Is It True?

Got no checkbooks, got no banks,
Still I'd like to express my thanks -
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.
Irving Berlin

As I was looking back into my life, especially for the last 10 years or so, I thought I was working to fill up my bank account. I immersed myself in work so much so, I forgot my own health. As it deteriorated, I thought it's just fatigue and stressed from work. Everybody who works has these, a job hazards. My body was giving me signals but I could not see, I was too busy with this or that nor did I made any attempt to pause and understand more.

I thought I was healthy, I jog once a week on a hilly track and go to the gym to work out. Occasionaly I go for a swim too. I can outrun many 30+ year olds. I take part in half and quarter marathons and 7KM charity runs occasionally. Oh, yes, I don't smoke neither do I take liquor or even beer. An occasional drinker when I have to entertain customers/friends and during festive times.

So I was awaken by this big jolt of my life. This was my awakening call, the last chance my body is giving me. But what a price I am now paying. If I could, I would go back ten years back and take a simpler route in life. What saddens me is that as a Buddhist, we adopt the middle path, neither exterme in everything we do. I did not practice what I learned!

Believe System
When I was diagnosed with cancer, the first thing that was imprinted into my mind was what the doctor said. He made me believe that there was no cure and not only that. He did not even offer me any hope like there could be alternatives. Under those circumstances, what was in my mind then was how to spend the last few months of my life. I believe in what he said and subsequent six other specialist doctors also said the same thing. Doomed was I.

Yes, crying was one of the favourate activity. Actually can cry for weeks and still not enough. But then it occured to me was that it would be pointless to engage in self pity and if the doctors cannot cure me, at least I should try other means of curing myself. Yes, I can think, something I take for granted and more so now, I need to think. My thought was I can change and it has to start with me.

Louise Hay in her book, You Can Heal Your Life says "Whatever we believe becomes true for us". We make up our own believe system and this believe system actually arises from our own thought patterns. Most of us are not aware of it but it shape us. Unknown to us, some of what we believe are adopted from others, common acceptable believes is one such example.

So unless we change our thought patterns, we are stuck. For cancer patients, it is very important to know we are in total control of our thoughts. What the doctors said is only THEIR BELIEVE. You don't have to necessary buy it. Change you can and Ms Hay reminds us The Point of Power is always the present moment. You are never struck. This is where the changes take place, right here and right now in our own minds!