Luke Davison | Wearable Positivity with Smiley Threads

Luke Davison - founder of Smiley Threads - shares his extraordinary story that proves even in our darkest moments, a simple smile can be an impactful source of hope and joy. From fighting cancer as a college hockey player and facing unpredictable curveballs life threw at him, Luke's journey is a powerful reminder that resilience, perspective, faith, and a positive attitude can turn every day moments into a reason to smile... even on your hardest days. 

Snag some Smiley Threads swag to live your smile! 

This podcast is in partnership with the Remember to Live Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that sends Moms facing late-stage breast cancer on a family-vacation to create unforgettable memories.. Because sometimes remembering to live means taking the trip, making the memory, and spending precious time with those you love most. To learn more or support a family, visit us at remembertolivefoundation.org.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

I'm Cameron Tusky and welcome to the Memento Vivere Project, the podcast that reminds you life is not something to survive, it's something to truly live. Here, we sit down with dream chasers, adventurers, entrepreneurs, and everyday people doing extraordinary things to uncover what it takes to leave comfort behind, overcome challenges, pursue what matters most, and remember to live. Whether you're searching for inspiration, courage, or a reminder to start living more intentionally, you're in the right place. This is the Memento Vivere project. So you you graduated college in 21, and then are you are you originally from Green Bay?

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Yeah, so I uh I grew up in Eastapir and then St. Norbert is just across the river in Westapier. I uh I told my family, I told myself I was never gonna go there. Um, you know, growing up. Um my brother and I, two years apart, he we both played hockey, um, and he always wanted to play hockey for the Green Knights, and I always wanted to play hockey for the Badgers, and then we ended up switching, and and he ended up playing hockey at Wisconsin. But I played at St. November. So it's kind of funny. Still got to play hockey though.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and uh you have you survived uh post-tax season now? You're you're a CPA, I'm assuming.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yep, yep. Um got through it somehow, somehow, just like every yeah. Yeah. Just make it grind to the deadline, and then you get a little relief.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Yeah, worth it. So yeah, you're your numbers guy then? Maybe.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Um yeah, I enjoy it. It's it's a challenge every day. Um trying to make sense of a new situation every time keeps me stimulated, I guess you could say. Um makes me feel like I'm doing something. I like helping people too, so it kind of feels I get I get to scratch that itch a little bit as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

So you have to give them a big number that they have to owe someone? Oh, the government?

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Hopefully with good planning, they they don't have to owe anything.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Exactly. So uh you're you're no longer in in the Green Bay area. Where where has life taken you?

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yeah, life's taken me uh across the country and back um in a few places in between. So I graduated, moved out to Arizona, um, spent about three years there, and now I moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where I live now. It's been a little over a year and a half.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Got here at the end of October, 2024. So, I don't know, like I said, bad with days.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Where whereabouts in Arizona were you?

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Uh I was living in the Scottsdale area of Phoenix, just outside of Old Town, if if you're familiar.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Yeah, for sure. Uh yeah, I love Scottsdale. Last time I was in Scottsdale was for the Waste Management Open two years ago.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yeah, that's a blast. I went there. Always a good time. It was there for three years. I went every year, it was awesome.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, as you should. Uh, except for the the only time I've I was at the Waste Management Open uh two years ago, it was like 45 degrees and poured the entire time. It was absolutely horrific but awesome at the same time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

It's just uh just a booze fest the whole time for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Wasted management as they call it. So what what uh what brought you to St. Louis?

