Photo of Rebecca Dufek with Mt. Rainier looming in the distance taken by cancer survivor friend Elaine Eigeman July 29, 2009. This is hike 16 of my 20 hike goal this summer.
Photo of Rebecca Dufek and cancer survivor friend Lori taken by fellow cancer survivor and TSNW friend Elaine Eigeman on our Snow Lake hike in the Cascade Mountains July 15th, 2009. I am the hiker in the purple shirt.
Photo of Rebecca Dufek taken by underwater photographer Harley Dufek in Cozumel, Mexico August 2009. It is one of 30 dives we enjoyed while on vacation.
A friend sent me this annonymous quote today with words and a philosophy so powerful that I just have to share it with you! Living in a state of constant unknowns and repeatedly facing my own mortality/threats to my quality of life, the advice could not be more fitting.
To get you up to speed very briefly, I am going in for another brain surgery next month. As you may recall, I was supposed to have a surgery last fall but I luckily escaped! The tumor was not showing significant growth but in March and last week it has. Two tunors have grown and merged together putting compression on my brainstem again. Thus, I am to a point where I need to take action before my quality of life permanently digresses.
Anyhow, I have known about this since March but I wanted my summer to play. It has been the summer of all summers and the one I have always dreamed of occupying my time between the mountains and the sea. I did not want to waste it and wanted to make the most of my time. Before my 2007 surgery I was totally distraught having emotional breakdowns here and there. Well I got tired of that and the anxiety I had before and after my 2004 radiosurgery when the tumor kept getting larger. All the worry was a complete waste of time of the precious moments I did have. It has taken awhile (many years) to realize that but I finally wised up. The negative energy is a total sap of my energy and is an obstacle to achieving what I want to do.
So today, these words are a good reminder to me of the path that I have chosen. I hope they capture your heart and soul too. Go out there and make the most of it!
Annonymous Quote
Life is too short to wake up with regrets...
So love the people who treat you right,
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason...
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands If it changes your life, let it!
Nobody said life would be easy
they just promised it would be worth it!!!
The happiest people don't necessarily
have the best of everything,
They just make the most of everything
that comes along their way....
