Plague, Civil Unrest, Earthquakes … and a Few Blessings Along the Way
With my website’s now reasonably stable for the first time in years and having just taken my first pain pill of the day, I thought it would be a good idea to let you know that … having so far survived this ongoing plague, an earthquake that shook me out of bed and the farce that politics has become in my country … Laura and I are doing well and looking forward to a brighter and better future.
Of course, one might take the attitude that things can only get better when you’ve hit bottom. That may be true but I honestly don’t think we’ve hit bottom yet … there are too many people in my own country who are in denial of there being any problem at all. I’ve seen too many people going out and about without a face-mask during this COVID-19 pandemic and then claiming that those spiking infection numbers and death counts are just part of a political conspiracy. Similarly these same people (I use the word in the biological sense) claim that we need to send in the Army and National Guard to use deadly force people against those protesting on behalf of #Blacklivesmatter … which itself is a protest against using deadly force on our fellow African-American citizens. Stupid is as stupid does.
On the personal level, things have been a little rocky, too. My right knee gave in to osteoarthritis, making it impossible for me to walk over any distance let alone be able to put on a VOID backpack and helmet to check our latest creation. Then as COVID hit the United States with increasing severity, the VOID wisely not only closed our commercial centers but our offices as well, asking everyone but our courageous QA team to work from home. I then finally went to my orthopaedic surgeon about my knee — who informed me that if I had seen him two weeks before he could have done the knee replacement that I desperately needed. But now all ‘elective surgery’ was cancelled due to the COVID crisis. I’d just have to deal with the pain and immobility.
So why am I looking on the bright side of life?
Because even during these times, a few blessings can go a long way.
Four weeks ago I went back to my surgeon trying to deal with the pain in my knee. He let Laura and I know that the ban on ‘elective surgery’ had been temporarily lifted due to the low COVID numbers in our state and would next week be soon enough for a full knee replacement surgery?
I cried right there in his office with relief.
We moved my desk out of my office and into the living room so that would have a room on the main floor to sleep in after getting my knee replaced. Mine was the first surgery scheduled for that day … and it went flawlessly. By that same afternoon, I was actually moving from my hospital bed to the bathroom on my own power using a walker. By the next morning, the staff was helping me climb stairs. I was discharged after a single night.
I had in-home Physical Therapy scheduled for the next day — and discovered I was doing so well that I could climb ALL the stairs in my home. It was exhausting but that night I was able to sleep in my own bed. Each day my range of motion has improved and the strength — which will take a few more months — is improving. As to the pain … apparently there are pills for that of which I take as few as possible.
So why are we looking forward to a brighter and better future?
Because already I am walking with the help of a single forearm crutch better than I have walked for months — and it will get better every day. Because people ARE out there protesting on behalf of #Blacklivesmatter which means there are people out there who care about breaking this cycle of abuse against our brothers and sisters. Because being at home has given us a new appreciation for being multidimensional people rather than two-dimensional images or one dimensional tweets.
And I’m especially excited for several somethings coming your way very soon that I cannot yet talk about … but which make me deliriously happy nevertheless.
Rain ends. Storms break. We, you and I, are eternal things.
