A Grateful Holiday

November 28, 2014

My favorite holiday of every year is Thanksgiving.  It is an American invention, families get together to celebrate, it eliminates politics, and if you’re lucky, the food is good and plentiful.

That said, it has its pitfalls.  For some families the stress of all getting to the same place, preparing for the mob, and of course, the usual differences among the attendees can create issues for even the closest families and friends. 

In my case, I go to a huge family Thanksgiving with Kimberly’s family.  They are a close-knit bunch with five of six sisters regularly coming together at the oldest sister, Kris’s home.  She does have a 45-year partner, Owen, and they have been holding this grand event for over 40 years.  Everybody is in the game and expected to contribute something to the feast.  I have been invited for 26 years and can’t remember having missed yet.  Everybody generally seems to be having a wonderful time, and it gives us a chance to chat and catch up with the Portland branch and watch all the kids grow up one year at a time. 

Several weeks ago, I had a hip replacement. Not exactly ordinary because it was a hip that had already been replaced with a prosthetic 18 or 19 years ago.  We really can’t remember when.  So, this was a replacement of a replacement.  How lucky can you get? For the present, the rest of my implants seem to be holding up pretty well.  My recovery has gone well.  I am back to working out with my Trainer, the great Elias Casolla, and will slowly get back to my regular routines.  I have a deep aversion to pain meds and since leaving the hospital have not taken anything stronger than Tylenol.  You are not able to take anti-inflammatories because of the risk of thinning your blood too much.  Because I am arthritic throughout my entire body, I am suddenly able to know exactly where every touch of arthritis resides.  At some point I will be able to resume a regular routine with my drug of choice, Aleve, but it won’t be for a few more weeks.  There isn’t much more to say about all of this except I am most fortunate to have had an excellent recovery most of the way.

For some reason, yesterday, Thanksgiving was one of the difficult pain days.  That ache all over feeling that makes even the most stoic patient slow and not so nice.  So, even though we went as usual, I was not at my best.  After the feast, many of us have always played charades, but last night that wouldn’t work for me.  Also, even though I am grateful for many things, it is hard to show when it’s not going too well.  So, we scrammed home and I hit the deck only to watch on replay my fav 49er’s play so badly that I turned off the TV and went to sleep. 

That is sort of the end.  Today, I feel more like myself and am most grateful for that.  Also, for the fantastic Kimberly, my loving family including the beautiful and talented Beccy who turned 21 three days ago, my genuine good health, few worries about material things, and for an older guy a promising future in my business stuff. Because we cannot predict the future and for sure there will be changes, I will take this good fortune for right now.  This moment to be mindful of all the goodness.  Be here, be here now.