The Storyteller: Joan Benoit Samuelson

My philosophy on running is, I don't dwell on it, I do it." -Joan Benoit Samuelson

This quote sums it up perfectly!!!!

At the 26.2 with Donna Marathon, I had the privilege to interview a racing legend.  Joan Benoit Samuelson is an amazing inspiration to women's athletics and a role model to many runners all over the world. Do not let her small frame or quiet demeanor fool you. She is fierce, determined, and full of drive.
Joan Benoit Samuelson won Gold at the first Women's Marathon at the 1984 Olympics. She has won the Boston Marathon several times, and has a personal record that matches mine (at the halfway point of a marathon- just kidding I can get halfway a little faster than her 2:21 PR but its close).

She is fast yes indeed, but when I sat down to chat about the greatness of her accomplishments I was surprised at the humble laid back tone she had. I asked the typical questions of how do you train on your runs, what do you eat during your run, and how many miles a week do you run? There was a calm sense about her that comes from many many miles of thinking I believe. She is so intuned to her body and her soul that most of the answers to my 'running' questions were, "I run how I feel that day". It was remarkable to look at the greatest female runner of all time and just see such intuitiveness to her self. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was wonderful to not hear a magic formula for being faster. She is from Maine and my fellow ambassador friend, Elisabeth, was from the next town over from Joan's hometown in Maine. She remembers as a kid seeing Joan run through town.

One thing I learned about Joan, that we have in common, was she LOVES a story! She and I both agree that storytelling is a lost art. She has many of them from running with her brothers in her childhood to a broken bone that ended her downhill ski racing dreams. The story does not end there though, the ski racing may have ended but the door then opened for her running adventure. I love the way that each door that may close in a persons life can open another that leads us to something even better than we could have dreamed possible.

Joan has run all over the world decked out in Nike gear. She runs in Pegs my second favorite Nike shoe! (I love my Structures). Some of her proudest moments were when she was in Tacoma, WA, near where I live for the Olympic time trials. She was also able to run the Boston Marathon with her daughter 30 years after winning it. She also voiced her desire to tell the "story" of the 50 year old that ran a sub-2:50 marathon and DID! Then, there was running the NYC marathon that came 25 years after her Olympic win so that story needed to be told too. I believe it is how she stays so inspired to run all these years. When it is attached to an emotion, a memory, or it is given some extra significance it make the experience and passion that much greater. I think this is my favorite quality that Joan possesses. Sure, I love any runner with the mental and physical strength to do what she has done in life, but I think at the end of the day she will have a collection of meaningful memories and experiences to go along with some beautiful shiny medals.

My lessons learned from Joan

1. LISTEN to your body!
   It is the only one you get so be in-tune with it. Know when you can push and when you need to rest. Your body knows what to do so take care of it.

2. Be HUMBLE! You don't have to be fast to be amazing. Runners are all the same at heart. Some are  just blessed with quicker feet than others, but the reality is we all KNOW something in our souls that others who do not run may not know. We know how to motivate ourselves in a way that many can't understand. We go out in rain, snow, hot, and cold to hit the streets mentally solving all of the worlds problems. I believe what that does is then creates this internal confidence and drive that people then translate to everyday life. Crazy...no way just amazing!

3. NIKE really is the best brand on the planet. :)  Seriously, I love them and so does Joan so that must mean something!!

4. OBSTACLES make us that much stronger. No matter what door closes in front of you there will always be another one that will lead to something amazing!! I look at all the "greats" in life. They have all overcome some struggle. If you have not overcome something then you can't learn from it, pick yourself up, and go back and try again. The more of these amazing greats that I meet, the more I find they all have this quality in common.

3. Life is a collection of STORIES! Tell them! Don't let the stories from your past get stuck there. We are such a tech based world these days and this art of telling that story is becoming a lost art. Talk, write, and share the great adventures of your life.

