Thankful

Here on the cusp of a new year we tend to pause and look back to review the high & lows from the past year. I have been pondering this thread for a while but recent events have thrown me off my feed. In spite of all my turmoil of late, I do have a lot to be thankful for. 2008 has been one hellofa ride.

• I started this year with the threat of prostate cancer hanging over me. Diagnosed in late 2007, I postponed treatment until after the holidays. I decided to take the surgical approach to eliminate the root cause. Went under the knife in late January and spent 5 weeks recovering. Have fully recovered and follow up test show no sign of cancer. Dodged that bullet. Some people have passed away due to prostate cancer and I consider myself lucky to have caught it early. As I have stated before, if you are floating around the 50 mark, get checked out by your physician. It is simple and fairly painless and may save your life.


• By the way, this year was the year for family injuries/illnesses. While I was in the hospital for my surgery, both older brothers had medical problems. One had dental problems (root canal) while the other one fell of his bike in Seattle and shattered his right wrist/arm. He wound up getting metal plates and screws and had to wear some serious-looking appliance to support healing. For a while, he was sporting the Borg look (Resistance is Futile). Everyone has recovered from those injuries/illnesses, but recently we seem to be heading back down that old path. My oldest brother had knee surgery earlier this fall to correct some pain, but it has backtracked on him recently and looks like he will have to have more work done. On Monday, I dislocated my shoulder while running and will be in a sling for a while. Too early to tell if I will need further repair. In spite of my recent mishap, I am grateful for my health and that of my family. (I'm also glad my injury was not worse).


• Got to travel more both on business and pleasure. This year, I have been to Tulsa, Orlando, Minneapolis, Dallas, Austin, College Station, San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, Grand Cayman, & Cozumel. Spent a few days with my son in Northern California, and few days with my family on the coast of Washington and a week with my family again on a Caribbean cruise. I love to travel, even if it is on business. I am grateful for the opportunities to see the beauty of other places.
  



• My son is in his junior year of college. 2.5 years down and holding excellent grades. He has scored some good intern gigs and looks to be heading back to Seattle this summer for an internship with a software company. His future looks bright. He took a job as RA in his dorm this year and, while it has been a great experience for him, I don’t think he wants to do it again next year. I am grateful that he is doing well.
  
• We survived Hurricane Ike. Many people down in this part of the coast lost a everything, while others suffered damage to their homes. The only impact we had was to be without power for 10+ days. While it was a major pain in the ass at the time, we realized there were people who had it a lot worse that we did. I am grateful that we did not suffer any major long term loss.
  

• We lost our dog recently. Even though we saw it coming, we did not expect it this soon. It was definitely one of the hardest things we have ever done in our lives and we are still mourning his absence. I am grateful to have had him as a family member and the lessons he taught us.

We have so much to be thankful for. In spite of some of the low points, 2008 was a good year for us. We managed to survive albeit with a few more scrapes and bruises. I am looking forward to 2009 with as much vigor as my meds will allow. The only downer is that I cannot celebrate the New Year in the traditional fashion (something about no drinking while on vicodin). Bummer.

Everyone have a safe and Happy Year!