Words to Live By

My friend Joan has the funniest signature she uses on her emails and such. I have no idea who the author is but it made me laugh the first time I saw it:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!"

Lately after spending so much time learning about bone marrow need, transplants and the sheer number of people who could be saved by a transplant but who won't be saved because a match will never be found for them? It makes me appreciate that quote and makes me want to not just read it but live it. Living each day to it's fullest. I've never been accused of not doing enough with my life but my cousin Tami's recent illness has put my life into perspective to not just fill it, but to fill it with things that really mean something to me, have fun, and take chances. Though of course as I scream "Woo Hoo" my hands would be full of cupcakes and sparkling sake. Or a cupcake and a club soda with lime. LOL



I also just read a blog post from my new friend Roger, who recently received a marrow transplant. He had smilar words to share today in his blog iHaveMDS. Roger's blog is a testimonial to what a blood cancer diagnosis is like. He chronicled his highs and many lows over the past year from diagnosis to post transplant. Roger is a fighter and someone I have a lot of admiration for. Today he posted a quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

      "In the battle of life, it is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong stumbled, or wherethe doer of a deed could have done better.

       The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strive valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is effort without error and shortcoming; who does actuall strive to do the deeds ; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if they fail, at least fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have tasted neither victory or defeat"

LOL so take your pick. Roger's quote may be more elegant then Joan's but it struck me as funny how they both basically say the same thing.