Keeping Things in Perspective

I learned today that Todd, a good friend of mine, has been hospitalized for a very aggressive B-Cell lymphoma; he was diagnosed yesterday, hospitalized yesterday and is starting chemotherapy today.

That kind of makes Active Directory and Exchange Server problems seem sort of trivial, doesn't it?

I spoke with him on the phone this evening, and he was in great spirits, all things considered. He was full of jokes, and according to his wife he's been driving the doctors and nurses crazy with his bizarre sense of humor.[1] While we were talking he gave me two great quotes:

"I have an alien the size of a softball sitting on my heart."

and

"The one bad thing about all this is that with all the scans they've been doing, I know that I don't actually have a heart of steel."

This second quote was a reference to the Manowar song titled "Heart of Steel" from their "Kings of Metal" album. I have always found this song to be particularly inspirational[2] so I'm going to include its lyrics here.

Build a fire a thousand miles away
To light my long way home
I ride a comet
My trail is long to stay
Silence is a heavy stone
I fight the world and take all they can give
There are times my heart hangs low
Born to walk against the wind
Born to hear my name
No matter where I stand I'm alone

Stand and fight
Live by your heart
Always one more try
I'm not afraid to die
Stand and fight
Say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel

Burn the bridge behind you
Leave no retreat
There's only one way home
Those who laugh and crowd the path
And cut each others throats
Will fall like melting snow
They'll watch us rise
with fire in our eyes
They'll bow their heads
Their hearts will hang low
Then we'll laugh and they will kneel
And know this heart of steel was
Too hard to break
Too hard to hold

Stand and fight
Live by your heart
Always one more try
I'm not afraid to die
Stand and fight
Say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel

There are many people out here thinking of you and praying for you, Todd. Don't forget it.

[1] To put this in context, he's the best QA person I've ever worked with, and I truly believe that a bizarre sense of humor, combined with a strong desire to irritate others, is a prerequisite to excel in this role.
[2] To the point that I have some of its lyrics tattooed on my leg, but that's another story.