Tom Petty was right

Posted by Joel on August 12th, 2008 filed in General stuff

When he sang “the waiting is the hardest part”…I’ve just been hanging out pondering the reality to come next Monday-Tuesday when we return to see the radiology and oncology departments at IU.  Even though I’ll admit that it doesn’t consume all of my time as I truly understand that there isn’t anything that I can do to alter the reality that we’ll face next week, I will say that it is difficult to not let those thoughts creep into my head on occasion.  Somehow, knowing that I can’t change nor affect the outcome of the information that is to be received, while it leaves me feeling powerless in one sense…it really is the only comfort that I take in this waiting period.  I’m cautious not to be too anxious and miss the good times that are staring me directly in the face presently.  During this summer, I have truly enjoyed all of the visits with family and friends.  Not that I didn’t enjoy previous visits, its just the reality that has accompanied me with this illness that has allowed me to appreciate these times to a much larger degree.  Its the difference between catching a whiff of a flower or inhaling deeply into the same bouquet.  The first gives you the same scent but you don’t know what you’ve been missing unless you’ve truly experienced the latter.  Unlike Bill Clinton, I have been inhaling deeply since May 20th and experiencing life on a much different scale than ever before and it’s been pretty great.  Never again will I fail to stop and smell the roses as these are the true experiences worth remembering.  Talk to you soon 

Joel


10 Responses to “Tom Petty was right”

  1. Paula Cooprider Says:

    Joel,
    I don’t know Tom Petty but I agree with the quote from his song. Waiting is agonizing. I think you have exhibited maturity and wisdom beyond your years since May 20. I am vey proud of you. And I am amazed at your ability to so eloquently express yourself. I stumble around and after I have sent the message, I re-read what I sent and realize that I left out the point I was trying to make. You didn’t get your writing skills from your aunt.
    Even though the waiting seems to take so long it has been good to be together. So keep inhaling the roses deeply! Talk to you soon. We’re still praying for God’s healing on your body-we’ll be thinking about you Mon and Tues. Paula

  2. Amy Walker Says:

    Joel,

    Waiting can be awful but I am thankful that you are choosing to live fully and appreciate all. It is too easy to take things for granted. Smell the roses, daisies, gardenias and even the dandelions deeply.

    We went to Bloomington Sunday to celebrate August birthdays and dad fixed barbeque chicken and it brought back memories of some awesome chicken from McCormick’s Creek. Thanks for awesome meals and creating great memories for my family and myself!

    Love,

    Amy

  3. Beth Sabin Kos Says:

    Dear Joel,
    I truly enjoyed and was very touched by your Tom Petty blog yesterday! I feel that so often we wish time away…instead of just taking the time to”smell the roses”. However, waiting can be incredibly difficult!!! Thank you for sharing the awareness and appreciation for inhaling deeply and living our lives to the fullest…You have given me so much to think about.

    All my thoughts and prayers.
    Love,
    Beth

  4. Erin Carr Says:

    Although I just hung up, I had one more thing. (Just like me, never done talking).
    As I was listening to you talk about nervousness to hear the ‘verdict’, hoping it was good and preparing in case it isn’t, you reminded me of Grandpa. He always said, “don’t wish your life away, enjoy it.” He’d be proud. So am I.

    Love you so much,
    Erin

  5. Debbie Cox Says:

    We go to Church with Erin, and just want
    you to know you and your family will be in our prayers.
    Keep the Faith……..
    God Bless

  6. Tami Kleopfer Says:

    Joel,

    Just wanted to let you know I’ve been thinking alot about you and your family. I hope that God has healed you, and you and your family get the results you so deserve next week. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you often!!

    Tami Kleopfer

  7. Mike Bird Says:

    Hey Joel

    I heard through the Madison grape vine, what was going on in your life. Just keep in mind that if you can survive Coach Church, you can do anything. Your in our prayers. We’ll talk to you later.

    Mike Bird

  8. Paula Cooprider Says:

    Joel,
    Did Daphne’s birthday get properly celebrated? Today we took Rhett and Riley A. to Spring Mill Park. Rhett liked the grist mill and the blacksmith’s shop but the thing he liked best was trying to build a dam in the creek. Guess I’ll never learn that kids are happy with the simple things.
    I’ve been thinking and praying for you many times today and will continue to do so tomorrow and Tues. I know the anxiety level has to high. I pray that you will be able to sleep and rest. Hope to talk to you soon. Paula
    P.S. Our Sunday School class is studying the Book of Joel. Since we have been praying for you in class, I thought it fitting that we study that book now. Take care.

