Off and Running (Hopefully)

The word came through at 11:45 a.m. yesterday that I was cleared for take off. Therefore, later this morning, at around 10 a.m., or shortly thereafter, I should be dreaming about a galaxy far, far away. After that, I will be able to have a very quiet knee and walk with every step no longer reminding me of what happened last February when I flipped off that platform. It has been a very busy two weeks to get everything tidied up but it’s good to know that I am a low risk for having complications due to my heart or current physical condition. For all the joking I’ve done and the complaints I’ve offered up, I am very thankful to God for this series of reports that essentially says I am in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in.

I know I can be tedious at times but we all bring who we are to the table. I take encouragements wherever I can find them. Take for instance the other day when the cardiology nurse said she was not going to schedule a follow-up because she didn’t think I would need one. That little comment perked me up quite a bit because I know how they love those ‘follow ups’! I’m not being rude but you just have to know they never met a co-pay they didn’t like. When they are talking about your heart muscle which as I understand it is very critical to sustaining your life, you tend to listen carefully to what is being said. I’m also glad to be penciled in for mid morning. There’s something about being the last patient of the day that doesn’t appeal to me whenever someone is holding a scalpel.

I was trying to think of an appropriate song to accompany my recovery and the only one I could think of was the old spiritual, “Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones”. There’s a part of it that says, “the leg bone connected to the knee bone, the knee bone connected to the thigh bone, and on and on, ….until…. Oh hear the word of the Lord.” I think I last sang this song back in a high school quartet at competition. I’m certain it’s been ruled out as being politically incorrect which I understand, but it is still a part of music history. Let’s pray that when they finish everything will be properly connected and my knees will be fit for kneeling and not knocking. (I couldn’t resist.)

I look forward to giving everyone an update on Friday morning. Stay tuned and until then, say a prayer for the doctors, the nursing staff, and anyone else that happens to be involved in my procedure. According to my wife this would be appropriate knowing the kind of patient I am, but thus far, even after all these years, I don’t have a clue as to what she is talking about. I suppose being clueless is not always a bad thing. Have a great day and may God bless! Amen. ….More later.