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Um just kind of like a wild turn of events, honestly. So I uh when I my senior year of college, COVID hit, um my junior year, we had a very good hockey team and loss in the in the game to go to the the NCA tournament, I believe is I might get that wrong, my coach might be better. Uh but then but then they shut the season off, so there wasn't even a tournament anyway, so it didn't matter. Um and then my senior year is still going on, and the season, you know, we thought maybe there was a chance we'd be able to play. Um it just kept getting dragged on and on, and then they finally shut it down. Um and through through that whole time, um I would say probably middle of January, I got a lymph node, um, just as you know you normally do when you get sick, just natural reaction. Uh, your body fighting infection. It kind of swelled up my neck and didn't really think anything of it. Um and then we didn't have a hockey season, so I was like talking to Mitch and I was like, Mitch, like what the what's going on with this? I was kind of joking around with him, probably shouldn't have been joking the way I was, but I was like, I think I got cancer, man, like completely joking. And he's just, you know, he's just laughing. He's like, no, no, no, don't worry about it. Um, and then, you know, it's it stuck around longer and and I was sweating at night in my sleep. I get hives on my back and stuff, just like weird, you know, stuff that was going on in my body that had never happened before, even with like, you know, the common flu. Um, so I finally just like decided to get it checked out, saw a doctor, they're like, you know, you're fine, like your blood works completely normal. Um, you know, you're you're probably tired because you know you're practicing and studying in school, and it's just normal. Like you're a very healthy, I don't know what it was, 24-year-old. Um I was like, okay, whatever. Slept on it, and then didn't really have a good feeling. So I, you know, I saw another doctor, a surgeon. He's kind of said the same thing. He's like, we can cut it out if you want and test it, but he's like, if you were my son, I would just say give it another month or two and just wait. Wow. I was like, okay, okay, that's good to hear. You slept on it a little bit more, and then I just had like a bad feeling. I was praying about it and everything. Just not something didn't sit right with me. So I called the surgeon, I was like, hey, like, can we just do it? I you know, I'm really anxious about this, basically. He's like, yeah, no problem. So we scheduled it. Um, they cut it out, and then on my 25th birthday, it was a it was on a Friday, he's 24, 25, bad with dates. Um, he he called me and he's like, hey, the first half of your tests uh came back, everything's good, like, have a good weekend, enjoy your birthday. I was like, awesome. And then Monday, for some reason my phone didn't ring, but I got a voicemail, and I was like, it was from the doctor, and I was like, why would he leave a voicemail like that? Telling me to call him back, like that's not good. Um so I called him back and he's like, hey, so turns out the the lymph node in your neck that was swollen, that was just the tip of the iceberg. There's a pretty large lymph node underneath, and it's like 100% uh positive for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Wow. Which is which is a blood cancer. And I was like, I was I couldn't believe it. I was like, is there any way like this test is wrong? And it's like and he kind of laughed at me like in a in a sympathetic way. He's like, no, like we gotta get you out of treatment plan like right away. So um went through all that. I mean, I had amazing, amazing support with uh A, St. Norbert, and then B, the community of of Green Bay, because I grew up there and um my family was you know had a lot of roots there, so just felt like I had a whole city behind me, and then the hockey community itself is tiny. I was getting people were reaching out from all over the NHL colleges. Um my brothers was playing pro at the time, his team, a few other pro teams. And I mean, it it was kind of a blur, honestly. It just just kind of gritted my teeth, put my head down, and just honestly just sat like I didn't really do anything. I just sat there, took the medicine, um, and just prayed that it would work out, kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, but some sometimes that's all you can do is put your head down and uh face whatever you gotta face.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Yeah, yeah. I mean there were some dark days, absolutely, and like my teammates I can't thank them enough. Like, they helped me just more than they'll ever know. Like just especially when they would just like not want to talk about it, obviously, and just treat me normal as if it was like a normal Tuesday. Um so the hockey community at St. Aubrey is a special place, always has been. Um, and to think I didn't even want to go there as a girlfriend.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, what's the uh what's the old saying where uh make make your own plans and God laughs?

