I’ve been extremely busy lately…

well maybe not that busy, but more distracted…

while in Georgia over the holidays visiting an Uncle that was in the hospital I met a 9-year-old boy named Chris that has lung cancer. After dancing to Cali Swag District’s ‘Teach Me How To Dougie’ for almost 45 seconds he had to sit down, gasping for each and every breathe he took. At the time I was there doctors had given him 2 years to live; more recently I heard that has changed to 2 months as the cancer continues to spread.

Deeply impacted by Chris and the courage he has I knew it was time to make some changes in my own life. As the character Socrates says in ‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior,’ “Wake up! If you knew for certain that you had a terminal illness -- if you had little time left to live -- you would waste precious little of it! Well, I’m telling you…you do have terminal illness: It’s called birth. You don’t have more than a few years left. No one does! So be happy now, without reason -- or you never will be at all.”

Not that I was or am particularly unhappy by any means, but there are occasions, and there will always be, when things don’t go your way. “That idiot back-paddled me for that wave,” “I don’t want to go to work today,” whatever…but I guess the point is trying to find peace and happiness in every moment, especially amidst those unsettling times…how fortunate we are to be able to surf, to have a job, or whatever the case may be, because things could always be worse, and will be worse.

And for you horn-dogs out there looking for some Nugs of the Week action thinking you stumbled onto the set of Dr. Phil or that I have gone soft, I suppose I have. I have been humbled by a 9-year-old boy and my life’s course forever altered.

To quote Socrates once again (the character in the aforementioned book), “There’s no point in my trying to explain my reasons; you’re just going to have to find your future thrills in fresh air, fresh food, fresh water, fresh awareness, and sunshine.”

I love you all [and will get around to posting those Nugs sometime this week haha \m/]