As we grow older, it’s funny how invisible we can start to feel. Have you ever gone back to your old neighborhood, only to realize that most of what you remember is gone? The corner stores, the hangout spots, even the people, they’ve all faded away. That’s when it hits you: you’ve become a stranger in a strange land.
Just the other day, I found myself riding past the building where I worked 50 years ago. Fifty years, let that sink in. That’s a lifetime for some! In that moment, I thought about my father and older brother, both gone before they even turned 40. Me? I’ve outlived them by decades. I’m the first male in my immediate family to make it past 40, and here I stand in my seventies. And here’s the kicker: I’ve done it while fighting not one, not two, but three cancers, stage 4 lung cancer, stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma, and now low-grade bladder cancer.
If that doesn’t scream God’s grace, I don’t know what does!
Since 2015, my life has been a series of valleys and mountaintops. Each diagnosis was another giant to face, but none of them stopped me. I still get up in the mornings. I still ride my bike. I still write. And every sunrise feels like a personal reminder that I’ve been given another chance to breathe, to fight, to live.
Life is fragile, but I’ve learned it’s also beautiful when your eyes are open. That’s why I don’t waste time anymore, not on grudges, not on fear, not on things that don’t matter. Every day is a blessing, and I’ve never been more grateful, never been more alive.
So if you’re reading this, let me remind you: don’t wait until life knocks you down to realize how good it really is. Look around. Take it in. You’ll be surprised how much beauty is right there in front of you.
Peace and blessings!