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Yeah, exactly. That's what he was doing. Yep. Um so then I I got engaged uh kind of in the midst of all that, because my my girlfriend at the time, she was getting a little annoyed because we'd been together for a long time, and she was like, Everybody keeps calling me like your girlfriend, and I'm like, well yeah, like we're basically we've been living together for like three years, we're gonna get married, like, okay, whatever. Um so then we you know finished all the cancer stuff. I forget how many weeks it was, uh maybe like eight. Um standard standard cancer treatment, chemo, uh, I think every other week or something like that. Honestly, I forget the details, sorry. Um, and then graduated, um, got to walk, that was awesome. Um and then my fiance wanted to move to Arizona. I got a job in Arizona, and we're like, yeah, let's start over somewhere new, fresh start, kind of just leave the uh the trauma in Green Bay and move on with life, you know, get to adulthood. So then as you know, they make you go through like regular checkups, um, you know, three months, six months, that kind of thing. And then you hit the two-year mark, that's like kind of like you hit the two years, you're pretty much in the clear. There's like a very slim chance it's gonna come back. Um so I remember going into my my, I got set up with the doctor and everything, and I went into my two-year meeting, you know, my body's feeling great, no symptoms, um, feeling healthy, grateful for life. And he's like, hey, scan came back, there's a spot that I want a biopsy, like it's kind of worrying me. It was right by my heart. Um, so we you know, we kind of freaked out a bit. And then I did the biopsies. Uh, it was tricky to get to because of the area, um, so it was a little bit of like an intense thing. Um for some reason the the anesthesia when I came out of it, it's like it happens to people, but it just kind of wore off weird, and I was like shaking and in so much pain, and it threw up. It was yeah, it was gross. Um sorry, a little tidbit. Yeah, yeah. And then um so it came back positive that that either it I don't know if they ever got clarity on it. It was either that it never left or it came back. Um, and and they say when it comes back, it comes back aggressively. So they the treatment's different um because they had to mash that aggression. So I had to go uh I forget, say four weeks of standard chemo, go into the hospital, leave, go home. Um but then I had to do a stem cell transplant, which is um obviously very effective, it worked, um, but it's just an intense, intense treatment plan. So they you know, like a Stanley straw, like the Stanley cups, those big straws. They took that size uh needle or tube or whatever you want to call it, stuck it in my jugular while I'm awake. Like it was it was miserable. They put this big cloth over my head and I'm like sitting in like darkness, and then I just feel all this. It's yeah. Suck a bunch of blood out, I forget how many quarts, um, and then they freeze it. Sorry, they put it through this big machine, it's basically a dialysis machine, and and take the stem cells out, put the rest of the blood back in, and then freeze it. Um and they used to do, you know, take a big uh bone needle, whatever they call those, stick it in your hip, and your hips would be like swish cheese getting the stem cells out. So I obviously would prefer this over that. A straw to the jugular? It's better than sawed up hips. Um so then, so I did I did those four weeks of chemo, I got this all that blood drawn out, stem cells, and then I had to check into the hospital and stay there for just under a month, uh, which was like the closest thing I can imagine hell being like. Um you're basically quarantined at this floor of the hospital. Everybody in there is like, you don't see anybody, but they're all doing the same thing you are or worse. Um and you know, thank God I have such a loving family because my sister, she lives in Arkansas. Her and her fiance completely uprooted their lives, drove with a U-Haul to Arizona, got Airbnb, and they were there the entire time. Um, and they you know they decorated, it was right around Thanksgiving, Christmas. They decorated my room with Christmas lights and a tree and um just made it as homey as possible. Um so when you go, normal treatment you go in, there's like a call it FDA approved amount of chemo you can get uh without them having to like monitor you. When you check into a hospital, it's it's almost like five times that um the amount of chemo, and I was getting it twice a day for a week. So I was just that the goal of this treatment is to kill you basically at a cellular level, um, kill everything, and then put the stem cells, healthy ones, back in you and let those regenerate naturally so that it the idea is kill kill this cancer, kill everything in you, basically down to skin and bones. Um lost a lot of weight. I remember I could they make you walk, you have to like walk to get blood flow going, and I could barely walk. I was like walking with a walker, um, could barely like no energy, barely take a step, but like they like yell at you if you don't. So it's like you're uh on the ice getting coaches yelled at you again. Yeah, yeah, and I mean looking back at all this, it's like hockey is has been such a blessing in my life because it it helped me persevere through this, that, and my family, the way I was raised, and my and my faith, but most importantly, it's just God really has a plan, whether you like it or not. Like you said, he laughs at your plans, and and thank God that you know he prepared me for that the way he did. So um eventually got better, and then um just got hit with another curveball. My my wife at the time we had gotten married, she didn't want to be my wife anymore, and then uh tried to work through all that right after getting uh you know kicked out of the hospital or released from the hospital. Um just pretty sour, sour taste from all that, and then um you know working with therapy or therapists and yada yada, the whole works. Um then my brother had finished playing hockey and he moved to St. Louis and got a job with a his roommate from college. Um he's a financial advisor, and then I was like, I'm not staying here, like I gotta get out of here. This is this is bad. So just moved back to the Midwest, closer to family, and and I'm loving it here. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

That is uh that's quite the journey, and I appreciate you sharing that and all the all the details that that come with it.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

