful you must live and breathe the part, the same is true with keeping a positive mental outlook. If you want to be positive you must live and be positive, there is no other way.
I have read books that tell you if you want to be a vice president of a company you must dress and act the part. This is important, the image that you create for yourself is in effect a construct of creative visualization. If you can imagine yourself in the part, you can manifest it in your life. The same thing is true by you using affirmations. If you tell yourself every morning that you are perfect and love yourself, eventually you will. I have told my friend who has major self-esteem problems that maybe he should get a tatoo around his collarbone that says LOVE THYSELF, but backwards so that each time he looks at himself in the mirror or takes a picture of himself he sees it. The more you see it and repeat it, the more energy you put into it and before you know it you are manifesting it in your life.
As I have told you before, one way that I prepare myself for the day is I get up every morning and I count my blessings one by one, and then I give thanks that I am able to live another day. My same friend that I mentioned above does something very similar except he says a prayer. Basically he thanks God for granting him another day and he says it seven times. I am not sure what the significance of 7 is to him, but I know that it brings him that much closer to God each and every time he says it.
Affirmations are simple little phrases or sayings that you can post on your walls at work, mirror, monitor or other places that your eyes look every day. They can be little things like "Smile You are Loved" or "Love thyself" or "Be Happy" or even "Today is a brand new beginning with no mistakes". Remember the more you say them, the more you begin to believe them and that gives them power.
No one should be able to make your feelings about yourself change. Others shouldn't be able to make you feel any certain way. Have confidence and self assurance that you know what you are doing and trust me it will show in everything you do. People respect and appreciate those that are confident and strong. When you make a decision stick with it. These are things that will help you grow and mature.
When someone else changes your mood or makes you feel inferior or self conscious you have given them way too much power over you and I beg you to take it back from them. Because they aren't doing you any good and adding much more stress to your day and your life. March to your own drum and keep your own goals and desires in the forefront of your mind. It is the only way to actually live.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Remember that the more positive you put out in the world the more positive you get back. Just like everything else in life if you live what you say you are going to go far. Trust me when I tell you this. Many self-help teachers and authors will tell you that if you want to be successful you must live and breathe the part, the same is true with keeping a positive mental outlook. If you want to be positive you must live and be positive, there is no other way.
I have read books that tell you if you want to be a vice president of a company you must dress and act the part. This is important, the image that you create for yourself is in effect a construct of creative visualization. If you can imagine yourself in the part, you can manifest it in your life. The same thing is true by you using affirmations. If you tell yourself every morning that you are perfect and love yourself, eventually you will. I have told my friend who has major self-esteem problems that maybe he should get a tatoo around his collarbone that says LOVE THYSELF, but backwards so that each time he looks at himself in the mirror or takes a picture of himself he sees it. The more you see it and repeat it, the more energy you put into it and before you know it you are manifesting it in your life.
As I have told you before, one way that I prepare myself for the day is I get up every morning and I count my blessings one by one, and then I give thanks that I am able to live another day. My same friend that I mentioned above does something very similar except he says a prayer. Basically he thanks God for granting him another day and he says it seven times. I am not sure what the significance of 7 is to him, but I know that it brings him that much closer to God each and every time he says it.
Affirmations are simple little phrases or sayings that you can post on your walls at work, mirror, monitor or other places that your eyes look every day. They can be little things like "Smile You are Loved" or "Love thyself" or "Be Happy" or even "Today is a brand new beginning with no mistakes". Remember the more you say them, the more you begin to believe them and that gives them power.
No one should be able to make your feelings about yourself change. Others shouldn't be able to make you feel any certain way. Have confidence and self assurance that you know what you are doing and trust me it will show in everything you do. People respect and appreciate those that are confident and strong. When you make a decision stick with it. These are things that will help you grow and mature.
When someone else changes your mood or makes you feel inferior or self conscious you have given them way too much power over you and I beg you to take it back from them. Because they aren't doing you any good and adding much more stress to your day and your life. March to your own drum and keep your own goals and desires in the forefront of your mind. It is the only way to actually live.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Monday, November 4, 2013
The weather is Dreary but disposition is Cheery!
