Update:
I had a great dinner together with David on Thursday evening. He showed up and helped me finish the food
preparation that would had been very difficult for me to accomplish sitting
down. We had some good laughs especially
when we were in the kitchen and I was using the spray hose to rinse off some of
the food processor parts. David made
some comment and I teasingly threatened to spray him but instead got myself a
little wet. So I let go of the spray
hose handle and the water came full blast out of the faucet. The things in the sink were just at the right
angle so that the water came shooting out of the sink drenching me. It took me a minute to figure out what was
happening because mentally I figured that I was getting myself wet with the
hose. I finally realized that I had to
actually turn the water off. It was
rather humorous, so I laughed the entire time I was changing into dry
clothes. Later, we got laughing again as
he watched me do my exercises. Laying on
my back and doing the “bicycle” must look really funny with one full-length leg
and the other drastically shorter.
This morning (Friday), my friend Ryan is coming to get me and we are
going to Mouldy’s to shoot our bows. I
spent some time on Thursday learning how to transfer to a stool and then
pulling back my bow. I took a lot of
poundage off of the bow since I don’t need to worry about hunting right
now. It takes a lot more muscle to pull
the same amount of weight when you are seated compared to standing anyway. I don’t want to strain and struggle to pull
the bow back—that ruins the fun factor pretty quickly and a good way to pull a
back muscle.
Tonight is opening night for Karen’s play, “Knights of the Round
Table.” The performance is at 7:30 p.m.
on Friday and Saturday; and a matinee on Sunday at the State Theatre in Eau
Claire. Lots of sword play and even
storming a castle wall in this play.
There will also be a number of people from the Renaissance Fair who will
come in costume and help set the tone in the audience. The cast and crew have put in some long, hard,
and cold hours preparing for this event.
Should be fun to watch. Hope you
can come and catch a performance! I am
going to see it on Friday night.
Ruth and Cody are due in from Chicago for the weekend. Our daughter, Ruth, has always enjoyed the
theatre so she had to come home to see the production. I don’t know how much time I will actually get
to spend with them; but it is always good to have them home.
Thought for the Day:
Remember that everything is relative.
After having near record lows with dangerous wind chills down in the -50
to -60 range and days without end with the high in the negative teens, warmer
weather has finally arrived. My wife who
is very cold nature told me how nice it was yesterday. “It felt so warm. It was 17 above!” Those are strange words to hear come out of
her mouth. But everyone around here is
thinking the same thing. Today we should
hit 32 degrees! I figure that kids will
be walking to school in shorts today (don’t laugh; I’ve seen it happen before
with weather like this—Wisconsin kids, go figure). There even maybe a few people sunbathing over
the weekend. A seventy degree change in
temperature over a few days’ time period throws you off balance a bit.
A number of years back, we would take our teens from the church down to
Mexico for a mission trip during the summer.
We normally went in late July and were always greeted with oppressive
heat in Mexico. If we had 75 degrees,
they had at least 100. We were baking! So our youth pastor, Jeff, and I decided that
to beat the heat, we would go as soon as the kids were out of school in late May
or early June. We found out that it didn’t
matter what time of year we went there was always at least a 25 degree
difference and we felt hot. Remember that everything is relative.
Before my hospitalization, I thought that getting poked in the arm and
giving blood at a Red Cross Blood Drive was pretty sacrificial of me because of
the discomfort of needles. After getting
poked and prodded in the hospital for eight days, a Blood Drive is nothing. Before my amputation, I used to think that
getting a paper cut was a big deal; now it is nothing. I used to think that what I now know as
discomfort was pain. I am more aware of
the difference between the two now. Remember
that everything is relative.
I spent a total of eight long, miserable days in the hospital this
winter. I was so happy when I was released
and got to roll out of those doors and get into the car to drive home. It was so hard to be in the hospital that
long! I have a friend who has been in
the hospital for over 60 days (and still counting). I cannot imagine being there that long. Eight days is really nothing after all.
I haven’t walked for over a month; sitting all the time and being in a
wheel chair is really getting to me. I’ve
got another month to go before I even start being prepped to wear a prosthesis
and walk again. It seems like forever! Having my leg amputated below the knee is the
biggest change I have ever had in my life.
It is the first thing that I have faced that will not change until I die
(most illnesses you recover from and go back to the way you were). I get frustrated by my limitations. I can’t reach that. I can’t go upstairs or downstairs to the
basement or out to the garage. I need
people to come give me rides. All those
things seem pretty major to me! But then
I think about my friend, Mel who will never walk again after injuring his spine
this past summer. He’s got both legs but
neither of them work. He will be in a
wheel chair until he dies. I’ll get a
prosthesis and walk again. Mel won’t
walk until he goes to heaven and gets his glorified (and fully functional)
body. I have a life time of disability
ahead of me—but it is very minor compared to Mel’s. Remember that everything is relative.
No matter how bad I think I have it—there is someone who has it
worse. If I merely focus upon my own
circumstances it is easy to have a pity party given in my honor. If I raise my head and change my perspective,
I realize that I don’t have it bad at all in comparison. In fact, I have a lot to be thankful
for!
And so it is with you. No matter
what you are going through, someone has it worse. Whatever level of pain you’ve got, it is
nothing compared to what others are experiencing. All you have to do is to raise your eyes off
of yourself and look around to see it.
So what? It gives you
perspective. It helps you recognize that
your life isn’t all that bad. It allows you to get back up on top of your
situation instead of being buried under the weight of it. Remember that everything is relative.
I see someone else who has it worse than I do and they have figured out
a way to make it work. I go to Mexico
and see families living together in room the size of my shed in the backyard,
who cook over a fire with the one pot that they own; who may have one change of
clothes and I realize that I am just whining when I think I have it tough. Perspective gives me courage to stand up and
move forward. My perception of what is
difficult and impossible change and I begin to see things as possible and not
that hard. Remember that everything is
relative.
So if you are feeling a bit like a turtle (and we’ve all been there),
poke your head out of your shell and look around. Gain some perspective. And go after life with a renewed sense of
understanding and maturity. Remember
that everything is relative.
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