Sorry for the Long Pause

A reminder to listen to those close to you.

Well, that was a bit of a break. I realized that I have not been on Substack now for well over a month, and I have been trying to figure out how to approach the conversation of the why. In the end, just coming out and saying it helps move along the healing process in more ways than one.

Back in August, my wife and dear friends noticed that I had a spot on my neck that had changed both shape and texture. As a guy who works a lot outside during the summer months, I thought nothing of it more than possibly a sunburn just peeling. After multiple times of people going, “This doesn’t look right”, I went to the dermatologist and got the verdict. I had skin cancer.

I cannot stress enough the importance of listening to those around you during moments where you are “caught up” in work or activities. It happens more often than not that one begins to ignore the signs your body tells you that something is off. If anything, I have noticed people in the service industry, farming business, and hospitality work have a tendency to not look at themselves too deeply too often.

With the simple fact that if I had not listened, had not had gone to the dermatologist, had not followed through with the notion that I need to take better care of myself, my cancer would have spread quickly. The American Cancer Society gives very good statistics about Stage 0 to Stage IV survivability, and spoiler alert, Stage IV sucks a lot. With only 5% of people surviving skin cancer at Stage IV, it is something all of us need to be on top of and aware of.
I was lucky, I had people who were looking out for me when I was not doing it for myself. As much as I love serving and helping out others, that prime directive of making sure you have the ability to safely and effectively do so first should be adhered to. I cannot thank enough my wonderful wife Reana and my dear friends Nancy and Larry Johnson for making me stop in my momentum, and take a look at the situation at hand.