Do you have a life “to-do” list? If so—good for you! If not—why not? I was lucky enough to cross a few items off mine this summer. Hooray! Since summer 2006 was spent in surgery, hospitals and chemotherapy, without hair or sunshine . . . this year, I decided to give myself a summer vacation. Remember what summer vacations were like? How about spring break? Too bad we don’t get those anymore when we leave school.
In April I quit my job, cashed in some investments and proceeded to enjoy four months of work-free bliss. Yes, I had moments of sheer panic wondering if I would be able to pay for my health insurance, and what my next job would be, but mostly, I had fun. So much of our lives are spent worrying about work, working, or looking for work. I know, I know, it’s necessary for those of us who want to eat. I get it. But it is possible to earn a living while also having a life. I came across two books this summer that were inspiration for not going back to a regular 9-5 job—The Joy of Not Working by Ernie J. Zelinski and The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. I haven’t read them both, but I’m well into the first one, and it makes some fine points about the ability to enjoy leisure time. Too many of us wrap our lives up in work and forget how to live.
The subtitle for this article is the slogan of a friend’s website i2y (www.imtooyoungforthis.org). “Got Cancer? Under 40? Sucks, huh? Get Busy Living.” Matthew Zachary started his organization in 2004, and it has recently gotten a lot of attention. Time Magazine named his website one of the top 50 in the world, and he and his organization are about to be featured on the hot new Lifetime TV show A Side Order of Life.
I also recently met Kris Carr, 36-year-old cancer survivor and creator of Crazy, Sexy Cancer, a documentary airing on The Learning Channel, and a book, just published. Kris has written the kind of book I want to write—fun, irreverent, helpful, and full of life. Google “crazy, sexy” and she will come up.
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