There are so many unfortunate people suffering with cancer. We lost quite a few good ones this year from this awful disease. I've heard and read quotes that say, "While we're all trying to lose weight and diet, someone out there is just trying to make it through another day of cancer." It makes dieting and worrying over weight so trivial. Makes it seem silly to want to lose weight or better your health -- cause you don't have cancer, so why go out of your way to "improve health"? I say, why not try to prevent it by diet alone? Then again, you hear about people who never smoked a cigarette a day in their lives and voila --- they got the big "C". It doesn't make any sense at all. You can diet all you want, but what's going to keep that tumor from growing on your brain? (I know, the hypochondriac in me…I think I have a headache now.) Even with me -- ever since I've been on Paleo, I've seen some real jerks who are apart of this growing trend harp and emphasize on how people on Paleo will never get cancer. And yes, the diet excludes nitrates, hormones, steroids and all that good stuff that gets pumped into our food supply, but what's gonna keep us from contracting another disease? While I "believe" we can somewhat prevent cancer, we're losing our marbles trying to save our lives that will eventually fade away and turn into dust. So what's the point of life? I'm overweight, so losing 30 lbs to me means that I'm going to feel better --- no joint pain, no back pain and less stomach issues. While I'm here "now" --- I want to live a life with less complications. This does not have anything to do with longevity whatsoever. I'm not trying to increase my years, I'm trying to increase my happiness. Isn't that what we're all striving for -- a life full of happiness and pain-free days?
Dad was a tough cookie, living his life to the fullest with heart disease, diabetes and emphysema. They gave him his last rights many times. They even gave him a timeframe of when his life would end. Once, the doctor said, "He probably has two weeks, tops." Fifteen years later, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer…bladder cancer. "Oh well he smoked, so that's what did it." A year later, a close family friend passed away not even two weeks ago from bladder cancer. She wasn't a smoker. Everyone can pre-diagnose you when it comes to witnessing your lifestyle, whether you're a smoker, a drinker or a marathon runner. "Oh he's gonna have a stroke or cancer if he keeps on smoking," "Oh, her liver is going to rot out from all that drinking," and "Did you hear about that thirty year old marathon runner who died of a heart attack? All that running is no good." People are going to judge you up and down, give you life sentences based on "what doctors say" or what they saw on Dr. Oz. Does it mean
anything at all? Nope. Stress can kill you. About five years ago, Madelene's coworker walked outside the building, flung his suitcase in the backseat and sat in the driver's seat….to have a heart attack. He left behind a wife and two kids. He was only 32 years old. Then again, some people have a very high tolerance for stress and live to be 102 years old. There are no set rules of mastering longevity. Just love your life, appreciate who is in it and ignore the naysayers if your life makes you happy. Life is way too long to worry.
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