8-16-08 This week I rode solo because we are on vacation at Seabrook Island, SC (an island off of Charleston, SC). Seabrook and Kiawah are two barrier islands next to each other, so rather than ride alone on the scary highway with no shoulder that connects Charleston to the islands, I chose to ride around the islands a few times. I rode 60 miles today! It was a perfect day for it….no rain, yet not hot and sunny either. The course was completely flat so I rode 60 miles in a little over 5 hours (which would normally take me 6 hours with some hills). I loved riding around with the huge “live oaks” and the Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The smell of the marsh and the ocean revive me and make me feel at home. The “Danger Alligators” signs promoted the only probable stressor.

Sometimes I feel like I can’t keep riding and it’s too hard, but then I think (yes, I have a lot of time to think on that bike) about how lucky I am to be alive and be healthy again and be riding almost pain-free. I also think about people like David and his family and how lucky all of us are who don’t have Cancer in our lives. One thing that always stood out to me after working as a counselor for cancer patients at NIH is that whatever your situation, there is always someone out there who has it harder or worse than you, so be grateful for what you have. I also saw some amazing patients with amazingly positive attitudes and cheerful countenances through terrible adversity.

When I was a teenager I remember adults saying, “your health is everything” or “don’t take your health for granted”. Those phrases meant nothing to me then. I believed them, but I had no idea what it really meant to lose your health until it happened to me. It is so hard to enjoy all the other blessings in your life when you feel terrible or when you’re in constant pain. I read everything I could about how to keep a positive attitude, but there were a lot of dark days back then. Now, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my health. I always think twice about putting unhealthy food into my mouth. It really does make a difference to me in how I feel.