So, I mean, it talking about sitting in in a hospital room for a month, and yeah, that's that's gotta be as close to hell on earth that that someone could could really get. Uh you're not feeling great, you're stuck in the same room and not very energetic or or happy. You're not surrounded by much happiness, but then I think that's also sometimes when the the most amazing things happen in terms of appreciating the small things and yeah, seeing the the love that your family gives you and coming and decorating the room like that. That can make or break you know a day. Yeah. Even even though in the big scheme of life, like not that big of a deal.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Right. No, it truly is like the little things that make the biggest difference, absolutely. And I mean, thank God for 21st century. I had FaceTime going with friends, um, I was playing Xbox with college buddies, just anything to you know keep me distracted.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

So Yeah, for sure. So how how have you uh changed your your viewpoint or your approach to life uh since since that happened?

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Yeah, I mean, so one thing in hockey I always struggle with was consistency, and I was always you know worried about the next game, not really focused on the current game. Um and I say that just because I think being present in in life is is kind of key. Um and I think this has really really made me work on it, and now I feel I'm very decent at it. Um obviously it's it's a it's a lifelong lesson to learn, but um I learned a lot at a young age and kind of forced to. And I just, you know, it's I I stare at a go out, I walk my dog every day and I look at a blossoming tree and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is gorgeous. And I just soak it in. Um, you know, or I see a bird or sunrise. I love sunset, sunrises, like it's just like all these tiny little things that happen every single day. I'm just so appreciative for, and I just really try to like be where my feet are. Um and then like on the other side of it, like when I'm working out and I don't want to, I'm like, I could literally not walk it down a hallway. Like, I get I'm blessed to be able to work out today. Like it just it just kind of flips my perspective quick. Um and you know, I I don't like the victim mentality, I don't want anybody ever to feel bad for me. I hate feeling bad for myself. Um just kind of own, you know, have ownership in your life and and be responsible and just it's it's it's so weird because I'm like just turned 30 and I I feel like I have all these like deep life lessons.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

But isn't that that isn't that crazy? Like when you when you reflect on it, yeah, you just turn 30. But look at look at what you did in the last what five five years, a decade. Graduated college, got married, battled cancer, got divorced. Like you've lived an entire life in 10 years that most people go through in 70 years.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I always say it was it was a wild five years and then just keep pushing.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Yeah. So uh, you know, appreciating the small things, uh I I saw your Instagram video the other day about you walking and just literally you're admiring the flower bed. Yeah, I don't know, like you just there's like a you have like a humorous take on it too, where like, yeah, like I don't even I don't even like flowers, but I'm sitting here looking at the beauty of these flowers because I've gone through some shit and now I'm seeing the beauty in the smallest things that are that are around me, and I think that's uh a pretty noble quality to have and it sucks that people have to go through pain to get there, but I think that's something that we should all strive for.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that uh that guy, I don't know if he'll ever see that video, but he's he's a good dude. He's always out there working on it with his wife. And it's just it's so great to see someone's hard work just you know come to prosper, and it's it's a beautiful, beautiful flower bed.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Well, enjoy that on your on your continued walks with your dog.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

So uh let's let's talk about the the hat that you're wearing and and how I found you uh with Smiley Threads. Uh mutual friend of ours, uh Mitch, uh shared that uh a post of yours with uh Smiley Threads. So uh talk about the the meaning, the mission behind it, where that all came from, and and I think the tagline is is probably one of my favorites that I've seen in a really long time.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Thank you. Thank you very much. Um yeah, I was you know, it's it c it was kind of something born from a dark place that's trying to be a light in in the world. Um I've always wanted to do something, you know, have my name on it, be my own. Um and I was just sitting there like thinking, like, I'm gonna beat this, beat this thing again, but like I gotta do something with my life. Um I'm not the type to like go run an ultra marathon. Um I hate I hate running. I'm not an Iron Man guy. I love working out, but that's just like that's not my speed. Um I'd rather compete, like playing golf or something. That's where I get my competition. Um I was like, I gotta do something, and I was just sitting there thinking, like, you know, one of those nights where I couldn't sleep and um, you know, just pounding headache, and I'm like, everybody my whole life has always told me that I could light up a room and I've got such a great smile, and I and I truly love to smile and be happy who doesn't, but I'm like, I gotta share this somehow and have an impactful um position on people's lives through this. Um I don't necessarily love like associating my journey and my story with smiley threads just because I don't, like I said, I don't want anybody to like feel bad and then they're like, oh, I gotta get a hat. Like that's not what I'm looking for.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

