lucky to be alive...every single day

this article from the daily beast really hit home with me this morning.  the sentiment of just how truly lucky each of us is to be alive is one i think of regularly.  it is no small feat, from start to finish, bringing a human into this world, staying healthy enough to reach old age, and once there, to be able to die with dignity takes more energy and determination than one can imagine.  factor in the highest highs, the lowest lows, and all those days in the middle and it is a gargantuan task.

along the way of the convoluted adventure of our lives we sleep and dream of amazing things, frightening things, tiresome things, even funny things.  and each morning we wake.  to days with clear blue skies, with breezes blowing in the windows, with snow falling silently, green leaves shaking in the wind, rain drumming on the roof, babies crying, a snoring lover, an alarm annoying us, thoughts of what needs to be done that day, thoughts of nothing at all.  but we wake.  and we are lucky to be here.  yet, it is so difficult to remember to honor that simple fact each day.

last year i stopped watching the news, or at least caring about it, for most of the year.  aside from the weather and penn state football, i found myself stifled and saddened by the news.  i was living in my own challenging space.  everything, and i mean everything, was difficult, emotionally.  many things were tough physically.  i joked with my parents and friends about wanting to watch a "good news" each night.  give me all the good stories - even the ones that make me cry happy tears.  of course the world has to go on, but i do not need to be swept up in the negative nuances of american politics or health care.  a story about decreased funding for cancer research still brings tears to my eyes.  stories of mass murders and subsequent failures to limit gun purchases left me reeling.  so, i turned a blind eye to the bad news.  i started watching jimmy fallon instead.  funny news, even the heavy stuff.  even today, a year since my last real trauma, i'm keeping the scary and bad stuff at an arm's length.  i never know when a story will dredge up the emotions that i've faced in eight years of nearly constantly fighting cancer.

so, yes, please, Lawrence O'Donnell, give us the good news.  that, i'd like to watch.