Dean Michael Berris

I get reminded once in a while why I work so hard and why I keep working harder and trying to improve myself. I get reminded that the best things in life are free -- not necessarily without cost, but more because the best things in life do not come from what you do but what you get from being with people you love and love you.

Lunch was a good time being with friends -- and being able to foot the bill without having to think too much about it, and how a good lunch out experience builds better relationships with people. Being able to connect with friends and building a more open communication environment without strings is something no amount of money can buy. This is why the best things in life are free.

A great dinner and movie with someone you love and loves you too you can get anytime; even footing the bill(s) without thought. But the unforgettable experience of being with someone you love and letting that person feel safe and not have to worry about anything; letting that person know that you will do anything and whatever it costs to make things happen; then seeing that person smile, feeling that person's hand in yours, and the trust that person puts into your relationship and you in particular -- these, no amount of money can buy. This is why the best things in life are free.

It's the simple act of thanking someone and being able to be of assistance to someone which makes the best things in life worth it. It makes all the sacrifice and hard work people put into being the best person they can be worth while.

I'm blessed that I'm able to be a blessing to other people -- especially to those whom I care about. I am thankful that I'm able to be of assitance to others. And I am thankful that I am able to thank others for being there for me allowing me to experience the best things in life.

Have you thanked someone who's done something good for you today?

CHill.

So I'm back in the office now. It's not a joke this job that I do... It's not a joke by a long shot. So when there are meetings, conversations, things to do, and other issues that need to be resolved the last thing I want to think about it eating. But then when you're in a metropolitan city where all the conveniences of the modern life -- and modern food -- are at an arm's reach, how can I avoid thinking about food?

The answer is I don't. I think about it like I ought to think about it: what I can eat and what I ought not to eat. I can talk about it and I can think about it but I stick to the food that I should eat.

I get it from friends and work mates: "So what *can* you eat?". The answer is simple: only those that's good for me. That means low sodium, low fat, high fiber, low/no sugar, virtually no cholesterol, all good natural food. And that's not just because I'm on a diet to lose weight, that's also so that I can stay a bit longer here in this world we're living in.

It's right that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. But now it's too late for that in my case: so I just ought to stick to what's right for me.

Thanks to friends and family who are very supportive, I'm now actually believing that I can do this.

Work is the least of my concerns right now. But this work's got to be done.

Until tomorrow.

Each day gets better. Not only does my love for my girlfriend grow stronger every day, the chest pain I've been feeling for the past week is starting to go away. Today is the first day I feel that I can do anything and move about without the chest pain bothering me.

When I woke up this morning (pretty late) it felt different. I wasn't feeling any discomfort in my chest anymore -- or at least it's not like it used to be. Now I'm enjoying this day like I used to enjoy everyday with virtually no pain in my chest.

I also had a very nice IM conversation with my love -- who also commented on my first day post -- and all I can say is that my day is going very well. I hope the coming days are more like this day, and that the road to reversing diabetes and hypertension would be as nice as this day.

If there's something that I need to get through which will take more out of me than anything else I've ever done is saying "no" to a lot of the food that I used to eat. The diet is pretty minimal -- because the food that diabetics and hypertensive people shouldn't eat are the same food I shouldn't eat in order for me to 1) lose weight 2) control the blood sugar 3) avoid the high blood pressure 4) live healthy. Not to mention there are absolute no-no's like coffee (goodbye Starbucks), tea (goodbye C2), and alcohol (goodbye Heineken).

More about that in the coming days. Right now I need to prepare for lunch -- which would be oatmeal with fruits. Yum.

Until tomorrow.