Yeah, but don't you think there's also some uh some truth to the testament of like I at my lowest point, or maybe one of your lowest points, I'm gonna assume things I guess about your life here, but at one of my lowest points, I still found a reason or a desire to smile, and that is that's ultimately important. And if I can smile in this moment, then hopefully you can find a reason to smile in whatever whatever you general public are also going through. So it's inspirational doesn't have to be a victim mentality. No, I know. I just get I just get a little worried about it. Um that's what you're on the pocket for the heart about yourself, so you're gonna have to be uncomfortable talking about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Yeah, I I think you nailed it on the head. That's that's pretty much the heart of it is um you know everybody's going through something, some kind of adversity, uh, big or small, you know, in whose ever eyes, but like it makes such makes a world of difference if you can have a positive outlook on your situation and be like, I'm gonna do this, this is gonna, you know, I'm gonna get through this, um, and I'm gonna have a positive attitude while I do it because the like I you have two choices when you're in the situation that I was in. It's either you can you excuse my language, pitch and moan and cry about it, or you could be like, okay, like this is where I'm at, I'm gonna get through this, and then like I'm gonna keep living. Um to me it makes no sense to have that first that first option because that's just gonna hinder your in my case the healing. Um it's just gonna make a worse situation worse. So um that's yeah, that's truly the heart of it. Um have a good attitude when when life doesn't go your way and you're faced with something that you don't want to go through.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Yeah, here I'm looking up your you might be able to re uh repeat it off memory. I cannot yet. Um but the wearable positivity and then turning everyday moments into reasons to smile. And I think like you were talking about the appreciating the the bush or the the flower bed or the sunset or the whatever, and literally if you train your mind to be able to appreciate those moments and and find a reason to smile, you're gonna much easier time finding a reason to smile.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean it takes, what is it, what do they say? It takes way less error, it takes twice the amount of muscles to frown than it does to smile or whatever. Yeah, so look smiling is way too much. Why wouldn't you smile? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Love it. So uh are you are you the designer on this all and and is this Yes yes that's why it's so poor. I sometimes simple is the best and it's just straight to the point like a smile or the you know the classic smiley face. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Yeah yeah I mean I just yeah it was my thing I just wanted to do it and and took it took it from the ground up. I'm always welcome to feedback uh I can't promise anything will get adjusted but you'll at least listen yeah absolutely um I'm starting to get into like the the toddler clothes I think those are fun like the onesies for newborns like that kind of thing those are cute and that'll be tricky though it that would make great pictures too when the kids are when like the toddler is just in a temperatant screaming with the word smile on their chest.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Yeah exactly yeah so have you always had that that mentality and that approach to you know find find small things to to smile about or you know not not let adversity get you down like obviously being a you know a lifelong athlete hockey um maybe played other sports too but like you're gonna face some adversity you're gonna lose plenty of games you're gonna you're gonna take some hits that you didn't want to take and you're gonna get knocked down and you gotta get back up on the on the rink or on the field or the whatever but doing it in life is maybe a little bit more challenging and and difficult but I think sports is a good training tool for for life. So is that something you've always kind of had or or did the the cancer kind of re shape your your approach to to life yeah I would say in general growing up I was always a very happy go lucky kid.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

I'm blessed to say I didn't really face much adversity until maybe I was 18 outside of just like normal kid stuff, you know, brute uh breaking a bone or cutting your cutting your knee up on the concrete um I got so when you play hockey you play juniors and you play college and and I was um I was cut from my first team I've never had never been cut from a team and I got cut in juniors and that was like the real time I really got a good taste of adversity and I didn't handle it so well. I was kind of like pissing and moaning about my situation and you know it's that you know that guy didn't deserve it I deserved that kind of thing you know basically victim mentality and I was so that I you know I went down a league and I was playing in uh my not North Dakota it's a it's a wonderful town but it's it's definitely in the middle of nowhere um but I you know I made some lifelong friends there for sure um my bill family that I live with there they were incredible to me you know I was probably not the not the best guess but um we made we made the most out of it um and then I was you know I did three years of that and I was honest to God I was ready to quit hockey and just you know go to school I was thinking about trade school um just kind of get it done with and go move on with life and thank God for for coach Coglin at St. Norbert he he was like you gotta come just just take a visit you know let's talk and he really um convinced he convinced me to play again and then that first year I mean we won the national championship but even at the start of the year my my love for hockey just got revived like instantly it was it's just a family there at St. Norbert this is such a special place especially in the hockey world that that is just like cream cream de la creme or whatever they say um but then yeah then getting sick I think it really just it instilled um that lesson in me that that you gotta have a positive attitude when you're when you're hit with adversity and and like I said so I walk into the St. Nova locker room uh the first day and there's this quote on the wall and I'm not even a big quote guy and it says life is um 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. And granted there there's quotes all over that room that locker room um but for some reason that just like really stuck out to me and it's stuck with me ever since and and I kind of always come back to that when I you know something doesn't go my way. And I guess I've kind of become a quote guy with with that one.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

