A blast from the past and lyrics that remind me

I was watching the Grammy's tonight. I usually don't, however, when one of your best childhood friends is being nominated for one you tend to pull up a seat and pay attention.

I was chatting with this friend not long ago. We reminisced about the past and talked about where we've been, where we're going, and some of the things we've gone through along the way. Mostly, we talked about some of the pranks we used to pull together and were both famous for; many of which are still whispered about in reverent tones throughout the halls of our school and reunions we've never attended. We even talked about the time back in 10th when I asked him to transpose some lyrics to my HS sweetheart's favorite song so I could play it for her on Valentine's. And, even though our years together didn't work out and she's married to a wonderful man and has children of her own now, I'm sure halfway around the world she's thinking about that evening tonight and letting it take her breath away one more time. Forget going to Jared; I had a future Grammy winner give my first love a gift she'll never forget. Suck it Casanova!

It was a good conversation. In an inadvertently poignant way, it reminded me who I am, where I'm from, and that no matter where I go or what happens to me, the person I was is still the person I am. Warts, wrinkles, viruses, and all. I'm not going to let genital friggin herpes or anything else take that away from me. And, this morning as I listen to this song written by an old friend I'm reminded that I have a choice. We all have a choice regardless of the challenges we face. Life's going to kick and there will be bumps along the road. Some will be small, some will be large. Some will challenge you, some could kill you. At the end of the day life is all about how we choose to overcome these bumps and blisters and move forward.

I've had a rough few weeks and have some rough and scary days ahead. But, this morning as I look in the mirror I can see the word "overcomer" staring right back at me from the hole in my heart that this diagnosis has opened up. It's right there in flashing neon daring me not to see it. It's daring you to hear the words to this song and see the same thing in yourself.

Love it - If I had a dance partner I'd do a routine to this. Speaks to my struggles in my dance world. Being 50-something and competing against 20-somethings isn't for quitters ;)