Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Things Fall Apart
When people ask what has helped me “stay positive” on my cancer journey, I should just quote Pema Chödrön.
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Ginger and the Dayflower
Last fall, my brother Peter gave me a ginger plant, which I planted on the north side of the house outside the kitchen window. At that time of year the north yard is shaded, and the ginger got a good start. It mostly died back in the brief freeze we had this winter, and was…
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Working with our propensities
“Working with our propensities is a very helpful way to think in terms of “me.” Just think of it as propensity. The propensity to get angry: you explore the energy of anger, and you even want it to come up so that you can know it and be intimate with it. In terms of our…
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Cancer Prevention
Often, cancer is a crap shoot. It will be a while before medical science can always predict who will get cancer and who won’t. My cancer, plasma cell leukemia, is rare, and not much is understood about it. (Yes, I’m in complete remission, but this was my diagnosis not very long ago.) But it’s silly…
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The New Normal
When I agreed to a stem cell transplant, I only knew that it was my best chance for a cure. I’m in complete remission. The transplant did save and extend my life. I can think and write and meditate. I can get myself here and there. I’m able to appreciate and enjoy this beautiful life.…
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Reading and Writing
It’s a beautiful spring afternoon in Houston. I hope you’re comfortable and safe, wherever you are. A brief update on my health, for my friends who like keeping track of me: I’m generally feeling pretty good, still managing limited energy. In the last month my liver enzymes got too high; there’s a concern about graft-versus-host…
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Working it
Sleep has been elusive lately. From one night to the next, the Ambien might work, or not; the melatonin might work, or not. One night I took a Benadryl for my allergies AND an Ambien for sleep, and that worked too well… I’m on a steady dose of Prednisone again (thus the insomnia), because my…
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Two Steps Forward…
Sometimes I forget about my recovery. That might sound like a good thing. People might assume that I usually worry over my health, and that forgetting would mean “enjoying life.” But I don’t mean that at all. I’m not much of a worrier, and I strive to appreciate my life every day, just as it is. What…
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The Call to Adventure
Today I reread an old email newsletter from an astrologer friend, Joseph Crane. In it, he comments briefly on the differing connotations of the words “journey” and “adventure.” This inspired me to do a bit of reading and review. How timely. I’ve been saying that I don’t particularly care for the phrase “cancer journey.” It…
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Walking
After a short night of sleep last night (I’m still on a low dose of Prednisone for a few more days), I finally got myself up and out of the house by lunch time. I headed to W. 19th Street in the Heights and finished some last-minute holiday shopping. Between the Heights and Amazon, I…
Got any book recommendations?
A Few Thoughts 