I woke up this morning with the usual suspects..aches, pains and that persistent cough. But the other thing I woke up to was the phone ringing and a pleasant and happy sounding voice on the other end of the line. Often it is the opposite when the phone rings in this house. You have know idea who is going to be at the other end of the phone, and in my case it is usually bill collectors calling about this hospital bill or lab test that I haven't been able to pay for. See no matter what I do it seems impossible for me to cover all the expenses that this illness has brought to me. I do have medicare, and I now have insurance from the company I work for but it still doesn't cover everything.
Even with the President's attempts to help people like me with the new healthcare legislation the slope is still very slippery, and now the choices that we have aren't all that clear to us. Plus, none seem to cover everything and I am still stuck in a situation where I have to pay large sums of money to receive the care that I need just to survive. Not to mention the cost of the prescription drugs that I have to take for my HIV, which are not covered in the formulary for medicare's 100 percent coverage. I still have to pay over a $1000.00 per perscription per month for my drugs, though my antibiotics and most other medicines are covered at 100%.
Now, for those of you not in Florida this morning's weather is quite cloudy with heavy wind gusts and it is cooler than I am used too. It has been like this since Friday and I am hoping that the cloud cover will dissapate soon. However, as I said in the title it maybe dreary or gloomy outside but my inside is full of happiness and cheer. Despite the fact that I have been sick with bronchitis I woke up this morning with a song in my heart and a hope for a great and blessing filled week. Like I wrote last night I have been going through the motions of living for the past year. I mean I have been going to treatments, working, hanging out with my partner and basically doing the day to day minimum to life, but I haven't been out there in the fore front of activity. I haven't been to a Positive Champions Speakers Bureau meeting in a year, or PCHAP or any of the other organizations that I was a member and active participant of. You may ask me why is that, and I would have to tell you because I haven't felt good, that I haven't had the time or energy and honestly my health hasn't been up too it. Every one of those things is the truth and even individually on their own would keep a normal person from participating. But as you know I am far from normal and I am usually pretty active. However, I just couldn't get into the groove of things this past year and I let so much slide.
Yet, for whatever reason this morning has been different and I feel a renewed energy and a sense of purpose that I haven't felt in quite awhile and despite my cold and bronchitis I feel that I need to be up and doing something. I have made coffee already and several phone calls and the day has barely begun. I think that my long road of holding has finally come to an end.
This has happened to me one other time in my life when I went from being in an extensive pattern of holding to bursting forth from it with a renewed vigor and I can tell you it was the Summer of 2008 after my last ileostomy. It was June, I remember precisely because it was before Atlanta changed the dates on their Gay Pride celebrations. I had gone through 2 years of intense holding because of repeated surgeries on my colon and abdomin. Finally I woke up one June morning and decided to put on shorts and go out into the world and see if anyone noticed that I was wearing a colostomy bag. Guess what they didn't and my sense of self and self esteem were tremendously bolstered by that fact. Then I learned techniques that have kept it hidden from everyone until I have been ready to reveal it and that too helped my confidence level. See it took me taking that step out there and going on blind faith to get out of that pattern and break the mold that was holding me in fear and self-loathing and let me tell you that having bags to use the rest room is quite a morale deterrent and something that I had to live through and get over. Going out into public and having people seem me as totally normal and not noticing that the bags were there was a big boost to my ego, self confidence and so forth. That day changed the way I viewed myself and the way I let other perceive me as well. Today I woke up with that same renewed feeling of self confidence and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Remember it is not the outside package that means anything at all it is what you have on the inside that matters. Hold yourself with self confidence and poise and you will attract others like yourself too you and things will start to look up.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Even with the President's attempts to help people like me with the new healthcare legislation the slope is still very slippery, and now the choices that we have aren't all that clear to us. Plus, none seem to cover everything and I am still stuck in a situation where I have to pay large sums of money to receive the care that I need just to survive. Not to mention the cost of the prescription drugs that I have to take for my HIV, which are not covered in the formulary for medicare's 100 percent coverage. I still have to pay over a $1000.00 per perscription per month for my drugs, though my antibiotics and most other medicines are covered at 100%.
