One of the things a cancer diagnosis will bring to mind is time.

How often have you heard that TIME is a valuable commodity?

Time is of the essence

You can’t make up for lost time

The clock is ticking

Time is money

So much to do, and so little time

You get the picture…

But, I didn’t get it. Not really. Not for the longest time (pun intended). Until that day…

How I found that the Cancer in my colon had metastasized to the liver was a bit bizarre. I suppose the cancer wasn’t satisfied taking root in my colon, knowing that it was rather easy (relatively speaking) for a surgeon to remove it. So it decided to take residence in my liver.

Cancer can be like that, you know. Makes itself at home, and takes over, room by room.

I had been diagnosed with Colon Cancer by a Urologist after the Colonoscopy, and he had referred me to a really unique surgeon. Sole practitioner, cowboy boots, and a expansive sense of humor. Called himself the A**hole Doctor, since much of his practice was related to that part of the anatomy.

But, I digress…

Cancer Diagnosis: Time

The surgeon was very confident he could remove the colon section in question, and I would be good to go. He requested a CT scan, and scheduled me for the surgery.

The day of the surgery, as I was headed to the waiting area, my wife and I stopped in the medical records department, and requested a copy of the CT Scan results. Metastasis.

I finally got what all the fuss was, about this thing called Time, and it actually stood still. It did. It can actually do that, you know. Well, truth be told, it just seems to do that when something that really sucks, just smacks you between the eyeballs. And a metastasis just has a way of doing that. Bam!

But here is what I really want to say to you about Time:

Regardless of when you finally figure out that time is valuable, irrespective of how you figure it out, accept this blinding flash of the obvious as a gift. Because it is.

From that moment on, make the most of time. Swear to yourself that you will strive, every single day of the rest of your life to do the following 5 things:

  1. Savor every moment you can.
    Savor that ice cream, your wife’s smile, the laughter of your kids, the smell of a mowed lawn or a freshly baked batch of blueberry muffins, the songbird’s sweet melody, or the sound of rain on the roof.
  2. Don’t sweat the small, insignificant, petty stuff.
    When you really come down to it, the VAST majority of stuff in this world is small and petty and insignificant. It just is! Why get your knickers in a knot about that stuff?
  3. Slow down and pay attention to the beauty in the details, and learn something new every day.
    Don’t gloss over the beauty in the details. Find out how things work, and why. Whether it’s learning how to speak a few words in a foreign language, figuring out how hummingbirds hover, what honey is made of (OK, this one will be a little gross), how a tiny speck of sand can turn into a pearl, what chemicals farts are made of (trying to make a point here!), it does not really matter. Just learn new stuff. Every day.
  4. Stop to reflect at the end of each day.
    What you got accomplished. What went well. What could have gone better. What was left undone. Take inventory.
  5. Be gracious. Show gratitude. Give thanks.
    Don’t take what people do for granted. Don’t minimize their efforts and deeds. And above all, don’t gloss over just how valuable it was to live yet another day.

If you do these things, I can literally guarantee you that from this moment on, you will find fulfillment, and your life will change. You will change. And you won’t ever question again if you have truly accomplished something truly great. Because you have. You have accomplished the greatest act of all.

You have learned how to value TIME.

Hopefully, I pray for your sake, without a Cancer diagnosis…

I always welcome your thoughts and comments, even when you don’t agree with me. I don’t have all the answers. Heck, I don’t even have the questions half the time. Drop me a line. Leave comments in the LEAVE A REPLY box below.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.