Journal entry by Tom Landis, photos by Mad
Wow, so much is going on in the world that my health issues seem quite mundane. I try to stay upbeat, to live with a positive attitude. Watching the news of the day makes that challenging as it’s hard not to get discouraged by current events. A philosophical base I have tried most of my life to maintain is that “The key to happiness is being content with what you have.” I still feel that way and I am happy most of the time, but… disease and current events make it difficult sometimes.
Challenges to contentment abound. From a worldwide perspective the pandemic is horrendous, The same goes for the paroxysm of racial unrest that is sweeping our country. And these have been especially exacerbated by the shocking ineptitude of our national leadership. I would try to say what I think about our president, but the list in my mind of his negative qualities is just too extensive. I believe that all politicians are liars, sometimes for valid reasons, usually not, but our president is in a league all by himself and I simply cannot stand it!!!
End of diatribe. I turn my head to look out the window and see the most beautiful white headed woodpecker on our suet feeder. Mt. Jefferson is obscured by clouds right now, but just knowing it is there grounds me. Maybe I’ll walk over to the river later this afternoon; the riparian vegetation is so lush. A few months ago everything was brown; now it is a green explosion. Wildflowers are coming out in profusion and should be at their peak in a few weeks. There is so much beauty in life and I am so grateful that I am still around to experience it. This line of thought makes me extremely happy, in spite of the shitstorm of current events.
Okay. Here’s the gist of what’s going on with me. If that’s all you came here for, my apologies for clogging your mind with philosophical thoughts and rantings.
Earlier this week we traveled up to Portland; the first time I have been out of Central Oregon since late February. I had a CT scan and meetings with four doctors. Bottom line is that all the doctors are happy because the scan shows very minimal change from the last one in early February. That means that the treatments for both cancer and NTM have stabilized those conditions. They are not going away, nor would I expect them to do so, therefore “stable” is the best scenario I could hope for. Fifteen pills a day fighting the bad bugs in my body are keeping me “healthy” and happy.
Friday I went swimming for the first time in three months. It was great to get in the pool and feel myself move through the water, even though I felt a bit stiff from being a terrestrial animal for so long. Getting back to amphibian mode is so nice. I found that my speed has not suffered very much, though my endurance leaves a lot to be desired. But that will take care of itself as I am able to swim consistently. The “new normal” is that I must call in advance to reserve a lane of the pool for a particular time slot, only two times a week. Then I have 45 minutes for my practice but that is usually enough for my aging bod. Walking in the forest and along the river is a good way to maintain a certain level of fitness, but, for me, it does not measure up to a good swim workout.
I promised that, for those of you interested in my more mundane thoughts, I would post to my personal web site, tomlandis.com. And I have not done that as yet. Be patient—there is my life long problem of being a lazy slug.
I love my family, who I hope to see more of when travel becomes less problematic. I love Mad, who is by my side through joy and challenge. I love my friends, who I hope to be able to meet with face to face sometime in the not too far distant future. I wish I could reach out to each of you personally, but I have learned that there are just too many of you who care.
And I love the natural world, which keeps me grounded and constantly appreciative for life itself.
Thanks for listening.
Wow, so much is going on in the world that my health issues seem quite mundane. I try to stay upbeat, to live with a positive attitude. Watching the news of the day makes that challenging as it’s hard not to get discouraged by current events. A philosophical base I have tried most of my life to maintain is that “The key to happiness is being content with what you have.” I still feel that way and I am happy most of the time, but… disease and current events make it difficult sometimes.
Challenges to contentment abound. From a worldwide perspective the pandemic is horrendous, The same goes for the paroxysm of racial unrest that is sweeping our country. And these have been especially exacerbated by the shocking ineptitude of our national leadership. I would try to say what I think about our president, but the list in my mind of his negative qualities is just too extensive. I believe that all politicians are liars, sometimes for valid reasons, usually not, but our president is in a league all by himself and I simply cannot stand it!!!
End of diatribe. I turn my head to look out the window and see the most beautiful white headed woodpecker on our suet feeder. Mt. Jefferson is obscured by clouds right now, but just knowing it is there grounds me. Maybe I’ll walk over to the river later this afternoon; the riparian vegetation is so lush. A few months ago everything was brown; now it is a green explosion. Wildflowers are coming out in profusion and should be at their peak in a few weeks. There is so much beauty in life and I am so grateful that I am still around to experience it. This line of thought makes me extremely happy, in spite of the shitstorm of current events.
Okay. Here’s the gist of what’s going on with me. If that’s all you came here for, my apologies for clogging your mind with philosophical thoughts and rantings.
Earlier this week we traveled up to Portland; the first time I have been out of Central Oregon since late February. I had a CT scan and meetings with four doctors. Bottom line is that all the doctors are happy because the scan shows very minimal change from the last one in early February. That means that the treatments for both cancer and NTM have stabilized those conditions. They are not going away, nor would I expect them to do so, therefore “stable” is the best scenario I could hope for. Fifteen pills a day fighting the bad bugs in my body are keeping me “healthy” and happy.
Friday I went swimming for the first time in three months. It was great to get in the pool and feel myself move through the water, even though I felt a bit stiff from being a terrestrial animal for so long. Getting back to amphibian mode is so nice. I found that my speed has not suffered very much, though my endurance leaves a lot to be desired. But that will take care of itself as I am able to swim consistently. The “new normal” is that I must call in advance to reserve a lane of the pool for a particular time slot, only two times a week. Then I have 45 minutes for my practice but that is usually enough for my aging bod. Walking in the forest and along the river is a good way to maintain a certain level of fitness, but, for me, it does not measure up to a good swim workout.
I promised that, for those of you interested in my more mundane thoughts, I would post to my personal web site, tomlandis.com. And I have not done that as yet. Be patient—there is my life long problem of being a lazy slug.
I love my family, who I hope to see more of when travel becomes less problematic. I love Mad, who is by my side through joy and challenge. I love my friends, who I hope to be able to meet with face to face sometime in the not too far distant future. I wish I could reach out to each of you personally, but I have learned that there are just too many of you who care.
And I love the natural world, which keeps me grounded and constantly appreciative for life itself.
Thanks for listening.
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