Here is another one of my favorite quotes I found from Joan:

"Years ago, women sat in kitchens drinking coffee and discussing life. Today, they cover the same topics while they run." -Joan Benoit Samuelson



***Joan has no idea, but I feel meeting her is one of the reasons I went to Florida.  Before I left for the race I was unsure as to why I felt such a strong desire to go on this trip. I really didn't have the extra income to trek across the country at the time, but I felt pulled to go. It was the same way I felt pulled to go to the race in Athens, Greece. At the time I had no idea why, but now I see exactly how the trip fit in perfectly to the little plan and path ahead of me. This trip will be one of those moments in my mind that a year from now I will say, "none of this would have happened if I had not went to 26.2 with Donna weekend"! I can't tell you much more yet because these ideas are still rolling around, but I promise it is BIG and having this conversation with Joan sparked the new adventure. For that I am grateful to her and her amazingly fast legs!

Donna 26.2 Part 2

As I told you before, this weekend was a mix of many emotions. I loved feeling each and every one of them. It makes me human.

Day 3:The 5K
Your Pace or Mine. That was the phrase I heard for miles. My friend and fellow ambassador Elisabeth is a crafty genius. She created a giant candy heart costume to run in and was the highlight of the 5K. She had so many come up and ask to take pictures with her and brought so many smiles. Ambassador Krissy, the crazy pink swimsuit shark girl, also joined us on our run.  There was a sea of pink and a wonderful costume contest filled with great costumes from a little sushi boy to the 1st place winner "hands free self breast exam" (somehow I don't have a pic of her sorry). Elisabeth and her candy heart got 2nd place in the contest!

We had a wonderful fun filled 3.1 miles. There was the warm up led by  ex- Jacksonville Jaguar David Garrard and his trainers. The warm up was great but watching a giant heart try to attempt squats was hilarious. The race was great and my favorite part was running along the river area on the trail they had. I could see myself running here everyday. I am serious. I fell in love with the community of Jacksonville this weekend and the beautiful city and coastline they see each day only magnify this need to live there. We will see one day... :)
The pink was outta control and I loved it. It was awesome to see so many survivor bibs and hear about so many running a 5K for the first time. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was grabbed by a reporter and interviewed for the news. It was great to share my love for the rallying of this community and my passion for ending cancer with the Florida news. Plus you know me, any reason to be on tv :)
You may wonder why I have a shirt on that says Chemo Princess. This shirt was given to me on one of MY chemo sessions and I wore it on one of my last chemo appointments with a Joe Dirt mullet wig just to make the Cancer Center gals here laugh and my mother so embarrassed. I did have to get my costume in a 50 lb suitcase so its definitely not as crazy cool, but for me it was like a big middle finger to the chemo chair I sat in only 5 years ago!!

Day 3 evening: Mayo Dinner
WOW....I left this dinner in tears. They were tears of joy, hope, and pride. I was so thankful to be a part of this trip but after this dinner I was thankful to be a part of CHANGING HISTORY!!! The Mayo Clinic is changing the face of cancer and changing history because of THIS RACE and a gal with a vision (Donna Deegan). We were fortunate enough to tour the lab where the research is being conducted and genes are being manipulated to create vaccines. There is a vaccine headed to trial to help with one of the most difficult types of cancers, triple negative breast cancer. I am in awe of how THIS race started THIS research off only 8 years ago. They are like NO other lab in the country because they work DIRECTLY with their patients and doctors across the street.
The Mayo Clinic is changing the game over the last few years and this will only spread the change into all other types of cancers and treatments. It really is mind blowing!!
You know I have to talk food too....yum yum yum! The food was all scientifically created with our big race in mind the next morning. It was delicious and the carb load needed to fuel up for the big day.

