Every day can be the trip of a lifetime.
As I look in the side view mirror, I can see death gaining on me as I travel down this road of life. Every breath, closer to death. That goes for all of us. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I am unable to perform live music these days. I had to cancel band … Continue reading Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear
My formal introduction to Theravada Buddhism was in 2018 at Wat Arun in Bangkok, Thailand. Laurie and I had wandered in to the Meditation Center and meditated. When we were finished we were greeted by Mr. Hartanto Gunawan, the director of the center. The meditation center also includes an LNA program for at-risk girls and … Continue reading A Man of Many Lists
As we squeezed into the elevator at The Inn at Longwood Medical, right beside DFCI, I couldn't help but strike up a conversation. It’s just a Massachusetts habit I guess. I turned to the two women across from us and asked where they were visiting from. They were from out of town, so naturally, my … Continue reading 14. The Guinea Pig, Day 138.
First, a little housekeeping. If you're new here or don't have the whole story, I recommend starting at chapter one - click here A little over thirty years ago a got an up-close, first hand look at what death from prostate cancer looked like. My step-father had recently passed away and we had hospice services … Continue reading 13. Death as Teacher
Today I'm sharing a poem that I read in a book gifted to me by a dear friend. The book, The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy, contains over one hundred poems. This one poem stuck out. I come back to it every few days. If You Knew, by Ellen Bass What if you knew … Continue reading 12. The Guinea Pig, Day 33
When the dust settlesThen we'll visitAnd hugBut not too hardWe can bring along our tearsAnd make it rain And see what grows But the dust never settles So we should say goodbyeEvery time we part ways That short poem just flowed today. Right out, with no effort. I had a brief conversation last year with … Continue reading 11. The Guinea Pig, Day 4
I know you've been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about the results of the PET scan. So here we go. The scan showed exactly what the previous three and a half years of scans have showed. Widespread lesions of the prostate cancer in my skeletal and lymph systems. On the plus … Continue reading 9. Plusses, Minuses and a Valuable Lesson Learned
I went for a PET scan recently. This was not something I was interested in doing. I already know from the bone-scan tests I had three and a half years ago and another just last year that the cancer had reached stage 4 with widespread lesions throughout my body in my skeletal and lymph systems. … Continue reading 8. Ultimately, The Goal is to Die Happy & Peacefully
I know I write a lot about meditation here. It's something that I've practiced for decades and I find it a very valuable tool for living, especially in the face of death. For the past 6 years my practice has been a combination of three things: impermanence, mindfulness, and cause and effect. Impermanence is a … Continue reading 7. Self Connection & Self Reflection
Sometimes the hardest part about writing a blog post or article or book for that matter, is the title. If the title doesn't grab your attention you may just skip over it. It's really tough. And when I try to come up with a clever title, so that you'll be motivated to read, I feel … Continue reading 6. Approaching Death: Watching & Understanding the Mind
Which Country From? 