think pink, think pink

happy thoughts
silly thoughts
whimsical and giggly thoughts
blessed thoughts
peaceful thoughts
joyous thoughts

blow bubbles with pink bubblicious chewing gum
find one pink flower and put it in a vase
color outside the lines
tell someone you love them berry, berry, berry much
skip down the hall or hop up the stairs
write the word "cancer" on a piece of paper, then tear it up and throw it away
pick the pinkest star in the night sky and make a wish
close your eyes and dream of pink lemonade oceans
cut your fruit across to find the star
laugh at yourself often
put on the oldest music you have and boogie
dance with your sweetie in the middle of the kitchen
snuggle often
write a love letter to yourself
name your toes
type 113440 into your calculator and giggle when you turn it upside down
now, silently fuss at me for being silly
forgive often, start with yourself
imagine running through a field of daisies - now imagine it nekkid
(my mom said nekkid meant you were being "bad")
re-read your favorite children's book
have a slushie but don't get brain freeze
read only the comics in today's newspaper


...try to live today with as much peace, love, joy and happiness that you can scrape together. and then tomorrow, try it again. and repeat often.

sure, there will be sad and lonely days at times, but it makes so much sense to give more of my effort to joy than to dwell on bitterness and unhappy.

an apple a day...

here's the thing, it's pink october which all of you know by now is the national breast cancer prevention month. you know my story of my mother who passed away from breast cancer and the dangers of not receiving adequate health care in the three years preceding her diagnosis. all of us have probably known someone that has been touched by this horrible disease in some shape or another. hopefully you know more survivors than you know of women who have lost their life.

prevention is where it's at - early detection can save a life. don't think you're bulletproof. okay? that's me coming at you straight, no punches held back. be safe - just like momma said, safer is always better than sorry. simple but true. don't put it off.

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it seems a lot of people i read are a bit blue and that is easy to understand given the change in season and the crazy weather this fall. but, as i type, the sun is struggling to come out and play a bit. so that is a hopeful sign.

so, i thought we should all share what makes us giggle. after all, laughter is the best medicine they say. so, that good belly giggle that starts down deep and erupts into bubbles of happy laughter - what causes it? for my niece last week, it was playing hide and seek with her stuffed puppy. for me, it was seeing my pug howl a bit for his supper.

i always laugh at 'young frankenstein' and kevin smith as silent bob. facial expressions are key in both really. lately, it's been the show 'glee' - it's such campy fun that i can't help it. and if you want a real live application (for those that don't watch tv), you should check out ps-22 children's choir from new york. (ok, so this is more touching than funny - sorry for the slight detour)

this is what i want to know:
1. your favorite funny movie
2. your favorite joke
3. your favorite funny memory as a child
4. who can always make you laugh?

these are my answers:
1. young frankenstein
2. cinderella comes in late from the ball and tells her fairy godmother to go ahead and turn her into a pumpkin. the fairy godmother hesitates, trying to give cindy a break but cindy becomes more and more demanding. finally, the fairy godmother asks why is she so demanding, did she meet a prince. "no," explained cindy, "there was this new guy there....peter peter."
3. the time that we convinced my uncle (who was a total city kid and scared of anything nature related) to climb up a 12 foot pole and jump into the lake. he split his swimming trunks and was soooo mad. that ties with the time my uncle (another one) came around the slew too quick with my father skiing and slung my father through the woods on his skis. i learned lots of new curse words that day.
4. my sister can always make me laugh - we have the same sense of humor.

fresh

when the person you love has cancer, your world tilts on its axis. you can run through the stages of grief in the twinkling of an eye and air feels like it's sucked out of your lungs. then you have to start fresh.

you take stock and figure out how to support them in their fight. don't back away - cancer is not contagious. be there for them. hold their hand. that is the one single piece of advice that i can give you. cancer is not always a death sentence - not any more. as dylan thomas said 'rage'. fight it with tooth and nail.

i came from fighting stock baby and i can put up my dukes with the best of 'dem. this is a lesson that comes in with any hardship. hope you develop your fighting skills too.
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part of christina's pink october challenge

for then, for now, forever

almost five years ago, my life changed for ever. what i didn't know at the time, her life changed three years before and she didn't tell anyone because she hoped it would go away. she hoped it wasn't bad (but she was scared in the middle of the night). she didn't have insurance coverage when it first happened - she got it later on, after it had spread. three years she waited, until the problem was much to big to ignore. (and she never said a word)

the first year we were thankful and held her hand through it all. we prayed the surgery had 'gotten it all'. but, waiting the three years allowed those insidious cells to travel other places - silently working their evil magic, shaping pockets of wicked, wicked, wicked horror to be discovered later. it seemed we would fight one demon with three heads before the demon was victorious and we were bereft.

that demon was breast cancer. one of the most curable cancers there is, if it's detected early. it's been said, many, many, many times. funds are raised every year for research to find a cure. never think you are bullet proof. breast cancer strikes people from all walks of life, all colors, all races, all socio-economical status. odds are you know someone effected by breast cancer or you, yourself have been affected.

if you are in the risk group - have your mammograms, do the self exams - make sure your breasts are healthy. even if you're not in the group - do the self exams and have your baseline mammogram when your doctor recommends it. such a small thing for those you love. do you love them enough to give them this gift?

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part of christina's pink october challenge