It took a little while for things to calm down after the wedding weekend. My challenge was to continue to live life every day in an upbeat manner now that the “big” event was concluded. However, this was pretty simple for me. Why? I always kept in mind that I was the luckiest man alive. And this meant new goals for me.
But, before I get to the post-wedding tasks that I took on, let’s look back much further. This next discussion is something I didn’t cover earlier. Yet, it is something important to detail at this point – in the interest of openness and full transparency about my life. I am a far better person today than ever before. My life journey on this road well predates my getting cancer. I hope you can gain some insights from this part of my journey. Here goes.
As I noted previously, I have been a high achiever throughout my adult life. Ph.D. at 26. First book published at 30. Chairperson of my department at Hofstra at 30. Full professor at 35. Distinguished professor at 40. Not bad for someone who was the first member of his family to attend college, right?
I mention these achievements not to brag, but as a prelude to showing how human I was – and still am. I have flaws and self-doubts like virtually everyone else. Many of them I recognized when I was young. Others took a while to grasp. I am still learning about myself today. A life turning point for me occurred in the summer of 1994. This is a difficult story to tell. And I have not