The Matrix: Revelations

This is what I thought about last week as I pulled off the electrodes, wiped the gel from the pads off my chest, and grabbed a quick shower. As a rinsed the shampoo off my head I checked the base of my skull for a hole.

So I got to thinking: "What is real in our lives?" By the time I toweled off, I concluded that to really live means we must experience both good and bad. Without the negatives, we would have no idea about the positives. That ice cream cone tastes good because our moms made us eat brussel sprouts. The 50 degrees today feels great because 365 days ago there was five feet of snow on the ground. Finishing an Ironman will be sweet because of all the trials that must be passed to get the finish line. All these I know are real and they are part of my life.

Today was the start of a new lunar year. There is a Chinese New Year's greeting that basically means "happiness and prosperity." There is a third part of this greeting that is often left off but this year it is imperative that I add the phrase "good health." Everyone in my immediate family right now has some medical condition. Four negatives but one positive "medical condition" that was "cured" on Sunday. My oldest sister give birth to her third child - a baby girl!!! So even though my family is in different parts of the country tonight worrying about our next visits to the doctor, we can all still celebrate a new life. How sweet it is.

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!!! Happiness, Prosperity, and Good Health!!!