Recap

Whoa! Last week was my first since starting this blog in which I didn't have a post. Probably a good thing, it would be hard to top my previous weighty topic so quickly. This might become more commonplace. Not sure I can or really want to keep up the pace I've been writing at.

I'm back now, though, and am here to provide a recap of what's been going on in my life the past month. No...not even a month really. More like two and a half weeks. These past weeks can best be summarized with some pros/cons.

• Con: Mom got a horrible cancer diagnosis. You already read about that.
• Pro: My girlfriend and I spent our first major holiday together. She visited for Easter, and we had a grand ol' time.

• Con: Another cancer diagnosis in my family. My grandfather's lung cancer, beaten into remission years back, has returned with a vengeance.
• Pro: My girlfriend and I took a short road trip through Eastern Washington to visit friends from our college days. We got to hangout with people we hadn't seen in a year (longer for her), surprise friends who thought we were coming later in the week, visit our alma mater, and return to the place where we first met. I also got to eat, then choke on, a "Peep" meant to represent Jesus. Happy Easter!

• Pro: Baseball season started!
• Con: I missed Opening Day and most of Opening Week. Hey! I was traveling - I have an excuse!

• Pro: Season finale of Justified!
• Con: No more Justified until next year. :(
• Pro: New episodes of Doctor Who!

• Con: My NCAA tournament bracket sucks. Like, god-awful this year.
• Pro: The Warriors are poised to make the playoffs. I have a reason to pay attention to the NBA again!

• Con: North Korea is poised to destroy the world.
• Pro: Wrestlemania XXIX was last night! (Although admittedly, rather lackluster for a PPV.)

That basically covers it. There is more I've probably forgotten to mention, but as you can see from the list, there's been a lot on my mind lately. My brain capacity is pretty much full.

Now I realize that the cons may seem to substantially outweigh the pros, but keep in mind I'm the guy who really, really appreciates the little things in life. The things that I feel actually make life worth it all, despite the awful tragedies that occur everyday. As John Fogerty once sang, "I ain't no fortunate one." Life hasn't been fair to me since I was 12. I've gotten used to it and adapted.

Sure, I could fret about North Korea's impending nuclear assault on America's West Coast and our Pacific allies, but it's much more entertaining to worry about how Pablo Sandoval's weight might affect his batting average, power numbers, and fielding.

I could moan about how everyone I know is dying (I did two weeks ago, after all). But that is (generally) not who I am. So even as life continues to pile up the crap in my life and threaten to bury me beneath it, I'm still going to enjoy those little things.

Where would any of us be if it weren't for our friends and family? What would any of us do without our hobbies and interests? These things define us. I've still got friends and family, and I've still got plenty of distractions. While I need to avoid getting too caught up in my distractions, letting life's turmoil define me is not a suitable alternative. I need to find the careful balance - as I always have.