Episode 385 - A Sneak Peak at The Die Happy Tour
Introduced amidst the struggle of a terminal illness, John's Die Happy Tour is a testament to the human spirit's resilience and creativity. This remarkable endeavor, spearheaded by John, focuses on spreading happiness through surprising loved ones with creative gestures and meaningful interactions, even while facing personal adversity. Bill Risser, observing John's journey, commends his unique approach to celebrating life. Risser, moved by John's determination and positivity, emphasizes the profound impact of John's actions, which involve surprising folks and creating unforgettable memories for his loved ones and people he's just met. According to Risser, John exemplifies the power of giving and making the most of every moment, inspiring admiration and support.
Here are three key takeaways from the episode:
1. **Spread Joy Through Simple Acts**: John's tour highlights the significance of small gestures in making a difference in someone's life. As Bill Risser mentioned, John finds true happiness in bringing about a positive change in others' lives, echoing the sentiment that "it's better to give than to receive."
2. **Create Lasting Memories**: Despite the challenges he faces, John is committed to making the most of every moment. By surprising his loved ones with thoughtful gestures, he aims to leave a lasting impact and inspire others to appreciate life and the joy of giving.
3. **Embrace Resilience and Creativity**: John's story is a testament to resilience and creativity in the face of adversity. His ability to find unique and humorous ways to surprise people with gifts showcases his unwavering spirit and determination to spread happiness.
As John eloquently put it, "Point your toes. It's the last thing the judges see." This metaphor shared by John reflects his approach to life, where he is focused on making the most of every opportunity and leaving a positive mark on the world.
00:00:03 - Bill Risser
You're listening to The Real Estate Sessions, and I'm your host, Bill Risser. With nearly 25 years in the real estate business, I love to interview industry leaders, up and comers, and really anyone with a story to tell. It's the stories that led my guests to a career in the real estate world that drives me into my 9th year and nearly 400 episodes of the podcast. And now, I hope you enjoy the next journey. Hi everybody. Welcome to episode 385 of the Real Estate Sessions podcast.
00:00:30 - Bill Risser
As always, thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you so much for telling a friend. Today there will be no guests to interview. No, today I want to do something a little bit different, but first, I want to thank those of you that generously donated to the Colorectal Cancer alliance during March, which, of course, is colorectal Cancer awareness Month. Cindy and I enjoyed the walk that was hosted by the alliance as well as a ton of great sponsors. So it was a wonderful time.
00:00:55 - Bill Risser
Once again, thank you all for your support. Today, I want to share a bit of the end of a life journey for a good friend. By the way, John is still with us, and the end is not clearly in sight. John was diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer in September of 2020, and in an effort to put out to the universe my plan and look to you all to hold me accountable, I'm in the process of writing a book based on John's Die Happy Tour.
00:01:20 - Bill Risser
He's aware of this and knows it will not be finished until after he is. Trust me, these crude jokes make John laugh. He loves things unfiltered. John has shared much of his cancer journey, especially the levels of treatment doctors have laid out for him. Eventually, they said, he would run out of treatment options. He knew there would come a time when he would say enough is enough and he would make the most of the time he had remaining. In 2023, he reached the final treatment plan and once this stopped working, the end would be imminent. Now, John powered through the first two plans with relative ease. But this final chemotherapy road was different from the first cycle. He knew he would not make it through the entire twelve. It was the fall of 2023 when he decided to call it quits.
00:02:05 - Bill Risser
This was when the Die Happy tour was born. John didn't want to have this last treatment plan wear him down so much that he couldn't do any of the things that he imagined doing as part of a tour to go visit friends and family. He wanted to make sure that he had plenty of energy and plenty of life left to have a great time with this tour first he called it the John B.
00:02:27 - Bill Risser
Death Tour. Realizing that was a bit harsh, he finally settled on the John B. Die Happy Tour 2024. He also decided he would reach back out to a husband and wife team that ran a small t shirt operation that John had used for his company. When he needed shirts and for employees and customers, they designed a logo and John ordered 50 shirts to start. They were black, of course, with white print. John also decided he wanted to surprise people on the tour. John had a healthy 401K fund and his two sons were doing very well on their own, even saying to Dad, go ahead, blow it all, we're good.
00:03:01 - Bill Risser
Leave it to John to come up with unique, fun, even hilarious ways to surprise people with a bit of cash. He was also conscientious enough about his plan as to not make it an uncomfortable amount of money. He eventually settled on $500 as the amount that would be nice for someone to receive, yet not awkward to accept. He planned his first visit with a niece and her family in South Dakota. She and her husband had three children, ranging from eight to twelve.
00:03:24 - Bill Risser
On a call with John, he filled me in with the plan he had concocted for the kids. John likes concocting plans. He would get the kids together and apologize for being a bad uncle when it came to birthdays and Christmas, letting them know he'd never sent a card or a gift. Never. So to make up for it, he grabbed 3 $100 bills from his wallet and handed one to each child.
00:03:58 - Bill Risser
It was a smashing success. This is just the beginning of the stories created by the Die Happy Tour. With John's creative mind, he kept adding new ways to surprise people. John has expressed how happy it makes him feel to make a small change in someone's life. He now truly understands the phrase, it's better to give than to receive. One result of these stories is a common refrain from recipients of John's largesse. John's lost count of the number of people that have told him, I will remember you for the rest of my life. John is fantastic with analogies and metaphors, and I'm going to read to you something John sent to me via Facebook Messenger,
00:04:38 - Bill Risser
our preferred form of communication. In fact, we use Messenger so much that as I gathered resources for the book, I was able to download roughly 1300 pages in PDF format of our Messenger chats going back to 2013. This one, however, is from March of 2024. This is what John wrote. Here's a metaphor that I've thought about a lot. The only reason I was half good at diving is because I had a great high school coach. Like if a ten handicapper hooked up with Butch Harmon and became a four.
00:05:06 - Bill Risser
Mike Kunkel was tough and had a way of making me try things I was very uncomfortable with. But if he had a number one rule, it was point the toes. Not just pointed, but your legs together should look like a nail. This is important because my feet are the last thing the judges see. If I throw a great dive with flat feet, points will be deducted. If I blow the dive one way or another and my toes are pointed, points will be added by the judges. Point your toes. It's the last thing the judges see. Was almost like a mantra, and I did have a very good toe point.
00:05:36 - Bill Risser
Now, John puts in parentheses here. So does Liz, incredibly. And I've told her so. Now, Liz is a friend of ours in Phoenix who does aerial work with scarves and she points her toes very well, obviously, according to John. So back to John's comments. Can you see how that mantra relates to my life? I'm at the end and pointing my toes as hard as I can. The last thing people see, the perfect toe point says that John is the greatest man ever. Now, let's forget other stuff that happened between the diving board and the water.
00:06:07 - Bill Risser
The dive was a little out of control. As I mentioned before, this is just a taste of the upcoming book. John's doctors are impressed with how well he is doing and their advice is to keep booking trips and continue with the tour. That's John's plan. Cindy and I are thrilled John is making a second trip to St. Pete. He loves how this is playing out and is committed to make the absolute most of the tour.
00:06:27 - Bill Risser
Maybe he'll visit a city near you and if he does, I know he'd be happy to sit down and have a chat. Thanks for listening and I hope you share this episode with those that need a laugh or maybe a plan. And we'll be back next week with a more regular sort of episode. And I look forward to your comments and anything else you want to ask about the Die Happy Tour. Cheers. Thank you for listening to the real estate sessions. Please head over to ratethispodcast.com resessions to leave a review or a rating and subscribe to the real estate sessions podcast at your favorite podcast listening app.
