Friends and Meditation

Had lunch with a friend yesterday at Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill in Lone Tree. Turns out this chain has at least 2 restaurants in the Lone Tree area; we discovered this as we were each waiting for the other person at two different locations. When I setup the lunch, I evidently provided my friend with the address but I ended up going to the other location; I felt bad my friend had to wait but when he didn't show up (at the wrong location:) I was worried he'd been in a car accident - yesterday was a wet, snowy day in Denver (like today:) so it all turned out well and we had a great chat. I think my mistake was due in part to meeting another friend for lunch at the same restaurant the previous day. I'm catching up with a lot of my friends while I'm in Colorado, mostly over meals; hopefully, I'll put on some weight:)

I've known my friend for about 8 years; he used to be my client and we always worked well together but over time became good friends. About a year after my diagnosis with Osteoporosis, my friend was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Good reminder that no matter how "bad" your situation, there is always someone (and probably millions throughout the world) who is worse off.

My friend has always struck me as a positive, happy person who finds joy in helping others. When I spoke to him shortly after his initial diagnosis, he remained upbeat and positive. Now, after about a year of doctor visits, chemo, radiation, and surgery, his doctor thinks the cancer is gone; however, it could return so he needs to go in for tests every two years. Despite all he has been through, he remains positive and still looks like I remembered him (he didn't loose his hair). I think a big factor in his healthy look and his successful fight against the cancer is his positive energy.

We talked about positive energy and meditation and my experience with the latter. My friend says he wants to try it so I sent him a couple of suggestions for books to read and suggested he find local group meditation support. Some of the things I like best about meditation are:

• Inexpensive (price of a cushion) 
• Can do it anywhere
• You decides when and for how long to meditate 
• Unlike drugs, there are no adverse side effects:)