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Hello. I've got some exciting news! It's the best news EVER!!!

Two minutes later...

Hey! I've got some new exciting news for you!

Five minutes later...

I just saw the most EPIC thing EVER!!!

Three minutes later...

This one thing will completely change your life!

Our attention spans are so much shorter than they have ever been...

It's not good enough to hear the best news you have ever heard.

Two minutes later you have probably got bored and forgotten it and want something more!

What did I read three lines ago?

I wonder what's on MTV?

I just checked, and I have 20 draft blogs, that I have written, but not posted. (You are welcome). It made me realise how many ideas I get, but then get another one and forget the previous one and move on.

What if I didn't think like a goldfish and actually finished more of these blogs.

But I get distracted and want to move on.

I'm not going to write a 'proper' blog today.

I would just be adding to this 'Shallowisation of Society'.

This 'Superficialisation' of our culture.

The 'Conveyer Belt of Idea Consumerism'

There are so many profound truths in this world, which all get lost in the crowd.

Especially if their delivery isn't entertaining.

We spend a lot of time watching tv, so someone can tell us what to think

I know this is true because I saw it on tv...

Remember the word 'meditation'?

It's not just a buddhist thing, with butterflies flying around your head.

You don't have to empty your mind

Then there's nothing in there and all sorts of stupid things can fill it up

You can actually meditate on good things

Yes! Try thinking this thought here over and over for even just a minute:

Can you sit still for a minute?

I'm loved by and significant to God and my friends and family, I've got a great future, I have so much good stuff in my life, today's gonna be a good day...

Try that...

Tell me you don't feel better afterwards :)

But that pretty much doesn't happen

People are too busy being busy

Not doing too much

But still always busy

If you have a constant flow of pointless information pouring into you, you will always be busy

I'm bored

What's next

The economy is stuffed, the world is blowing itself to pieces...

So what...?

That's not your problem

So don't worry about it:)

You know, I have now spent around six months not driving

Lying on my couch

Not going out of the house for a week at times. Often.

I hadn't been to the supermarket for months

Recently, I got a ride to Countdown, for some normal life sanity

I was quite uncomfortable, people were walking fast all over the place, I was holding people up, by walking 'slowly'

EVERYONE WAS IN A HURRY!

Walking fast, rushing around, standing impatiently in a queue, pushing ahead of others, not smiling... I was shocked actually.

Not because I'm perfect or better than them

But because there was such a stark difference to the speed of life I had gotten used to!

I've been living at home, not in a rush, no transport, sweet as!

Back into the 'Rat Race', I noticed how appropriate that title was!

Just chill out

We are human beings.

We are not human doings.

In attempting to not write a blog, I have actually written one. Apologies.

I WILL post this one

Slow down

Open your eyes

Think for yourself

Look at, or even, heaven forbid, smile at a stranger! If you do well at these difficult and dangerous tasks, you may even want to try saying hello to someone you don't know! They probably won't kill you, so it could be fun

They are probably just as scared as you!

We are not kids anymore, being offered lollies by a strange looking man as we walk home from primary school

It's ok to talk to strangers now

Take some time to make someone else smile and feel valued

You have no idea what the positive consequences might be!

A better world has to start somewhere

Why not with you and me?

I would like to close with a metaphor (or whatever the proper term is!)


Many of us want to make a difference. To change our world in some small way. But we don't do anything about it. Coz we think it's too hard. Starting an avalanche is tough, but throwing that first small snowball is pretty easy. If we realise this, and just throw a few snowballs everyday, God's in the avalanche business. And He loves playing in the snow with his kids!

Yippee!

Hello again,

What an interesting last four weeks eh! Today marks the four week anniversary of when it all began. Hard to believe it's only been four weeks. Feels like so much longer...four weeks ago, I knew nothing. Now I stand on the verge of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, daily sickness and tiredness.

As previously stated in earlier blogs, I'm not exactly happy that this has happened to me! But there's no point in sulking about it and wallowing in my bad news. More to the point, two good friends are getting married tomorrow, which is very exciting, and I don't want to draw any attention away from their special day. That would be very selfish and arrogant and I want no part of anything like that!

Furthermore, if you have the temptation to feel sorry for me and become a martyr, then I would rather that you stay away from me. That may sound harsh, but believe me, the last thing I want to do is spend all of my energy trying to cheer up everyone else! I don't feel sorry for myself and I don't expect you to either :)

My life is not over. I'm here for a while yet. Maybe even longer than you! So let's just enjoy our lives together and get over your need to be needed. Don't get me wrong, I need practical help with meals and DVDs and stuff like that, but I would rather you come over and just have fun. If I'm feeling a bit down, just ride it out. It won't last too long!

Consider this your warning ;)

Yeah, the bible tells me that it's good to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. In other words, if I'm fine, don't drag me down, just be fine too, please... If that's too hard for you, then you don't have to come over! And if I'm feeling a bit stink, then don't make it worse by ignoring that and telling me to get over it! If that's your attitude, then you can go find some other friends thanks...

Ooh, I like telling people off hehe...

