Yes, that's me on my Honda Rebel motorcycle, complete with pink ribbons. Why, you ask? Well, John has wanted a bike since he was about 12 years old, and with the rising gas prices, he finally had a good excuse to get one. He has the perfect commute for it and has really been enjoying his rides. But it's really not "me" to be a "bird" (biker talk) and ride behind him on his bike, so I had to get one of my own. I'm not as into it as he is, but he got SCUBA certified for me (and now he loves diving) so I got my motorcycle license for him. Our first trip was to San Juan Island in August. To get to the ferry, we had to ride up Hwy 20, which was a little nerve wracking, especially since in our motorcycle safety class, we had never gone faster than 15 mph. All of a sudden I had to go 50-55 mph with cars and trucks and...yikes! I was very thankful that Brian, Sharon and Nick were following us in their car. I knew they had my six! We've gone on a couple other fun rides, sticking to the back roads as much as possible.
Not too long ago, we watched the movie The Bucket List. I thought it was just going to be about two old guys living it up before they got too old and kicked the bucket. So it was a rude awakening to discover they both had cancer. Regardless, I think creating a bucket list is something everyone should do, not that I've gotten mine started yet. (I did tell John that for my 50th birthday, which will also be my 5 year survivor anniversary, I want to go skydiving. I don't know that he'll be joining me for that one, since he doesn't even like roller coaster drops.) My attitude has changed a bit since my diagnosis. I'm more willing to do things that might be considered "dangerous". I still have a very healthy sense of fear, but I'm trying not to let that keep me from doing things I want to do. Like the song says, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying".
I was going to stop there - but that song has a phrase that really touched me. Maybe because it wasn't what I was expecting. When I heard the word "forgiveness" from the man in his 40's, facing his own mortality, I expected him to be asking for forgiveness. But instead, he says "I gave forgiveness I'd been denying". I GAVE forgiveness. I had never really thought about it that way before and I found the concept very interesting. Whether you have faced cancer or not, life is too precious and way too short to be burdened by having an unforgiving spirit.
2 comments:
I love your pink bike. I'll have to work on cultivating a more adventurous (and forgiving!) spirit. :) So, to save gas do you do your errands on it?
You look awesome on that bike!! You go girl!!! That's something I'd like to do--actually I went for a trip on a scooter/bike (without a license) and going 55 MPH on the freeway as well as the winding mountain roads were quite scary but I challanged my fear (and the law!! lol--too many years living with a cop and getting too many "tickets" for failure to keep the house clean enough or the kids toys picked up, or the dishes done...you get my drift)but I had the time of my life!! I'd love to ride a real bike one day (with the appropriate license!) and I'd definately get a pink bike and a pink outfit to go with it!! You go girl!!
I also watched the Bucket List and it affected me deeply as well. I realized that life is for living AND forgiving whether we know our days are numbered or not because when it's your time to go you don't want to have regrets!! You appreciate every moment, every challenge, and never miss an opportunity to say "I love you" or "I appreciate you" to someone special in your life. You also say "I forgive you" (even if you need to keep it to yourself) as I have had to do with several people with whom I needed to forgive so I could move on but they weren't ready to even speak to me.
Thanks for sharing your experiences on your blog. My grandmother died of breast cancer when she was over 70 and since my mother died young I started getting mammograms at 30 and so far so good but it's always in the back of my mind--I'd hate to lose my ta-tas or my hair!! My breasts are very fibrous so it's hard to feel anything in the self breast exams so I've been hit or miss on that (and no man to do it for me at the moment!!) but I feel a new urgency to make sure I do that every month like I used to even if I can't really feel anything--maybe one day I will and I can catch it early!!
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