Now, for those of you not in Florida this morning's weather is quite cloudy with heavy wind gusts and it is cooler than I am used too. It has been like this since Friday and I am hoping that the cloud cover will dissapate soon. However, as I said in the title it maybe dreary or gloomy outside but my inside is full of happiness and cheer. Despite the fact that I have been sick with bronchitis I woke up this morning with a song in my heart and a hope for a great and blessing filled week. Like I wrote last night I have been going through the motions of living for the past year. I mean I have been going to treatments, working, hanging out with my partner and basically doing the day to day minimum to life, but I haven't been out there in the fore front of activity. I haven't been to a Positive Champions Speakers Bureau meeting in a year, or PCHAP or any of the other organizations that I was a member and active participant of. You may ask me why is that, and I would have to tell you because I haven't felt good, that I haven't had the time or energy and honestly my health hasn't been up too it. Every one of those things is the truth and even individually on their own would keep a normal person from participating. But as you know I am far from normal and I am usually pretty active. However, I just couldn't get into the groove of things this past year and I let so much slide.
Yet, for whatever reason this morning has been different and I feel a renewed energy and a sense of purpose that I haven't felt in quite awhile and despite my cold and bronchitis I feel that I need to be up and doing something. I have made coffee already and several phone calls and the day has barely begun. I think that my long road of holding has finally come to an end.
This has happened to me one other time in my life when I went from being in an extensive pattern of holding to bursting forth from it with a renewed vigor and I can tell you it was the Summer of 2008 after my last ileostomy. It was June, I remember precisely because it was before Atlanta changed the dates on their Gay Pride celebrations. I had gone through 2 years of intense holding because of repeated surgeries on my colon and abdomin. Finally I woke up one June morning and decided to put on shorts and go out into the world and see if anyone noticed that I was wearing a colostomy bag. Guess what they didn't and my sense of self and self esteem were tremendously bolstered by that fact. Then I learned techniques that have kept it hidden from everyone until I have been ready to reveal it and that too helped my confidence level. See it took me taking that step out there and going on blind faith to get out of that pattern and break the mold that was holding me in fear and self-loathing and let me tell you that having bags to use the rest room is quite a morale deterrent and something that I had to live through and get over. Going out into public and having people seem me as totally normal and not noticing that the bags were there was a big boost to my ego, self confidence and so forth. That day changed the way I viewed myself and the way I let other perceive me as well. Today I woke up with that same renewed feeling of self confidence and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Remember it is not the outside package that means anything at all it is what you have on the inside that matters. Hold yourself with self confidence and poise and you will attract others like yourself too you and things will start to look up.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Holding patterns
Sometimes you reach a point in your life where you have to say enough is enough. That you can't take any more, you find yourself not able to tolerate things as they are and want a change. You are ready to make that move, make the change, get out and try something new. But something holds you in that rut and you cannot seem to make headway at all. There have been many times over the past year that I have wanted to throw my hands up in the air and just say I quit. Unfortunately for me, I don't know how to do that. See most of you know that I have been struggling since 2011 with major health issues. At certain points over the past year I have thought seriously about walking away from treatments. To just say enough is enough!
You can imagine that fighting cancer for over 20 years is bound to take it's toll on anyone. I mean how much chemotherapy can one person take??? The answer is a lot! I have listened to doctors tell me over and over again that I need to do this or I am going to die. That if I don't do another round of chemo I am just going to not make it. So once again into the fray I go. But, honestly there have been moments of time when I thought about being selfish, about telling the doctors enough poking, prodding and medicating, I am done. If it came down to a quality of life thing maybe I really would have, but in all reality I am not ready to throw in the towel and give up on life. Yes, it has been hard and difficult at times, I am sure the doctors and nurses can agree with my temper tantrums and swearing, etc that they would have preferred if I had given up. Yet, here we are, there is still more too come, but I am ready for it. The worst is behind me and I have a whole different future to look forward too.
