Breast Cancer awareness rolled into San Jose with a walk and festival culminating at la Sabana. Harley’s lined up; families walked a few miles; and school bands marched. Women in booths passed around those little pink ribbons.

As I watched one of those bands pass by, I noticed this colorful clown fiddling with his rubber balloons and a baseball on a string. Children approached the clown, but his white face wasn’t all that interested in jesting with them. Some kids expected balloons and stood there for a bit. Bored, they finally moved on. How is it possible to wear a ridiculous clown suit and be so unapproachable?

Perhaps cancer, and all illnesses, can be attacked way, way, way before they start. As I watched my father die from prostate cancer, I couldn’t help but wonder about all that angst and worry he carried around with him for so many years. Did it have something to do with it? I fell deeply in love with my father as he suffered so - even though he almost drove me to the brink of actually using all that duct tape he stored in the closet to adhere myself to the ceiling. I don’t want to wait that long with those still around me. I don’t want to carry my angst; my worry until it makes me sick. I want to get on a Harley and ride (or at least admire one).

I plan on starting my own cancer/illness prevention program: Don’t worry, be happy.*

Wait a minute - did somebody already say that?

PS - In case that didn’t work…..give this a shot.