A Fool's Lucky Seven

Seven Foolish Years ago was the first of two relapses of the non-Hodgkins lymphoma I share the premises with and is now a teenager of 13 years old. Seven years ago I’d just begun chemo coinciding with April Fool’s day and Patti Smith igniting a flame in me with a song of the same name. My oncologist had instructed me to avoid crowds in my compromised immune state — but it was the Festifools Parade - and in my waaay altered state I wanted to be there - not on the sidelines, but in the parade! Being in the parade in the mysterious mask of an old man, I was driven to seize the moment, one old guy’s face protecting another's marching forward.

Seven years later of much foolishness and the seemingly impossible, I’m still here, still foolish, still not taking the impossible for granted. Seven added years of delightfulness, hard times, good times, and everything in between — the whole buffet of living and loving in its fullness every day.

Ain’t no place like here. Good to still share it with you all - even on the bad days, maybe especially on the bad days.

Home movie: https://youtu.be/sRVUHINrZiM