Tomorrow, at the wedding, it is going to be a day of celebration! I am looking forward to enjoying the day with all of my friends. I don't mind if you ask me how I am, don't feel uncomfortable, it's nothing to feel weird about. I am more than happy to talk to you about it, but as long as you remember that tomorrow is all about the two people getting married and you rejoice with them. Because I am getting my haircut and dressing up in my suit and I'm gonna have a great day celebrating with my friends! Lets have a great time together and rejoice with our friends. They are awesome and this is their big day! I hope they love every second!

I have a couple more weddings in the New Year that I plan on going to and having a great time at as well! They will be fun too! I may be bald by then, but I will still do my best to enjoy myself! Bald people are people too. Don't judge me... Lol

So, for those who I will see tomorrow, let's have a great day celebrating together. And for those who I won't see, why don't you do something that you enjoy? Get your bike out and pump up the tyres, and disappear into the forest, or do some baking with the music cranking, or mow the lawns in your shorts, or have a BBQ and get your friends over... The list is endless!!!

See you tomorrow, or Sunday, or just whenever :)

Live your life!

Will You Open Your Gift?

Well, I had another meeting at hospital yesterday. It was at 12PM. It took just under an hour. It was with my doctor. Not my surgeon. That was the day before. The doctor said mostly similar things, but was a bit more precise with the prognosis. Where my surgeon, who did the operation, told me I have between 2-10 years, my doctor told me that I probably have about 3 years left before the tumour returns and takes my life.

Not good news. But you know what? I don't care what the doctor says. Sure, I respect their opinion etc, but I have faith that I can keep on living for many more years! Yep, I could be completely wrong. But you know what... If I decide that I have three years, then I will end up waiting around to die. I will end up focussing on how long I have left and it may very well become a self fulfilling prophecy.

What's the point of that!

I could very well out live many of you reading this, the only difference is that I have some warning about when it may happen. You may just have a heart attack or choke on your wife's brownies, and then it's all over!

In a week or so, I start my chemotherapy and radiotherapy, where my hair will start to fall out and I will want to sleep for a couple of months, but that's all part if the adventure isn't it? I have a chance to write my 'bucket list' and live the last years of my life to the fullest! Time to make a difference. Time to leave a legacy. Time to change people's lives.

I'm sure that this may be quite hard for you to get your head around, trust me, I know! Try getting your head around something that is literally inside your head! It's raining at the moment. Will this be the last time I see rain? Should I go outside and sit in it? How do I handle this? Maybe I have 30 years left? Who knows! I have been told I have about three. What does that mean? Do I? How do I spend the time I have left? I take my kiwisaver out and make some memorable plans! That's one decision I have made!

Why me?

Why NOT?

This is such a valuable opportunity that I am grateful to have been given. Sure, I would gladly swap for someone else and live for another 50 years! And that could very well happen! But there's also a chance that it won't happen. I have to be real about it as well as live by faith. I'm not stupid. But I also realize that God is the only one who really knows what is going to happen! I can focus on what I want to happen, I can pray about it and set goals and so on, but ultimately, it's all up to him. I have decided to just accept his plan, and make the most of this warning I have been given!

My attitude is "let's just do it!"

What's yours? You don't have forever you know. Maybe you could decide to stop living like you do? Make the most of today. Every day you wake up and get out of bed is a gift. The Present.

Will you open your gift?

A Blog of Two Halves

Hello family...

I just checked this morning, and I now have over 2000 pageviews on my blog. Congratulations. Thank you.

Went to bed in fine, warm conditions, and woke up to some decent rain. That's a nice change. Ah, so, how about that weather eh? Yaaaaawwwwnnnnn.."

So, more importantly, I have an appointment at the hospital at 10AM, with my surgeon. MY SURGEON. Yeah, I have my own brain surgeon, because I am a person of such high significance these days. Miss Jackson is her name. We go way back. Weeks at least. Ah the memories. Such good times we have shared together. I spent two minutes with her, while she has spent an entire day with me, cutting my head open while I was asleep, but still, it was quality time together that I will never forget. Or maybe I will? I can't remember actually. My bad. Where am I?

So, I am getting a lift to hospital in an hour or so, and don't really have any idea about what to expect. Could be good news, could be bad news.

I will go have a shower now, and get prepared. Of course, I am prepared in my head and my heart, regardless, I will not get discouraged or let my head go down... Ahem... Nothing will knock my confidence, coz God will always be God and will always be in control. He's THE MAN!!!

I'll be back soon..............................................................................
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So. That was interesting. In a bad way. Bad interesting. This is difficult. Got my pathology results back from the lab in Sydney, and they were basically, bad news. I mean, they could've been much worse, but to get straight to the point, the best case scenario is that I have 7-10 years left before the tumour comes back and my life is ended. The worse case is that I have only two years left. But I refuse to even think about that! I have a couple of months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy every week day, then about six more months of chemotherapy. After all of that is done, there's no promises about how much longer I have. But at least I have something to do for the next year!

It will probably make me sick and weak and who knows what else, but at least I know where I'm going when this all works itself out!

Do you know where you're going? Coz it's not too late to decide. I had no warning, and you probably won't either, so now is a great time to choose! There's no better time to decide. Don't be a fool! It's all up to you...

Let me know what you think :)