July 22 marked the third anniversary of my au­tol­o­gous (own) stem cell trans­plant. Honestly, although the treat­ment went well, when I was sent home, three-years in the future seemed like a very long time away. I wouldn't have been surprised if a relapse had arrived before this day.

Today, how­ever, I'm still enjoying a com­plete response and rel­a­tive­ly good health with remarkably few side effects. My perspective on the future also is much brighter, and three more years of good health doesn't seem like a stretch anymore.

Much of my current …

One of the songs by Pearl Jam that I like a lot is "Pendulum," the seventh track on their 2013 album "Lightning Bolt." Here are the song's lyrics:

Can't know what's high, 'til you been down so low. The future's bright, lit up with nowhere to go.

To and fro the pendulum throws.

We are here and then we go, my shadow left me long ago. Understand what we don't know.

This might pass, this might last, this may grow. Easy come easy go, easy left me a long time ago.

Not …

“What are you going to do next?”

It’s rare that a slogan printed on a hat makes me pause, but reading this quote in a gift shop at Disneyland made me think.

My wife and I joined our oldest son and our three adorable grand­children for three days at the "happiest place on earth," and it was amazing. Seeing this magical world again through the eyes of our grand­children was heart-warming beyond description. As a multiple myeloma patient four years past diag­nosis, the trip was even more special.

Feeling so happy, and …

It’s on the tip of my tongue. “I could remove and reinstall the … uh …” pointing at the spot where the wall and the floor meet, moving my hand side-to-side indicating the length of the wall. “The uh …,” pointing again. “Baseboard! I could remove and reinstall the baseboard to save money when the new carpet is installed.”

This is a rough transcript of a real conversation I had this summer when we were planning to redecorate a room in our house. It is an example of a phenomenon that's become all too common …

It’s the beginning of a new year and time for resolutions. I’m not actually one to make New Year’s resolutions. However, I did make one back in 2014. At the time, my body told me I was drinking too much coffee, which I was doing mostly just to give me something to do while I worked in my office. I decided two cups a day was a good limit, and I’ve been able to stay with that (with a few exceptions). My resolve has paid off.

Apparently, a New Year's commitment to …

Just before Thanksgiving, I received word that my cousin John passed away. His memorial was held the Saturday fol­low­ing the holiday. There isn't anything that makes me think about life and death more than the passing of a friend or relative (except perhaps my cancer diag­nosis). The fact it hap­pened during a time when I was with nearly all of my family made it that much more sig­nif­i­cant.

I hadn't seen John in about six years, and we spent no time together as adults. Still, the news of his death hit me hard. …

I was recently reminded of an important lesson about statistics that applies to multiple myeloma. Interestingly enough, I was reminded of the lesson sitting in a stadium full of soccer fans, of all places. While a reg­u­la­tion soccer match is 90 minutes long, the official time is kept by the referee and he or she can add a few minutes to every match to compensate for the time play was stopped for injuries or other reasons. In the 93^rd minute of the last game of the regular season, the Seattle Sounders scored …