Yesterday afternoon I took River fishing on the dock of a nearby lake (Cedar doesn't fish, so he stayed home). As I was casting my lure, a guy began strolling back and forth on the dock behind me, striking up a conversation. He was obviously very friendly, and seemed eager to talk so we began chatting. He shared that he was developing a five-year plan to travel widely, seeking adventure and life experience. Part of this, he divulged, was due to his dissatisfaction with Oklahoma's narrow views on issues of culture and lifestyle, a point with which I found myself agreeing very heartily.

He told me that he has been on disability for a while, unemployed, and we began talking about our job backgrounds. When I shared that I am a social worker he became intrigued and asked me about my work experiences and philosophies. He then disclosed that the other reason he is seeking adventure is that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an incurable condition. I was surprised by the contrast between his terminal diagnosis and his absolutely pleasant and bright demeanor, and I thought of my mom's recent terminal diagnosis.

He told me that rather than destroying him, the diagnosis had been freeing, and had inspired him to become more spiritual, more carefree, and more courageous--"I want to experience anything that interests me, because what's the worst that could happen? I could die? We're all dying anyway. From the moment we are born, we are mortal, we have a death sentence, and it's up to us to make something of ourselves in-between." He told me that he was inspired by the Buddhist teaching that the root of misery is desire for possessions, and that he had decided to become unattached to material things: "I want to sell what I own and just travel and meet people."

He also revealed that he attends a men's trauma group at a local counseling center, and that he was recovering from a hurtful relationship in which his trust in a partner had left him embarrassed and wounded. But what struck me is that in the face of adversity--both from betrayal and from medical obstacles--he had developed a plan to become happy and to seek adventure rather than returning to a mundane "cubicle life" from which he had come.

He gave me permission to share this story with you, and I just thought it was interesting that he just happened to start this conversation with me. "I don't believe in coincidence", he told me.