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i reached the 1/2 way point of today’S bike ride looking forward to the fish sandwich/Busch beer (i know, Busch? Hey, don’t judge, when in Rome). i ordered the sandwich and walked across the street to the general store to p/u a can of beer (no beer sold at fish place). I bought my $1.50 beer, walked out of store and sat on an empty bike rack, the ones that you push your front tire in and your good to go. I sat, pondered, and looked around. With the first “sip” half my beer was gone. it was super cold and phucking tasty. Everything was going according to the plan. As Warren Zevon once said, I was in splendid isolation. Perfect biking weather, cold beer and fish sandwich OTW. Until the black Chevy p/u truck pulled up. a gentleman approx. in his 60’s stepped out of the truck, walked up to the store, gave me a warm hello/how are you, and then disappeared inside. I sat, took a few more sips and back in the store I went for #02. After buying the beer I went back to my bike rack and was just about to leave to p/u my sandwich. the gentleman with the black truck walked out of store and it was then that the black truck gentleman and i exchanged some light conversation. He told me he just retired in January, 2020 and was still working part time delivering pharmaceuticals. I told him i was a nurse. He quipped, “nurses get paid a lot of money, but I think you deserve a lot more.” We laughed and it was then that he told me that he developed a cough at about the same time he retired from his full time job. It is so interesting that when someone finds out that you are a nurse the flood gates of their emotions & personal life open up and you become nurse/ psychologist/confidante. He explained that he went to see his PCP and they sent him to a pulmonologist. Two CT’s later, he was diagnosed with stage 03 inoperable lung cancer with a 2-5 year life expectancy, maybe. I came so phucking close to losing my schitt right there and then, but held on. I told him about my brother and what he went through when they discovered his stage 04 lung cancer via a CT w-similar circumstances. He said he was angry about the situation and he had appointment with an oncologist in the next few days to discuss future treatments. I gave encouragement, we spoke for a while, exchanged pleasantries and off we went in different directions. It totally phucking sux. This really nice dude retires, looks forward to fishing, hanging with the fam and enjoying the fruits of his probably 45 years of labor and a phucking hammer comes out of the sky and phucks his life up. Life lesson: LIVE, and I mean, LIVE! there is no bond between us and mañana. McAvoy

To Black truck dude, thank you for reinforcing the fact that our time here is so totally limited and it is so important that we live our lives the way we deem best.