Now that my life expectancy has been more than doubled, to three (3) years or more, there is a danger that I might lose sight of my resolutions, made when the cancer was first diagnosed. I decided then that I would truly savor each day and cherish my friends and loved ones, that I would begin to say the things I always wanted to say and that I felt deeply, so there would be no regrets on my death-bed. This promise to myself was certainly in the forefront of my thoughts when I was given some 15-16 months to live.

Being human however, I am afraid that the extended time will allow me to “put things off,” to procrastinate about my resolution since three years is a long time (only figuratively — it seems all that long to me now).

What I have to remember, however, is that the estimate of three years, like the estimate of 15 months, is simply an estimate — no one can predict when a cancer patient will die, at least not until the very end. I must not forget that my cancer is TERMINAL! I resolve, publicly, that this thought will motivate me to be true to my promises, to not take anything for granted, to never expect too much, and to be totally (even brutally) honest with everyone until I leave the planet.