The research was amazing and hearing about the advancements that have been made but Michelle stole the show at the end of the night. Michelle is a cancer survivor and recipient of the Donna Foundation funds. The Donna Foundation donates to the Mayo for research, but the also help local women that are battling with various financial needs. This is so important for these women. They are battling cancer and the last thing they should be worrying about is trying to work more so they can pay bills. Michelle came up and told us a story of how she found out she had cancer. She was scheduled for a surgery Monday and received a heart breaking phone call on the Friday prior to surgery. They informed her that yes indeed she had cancer and needed the tumor removed in surgery, but they would NOT do the surgery unless her financial portion was covered prior to the surgery. Now imagine hearing you have a life threatening disease but then hearing they are going to leave it in you unless you come up with  a large amount of money....unbelievable!! The story does not end here though because even in our darkest of moments there is ALWAYS that glimmer of hope. Michelle's glimmer of hope was the Donna Foundation. This was her Hail Mary pass to the end zone right here. She called the Donna Foundation on FRIDAY evening. Just as fate would have it the director was still there and to Michelle's delight answered the phone. She explained her story over the phone and heard a reassuring voice tell her not to worry. By MONDAY morning the Donna Foundation had helped Michelle get the surgery she needed and some other life expenses taken care of. There was not a dry eye in the house. It was not so much Michelle's amazing story of 'hope in the final hour' type of story that she had that made me cry. Michelle had and still has the most amazing attitude on life. I know from first hand experience that your attitude predicts your future happiness/success. I was so grateful afterwards to stick around and chat briefly with this amazing individual.

I will definitely be getting in touch with Michelle and sharing her live story on my future project....the How to find and create Happiness in your life PODCAST that I am working on......oops did I just reveal a HUGE secret to those of you reading this. :) Why yes I did but hey that's the pirk of you reading my blog...breaking news here first!!

At the close of Day 3 I am tired but thankful to God for this opportunity to be involved in this weekend and I have thanked him several times too!  I can now with 100% certainty say that I MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD OF CANCER!
 I am proud to be in this group and am beginning at this point to understand the "WHY" of the reason



I was picked for this race. It doesn't fully make sense until the end of the trip..................................... so stay tuned for Part 3 for the BIG RACE RECAP!!!! Coming soon

Donna Race Video

Donna Race Video

Off to the Donna 26.2 Part 1

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Carl Sagan 

What a trip! Six months ago I knew life would change on this week in Florida. It sure did and I can't wait to see what new adventures are in store for me now. This trip was one of those moments that a year from now I will look back and say "This only happened because I went to the Donna 26.2 Marathon".

Let me back up a bit....

Here is me, well me about 5 years ago now. I found out at the young age of 30 that I had Stage 2B Breast Cancer. I fought hard and won the battle. Oh what a battle it was...just go back to the posts from 2010 to check out that journey. After I beat cancer I decided to make a Bucket List. Run a marathon was on the top of the list. I googled it and randomly picked a plan. I trained for months by myself and finally in October 2012 went to my first race. (Now all of these stories are here on the blog if you are interested in more of the story) I was waiting patiently in the corner of the room at the expo to shake the hand of a former Olympian and race legend, Jeff Galloway. As I stood waiting I saw on the table a sign up to "Win a Trip to run the Original Marathon course in Athens, Greece". I thought, "why not" and signed up never to think of this again. About 8 months or so later I get a phone call from Mr. Galloway's office and I WON! Yeah I know who wins out of millions of people a trip to Greece! Well I DID! That trip also is highlighted in the blog if you would like to check it out.

On  my trip to Greece I met Jeff Galloway's right hand man, Chris Twiggs. We chatted at length one day and he said I needed to come to Florida and run the Donna 26.2 Marathon to help battle breast cancer. I said I would add to my bucket list and headed back to the states.

When I returned I looked it up on facebook and clicked like only thinking that one day I would head out and try this race. 

Little did I know that a few months later there would be a post to become a Donna Ambassador. I applied and thought again, "why not" they may pick me....and sure enough THEY DID!

Here I am processing this week that I just spent in Jacksonville, Florida and I am filled with every emotion that one can have. I always say the best part of being human and happy is feeling them all. 