I honestly thought that with everything that I went through in 2012 that 2013 would be a peice of cake, well I was sadly mistaken by that. See, nothing really changed in 2013, I still had health issues, then throw in my relationship, trying to work fulltime and then still have time for myself. Stress became the order of the day and with everything else in my life I found myself locked into a pattern. It was a holding pattern, a place where I had to learn new things and experience new things to be able to write about them. There were some adventures in there that were dangerous and altogether unpleasant, plus a couple of near death experiences that I wouldn't like to repeat. But all in all I found that life was just serving me up new lessons that I had to experience in order to grow and learn from.
Each of us find ourselves in these types of holding patterns from time to time, and most of us benefit from them and build on them so that we can move on and upward in the future, and that is exactly what I have done with my experiences of the past year. There is so much life to live that these set backs or ruts that we are in can at times be a respite and welcomed. Which I have to say in my case looking back now I am greatful that I have gone through all that I have. I have learned patience, understanding, compassion, and I have a new attitude when it comes to taking care of myself and my body. Which if I hadn't experienced all of the things I had over the past year I would not have. Nor could I say that I would still be here if I hadn't gone through them.
I also learned that not everything is as it seems, that perceptions and perspectives can be scewed when we are too close to the situation at hand. Sometimes it is helpful to take a step back and just breathe. Because in the end the result is going to be the same, and if you have taken the step back you might just save yourself some grief and a great deal of stress. So I am not where I thought I would be, and I haven't been able to write here in my blog like I would have liked too, but I am where I need to be. So yes, 2013 was a very long holding pattern for me, I had to endure and go through many things, but in the end I am a much better and healthier person for it.
So don't be discouraged if you find yourself doing the same thing day after day for awhile, it may be that you are supposed to be learning something and as soon as you master it, and get the process down you will move on. That is what has happened to me. Keep in mind that when the next door opens it might be to set your feet on a totally different and altogether better path than what you were on.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
You can imagine that fighting cancer for over 20 years is bound to take it's toll on anyone. I mean how much chemotherapy can one person take??? The answer is a lot! I have listened to doctors tell me over and over again that I need to do this or I am going to die. That if I don't do another round of chemo I am just going to not make it. So once again into the fray I go. But, honestly there have been moments of time when I thought about being selfish, about telling the doctors enough poking, prodding and medicating, I am done. If it came down to a quality of life thing maybe I really would have, but in all reality I am not ready to throw in the towel and give up on life. Yes, it has been hard and difficult at times, I am sure the doctors and nurses can agree with my temper tantrums and swearing, etc that they would have preferred if I had given up. Yet, here we are, there is still more too come, but I am ready for it. The worst is behind me and I have a whole different future to look forward too.
I honestly thought that with everything that I went through in 2012 that 2013 would be a peice of cake, well I was sadly mistaken by that. See, nothing really changed in 2013, I still had health issues, then throw in my relationship, trying to work fulltime and then still have time for myself. Stress became the order of the day and with everything else in my life I found myself locked into a pattern. It was a holding pattern, a place where I had to learn new things and experience new things to be able to write about them. There were some adventures in there that were dangerous and altogether unpleasant, plus a couple of near death experiences that I wouldn't like to repeat. But all in all I found that life was just serving me up new lessons that I had to experience in order to grow and learn from.
Each of us find ourselves in these types of holding patterns from time to time, and most of us benefit from them and build on them so that we can move on and upward in the future, and that is exactly what I have done with my experiences of the past year. There is so much life to live that these set backs or ruts that we are in can at times be a respite and welcomed. Which I have to say in my case looking back now I am greatful that I have gone through all that I have. I have learned patience, understanding, compassion, and I have a new attitude when it comes to taking care of myself and my body. Which if I hadn't experienced all of the things I had over the past year I would not have. Nor could I say that I would still be here if I hadn't gone through them.
