It has been awhile. Like since June. But with several key projects seen through to completion (including one that I plan on telling everyone about in a few weeks), I finally have room to blog-breathe.
I've had time to reflect on a few things that I've found to be true, so this post is dedicated to some short observations in that vein.
1. As you age, recovery from stupidity gets more arduous. November seems to the month when something bad happens to me. In 2016, I had to get my gall bladder taken out, which wasn't as difficult as the pain in the run-up to surgery. In 2017, it was the November of the torn meniscus, which should have been a beacon that I needed to find a more low-impact form of exercise than running. And in November 2019, it was the story of stupid me. Which rhymes with "knee". On November 8th, I had to get my son Joshua off the toilet and into his wheelchair. Now we have a lift system with a sling that does the work for us, but I had left it in his bedroom and thought, "Man, I really don't want to walk across the house to get it," so I tried lifting him off by myself and pivot him into the chair. The pivot did it. I turned my right knee while bearing Joshua's weight and felt a nasty pop. Fractured kneecap, and I had to submit to an orthopedist's oversight, draining the knee, and having to wear a brace until the fracture healed completely at the end of the year.
2. A new diet can bear dividends, especially if you discipline with portion control and find food that pops for you. On that note, let me assure you: Avocado egg salad is awesome! Of this, there is no doubt. And having a healthy stream of oranges, minneolas, and cheese is helping.
3. Never underestimate the power of a good coloring book. I snagged one of those 'mindfulness' color-by-number coloring books for adults at Half Price Books the day after Christmas, and whenever I sit down and work through a page, my inner spirit goes from distracted to chill in a matter of moments.
4. It's emotionally and mentally healthy to read and read often, but it can be helpful, too, to re-read something you worked through before. I'm presently reading George Jonas' Vengeance for the fourth time, and I always read it with new eyes. Seeing the deep, brooding effect that Israeli counter-terror teams experienced when they carried out their missions in response to the Munich Olympic massacre is profoundly and psychologically sobering. It makes me want to watch the film Munich, in which Steven Spielberg drew much from Jonas' book, again.
5. It's fun to pass on to others what you enjoy. Our family love watching the cozy detective series Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators on Britbox. The interplay and teamwork between Jo Joyner and Mark Benton makes for a delightful storyline, and naming each episode using elements from the Bard is a nice touch. We enjoyed the first two seasons so much that we gave a DVD of season 1 to my parents, who are now finding much to love about what the Daily Mail calls a "lightweight murder mystery" that is "worth setting the recorder for."
Or in our case, getting Britbox. I could tell you more, but I'll save commentary about This Farming Life, Death in Paradise, Rev, Wallander, and others for later. As for me, it's good to be back in the blogosphere.
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