Day 1: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 

Travel travel and more travel. When you go across the country you spend the whole day on planes and in cars. Lucky for me one of my amazing new ambassador friends, Katie, was passing by the airport and was kind enough to pick me up and take me to my hotel where I then crashed for the day! Before the crash we got to chat and I immediately got the sense of pride that I was allowed to be on this team of amazing people.

Day 2: Shakeout Run and Expo

This was my first opportunity to meet many of the other Ambassadors. I was not staying down on the beach (but I will next year!!) so my roommate and fellow ambassador, Shannon came by on her way to town to get me at the hotel. It was really hard for me to be so dependent on others for rides and to get me to the events. I was hoping the hotel would have had a shuttle, a bus system that made sense, or some other way of getting around. It was a challenge for sure, but the other ambassadors were amazing when it came to helping this gal that was a long way from home feel comfortable. Now the hotel is a whole other blog post lol and some of you have heard the drama with the hotel room. It was minor in comparison to the great things that were happening on this trip!  I was off to the beach to run the shake out bright and early.  I was so excited to have a nice 3 mile run through the cute beachy neighborhood on this breezy morning. The weather could not have been more perfect with the cool start and tank top finish.  The run was a small but amazing group of runners. It included Women's Gold Medalist in the Marathon Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Boston Marathon Race director Dave McGillivray, Olympian Jeff Galloway, race founder Donna Deegan, our 2015 Ambassador crew and many more amazing people. This run allowed me to chat and meet my now great new friends. I also was finally able to thank in person Mr. Jeff Galloway for his gracious gift of my Greece trip, the trip that changed my life!

The expo was huge, filled with PINK, many sponsors handing out some great must have items. I love my new little shoe wallet and my pink shaker cup! I am still in awe how a community as large as Jacksonville comes together to make this happen. They work together to make this race amazing and the spirit behind the race is unmatched from what I have seen so far. At my packet pick up I went into a whole separate area to easily get my bibs for the 5K and the Marathon. At the expo I was privileged enough to sign one of the 6 large sized boards that would later be placed on the beach during the half and full marathon section that ran the coastline. They read LOVE, COURAGE, FAITH, FINISH, STRENGTH, and HOPE. I signed the LOVE one with a message to all my friends, "For all my friends that have battled: Love to you all-Holly Boyce, 5 year survivor!"

I was also able to interview 2 amazing individuals. I interviewed Donna Deegan the founder of the race and the Donna Foundation. (more on the interview coming)  I also interviewed Joan Benoit Samuelson the amazing Olympic Gold Medalist! (more on this interview coming too). These women are inspiring, dedicated, and driven beyond the ability of most. It was a privilege to be in their company and to ask them the hows of how they got to where they are. I left each of these interviews feeling inspired to achieve my dreams and like anything was possible with hard work and perseverance. All of the 'greats' have struggled and they used their struggle to become amazing. It felt like a dream to be able to be a part of these events and the big race hadn't even come yet!

VIP cocktail party was wonderful with great food and drinks. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet my fellow ambassadors and get to know them all a little better. I even met an awesome ambassador from my home state of Missouri. Reist and Andrea not only are from Missouri but they even know people in my tiny hometown too! Who knew you could travel across the country to meet up with people you have never met and have such connections. I spent a lot of time reliving my Missouri life and times with this great couple and hearing 'why' they run the race each year. 

Some amazing moments and it is only the close of day 2! 

