LiveSTRONG

Perhaps I’m a bit too forceful when I respond.
But if you’re going to ask a stupid fucking question – without first gaining the knowledge and background – then you deserve a scowl and a terse retort.
“So, do you get extra credit for wearing two of those?” the guy at work asked on Friday about the two yellow LiveSTRONG bracelets on my right wrist.
“You do when you’re honoring two people who actually died of cancer,” I shot back with a look – a look that people actually have told me they never want to have directed their way ever again.
And the stricken pall that came over his face is one that I actually hoped for.
“Oh, ahhhh, I, ahhh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t being flippant,” he said. “I didn’t know.”
And spent like two minutes at my desk making nice.
(And if you didn’t know, maybe don’t ask – or inquire nicely as to why I might want to wear two LiveSTRONG bracelets.)
They are there to honor my uncle Roger and my mother, who both died of colon cancer in 2005. It’s to honor how they lived with the disease.
And how both died with dignity – surrounded by family and friends.
They are there to remind me to live my life to its fullest.
Every single day.
And now, if you excuse me, it’s a fantastic day out there. Time for a long ride – and then a long hike with friends.

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