Mission Log:
July 16, 2026
Some mornings the hardest battle isn’t with cancer.
It’s with the voice that says, “Skip today.”
Mission Control woke up tired. For a brief moment I forgot why I had to get out of bed. Then it came back. More blood work. More waiting. More uncertainty. Part of me honestly didn’t care.
Thankfully, another part did.
That second voice won.
I sat down with my journal anyway. That’s when I realized something important. Writing isn’t just something I enjoy anymore. It’s become a habit. I showed up even while complaining about showing up. Funny how discipline works. Sometimes the victory isn’t enthusiasm. Sometimes it’s simply putting pen to paper.
Go me.
The morning started with medication and another experiment in low iodine cooking. A veggie skillet became breakfast before heading out for yet another blood draw. Even the Mountain Dew Melon tasted different today. Yesterday it was a small celebration. Today it just tasted… off. Maybe the medication. Maybe the diet. Maybe everything.
I also made an important trading decision.
No trade.
One of my personal rules says every box has to be checked before risking a position. Today they weren’t. I wasn’t mentally focused, I had appointments ahead of me, and I simply didn’t feel right. So there was nothing to debate. Observe if you want. Trade? Absolutely not.
Alignment before outcome.
Rules exist so emotions don’t get a vote.
Later, sitting at my computer, I happened to open my desktop wallpaper. It was a photograph of Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel glowing against the Chicago evening sky. For just a moment, everything else disappeared. It was unexpectedly beautiful.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You’re welcome. Enjoy your day.”
Whether that reply came from memory, imagination, faith, or somewhere beyond me doesn’t really matter. It arrived exactly when I needed it.
The evening was quieter than the morning.
Breakfast had been the veggie skillet and coffee. Dinner became the leftovers with Mucho Mango tea. I tried settling into the recliner to write, but the waiting had become its own distraction. Every hour felt like riding a train toward a destination I couldn’t speed up or step off.
Tomorrow would bring answers.
Today simply asked for patience.
Mission Status
✅ Morning pages completed despite resistance.
✅ Blood work completed.
✅ Trading discipline maintained. No trade taken.
✅ Continued low iodine diet.
✅ Found an unexpected moment of gratitude in a simple wallpaper.
✅ Sol 18 complete.
“Writing isn’t only a joy. It’s a habit.
Alignment isn’t excitement.
It’s showing up anyway.” 🚀
