Carlisle Daily - Carlisle, Ohio's Community Website: May 2011

By Jeff Kirby, May 19, 2011...I’m healthy, for the most part, and yet I have cancer, too. My cancer doesn’t rip away at my body, the way it does an actual cancer patient. Instead, my cancer rips away at my soul.

I have a cancer that’s called impatience, because I want everyone to act in a way that pleases me.

I have a cancer that’s called greed, because I want way too many things that really don’t mean anything.

I have a cancer that’s called worry, because I want to be in control of everything that happens in life.

I have a cancer that’s called spoiled, because I have far more than I ever really deserve and yet don’t fully appreciate it.

It’s sort of disgusting, if you think about it. I have the one thing an actual cancer patient desperately prays for – physical health – and yet I let all these emotional cancers impede the very life they would love to have.

I’ll be reminded of all that as I take part in the annual Relay For Life this weekend at Springboro’s North Park (beginning 2 p.m. Saturday and concluding the next morning).

I’ll be surrounded by people who have dealt with real cancer of some or another. Some of them have looked death in the eye and beat it. Others have buried loved ones and learned, amazingly, to accept it.

But all of them share a perspective that the rest of the world (especially me) needs to embrace -- that there’s no need in sweating the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.

If I can live, laugh and love, and do all of it without suffering from the extreme nausea of chemotherapy, that’s a pretty good day, isn’t it?

Life is good, despite whatever troubles I may encounter.

There may be times I get frustrated with my job, but at least I have one to go to.

I may hate it when something gets broken around my house, but at least I have one to live in.

I may not like it when my hair starts thinning and I gain a few pounds –

Um, let’s not go there.

Put it this way: Do you ever want to hear a rich person whine about anything? Do you want to hear a guy who shoots 75 (a really good golf score) complain about his game? How about listening to a skinny person complain because they’ve gained a couple of pounds?

I think life is all about perspective. There’s no way everything will be perfect. And there’s no way we can avoid death. Whether you believe this life is all there is, or whether you believe it’s merely the prelude to something much, much bigger, there’s nothing to be gained by constantly complaining about it.

We can focus on what’s all right with the world as much as we focus on what’s wrong with it.

Do that and we can share in what the cancer survivor already knows – there is beauty everywhere, in people and the world around us.

A sunset is a Rembrandt.

A smiling baby is a wonder to behold.

The laughter among friends, the tune of an excellent song, and the gentle whisper of the wind on a sunny day, these are all life’s treasures.

There is reason to smile, even on a cloudy day.

Cancer can take your body. But it doesn’t have to take your life

Carlisle Daily
Carlisle, Ohio 45005
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Serving CarlisleDaily.com, TheFranklinVoice.com, and TheSpringboroVoice.com
The articles and posts on this site do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the management and owner of The Voice of Miami Valley. Letters and Guests are welcome to submit to The Voice and all other sites managed by The Voice of Miami Valley. All submissions must be published with signatures. No unsigned submissions will be published. Submissions should be emailed to owner@thevoiceofmiamivalley.com Thank you for your readership!

Image via WikipediThis week, May 16 through May 21, is National Small Business Week and Sam's Clubs are celebrating by offering a special "10 For 10" summer membership. For a period of ten weeks, new members will only have to pay $1.00 per week for the length of this special club membership. This special comes at a perfect time of the year, as we are about to kick off the unofficial start to summer in less than two weeks. Families can enjoy savings up to 30%* off of their normal grocery bill and small businesses can increase their summer profits by taking advantage of this offer.

This offer is valid through June 5th, 2011 and is open to new members only. It is not available to Sam's Club or Walmart employees. Members must meet certain qualifications, which are available at the service desk of your nearest location, and be over the age of 18. Offer is not valid on new memberships purchased through the Sam's Club website. Locally, Sam's locations can be found at 1111 Miamisburg Centerville Road in Dayton, 800 Kemper Common Circle in Cincinnati and 9570 Fields Ertel Road in Loveland.

*Based on estimated annualized savings on items Members purchased in select categories derived from a survey conducted in 30 US markets between 10/3/10 and 11/20/10 comparing our regular unit prices to regular and shelf visible sale and loyalty discount unit prices of selected non-Club competitors, including, but not limited to, grocery stores and mass retailers but excluding Walmart®. Local savings for individual customers vary.
Carlisle Daily
Carlisle, Ohio 45005
Operated by TheVoiceofMiamiValley.com
Serving CarlisleDaily.com, TheFranklinVoice.com, and TheSpringboroVoice.com
The articles and posts on this site do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the management and owner of The Voice of Miami Valley. Letters and Guests are welcome to submit to The Voice and all other sites managed by The Voice of Miami Valley. All submissions must be published with signatures. No unsigned submissions will be published. Submissions should be emailed to owner@thevoiceofmiamivalley.com Thank you for your readership!

Image by Morgacito via Flickr

Contributed by Karen Kelly, Bleached Blonde Mind

Plants and flowers thrive on it. Superman derives his power from it. And the Midwestseems to have forgotten what it actually looks like. I’m speaking of course, about the sun. And, since we’ve not seen it for the past two-thousand or so days (ok, yes, I tend to exaggerate), we are “done tuckered out.” The ark is taking up way too much room in our garage. My umbrella is a fixture in my purse. And my arms are getting tired from paddling to work.

I’ve been told that people from Seattle call in sick when the sun shines, so they can enjoy the big yellow ball in the sky, since the event rarely occurs. It makes total sense that a family of vampires would live in that area. But in this area, by springtime, we are supposed to be able to rejuvenate our senses and rejoice in the end of a long, cold and dreary winter by playing in the sunshine.

Except we really haven’t had much lately, to speak of. And when we do, I would not blame anyone that lives here to “pull a Seattle”. Even the dogs are laying near the bright lamps, trying to pretend they are basking in the sunshine.

There are pluses, of course. I’ve saved on sunscreen. I’ve not had the desire to go swimsuit shopping (trust me, this is a huge plus), my fern and moss are growing by leaps and bounds, and our lawn looks like a PGA golf course.

Then there are the downsides: my deck appears to have a green hue – and will have to be power washed of the mildew first chance we can get; the birds have decided our cedar house is a much more attractive and warm place to build a nest than the cold trees in the woods behind the house; my off white carpet now has a new pattern – it’s called “paws of all sizes”; my wardrobe is being shuffled back and forth between the “winter clothes closet” and the “summer clothes closet”; and we have to use a giant umbrella to BBQ outside.

Short of feeling like I’m beginning to channel Edward and his clan, I’ve decided there is nothing more to do than embrace the wetness and shout praises when the sun, once again, finally decides to shine. So, let’s do the positive thinking thing. You ready? All together, let’s sing the song that Paul, George and John wrote – during their apparent stay during a very long spring in the Midwest:

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right.*

*Written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.