“Get busy living or get busy dying”

In The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) expresses to Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) a sentiment that captures the essence of the film's theme: the importance of choosing a life filled with purpose and activity over one of passive resignation.

I can't count the number of times I've evaluated my life and decided change was in order. Sometimes it was a change in me; other times, it was my situation. The reasons varied as much as the alterations. Along the way, I realized, if we aren't transforming, we aren't living.

This most recent plot twist, in my life, was the diagnosis of cancer. Maybe it's because I've struggled with serious medical issues since I was 17. I guess I thought there was some kind of cosmic balance where I wouldn't need to worry about something serious because I'd already had my share of hurdles ..but "that's now how this works; that's not how any of this works".

I'm not one to give up or allow weakness to control my life; but, I'll admit the idea of laying in bed, pulling the covers over my head and just laying there until whatever came next, crossed my mind. Heck, maybe even until my house payments fell so far behind and foreclosure forced me to leave the house. But life is not for the faint of heart.

They say tomorrow is never promised - neither is the next second. You don't have to be facing a life-altering event to decide to flip the script. Choose your peace and happiness then follow it with no apologies or explanations.