Yeah that uh one of my favorite quotes is uh very similar to that it's by Randy Posh who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and he gave a last lecture uh after he was diagnosed with pancreat pancreatic cancer and in the in that that speech is now a book as well uh he said something along the lines of so that's my favorite quote and I can't remember it vertibatum but um yeah you can't like you can't choose the the hand you're dealt or you can't choose the cards you're dealt just how you play the hand. And it's like yeah you you can be given whatever situation but yeah it's it's how you respond and everyone has a choice in how they respond. They don't have a choice with what their circumstance or their situation might be which might come across as uh unfair disadvantage or unfair whatever but what are you gonna do with it you gotta control what you can control. Exactly absolutely so how do you how do you find yourself uh remembering to live living life to the fullest do you do you travel do you do you golf do you like what is what is your like I don't know ultimate ultimate way to just celebrate still still being here yeah um honest to God my my absolute favorite thing is is enjoying a sunset I think that just like really centers me and I'm like oh my gosh this is so beautiful I'm so lucky to be able to enjoy this that is a similar reason as to why I love golf so much just being out in nature um beautiful landscapes I'm like look what God has given us like this is incredible we get to experience it um I'm and I just feel I'm like I always just talk to myself I'm like I am so lucky to be here right now and I just drink it in and try to live you know in the present moment as much as I can because it's so easy you know oh I gotta do this this I have you know X, Y, and Z going on later tonight, my parents got to call me blah blah blah and it it's a hard it's a hard thing to do and I've I've definitely not mastered it yet but like living in the moment is I think it's like the key to life.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

