The Passing of Time and How it Can make or Break You

Time..... Our mortal enemy or our greatest friend! 

Today's World is insane! Get here, do this, take care of that! Rush, rush, rush! There never seems to be enough time in a day to accomplish all the things we think are crucial to be done but..........are these things really that crucial? Will our lives end if one thing on the "to do" list doesn't get done? No, not at all - Tomorrow, the Sun will rise, the World will turn and life will go on ..  I know this because not long ago, all those critically important things I had to do came to a screeching halt!

Not long ago, I  was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and told that I'd probably been a diabetic for 10 years and never knew it .. My first question was "how is that even possible? How can I (or anyone) have this disease for 10 years and not know it?" My Doctor(s) told me that diabetes is "silent" and only makes itself known when it becomes "bad" .. Well, mine got "bad" and made itself known by attacking my vagus nerve system, shutting down my digestive system causing a condition known as "gastroparesis"  - What this means in layman terms is that my stomach, and digestive system were essentially paralyzed .. I lost over 85lbs in less than 3 months and went from 215LBS (I'm 6' tall) to less than 130LBS - I was in constant pain, lost all of my energy and was literally fighting for my life ...  Again, life can change in the blink of an eye and mine did!  All those "critical" things I had / wanted to do fell to the side and all I could focus on was not dying.

I went through test after test after test .. I was poked, prodded, X-rayed, scanned, etc, etc, etc .. They drew enough blood from me to start a small blood bank and prescribed more medications then I could count and they (Doctors) still couldn't figure out what was happening to me ..

One day, an attorney friend of mine who's wife is a cancer survivor told me about what his wife was doing, and that the treatment she was taking was helping her get well! What he told me was astonishing but, at this point I was will to try / do anything to get healthy again .. His wife had started going in for acupuncture, herbal treatments, and using CBD oil .... I thought "I've got nothing to lose" so I started doing the same thing and within a very short time frame, started feeling better, gaining weight back and regaining my energy! The best part is that the more natural / holistic treatments I had, the less pharmaceuticals I found myself taking! Today, I've gained back almost 50lbs, feel stronger and more energetic and am only taking my diabetes medications, herbal supplements and muti-vitamins. My stomach / digestive system works and I'm getting better .. Amazing!

This blog isn't about me rambling on about a medical condition, it's about the importance of time, and how well we utilize it to make ourselves happy and fulfilled,

Life is so short my friends! It can be altered or gone in a second! Take care of yourselves, take time to smell the rose's, slow down a little, spend time with your families, loved ones and friends, do things that you enjoy and less time doing things that stress you out - I have / do and it's amazing how much better I'm feeling these days ...

I'm sorry if I rambled but what's happened to me was so life altering and dramatic that I felt I had to share it in hopes that maybe my message can / will help others take pause to reflect of what's truly important in life, and realize that this is their life - Not a dress rehearsal

Take time for yourselves folks, I want you around for many more years to come!

Your man in the Mountains,

EJ "Big Ed" Benko 
BigEdz.com