Fraidy Cats

Fear is a question: What are you afraid of, and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information, your fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if you explore them.
--Marilyn Ferguson

I’ve been spending a great deal of time researching my cancer, which is a terrifying experience—primarily because it’s all unknown territory to me. The more questions I ask, the more I realize how much more I need to know…and the cycle continues. Seeking and finding; questioning anew.

There are two ways you can handle fear: either seek out the answer, or cower under a rock somewhere. The reality of any situation will always remain, so why not face it eyes-open, brain stocked with data, and emotions bolstered with confidence that comes from understanding? Better than becoming paralyzed by unreasonable fear, fed by ignorance.

Find out what really scares the pants off you—and discover whether that fear is rational, or simply rooted in myth and misguidance. And then do something about it.

Prayer is a strong analgesic against Fear.

I have heard from more people in the past week, responding to my announcement last Friday that I have Prostate Cancer and what I am doing about it. Many men have said to me how much it made them realize they could be at risk, and that they were going to have the PSA test.

With any cancer, early detection is the key to survival. We’ve caught mine early…the prognosis is positive. Men—and the women who love them—in your mid-to late 40’s, and certainly any man over the half-century mark: Get tested. It’s a simple blood test for Prostate Specific Antigen, which at the least will establish a baseline against which you can compare next year’s test (subtle hint).

At best it will set your mind at ease. At worst, you find out sooner or later there’s a matter to be dealt with—and did I mention early-detection is the key to surviving Cancer?

What are you afraid of?
What is the key to unlock the answer to that fear?
Cancer is feared in our society, but it need not be the kiss of death.
And if that is your fear, don’t be a coward—let it be the seed that leads to answers to the unknowns within yourself.