Just the stitches remain

Lily and me at the coffee shop, taken by Steve

Lily is such a good friend, and she wanted to share coffee yesterday morning with me and Steve, before the two of us (Steve and I) went on our usual Saturday morning walk. She always looks so pretty, and yesterday morning was no exception. Another breath of fresh air, and I was wearing my usual look. You can see under the scarf around my neck that the scar is coming along nicely, and I am very happy to see it beginning to get smaller and smaller. By this time next week the dissolving stitches should be gone, or almost so. All in all, the entire procedure has been minimal; my fear was the hardest part to deal with, especially the fear that the cancer had already spread, which it hadn't.

I learned online that dissolving stitches are usually absorbed in 7-14 days, and it's now been 10, so things are proceeding normally. I notice that my awareness of the wound is no longer constant, and that there are moments when I completely forget about having had the surgery. I like to think that now life can return to normal, but I am quickly forgetting what "normal" looks like in this scary political environment we all live in. The whole world feels like the future is truly uncertain, especially here in the US as the government has taken over the entire Washington, DC city, and is getting ready to do the same in Chicago. Are we ever going to have a safe and normal life again? I wonder.

Fortunately, we are in the waning stages of summer, as we approach the traditional end of the season with Labor Day coming on September 1, the first Monday in the month. So the three-day Labor Day weekend is coming up soon, like in a week. Our heat wave (which seems pretty tame when I look at the rest of the country) will pass after today. We got to 89 yesterday and I was quite uncomfortable when outside, but in our apartment, with the fans going, it was quite pleasant. It's the only time of the year when I actually wear shorts. Last week I ended up doing my usual routine (in shorts), and it was almost easy, just remembering to add a scarf when outdoors, and doing my Thursday and Friday volunteer work without a hitch.

The only thing that is not going as planned is that John called yesterday to cancel our usual Sunday morning breakfast. When it's this hot, he doesn't get to sleep until late, and he decided he would rather sleep in than meet me at 7:15am. I'll get my coffee fix at the local corner stand, which has excellent coffee these days. And Steve leaves next weekend for his annual trip to Hawaii for his mother's birthday, so he won't be around for a couple of weeks. Then he returns to begin the fall semester at the college, and things will return to a semblance of normal, at least I hope so.

I am so lucky to have such good friends, and lots to keep me occupied until I can get back to walking in cooler weather. It's funny that as I settle into my easy chair, it seems my body is encouraging me to go in that sedentary direction. My right shoulder keeps going out on me, as well as my right sacrum, both at times I don't expect. I still walk at least a couple of miles every day, as I have a half-mile trip to the bus, and the trip back home as well. It gives me the daily walk that I crave, even if there are body parts that would rather stay home. I think of my friend Linda in Seattle who is struggling to walk a couple of miles a day, but she does it for the same reason I do: we don't want to stop until we simply must.

I loaded a new book onto my Kindle, Why Buddhism is True, by Robert Wright. You know I have had an abiding interest in Buddhism, but I hadn't heard of this book until my guy suggested I might enjoy reading it. He has a hard copy that doesn't help me much these days, but this one has captured my attention and is just what I need to read at this point in my life. The author writes in a chatty style that I appreciate, rather than ponderous and preachy.

Written with the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

This is from the link on Amazon that gives the potential buyer some idea of what the book is about. It's easy to read and I've read about 20% of the book already, and I've gotten some chuckles and rueful recognition of some of my erroneous beliefs. I highly recommend Wright's book, even though I still have much of it to read. With my eyesight failing, it has to be a good book for me to keep reading. I recently finished Barbara Kingsolver's book about Appalachia and her fictional character, Demon Copperhead and enjoyed it tremendously. I was sorry to have it end, but this new book has helped me to find a new path forward. Once I can no longer read books on my Kindle, I'll move to audiobooks.

So life is good, I'm finding my way through the summer months of heat and too much sun, and looking forward to my favorite time of the year: fall. Already I'm seeing some trees beginning to change colors, giving me a preview of what's to come. I do hope you will be finding some happiness and satisfaction in the days and weeks to come. It always helps to find pathways forward into enjoyment of our one precious life. I hope that the coming days will bring you satisfaction and happiness. Until we meet again next week, dear friends, I wish you all good things. Be well.