I was working my network to become a back-up singer for John Mellencamp, when –

Hey, wait, if you find that unbelievable, I certify that he’s a Hoosier. Look up his bio, listen to his song lyrics, note his enduring support of Farm Aid https://www.farmaid.org/concert/. I was certain “If I’d Come Knocking” (one of his songs titles), he’d answer with Hoosier hospitality. The state nickname is reportedly derived from the pioneer call-out (when people lived in log cabins without windows back in Lincoln’s boyhood days, for example): “Who’s here?”

That’s the kinder, gentler version fostered by Hoosier PR firms anyway; a recent reference in an Ivan Doig classic, The Whistling Season http://www.amazon.com/The-Whistling-Season-Ivan-Doig/dp/0156031647, suggested that it was a term of derision promulgated when cheap Indiana labor forces were brought in to break strikes in surrounding states. But I digress.

I was working my network to become a back-up singer with John Mellencamp’s band when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, Triple Negative, a rare version of the disease that grabs hold of one woman in eight in lifetime risk. After six months of treatments, several sweet God-inspired moments jogged my path. I write lyrics of a different sort than John, but I do write. My own life story, interests, details, and opinions.

Black_Up_ArrowToday is my official 10 year’s cancer-free date, far beyond the life expectancy presumed of Triple Negs.

So, I will triple my Positivity and affirm my belief that There is Always an UpSide.