CLARITY

I am in a boat. I'm scrubbing the floors and really unhappy. I look around and see that I am the only one here. I am wondering if I can leave but for some reason I feel I have to stay. I stay there unhappy, miserable, tired, and taking little breaks to stare out of the interior windows and dream of what life could be. As people come back inside the cabin of this boat I make a choice that would change my life. I decide its time to leave the boat. I don't know exactly where I am going but I feel in my heart it will be better.
I am in this wonderful place now surrounded by wonderful people that are happy and having fun. There is laughter, there is playing, and there is endless chatter. Nobody has really noticed or acknowledged  I am here at this point but I am happily on the outskirts of this amazing group of people just observing and becoming happier as I watch them happily go through their day. Then someone does notice I am in the room and heads over. Words are said and my heart breaks. I am not supposed to be here. This is not my place. I am not good enough to be here and words that hurt my heart more than I can share. I believe them and decide that its time for me to leave this happy place because I don't deserve to be here. I am only a floor scrubber and that is who I belong with.
I head down the road. It's an old dirt road with literally nothing on either side. Looking up ahead you can see nothing on the horizon. You can see nothing on either side. Head is hung low and I just keep walking and walking and walking some more. At this point I know the boat will be there and even if I was unhappy there I know I still can go back to the boat.
This time on the boat however we are at sea. I am back on the comforts of my miserable boat but it is suddenly caught in the middle of the worst storm with raging waves crashing into the sides of the boat. We are being pushed around, jumbled up, and all on the boat are scared. My husband is there now he is trying to hold on to me and comfort me. My sister is yelling at me but I can't here because of all the noise. I think they are both telling me "Get Out" but I really can't tell so I hold on in the comforts of my misery. The big huge wave is coming now. I look out the window and see it forming.  It is ready to crash over this boat at any second..........................I breathe out a huge breath of panic and my eyes open. Oh my goodness thank God this is just a dream!


This is how I woke up several weeks ago. I literally could not shake this dream. Now I have dreams all the time but this one just kept lingering. I could not figure out what it meant if anything.
I have had a rocky path in life. It didn't start that way but in high school I found myself in a relationship that was unhealthy in every sense of the word.  At 17 years old, still a child, I was told by a boyfriend who was supposed to love me some of the meanest things you could say to a person. For 7 years I listened to these words not thinking they were effecting me at all. I changed. I changed so much in fact I woke up one day after 7 years or so and realized that all that was left was a shell of myself. This story in itself would take me hours or days to tell you about and that truly is not what this post is about. I just feel its time to stop hiding behind this story and share.It also relates to the real story I will tell you in this post. This is the story......

I am in a personal development group for my business. I am trying to learn how to be more organized with my time and maximize my potential in a day. I am learning how small little steps can take me to huge changes later if I keep at it and stay focused on my goals. I am learning how to make goals and achieve them. I am just LEARNING again and it feels amazing!
In this fab group I am in we have assignments for reading, watching some videos, and a question about ourselves to answer. I am doing the assignments faithfully  and really seeing amzing things happen in my personal self that will ideally be reflected later in my business self.

