August 11, 2006 - Day 3 - Week 19 - Resume Play

I have been on pause for the past 10 days.  I have not thought much about cancer, other than how it might be impacting my heart.  Still experiencing shortness of breath and expending energy on the honey-do chores makes me pause and sit.  The biggest downside of the heart stuff is that I was unable to accompany Laura in her U-Haul odyssey to the Kellogg School of Management in Evanston Illinois.  Dr. Cabeen did not feel it was wise for me to be in the middle of Iowa on a 100 degree day in a moving van far from known surroundings. Katy volunteered and today was departure day for the ladies from San Francisco.

Thelma and Louise Kreitler, aka Laura and Katy are plowing through Friday commuter traffic on I – 80 East.  They had planned to cover 500 miles today and it looks like tomorrow will be a long day on the road.  The 14 foot van, packed to the gills, is transporting all Laura’s worldly goods, save two chairs left curbside for Marina District scavengers; even the Salvation Army refused to take them. 

My day, besides witnessing first hand LAX traffic at 8:00 am was all about catching up.  When life is on pause, the hold button firmly secure, life passes one by very quickly.  I felt like everyone that I had not talked to in weeks called me today.  Business decisions made, September guests contacted, and the highlight being able to work hard until about 3, I accomplished quite a bit.  At 3 I simply was too pooped to pop. I came home and evaluated my medicine cabinet which has increased from the size of my original 1949 Capehart television screen to a theater screen nearest you.   Remember my goal is to be drug free once again, yet my expectations are a little more realistic as I move along the path towards wellness.

Around midday, Michael, who works across the hall from me, walked in and shared abruptly, “Peter, everyone we know is getting cancer.  I got a call from my business partner in Israel and his son has cancer.  What’s going on?”  All I could do was agree. Is it our age, our times, our circumstances, or is it something more?

With all the distractions and challenges we tend to be weighted down by the immediate, rather than keeping an eye on the long range, we succumb easily to the interruptions. Terrorism, oil pipelines, war, religious fanaticism, and who’s is going to win American Idol this season grab our attention and hold on to us.  At the same time our fragile bodies are being assaulted and maybe the connection is more real than I thought originally – where is the link between our health and our environment?

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