The Wheel

As a melavangelist (and in my former life as a corporate lawyer) I’ve often felt like a rat on an exercise wheel-- working as fast and furiously as I’m able, but getting nowhere. But I keep plugging away at it, and I see so many melahomies doing the same.

I think I keep doing this because of the inspiration of folks like my melapal Donna, who just in the past few weeks has undergone a craniotomy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and open heart surgery to whack melanoma metastases that keep on popping up. And for people like my melahomies Sandy, Tara, and Cindy, who participated today in a melanoma fundraising walk/run on a chilly late fall morning.

Perhaps the general public will soon come to realize that melanoma really is cancer and begin to take the commonsense preventative measures that just might keep them from checking into The Hotel Melanoma. One can only hope. And try.

For Donna, and all of you who work tirelessly to increase melanoma awareness, here’s The Hotel Melanoma rendition of Jerry Garcia’s “The Wheel”…



The wheel is turning and you can't slow down
You can't let go and you can't hold on
You can't go back and you can't stand still
If the sunburns don't get you then the light things will

Won't you try just a little bit harder
Couldn't you try just a little bit more
Won't you try just a little bit harder
Couldn't you try just a little bit more

Browned, browned toxin, shun the browned
Gotta get black a new theme song
Little bit harder, just a little bit more
Little bit further than you gone before

Small wheel turning by the fryin’ squad
Big wheel turning by the grace of God
Every time that wheel turn round
Bound to cover just a little more ground

The wheel is turning and you can't slow down
You can't let go and you can't hold on
You can't go back and you can't stand still
If the sunburns don't get you then the light things will

Won't you try just a little bit harder
Couldn't you try just a little bit more
Won't you try just a little bit harder
Couldn't you try just a little bit more