This was my assignment:
http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/6-steps-to-eliminate-limited-beliefs/
Read the article on beliefs and post the unsupportive beliefs that you have been hanging onto....ok done, well not quite! I was reading this article and all of a sudden like a ton of bricks to the face, bolt of lightning, and a massive flood light turned on all at the same time. In reading this article I realized that for the last 12 years I have been holding on to some beliefs that were NOT true. I wrote down the things that my head tells me and the things that hold me back from my job etc. as I did this flood gates opened. I went back and re-read them as I was told to and then was told to think of one of the first times I could remember hearing these types of statements. Then boom brick to the face, knife in the heart it hit me. I was 17 years old again and being told that I was ugly, fat, not good enough at anything I did, and that I certainly wasn't smart enough to be in college.
This is the guy that one day would say how he loved me more than his own life and in the next moment said all of these types of things along with many years worth of other horrible things. Over 12 years ago I let this go. It took a while after we had parted ways to be able to get to that point but I forgave, released my anger/sadness and other emotions and have honestly been wonderful ever since. Moving on and allowing that relationship to not define me was a huge stepping stone in my life and when everything started to go well for me. I have not thought of this time of life in many many years, like 12 really, but all of a sudden I was right there all over. I felt the same in that moment as I did when I was 17 years old.
I had NO idea that even though I had forgave him and moved on with life that I never actually acknowledged or even realized honestly the beliefs that were changed about myself during that period of time. My whole life over the last 12 years began to make absolute sense. My choices, my fears, my self talk, and it was as if I woke up at the moment just as I had from that dream.  This time instead of being scared and weak I woke up to the biggest gift I could have been given....CLARITY!
I feel that this was a gift from God and that this was going to be a game changer. I just didn't realize how much till now!
Anyway, so I am feeling like this is the greatest day ever. Just knowing all of this has been a game changer and I am so happy to live different now! I am laughing at this point because I am just so FREE!! Well, unfortunately, the laughs did not last long and they quickly turned to tears.
I head into the shower at this point and when I got out literally out of nowhere I feel a pain in my left shoulder below my neck. As I am getting dressed I feel it worse and worse so bad I can not even bend down anymore. I head in to my room thinking I must have a spot in my back out and manage to get to the floor so I can lay flat and then try to roll it out. Then it paralyzed me for a moment. I could not move, I could not turn any direction, and I had to hold my head to keep it from feeling as if it would fall off my body. Then the pain went down my back and in my jaw and I began to panic. "Am I having a stroke?  Am I going to die? Do I have cancer again?"
 Thank god my husband was home to help me and calm me. I laid on a heating pad trying to relax it a bit. I actually at this point said a prayer..."Please don't let this be it for me. No way. I am not done. I just figured this out. I want to help people with this. No way I am not going (I am pretty sure this is not up to me lol but I did add it just in case)". Shortly after laying flat trying to relax myself I was able to sit up and take some meds. The jaw pain and low spine pain had subsided but my neck/shoulder was a mess. I went to chiropractor the next night and it felt great to get it back in line. He had mentioned that he had NEVER seen me this bad. I honestly had NEVER felt this way. Now I exercise for a living so I frequent the chiro quite a bit but NEVER like this. After he adjusted me it took 2 weeks for me to finally not feel pain all day in the spot. Each day felt a little better.
Now my thoughts are this....If your physical symptoms can improve with a good attitude then they can certainly worsen with negative energy/outlook. I am pretty certain to this day that for 12 years I stored some deep rooted emotions and beliefs about myself that were NOT TRUE and for 12 years when I got out of my comfort zone that voice would come in. After coming to the realization it was even there I know I will never let myself talk that way again and that stress ball that had been there so long came out in massive pain. It really tried to hang on to me even after I realized it was there though. Now, if you are religious think of the devil on your shoulder telling you all the things that are not true all of a sudden being told he is not allowed to hang out there anymore...he was pissed and hanging on for dear life. That is exactly what it felt like!!
I am thankful to report I am feeling great and working everyday to build habits that support me being kind to myself and knowing that I can truly take on anything.

What a story huh....I just felt the need to share that with ya today! If I help even one person with this I will consider it a HUGE success. If you want to talk more on emotional abuse and what that looks like please private message me or email me. Help is there if you are ready to take it!

Have a flipin fantastic day peeps!!! I love you all and appreciate those of you who read the crazy thoughts of this cancer rockstar!
Remember YOU HAVE NO LIMITS!

Struggles turned to Strength

Wow what an amazing adventure this life has been. Yesterday marked the anniversary of  a day in my life that time literally stood still. From that moment on I knew NOTHING would ever be the same. It was a moment like all defining moments that looking back now was just the beginning of something great.....

This is from my first blog post 5 years ago......

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The day time stood still

As most of you know on Dec. 22, 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was a shock to everyone including myself. It was definitely a day that will stand out for me among some others. I look at it more as a chapter change not an ending. As all great books have many chapters with ups and downs, so do I in the story of my life. There has been great good, bad, and ugly times. Nobody ever says that life is going to be an easy ride so we just have to sit back and enjoy what we see!

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I read this, knowing that only a month prior to me writing it, I heard the 3 devastating words that nobody wants to hear....YOU HAVE CANCER. So much has happened in this 5 years that this post couldn't even begin to capture my feelings on this time. Head back through the blog and you can follow the whole journey.