I also learned that not everything is as it seems, that perceptions and perspectives can be scewed when we are too close to the situation at hand. Sometimes it is helpful to take a step back and just breathe. Because in the end the result is going to be the same, and if you have taken the step back you might just save yourself some grief and a great deal of stress. So I am not where I thought I would be, and I haven't been able to write here in my blog like I would have liked too, but I am where I need to be. So yes, 2013 was a very long holding pattern for me, I had to endure and go through many things, but in the end I am a much better and healthier person for it.
So don't be discouraged if you find yourself doing the same thing day after day for awhile, it may be that you are supposed to be learning something and as soon as you master it, and get the process down you will move on. That is what has happened to me. Keep in mind that when the next door opens it might be to set your feet on a totally different and altogether better path than what you were on.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Update...
Well, there it has been quite awhile since I sat down at the computer to write to you guys, and I think it is about high time that I fill you in on some of the things that have been happening in my life. Since the last time I wrote I have had several more visits to the hospital and a whole lot of stuff has been happening in my life. Most of which are topics that we are going to once again be topics of discussion here on Uncle B's Corner.
But first off let me tell you that I have been doing a whole series of different treatments and going through various doctors and wow...Miracles do happen. As some of you are aware I had a whole gambit of illnesses that were holding me down and keeping me in place, but that seems to be a thing of the past. As of last week I have almost a clean bill of health. The kidney disease has totally been eradicated and there seems to be no permanent damage to my kidneys. My body has been fighting off the Hep C virus and keeping it in check and I can report no major liver damage and treatments for that will begin in Mid December. The leukemia is being treated currently and I am having positive results with that treatment and it seems like I will be in remission before you know it.
As for everything else that was wrong with me, it seems that God has seen fit for total recover and healing. I am doing very well, a bout of bronchitis is the only thing that I am really dealing with. I can only say that prayer, faith and positive thinking have done wonders for me. Plus drinking lots of water and modifying my diet a little bit have also helped. I also think that going back to work has had a lot to do with motivating me and keeping me focused. Now it is time to get back to you my readers and my fans. Recently, I stepped down from working full time to part time again so that I could get back on track with my writing and my aspirations. So here I am once again at the computer keyboard getting ready to talk to you about important things that may or may not help you in your daily life.
It has been one heck of a year. Full of surprises, disappointments, hurts, and resounding victories. I can tell you that you will be hearing a great deal from me in the coming weeks and months as the rest of 2013 dwindles away. Some of you are saying it is about time and you are very correct on that. I have been away from what I love for far too long.
So, here I am with a renewed spirit, attitude and hope for the rest of the year and for what is coming. So please come back often and read about what has been happening and what I have learned over the past year.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
But first off let me tell you that I have been doing a whole series of different treatments and going through various doctors and wow...Miracles do happen. As some of you are aware I had a whole gambit of illnesses that were holding me down and keeping me in place, but that seems to be a thing of the past. As of last week I have almost a clean bill of health. The kidney disease has totally been eradicated and there seems to be no permanent damage to my kidneys. My body has been fighting off the Hep C virus and keeping it in check and I can report no major liver damage and treatments for that will begin in Mid December. The leukemia is being treated currently and I am having positive results with that treatment and it seems like I will be in remission before you know it.
As for everything else that was wrong with me, it seems that God has seen fit for total recover and healing. I am doing very well, a bout of bronchitis is the only thing that I am really dealing with. I can only say that prayer, faith and positive thinking have done wonders for me. Plus drinking lots of water and modifying my diet a little bit have also helped. I also think that going back to work has had a lot to do with motivating me and keeping me focused. Now it is time to get back to you my readers and my fans. Recently, I stepped down from working full time to part time again so that I could get back on track with my writing and my aspirations. So here I am once again at the computer keyboard getting ready to talk to you about important things that may or may not help you in your daily life.
It has been one heck of a year. Full of surprises, disappointments, hurts, and resounding victories. I can tell you that you will be hearing a great deal from me in the coming weeks and months as the rest of 2013 dwindles away. Some of you are saying it is about time and you are very correct on that. I have been away from what I love for far too long.
So, here I am with a renewed spirit, attitude and hope for the rest of the year and for what is coming. So please come back often and read about what has been happening and what I have learned over the past year.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
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