Thursday, April 6, 2017

Life is living, exploring, being passionate.

One thing is certain in life, and that is death.
I have people question why I run on the roads. Technically, I run on the shoulders, per state guidelines which are to run facing traffic. Thus, I can see oncoming traffic and if it'll be a hazard (driving erratically, etc) . Technically, now I'm 'just' walking since the car collision, but I'm moving!
I have people question why I bike. You know the drill: biking isn't safe' they say. Again, be aware of your surroundings, follow the law of the roads, and ride where traffic is not heavy. Also, don't be a dingbat and wear black when you're riding at night or on asphalt.

I have people question if I should even do these things with my autoimmune diseases. I suppose I shouldn't. I mean, I lived my twenties on prednisone (yes, all my 20s were on Prednisone), and on other medication, that made me gain weight and have other issues. Why shouldn't I just live the rest of my life curled up on the sofa. Oh, right, because I want to see things and explore, and have fun, and feel the energy one gets from being out doing things! Especially if I have spoons available. (See Spoon Theory). If you've ever had to sit down to have the energy to brush your teeth, you'll understand. That was me in 1993, and 1995. I haven't had to do that in a long time, but I remember how shattering it was to realize I didn't have the energy to stand and brush my teeth. I've been low on energy these last several years (to the point I quit my part time and full time jobs) and my doctor has nothing to offer except to say I was training/running too much. I felt a little better after my Melanoma surgery. Then I had the car collision and haven't been able to run. So I went back in saying "yeah, it's not the overexercising issue". I have been having random bruises showing up and she's like "well, what are you hitting". Not sure what part of "these random bruises are showing up and I'm concerned " she doesn't understand. She finally referred me to someone , but only because she thinks my real issue is that I'm "sick of being sick". yeah, I don't think that's it lady. I'm looking at it as "I have a referral out of there and maybe this other doctor (a gastro) at the University Hospitals will able to help me".

People question being in the sun after I've had [Acral Lentiginous] Melanoma. Are you sure you should be in the sun? Actually, people forget the type of Melanoma and focus on the common cause: the sun! The answer is yes. It will always be yes. Plus, my melanoma wasn't caused by the sun. It was "most likely" caused by being on immunosuppressive medication for half my life at the time I found it. Also, it doesn't matter. We should all remember to be proactive. Wear your sunscreen/sunblock, wear your clothing with SPF/UV protection, wear your Lip balm with SPF, wear your hats. But the reality is, when our time is up, our time is up. None of us know when or how or why. When I read stories of people being able to say "only on my terms" I am happy for them, and hope they know how wonderful it is that they are being given the chance to say those words (Re Norma Bauerschmidt's story). This wasn't meant to be a morbid post, because I don't think of death as being morbid. Death is reality. It's tragic when death doesn't happen from living to a ripe old age (like my grandfather who was 94 and laughing with nurses and went to his room, where he was found shortly thereafter, having slipped from this world). However, life and death are still constants, neither should be feared. This was written out of heartache to hear another bicycling genius is gone. Not from a car/bike collision as took Mike Hall just last week (March 31, 2017) (Watch Inspired to Ride if you can. He's highlighted in the documentary about the inaugural Trans America bike ride) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39452786 This was written after reading accounts of Steve Tilford's passing. Two articles are here (CX Magazine) and here (PVCycling.wordpress. The Mike called me last night to share that Steve had passed. The Mike knew him from around the midwest cycling scene. I knew his name from being at races and listening to others speak. You may ask why I'm sharing stories of bicyclists on my running page. I was a bicycling cheerleader long before I was a gluten free runner. Reading the articles about what happened April 5, 2017 is heartbreaking, but it's also part of our journey.

We never know. So enjoy what we time we are given.

No comments:

Post a Comment