We’ve all heard statements like this before: “If I win the lottery, I’ll quit my job immediately and go out and do all the things I’ve always wanted to do.” Most of us have at least fantasized about a financial windfall or some other news that would free us from our dreary daily existence.

However, when reality hits us, as it did me when I received my diagnosis of cancer, we are reluctant to make major changes in our lives. All of the sudden, we cling to the familiar, feeling a special closeness to our job, our friends, our house, etc.

Maybe the difference is the type of news. I suppose that if I won the lottery I would immediately get a new car and perhaps buy that condo in Florida that Lee & I have talked about for several years. Because my windfall was not financial and was bad news instead of good news, I am opting to savor and cherish what I have. I am choosing not to make wholesale changes in my life at this time, although I reserve the right to make changes later…