It\u2019s a kid game. Pick a high spot and shove everyone else off that pinnacle. Get to the high point! Be the one on top and triumph in the victory. Be the king!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until someone pushes me off and then I am no longer king. The top position changes so rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m in the position I longed for more than a year, undisputed victor in the war over cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I Won!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until the next thing comes along. And I am jockeying for the top position in another contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As uncomfortable as surgeries and chemo have been, at least I didn\u2019t wonder if I was doing the right thing. I was very clear on my priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that I\u2019m on the other side, that clarity got a lot fuzzier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am thinking of a TV show I watched for a while \u201cthe Riches\u201d had a scene. In a complicated case of mistaken identity, the main character in the head of a corporation. He is a swindler, but he asks the employees what their dreams are. In comparison to his unearned fortune, their requests are tiny. \u201cMy own parking place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are my priorities now? I want to spend this hard-earned life well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s worth a re-evaluation. What did I go through all that pain for? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I just finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An inquiry into Values<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the second reading of this amazing book and I can\u2019t sum it up. But I can talk about this part:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also known as goodness or excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can you tell what is of good quality? Is there an objective measure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s wrestling with the disparaging evaluation of quality. \u201cIt\u2019s just whatever you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This bumps into my personal style guide: avoid the word just<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Pirsig (the author) corrects that almost immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What if quality is whatever one likes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a mashup of science and hippie ethos. I can almost smell the vegan chili at the potluck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since I fought for this life I\u2019ve been given, do I really get to decide what is worth my time based on what I like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My perspective has changed, and I am willing to make greater space in my life for what I like just because\u2014no\u2014I will make greater space for what I like without needing additional reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I climbed the hill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a kid game. Pick a high spot and shove everyone else off that pinnacle. Get to the high point! Be the one on top and triumph in the victory. Be the king! Until someone pushes me off and then I … Continue reading
The narrator is trying to find a method of scientifically capturing quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n