That I I love to spend time with my brother here in in St. Louis he's he's engaged and his fiance she's honestly one of my best friends. Love that um they live about five minutes away so we're always hanging out I think they're coming over tonight for dinner I uh I recently went to Hawaii and I and I did skydiving that was like the top of my bucket list I made when I was going through all this cancer junk was I I want to skydive I just want to do it. What was it like? So that was incredible. Oh it was awesome it doesn't even feel like you're falling uh it kind of feels like you're floating it's just very windy yeah um and I mean I got to do it over the coast of Hawaii so it was pretty special. That's gotta be like yeah I'm sure you've seen some beautiful sunsets but seeing the sky from that perspective I'm sure is a pretty wild yeah it is it really is um and I wasn't going to buy the pictures but then you know they they kept teasing me with like oh look at this picture and I was like okay I'll buy this yeah yeah uh yeah so that that was up there and then um Italy and Egypt are the the other two on my bucket list. I haven't done that yet but what else what else is on your bucket list you said you made uh a list while you were going through your journey it was it's truly those three the travel destinations still still in the works why why Egypt of all places um I'm really interested in the pyramids I think they're just fan fantastic like mind blowing how thousands of years ago they were they aliens I don't know for sure I'm I uh I don't get in well I'm fascinated with conspiracy theories but the pyramids might be one like I actually buy into of like there's no way some dudes carried thousands of tons of bricks by hand yeah I think just see a cool northeast southwest yeah like they align with like the universe whatever kind of I don't know it there's something there I don't know exactly what it is yeah just to clarify I don't actually buy into that one but it's fascinating to me neither me neither um so talk talk about what uh what else did you do in Hawaii because I think I think that's on a lot of people's bucket lists like what a it almost feels like a surreal place and it's yeah it's fake right exactly yeah yeah I have uh a buddy that I play I grew up playing hockey with he went to West Point um played hockey there and then he got stationed a few places and then he now he's in Hawaii so I had to gotta stay with him basically just had to pay for my flight and food out there and we I tried surfing for the first time that was extremely hard cut my foot on the reef soaked it up just we played tennis we played basketball just hung up by the beach there was actually like the the pro surfing circuit was going on in Hawaii because they they kind of rotate throughout the world so we sat at the beach a lot just watched these pro guys practicing and they were insane.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Yeah I'm kind of a surfer guy now I was I was in Hawaii once and I tried to learn how to surf as well I didn't even get up to like be able to cut my foot on a reef but because I did so much paddling to get out there I just chafed my nipples so bad.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Yep that was my only experience was that I had that too and I got bumped shoulders so like swim paddling was really hard. I think I tried it three times like three different three separate occasions and I only got up once but that was exhilarating just being on the wave. Yeah you get tossed around quick have you uh have you been back to playing hockey at all yeah there's uh there's a few beer leagues we play in um there's a really nice skate on Tuesdays in Kirkwood Tuesday mornings my brother and I play in um that that's another thing I'm extremely grateful for is is being able to play hockey with my brother still um you know we we put we grew up playing together and then in high school and then we went our separate ways uh just because of age gap and probably a skill gap too and then you know another you know kind of crazy my mom calls them God moments um but you know in professional sports and stuff people get traded all the time and my brother was playing hockey in uh South Carolina I believe um and and he was he he was decently good so like kind of a shock for him to be traded um but he ended up getting traded to Indiana like right around the time I was starting treatment treatment and his coach in Indiana was like hey I know what's going on with your brother like go right ahead go go up there and visit um so he was there for my first treatment which I mean like you can't make that up like God is good in so many ways um we got a we got a skate um I wasn't skate he practiced with my team I was just out there pushing pucks um but the the doc wouldn't let me it's kind of annoying um but one of my favorite hockey memories is after that practice we because I was just starting this whole thing and um obviously scared scared for my life scared for what was going to happen to my body and you know my future and he just asked me kind of candidly he's like hey you want to take a lap and and say prayer um and I was like wow like I mean we're close I didn't know we were that close um as brothers and and that that's obviously one of my favorite hockey memories ever remember just you know kind of choking up hearing hearing him pray for sure just super special. Yeah that's that's gotta be uh taking taking the close relationship to a whole new level yeah yeah absolutely yeah my family um there's a there's a 10-year gap between me and the oldest there's five of us um and we're all kind of you know obviously adults now and spread out across the U.S. a little bit mostly the Midwest I got a brother in Denver um and you know I would say this I'm not sure if everybody everybody would say this but I feel like we kind of got really close as a family um because of what I went through so you know that's another another beautiful thing that came out of this there's you know numerous yeah count your blessings for uh for what they are and despite despite some tragic moments yeah gotta use the darkest types and make something beautiful every time exactly well maybe that's maybe that's the answer to the next question that I want to ask you but uh like what what advice what advice would you give to to people or to someone who I don't know like they might be struggling with something or not being able to appreciate where they're at there they're frustrated with whatever circumstance or situation they're in how would how would you help them out yeah that's that's tough. I mean uh for someone from uh you know a faith background for me it's pretty easy to just sit say pray about it and um trust in God and and everything you can do but you know that's not the case for everybody. So I guess on on a more human level I would say just try to find you know three things that you're grateful for currently it's like today even even while you're going through the situation and they could be like random things. And there's something about that I don't know the science behind it. I'm not a I'm not a scientist but something happens in your brain that just kind of it kind of something switches and you just find you do that three you know find three things today do it tomorrow but they can't be the same three same things. So and then you continue to do that and it's just like things compound pretty quick uh if you let them so I would say that and I would say just you know give yourself grace that's that's something I've been working on a lot in my in my adult life is I'm I'm I'm pretty hard on myself in general uh just just because of hockey and trying to be the best I can be there and I've you know I've learned that that's a good thing but there's a balance to it and you need to be graceful with yourself and kind of give yourself a break sometimes. There's no there's no you know you're your worst critic you know nobody's gonna root harder against you than yourself so you gotta be nice to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah yeah no one's gonna root harder against you or like be harder harder on you than yourself but then also you got to be the person to cheer yourself on the loudest too.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