Today, 5 years later, I look at my life through different eyes. I see people differently. I have less desire for things and stuff (well except for my amazing new watch I got yesterday!! lol) I have an appreciation for nature that was not there before. I see amazing sunrises and sunsets, and yes it is beautiful, but to me its a reminder that I am still alive. I am here. I got to stay here on earth so I better not waste that gift! 

The last 5 years has not been easy for me. Most would think, 'Oh you are cancer free...life is good'. While that is true, there was a long period of time after I was "cancer free" that I had to deal with what had just happened. I dealt with cancer after effects, then right after I quit my job to be a stay at home mom my husband lost his job, then an almost 2 year unemployment, my home was almost taken away from me twice, I lived second to second and was in complete survival mode, and then the worst of the worst of this five year stretch the 6 funerals in 6 months that I attended (including both of my sweet grandmothers). I am not pretending that I handled everything wonderfully, none of us would we are human, but at the end of each day I forced myself to find the good in each day and write it down. I started the practice with my family too, and it made so much impact that I can't even begin to tell you. Try it for a month or two each night to find some good in the day. You will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!

This five years has taken so much from me but I CHOOSE to look at life different. I choose to see what I have taken from it not what its taken from me. I have taken knowledge, appreciation, realization, true meaning of faith in something bigger than you can see, and love that is indescribable.  I choose to live...I will make the most of my time that I am allowed here and hopefully make an impact on the world around me. That is really all I ever wanted anyway. 

Thank you to those who read these things, to my sweet friends who never stop showing me how amazing they are, and thank you to my amazing family for never letting me forget what it means to live. 

Finally, thank you to the horrible crap disease that tried to take me from my life. You have been my greatest challenge and my greatest teacher.

Time

Time is one of those things we want to speed up, slow down, stop, hurry, or go away completely. It is a measure I guess of how we feel at the moment we are in. It's a beautiful mess that we will never understand. We try to make it scientific and measure it, but we know that time is really a feeling. It is a feeling of happiness in a moment, sadness, fear, hurt, anger, and any other emotion we have. It goes along with the feelings we have.

What would you do if today you were told your time was almost over here on earth? What if somehow you knew that your time was winding down? Would you do anything different those last days here? would you call up that long lost friend? Would you be a little less stressed when someone cuts you off on the road? Would you talk nice? Hug longer? Change careers?  Forgive someone?  Travel the world? Sit at home with the ones you love? Anything....?

I am saddened over the last few days of some lives cut short. Young lives, not that it makes it any easier if you are not young, but not what we expect to deal with in our younger years? I think of these things all the time unfortunately because the reality of cancer was all too close, but these things usually come up when we have lost or seen loss around us. Children should not have to lose their parent but sadly it happens every single day. We spend so much of our lives in a go go go constant motion kind of way that we forget to breathe. Breath....how lucky we are just to have it really! When is the last time you were thankful for your breath? For some, maybe everyday, but for others that thought never enters your mind. My point today in this post is nothing more than a reminder. We are here we are alive BUT you have no idea when you time clock is up. Why wait till you are told (if you are even told) to do the things you know need to be done!?

I have no regrets from my life and truly believe that each bump in the road has given me way more than the scars it has left behind. I urge you today to take that 1 thing, that one thing that has been nagging you everyday, and do it. Make the change in your life. Make this life count! You only get one shot, for an undetermined amount of time, and it is you JOB to DO something with it! That  is why we are here. I doesn't matter how much you have it is what you do with what you DO have that is the measure of you! (Ironically enough this was the previous Sunday's topic at church.)

I feel that life is a series of UP an DOWN moments and the reactions we give to those moments. If you want a happy life, a meaningful life, a life of purpose....well go make it that way. Its your JOB to do something to make an impact around you. These people who have passed on made a mark on many that they knew and didn't know. It's your turn to do the same.
Make a difference. Make it Count. Make this world better than you found it. Instead of complaining of all the sadness, the evil, and the fear in the world be what you want to see. You will be amazed at how your world around you begins to change. We attract what we put out there. Put out positive and be positive and those are the people who will flock to you.
IT STARTS WITH YOU!