I should be working. (Or, "This sucks.")

Yes, I should be working right now. Instead, I'm writing a hastily pulled together post to vent. I think I jinxed myself last week when I posted about how I was so fortunate that no one in my immediate circle has been affected by breast cancer. Strike that. A dear co-worker (my "right hand" and an incredibly amazing woman) got a call this afternoon that she has breast cancer.

I can't even imagine. Being in my office, working away (and unlike me, she was really working I'm sure), when the phone rings. "Hi there... biopsy positive ... lumpectomy ... schedule things... we'll be in touch."

There are no words. No words for when you answer that call. No words for the co-workers who hear you sobbing in the office next door. No words for when you have to tell your husband and two pre-teen daughters that life is about to be turned upside down and inside out.

Actually, the only two words that come to mind are "this sucks." Classy, eh?

So all I can do is send positive vibes (contrary to the two-word sentiment above) and hope for the best. If you have a moment, spare a positive vibe for my friend Debbie. She needs them right now.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ....

I know... Christmas is over. But in my little pink bubble, it is one of the most wonderful times of the year... It's 3-Day Pre-Season. OK, there's no such thing. But really... With the downer of closing out Christmas and New Year's, with a half foot of now-grey/yucky snow on the ground, grey skies and sick germs all around, the start of 3-Day season is a welcome distraction.

It started right after Christmas on a rather somber note. Bridget Spence, a blogger and 3-Day advocate I have been following, wrote a post to essentially say goodbye and ask that we not forget her. She was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at age 21, six months after a clinician told her she was too young to worry about a lump. Throughout years of treatments and clinical trials, she has been a tireless advocate for breast cancer awareness, including speaking at a Komen leadership conference in 2012. (I strongly encourage you to watch her speech on YouTube. It's only 11 minutes and so worth it. If I ever need a reminder why I walk, this is it.)

By now, you're wondering why that's part of a good thing.

What happened after Bridget wrote her post to say goodbye? An amazing, tremendous, uplifting and inspirational thing happened. What happened is exactly what Bridget asked when she said, "Please, don't forget about me." Within days, thousands of people spoke up and said "We could never forget you." Today, there are more than 200 comments on her blog. Numerous posts on other sites. And most amazingly, nearly 1,000 people (that I know of) are participating in "A Pearl to Bridget," a grassroots effort to make sure Bridget knows how many people she has impacted. I won't go into all the details; you can read more about the project on Coral Levang's blog or on Facebook (not sure if the link will work). Needless to say, I've sent a pearl. Two actually. Just because.

So that launched the 3-Day Preseason for 2013. All that uplifting "pink family" stuff.  It continued this week seeing the new 3-Day commercials on TV (check out the great "join us" video ... and consider yourself invited!). Then an acquaintance from work signed up to walk. And I got an email from the Komen folks that because of my repeat walks, I'm part of the "Commitment Club" (really just means I get free towel service on event... yahoo!). And I'm working on my donation letters (yours is coming!). And I'm really, really looking forward to getting together with our new teammates for dinner and maybe even some winter walks (we joined a new team this year... yay for new friends!).

So it is one of the most wonderful times of the year. My world is turning a lighter shade of pink, which is a fresh relief after looking at dingy grey skies and dirty snow.