Who's Your Angel?

In the past two months or so I've been at the gym, I've had a chance to meet and work with several members. Our members are friendly, and many are very hard workers in and out of the gym. The personalities range, and there are a few that really stand out. I want to talk a bit about one such stand out.

There always seemed to be this one guy that was extremely friendly and happy...I mean really almost satirical-like. His energy and sincere passion for life really drew my curiosity, and I asked one of the girls at the desk about him. "Oh that's Johnny" they told me. We all discussed that this guy was really nice, but I still didn't know that much about him. While conducting a fitness assessment one day recently, my client and I walked through the gym and came across Johnny. He and my client knew each other and chatted for a moment. Johnny and I formally introduced ourselves, and he shared briefly that he'd had cancer twice and that he founded a company built on providing one-on-one support for cancer fighters and survivors. I told him that my mom was, in fact, a breast cancer survivor, and he gave me his card to follow up. My mom is now registered with Johnny and is one of the "angels". I encourage all of you to read Johnny's compelling story by clicking on the title to this blog or here to read a letter about Johnny's fight and why he decided to start this company.

Step back for a moment and really put this in perspective. It's so easy at times to take for granted what we've been given. We all face issues and also have good times. But whenever you feel that you can't push yourself (in any endeavor) harder or feel upset or angry regarding petty disputes, etc, think about people battling for their lives and what life means to them. We who have not faced a deadly disease like cancer can't begin to fathom exactly what it's like, but we can surely try. And we owe it to those less fortunate to live our lives to the fullest--caring, compassionate, positive, and always with a high level of integrity. Support those you care about and that care about you. Also, try the harder thing--to support people you care less for or don't even know. Show mercy and love even to your enemies, and appreciate life. Have a great day everyone--what a glorious day to be alive! Thanks for reading!