Spread the Happy

"In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the RIGHT THING, the next best thing is the WRONG THING, and the worst thing you can do is NOTHING."-T. Roosevelt

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals."

"Go under, go over or go around but never give up"-Jim Meyer

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."- Thomas Edison

"Your attitude determines your altitude."

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying: I will try again tomorrow."

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you think you can or you can't, you're right!"- Henry Ford

"People to weak to follow their own dreams will try to find a way to discourage yours."

"100% of the shots I don't take don't go in."- Wayne Gretzky

THIS IS EASY.
I AM AWESOME.
I HAVE UNLIMITED ENERGY.
I LIKE MYSELF I LOVE MY WORK.
I AM CONFIDENT.
I AM RESPONSIBLE.
I AM A GREAT TEST TAKER.
I HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY.
I KNOW ONLY THE CORRECT ANSWERS.
I PASSED MY TEST.

These are just some of the notes from a Securities class I took to pass my Series 6 exam. They make me feel so good! The instructor believed in the power of raising dopamine levels. We'd cram for 90-120 minutes and then get up and dance to some really loud, pumping music for 10-15 minutes. He'd have us alternate stocks, bonds, portfolios, beta, blahblah, with a full on party. This was the work of a gentleman whose funeral service I'll be attending tomorrow.

It touches so close to my heart because he embodied that same crazy "can do" attitude of my daughter Cait. His positive attitude, like hers, made him a ray of light to all who knew him. This is a guy who, while being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering would bring piles of red roses with him and hand them to patients, staff, and I am sure anyone else he encountered. Many thought he was an employee. He, himself was a patient. Caiti was inspired by him, having only met him once and adopted her own version while we were in AZ. She instead chose Gerbera Daisies and we handed them out at her treatment center, the bagel place, the grocery store, the post office, in parking lots...where ever we happened to be. She called it, "spreading the happy"

Their similarities in mental toughness inspire me. Caiti barely gave a nod to her disease. She was sky diving six weeks before her death. She was way too busy living every moment that was given her. The last conversation I had with my securities teacher he told me of a surgery he needed to have to repair a perforated esophagus. This he referred to as merely a nuisance. At diagnosis he was reported to have barely even flinched. Caiti too. She wanted to know if she could skip all the big chemo and go straight to experimental therapies that might help someone else have an easier time in the future.

This is how it is with people like Cait and my teacher. They teach by example. They lead just by living. They inspire with their attitudes. Always smiling. Always tough. Always reaching out for others. "Spreading the happy"

I believe their message to be one of the most important of this life time.
The monkeys of this universe will continue and continue and continue to hurl shit our way. *sorry, no better way to say it*
It is then that we have a choice to make about our reality in relation to the shit.
We can get filthy, learn to dodge it, and learn to let it roll off.
We can get bitter or get better.
We can say why me or why not me?
It all comes back to a matter of perspective.
Wallow in it or rise above it.

Step the heck on out and scrape that stuff off your shoes!! There's so much good livin' to be done!

Thank you, Cait.
Thank you, Mark. (give her a high five for me, will ya?)
The two of you are teachers, mentors, and sources of inspiration for many.

I will keep your spirits alive in examining my perspective, reaching out to others, and continuing to spread your happy where ever I go.

You'll Never Know...

...if you never try.

Two years ago on this very date I was moving into the sweetest little apartment in Scottsdale, AZ with my two oldest daughters. I loved every inch of those 700 sq feet.
The landscape was tidy. The inside was clean and comfortable. The back yard was the coolest complete with a patio that was covered by a pergola and surrounded by long, flowy, white linen panels. I loved sitting out there. I called home from there. I journaled out there. I thought, prayed and meditated out there. Sometimes I cried out there. Mostly, I felt; I knew, really knew I belonged there. At that time I was deeply connected to that place. The land, the air, the mountains, the cactus, the indigenous wildlife all welcomed me.

From the moment a business associate shared his thoughts with me, I knew what was to be done. In fact, I think that day was the first time I was ever even introduced to him. This man asked me, "How would you like to never know if it will work or not because you didn't even try? How well will you be able to live with that?" Well HOLY CRAP. In my minds eye I remember that moment so vividly. We were in a room with about 498 other people. The room went dark. The room went silent. All I could see were his eyes and all I could hear was his voice. The words sliced through every trace element of doubt I could possibly have had. This was 36 days before I found myself in the Valley of the Sun.

In those 36 days we made all of the preparations. We were going to seek alternative treatments for my daughter who had cancer. These treatments were not covered by insurance. We didn't care. We raised money. Communities came together for Cait's benefit. Flights were donated. It was a truly amazing time. Every single thing we could possibly have needed was provided. Friends volunteered to care for our two younger children and Mookie. He was just 5 months old at the time! People sent food. How very blessed we are to have had this tremendous support. Gratitude doesn't even begin to touch what we felt. It's like teams and teams and TEAMS of angels came to be at our sides to guide, provide, and protect. There were even teams of angels placed to greet us and guide us in Arizona. Amazing.

Here's the thing. People said we were crazy. They told us not to go. They said it wouldn't work. They talked about statistics. Treatment was $100,000.00. Yes. One hundred THOUSAND dollars. We had living expenses on top of that. It seemed impossible. We didn't listen. We focused on the goal. The goal was simply to make the very best decisions for Caiti given all the options. We never backed down. We were so incredibly driven. We made some mistakes but continued to get up and get up and get up. We raised every cent.

We were able to fly friends out for Caiti. We were able to see much of Arizona. We visited beautiful red rocks of Sedona, hidden away lakes in Apache Junction, and the Grand Canyon. We were given many gifts. I personally got the most amazing opportunity to really bond with my teenage daughters. I would not trade this experience for the world. I learned so much and was given much.

Coming around to my point, we had a dream. We didn't back down. We tuned out naysayers. There was no room for cynicism or doubt. Without question we forged ahead. At times I was scared out of my head, but did it anyway. We aligned with the Divine and did what had to be done. The outcome is what the outcome is. We tried. We enjoyed some very rich, rewarding, and unique experiences because of it. That, I can live with.

What in life is not worth this amount of risk? You want to start that business? You want to write that book? Fall in love? Go your own way? Build that bed and breakfast? Open that shop? Lose that weight? Buy that house? Train for that marathon? Find a way to pay off that debt? Change a bad habit? Pick up that hobby? Start a savings program? Mend a broken relationship? Take that course? Join that gym or club? Have that adventure? Climb that mountain? Anything!
What ever it is, "How would you like to never know if it will work or not because you didn't even try? How well will you be able to live with that?"

Trust me. Believe me when I tell you. The angels are poised and ready to assist. You must believe in you and your dreams as much as they do. Then take every action necessary.