  9. Jon Sebree Says:

    Beaming down from the west coast out here. Information regarding your health struggle caught my ears AFTER the class reunion. Hmmm, ok I’m out of the loop but it’s all relative and not too little to late. In the meantime, you and I found chance to catch up at the class get-together without the pretense. Maybe a gift…to strip things down to the essence and share some uncomplicated moments.

    Remember the house at Purdue 1992. After May finals, you and I were the only ones left. Everyone else had beat it outta there for whatever we were going to do with ourselves that summer. We were sitting by the TV watching the Rodney King verdict and the riots broke loose on LA. Peace for LA sang Tom Petty. I’ll never forget the moment, we didn’t have many words to describe how we felt watching that mess, just a look to each other that said mostly “how the *#%&*#@! did we get to a place where this sort of thing can happen with people… here, in this country?”. Seems like I felt something similar between us the other day at the reunion but I couldn’t place it until I heard news of what you are dealing with now. I get it.

    Must have been that same year 1992, you, Goins and I went to The Great Smokey Mountain National Park for Spring Break in that grey Subaru thing of a car of Johnny’s. I didn’t think it would make it up the small hills let alone the big ones we hit on the Tennessee state line, but da rust bucket did it, slowwwwwly, chuggy uppity, me and you laughing and cutting on the machine most of the way, Johnny vehemently defending the hardiness his rig! It was a bit cold down there for the spring break but nothing we couldn’t handle with fur and fire. We climbed The Chimney Tops straight up a couple thousand feet mostly, even Goins.

    However a week later a super crazy late season blizzard hit the east coast with many feet of snow all the way down to Atlanta and hurricane-like gale drenching Florida. Didn’t they call that the Storm of the Century? I think so. We were safety back at school in Lafayette missing the brunt of it, but the next week’s spring breakers were stranded and strung out from Florida up to Kentucky. Hikers died from exposure stuck in the Smokies just a week later in the very same places we were hiking and camping. Call it tragedy narrowly avoided for us and it wasn’t the first or last but I won’t digress only to say we saw some grand forces at play ‘cuz we are just little pixels in the bigger picture.

    In spite of the fact we haven’t seen each other much in the recent years, I can’t emphasize enough the impact you have in my life. There’s a toughness we found in school there, we HAD to get outta there with a diploma even though it was dragging for us at the time… I know we were drawing strength from each other. So I’m going to put that forth for you right now and hold it in place. You are going to beat this thing one way or another. Your toughness along with your family and friends will lift you up and bring you out of this.

    Tom Petty (if not Johnny Cash) also says “I won’t back down”. My band Lost Creek is playing at an unprecedented (after dark) concert event this weekend in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The Outside Lands Festival. We play the artists’ bonfire party on Ocean Beach (just off the west end of the park) after the event Saturday. Tom Petty is headlining. I’ll probably get a chance to meet him for the first time. I’ve always wanted to tell him he looks like a frog, but in this case I’m just going to tell him how Joel Peigh won’t back down.

    Joel, we’re going to send some sparks upward for you Saturday night and every night after if need be.

    With Love,

    Jon Sebree
    Secretary of the Interior
    The Merry Band of Pranksters

    http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/

    Well I won’t back down
    No I won’t back down
    You can stand me up at the gates of hell
    But I won’t back down

    No I’ll stand my ground, won’t be turned around
    And I’ll keep this world from draggin me down
    gonna stand my ground
    … and I won’t back down

  10. Dave Hiatt Says:

    Man! That Sebree guy was always cool. A little bit out there for me, but always cool. See what I remember about the 1992 Purdue house on Sylvia Street is that stinkin’ Freddy Kreuger like basement that we lived in with Rod. Snakehead Fish. Pitchin’ Shoes. Somebody crapping on the living room floor AND porch during one of our parties.

    I do agree that everybody in that house was just trying to get out of there with a degree. Of course we had a hell of time just gettin’ out of there with a degree.

    The fishin’ is getting good you better grab Rudy and head over soon.

    Big Dave

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