It's three and a half weeks since M had the surgery. Lot of pain remains and the move from walker to cane is happening in its time. Isaiah said in his language: בעיתא אחישנה ... a paradoxical phrase "In its time, I will hurry it." The medieval commentaries waiting for better times, themselves, argued that if the People were Worthy, Better Times would be Hurried Along by their god. If not, they were Screwed ... Waiting in this Exile or Another. Frankly, I always liked Malachi's view that the Better Times would be recognizable by the fact that the Generations would learn to treat each other with dignity and kindness. והישיב לב אבות על בנים ... and the Hearts of the Parents would be returned to the Children and vice-versa or else all kinds of shit would rain down from Above.
Well, I am pleased to report that M and I have survived these first 25 days, in spite of the possibility of antipathy between Nurse and Patient. The Nurse's humor has been accepted as just that and the Nurse has accepted that the Patient's recovery will, indeed, come "in its own time."
For instance:
Last night, M didn't much sleep but at 2:50 reported a Dream in which I (aka Nurse Hatchet) invited some 60 people over to a Superbowl party, including my now-long-gone Mother-in-Law. I hadn't bought enough food and nothing was ready. Nevermind the fact that in the first 3+ Quarters of life, I've never attended a football game ... and she had ... with her Dad who died nearly twenty years ago. See. I told you she gives the Nurse a C-!
I responded with:
I love you in spite of your growing list of aftermarket parts. (ISYGLOAP)
Maybe that's among the major accomodations required for being married to the same unreasonable person for Fifty+ years:
Take things personally, if you like, but never seriously;
Be Almost Always Agreeable (Triple-A Rating -- describes me to a T 😇);
When your spouse asks for something easy -- just say "yes;"
Do stand-up, even when you're horizontal; and, always, I say always ...
Give your Primary Other the Presumption of Good Intentions.
It has been -- dare I say -- an experience not without its blessings. The surgery went fine ... Mother and New Knee both doing well. Terri and Ya'aKov, Ruth, Carol and Jon, Dov and Barbara, Ralph and Deb, and Reba and David brought over foods for us to eat; and JR brought a box of Chocolates. Our kids brought lots of foods and our eldest grand-spawn brought a Vegan Cheese Cake. Good stuff and full of kindness and love. Sickness does come along with the possibility that you'll learn that others do love you. Or, if you're a schmuck (sorry, Donald: a Schlonnnng -- god ... what a schmuck he is!), you'll misread it.
They don't believe I can cook.
No, Howard, they're just being kind and loving.
M and I went out 5 times, including our anniversary on Tuesday, two snacks, a trip to visit our friends, Milt and Ruth, and a trip to Dr. Frankenstein's Office; I managed to work; PT's, OT's, RN's got in without being mauled by GuntherDog; we watched a couple of bad movies and one good one; we ate pretty well; and Life is Good, if full of pain.
As to that pain? M reports hers being mostly down to a 3 on a 10 point scale and she's moving towards OTC pain-relievers, though walking obviously adds to the pain considerably. Moi? M told me not to do some work in the office, advice which I ignored and I managed to inflame my carpal tunnel but the new floor in the office is done and, most importantly, my noncompliance didn't inflame M.
And Global Warming is grand ... Temps have been in the 60's and 70's.
The moral?
One can still Play in the Last Quarter
even with its expectable forays into discomforts and pains.
Carpe Diem, Baby!