Yeah absolutely yeah no that's that's all fantastic advice so appreciate you sharing that perspective and see how see how your journey has has shaped you whether it was you know growing up faith based and then how cancer has affected it and and hockey as well so yeah no very much appreciate you you sharing your your perspective yeah we've gotten through some heavy stuff so maybe let's get through uh maybe some some other things let's talk about hockey where we're your hockey loyalties growing up in Wisconsin there's no pro sport your brother you said played pro pro hockey uh so did you just follow him or are you a blues fan now like we're what are we doing here no no no so I uh my dad my parents are from Illinois uh outside of Chicago and my dad actually was neighbors with the the doctor for the Blackhawks he grew up best friends with their kid that's awesome so he he and he didn't he didn't play hockey or anything he was I think he was a swimmer in high school um he is it was a huge blackhawks fan and then when he found out that my oldest brother wanted to play hockey that kind of was like all all all lights green kind of thing like let's go so we grew up blackhawks fans um obviously you have to be a Packer fan if you're from Green Bay there's really no way around it um so huge Packer fan huge huge blackhawks fan I do like the blues uh because they're here and and I didn't have the you know home home state team growing up to root for I mean their arenas 10 minutes from my house up into a few games um but overall just a fan like if I had to pick one team it'd be the Blackhawks but I I mean I love playoff hockey that's going on right now it's it's the best time of the year.

SPEAKER_00 37:49

But there's no there's no live sporting event quite like the United Center when the Hawks are on.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

No when they're good yeah not to say they're not good this year.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

It was rough they weren't very good. I took my son to he was he was seven or eight at the time uh to his first Blackhawks game two years ago so he's probably seven um it was a Friday it was it was Black Friday it was right after Thanksgiving it was a day game and we get there and he gets offered to ride on the Zamboni during one of the intermissions and he said no I was like dude this is the missed opportunity so what the heck why'd he say no he said no he's he regrets it now but we we sit down in some pretty sweet seats there's a hat trick during the game so the hats are just flying down on the ice and then I don't even remember who they were playing but then the Blackhawks were just stomping them and then it was getting chippy and then third period full ice fight every guy drops their gloves. So now my son's been to a few hockey games like you think there's gonna be a full ice fight today I was like nope that never is gonna happen probably ever again that you're at the game that you're at uh once of a lifetime that's incredible it's it's a good product they have at the United Center.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Yeah they do they really do yeah well that's that's all I have so I I appreciate you uh sharing again everything uh tell people where they can find smiley threads and and give your little elevator pitch for uh for for smiley threads yeah uh you can find us online um smileythreads dot shop just like it sounds just like it you spelled just like it sounds um on Instagram it's smileythreads uh I think there at one point was a TikTok but I don't really go on that anymore so just Instagram um yeah I mean if you want like comfy comfy clothes that reminds you to be positive um reminds people to be positive you know I get comments left and right I'm like oh I like that hat like that's such a cool hat good good message it's got the uh logo on the side um yeah if you're looking for good vibes it's my thrust job uh when people compliment you uh on the street do you say like yeah it's my hat I designed this and and then you try and sell them on the coat full of hats that you bust open that's what that's what my my brother is my uh my faux marketing guy and he says he says when someone says that you gotta give it you gotta give it to the hat to them and be like here you can have the one off my hat. For sure check us out online. And I don't I don't do I usually just you know laugh and say thank you. But it makes me feel good so whatever.

SPEAKER_00 40:17

I think I'll listen to your brother on that one though because that would be a sweet story for them too of like oh this guy just gave me my counsel and he's gonna edit this part don't don't let him hear that yeah um yeah so go go find out uh go check out smiley threads and uh yeah thanks for thanks for sharing your reasons to smile despite some of the the pain you've gone through and and hopefully uh it encourages other people to find their reason to smile as well. Yeah absolutely all right thanks you camera thanks for listening to the Memento of a very project I hope this episode reminded you that the life you dream about is not as far away as it feels it may push you outside your comfort zone it may take discipline and courage but it only takes one small step today to put you on the path toward your ideal future. Life is a project and remember to live it so here's your challenge don't just listen to this episode do something with it. Write down one dream one adventure one conversation or one step you've been putting off and determine how you are going to take action on it and if this episode move you in any way someone else you're gonna benefit from it so you don't get another inspiration right