This is a very spontaneous post. I hadn’t planned to write one but here we go.

It’s been inspired by reading the quote to the left, the tragic death of a footballer and the ongoing suffering of humans around the world. Some of whom make headlines and most who don’t.

And these observations were all happening just as I was listening to a song by 4 Non Blondes, called What’s Up? You may have heard it before.

All of this randomness has caused me to write this blog as somewhere inside me it hit a chord. Mainly because I’ve been listening a lot to people complaining, whinging, whining and carrying on about things that maybe are not so important. I include myself in this. I like to complain too.

Then I saw an Instagram post (the one above) from a group I follow called ‘Live Life Now’. It reminded me of what I’ve been through in the last couple of years. It made me realise that life is precious, that I have a second chance.

I worked fucking hard to beat cancer. I nearly died. My daughter nearly lost her father. My wife nearly lost her husband. My siblings nearly lost their brother.

But I survived. Others aren’t so fortunate.

So why the fuck am I complaining about stuff that really isn’t that important? Because I shouldn’t be. Stuff that isn’t going to kill me. Stuff that is just the rich tapestry of life. Yes Nick, if you’re reading this, I’m quoting myself. Ha ha.

The rich tapestry of life that will always have its ups and downs. The good and the bad. The good should always be enjoyed, and the reality of the bad is most of it is not that bad. It’s just annoying. So stop complaining about it. Life is precious, enjoy it.

Back to the quote. I sat in a chemo ward. I injected that crap into my veins to save my life. I watched others do the same. I talked to others. I saw the fear in peoples eyes. I saw people cry. I saw people have bad reactions to the drugs. I saw a person start to go into anaphylactic shock. They were saved by the amazing nurses.

I’ve talked to people on line who have, or had, cancer. Some of them aren’t here anymore. I miss their words of inspiration. I miss seeing the photos of them on social media. I miss them and I might not have even known them that well. But we are all part of the family we never wanted to be part of. The cancer family. But once you’re part of this family you support each other. You’re there for each other, even if it’s only in small ways. Why? Because we understand each other. We know the reality of this shit journey that no one will totally get unless they’ve lived it.

On this journey the daily normality now seems kinda nice. It’s not boring anymore because it’s so much better than sitting in a chemo ward wandering if I’m going to die. Sitting there realising that life is so very precious and I want to live it. I so desperately wanted that second chance. And I got it. So I tell myself to stop complaining about the little things. And maybe you should too, because you just don’t know what’s around the corner.

The footballer, who had everything, killed in a car crash, just this morning. Twenty eight years old, newly married, three children. A career at Liverpool football club, an English Premier League player. How could anything go wrong? Except it did. It’s a tragedy. Football aside, three little children just lost their dad. Just like that.

Not to detract from that but all around the world non-famous people die in car crashes everyday. It doesn’t make headlines but it’s still a tragedy for their families.

So stop complaining about the little things, they really don’t matter that much. Enjoy the fact that you’re still alive.

I try to not watch the news, but sometimes I do. I also see things on social media that friends put on. I see the wars, the destruction, the starvation, the bombs, the guns and all the senseless deaths. I’m so grateful not to live in those parts of the world. I still don’t understand what drives certain humans to be so full of hate that they feel the need to kill others. To destroy lives.

Life is so precious. But so many people waste it, in so many different ways. Myself included in the past. I’m not innocent of that. I had to face death to realise how wasteful I’ve been in certain periods of my life. How I’ve been a dickhead, and at times maybe not a very nice person. I can look at myself honestly and say that. I like to think that most of the time I’ve been an alright bloke. But like everyone I’ve had my moments.

Lying in a bed feeling your life ebb away gives you chance to think though. It gives you a chance to feel. It allows you to ask yourself that question “what is the reality of life?” Then you realise how precious it is. How you need to change.

Then you get better. Time passes and some of the old habits slip back in.

Then boom, you see an instagram post, read the headlines about a dead footballer, watch the news about starving kids and you’re suddenly back in that bed. Suddenly being reminded how precious life is. It really is.

Then I write a post spontaneously. It winds all over the place, but I hope you get the point of it. Don’t sweat the small stuff, stop stressing and complaining about the daily grind. Be grateful you’re here to live it, because tomorrow you might not be. Tomorrow you might die in a car crash. Tomorrow you might hear those words “you have cancer”. Then everything, and I mean everything, changes. Then you’ll wish you had daily normality back. You really will.

Oh and the song I mentioned. It’s these words that hit a chord:

“And I try, oh, my God, do I try? I try all the time, in this institution. And I pray, oh, my God, do I pray? I pray every single day for a revolution. And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed. Just to get it all out, what’s in my head. And I, I am feeling a little peculiar. And so I wake in the morning and I step outside. And I take a deep breath and I get real high. And I scream from the top of my lungs, “What’s going on?” I said, “Hey, what’s going on?”

The Reality of Life?

It’s Precious!