There’s an old man who comes to the gym in the mornings. He has a walker with an oxygen bottle, and bears visible scars from open heart surgery and a pacemaker implant. Monday morning I loosened up in the hot tub, and the two of us talked.
I learned that he had his first surgery in early December of 1999. I was reminded of my bout with myocarditis that same month, and how, as I lay in the Intensive Care Unit at UVRMC, the rooms around me were full of what I have come to call “gray people.” Their skin was literally deathly pale, and I assumed that the majority of them were going to die there.
I asked where this man had gone for treatment back in ’99, and he told me he was at UVRMC, and spent most of December in the Intensive Care Unit.
One of those gray people not only survived, but did so for a full decade at current count.
The last decade has been huge for me. I started a new job, rose to prominence, and then quit to do the same thing again. I created Schlock Mercenary, and Sandra and I had two more kids.
All of this in a decade.
I don’t know what my elderly friend at the gym has done with the ten years the doctors, God, and/or the Fates gave back to him, but I’m sure they are precious.
Whine about the “aughts” if you must, but as we begin the second decade of the twenty-first century, know that at least two of us are really thankful for the last ten years.
May the “Tens” bring you boldness, decisiveness and
positive results; good health, warm associations and a heart full of peace!
A-men!
May the “Tens” bring you boldness, decisiveness and
positive results; good health, warm associations and a heart full of peace!
A-men!
I’ve had an amazing decade. There have been both ups and downs, joy and heart ache. Friends and family members have died, others have pulled through terrifying ailments that in an earlier time would have killed them. I’ve grown, maybe not every day, but every month, every year. And if that weren’t enough, I’ve met you and Sandra too!
I’ve had an amazing decade. There have been both ups and downs, joy and heart ache. Friends and family members have died, others have pulled through terrifying ailments that in an earlier time would have killed them. I’ve grown, maybe not every day, but every month, every year. And if that weren’t enough, I’ve met you and Sandra too!
Ultimately, time is the one non-renewable resource.
Ultimately, time is the one non-renewable resource.
The Aughts…
Great post…the last ten years have been a gift to me and my family too. I know I have used them as best I can and practiced an attitude of gratitude. Your post just reminds me of why this way of looking at the world is so important to me. Thank you again!
Not whining about the aughts,
Annie Jean
The Aughts…
Great post…the last ten years have been a gift to me and my family too. I know I have used them as best I can and practiced an attitude of gratitude. Your post just reminds me of why this way of looking at the world is so important to me. Thank you again!
Not whining about the aughts,
Annie Jean
Amen, my friend. Amen!
Amen, my friend. Amen!
And count up another one… probably two, since I’m sure Kestrelcat has some things she’s appreciative of as well. (One of them is asleep upstairs at the moment.I’m kinda fond of the little guy, too).
Blessings to you and yours, Howard. We may come at things from different directions, but I think that’s something we can agree on.
And count up another one… probably two, since I’m sure Kestrelcat has some things she’s appreciative of as well. (One of them is asleep upstairs at the moment.I’m kinda fond of the little guy, too).
Blessings to you and yours, Howard. We may come at things from different directions, but I think that’s something we can agree on.
Common
Myocarditis is something we have in common, Howard.
I helped nurse my father through 2 bouts of it in the 18 months before I graduated in 1989. Nasty stuff. Kicked his ass, hard. An’ as I was the only one in the household who could handle anything the least bit medical it fell to me to “sit shiva” playing solitaire with my Tarot Cards in The Northeast Harris County ICU while my mother disintegrated like a cake in the rain. I learned more about critical care that summer than any teenager should.
I have many, many things I am thankful for these past 10yrs, yes.
Not the least of which is Phillip’s prowess with a search engine. If not for that Galadrion would not have found his way back into my life. An’ without him I’d be alone now.
As is my habit I’ll be posting more on the New Year closer to the turn.
Til then Luck n Blessings-
K
Common
Myocarditis is something we have in common, Howard.
I helped nurse my father through 2 bouts of it in the 18 months before I graduated in 1989. Nasty stuff. Kicked his ass, hard. An’ as I was the only one in the household who could handle anything the least bit medical it fell to me to “sit shiva” playing solitaire with my Tarot Cards in The Northeast Harris County ICU while my mother disintegrated like a cake in the rain. I learned more about critical care that summer than any teenager should.
I have many, many things I am thankful for these past 10yrs, yes.
Not the least of which is Phillip’s prowess with a search engine. If not for that Galadrion would not have found his way back into my life. An’ without him I’d be alone now.
As is my habit I’ll be posting more on the New Year closer to the turn.
Til then Luck n Blessings-
K