Today I missed my workout at the gym and all 659 pull ups I was planning on doing today because I had outpatient surgery at Duke. The surgery wasn't a huge deal, but even if it's not a big deal you spend the entire day at the doctor's office.
- There's registration, where they ask you all the same questions you filled in the day before online.
- You get asked 50 times if you are allergic to anything.
- You wait for the doctor. Then you wait for the doctor some more.
- You get a visit from the therapy dog. (Kidding.)
Right now I'm back on the farm and doing well. Now I can go back to being my usual ornery self. To be honest, I was a bit anxious going into the procedure today. Surgery is surgery, and when it happens to a loved one -- or to yourself -- it's a bit unsettling. During the 6 hours I spent at the clinic I saw the doctor for perhaps 20 minutes total. The man was all business. He's the only doctor there and he does 18 of these surgeries every day, so he's not exactly in a position to engage in small talk.
Fair enough.
"What kind of surgery did you have?" you ask. I had a tumor removed from my right cheek. My dermatologist discovered it 2 weeks ago during my annual full-body evaluation. A week ago the pathologist ruled it as "superficially invasive squamous cell carcinoma." I was immediately referred to the Duke Mohs Micrographic Surgery Center in Durham. Since squamish cell is more aggressive than basal cell, the surgeon wanted to operate on me as quickly as possible -- hence today's surgery. Thankfully, he only had to make one cut to remove all the cancer and to assure me that there is no chance of recurrence, metastasis, or death. Praise the Lord. There will be a scar, but in the bigger scheme of things, that ain't no big thing. (I used to be tall, dark, and handsome. Now I'm just tall hehe.)
Life throws curve balls. I've gotten kinda used to it. Most of the things we worry about never come to pass, but all kinds of random stuff that never occurred to you comes out of left field. C'est la vie.
In case you're young and don't know, as you age your body becomes subject to all kinds of cellular breakdowns. Despite the fact that I am naturally dark-skinned, easily tan, and have used sunscreen religiously for 50 years, I did spend 19 years in Hawaii, 27 years in Southern California, and the past 28 years farming. That puts me in the high risk group for skin cancer. On the other hand, I'm "in the Lord's hands, and there's no better place to be" (as a friend texted me today).
Today I'm in recovery mode. I'll let you know how it goes. The nurse ordered me not to lift anything heavy for a couple of days, so no workouts for this weekend. Or running for that matter. Did I tell you I'm training for the Honolulu Marathon in December? So I'm eager to get back to the gym and out on the trails. In God's good time.
Not a day goes by that I do not count my blessings. Never before in my life have I had so much to cherish -- and so much to lose. My body has held out for 73 years. My family is always there for me. I'm still able to teach, and I don't take that for granted. Sunsets. Travel. Haying. A good book. Hot showers. Ethiopian food. The kindness of others. A cup of Bo's coffee. A view of the Matterhorn from my hotel room. Wave riding. The fall weather we're experiencing. My daughter's jambalaya. A grandchild's hug.
A world-class skin cancer surgeon.
We value what we notice, you and I. I'm trying to notice the little stuff every day. For some, gratitude comes easily. For others, it takes work. A surgeon is a good reason to regain perspective. You notice the beauty all around you. You focus on what you have and not what you think you lack. You learn to appreciate the people in your life.
After today I may be a little uglier, but I am thankful the surgeon was able to remove all the cancer that had assaulted my epidermis. I am thankful that I've got the resources to go to the doctor. Not everyone does. I am thankful for the life and career that the Lord has given me. Most of all, I am so thankful that the Father adopted me into his forever family 66 years ago when I was an 8-year old boy who lost his father through divorce at the age of 3. Without the pain of that loss, I might have never been in the place to acknowledge my need for Christ.
At times, life gets a bit hard. But you eventually figure it out and keep going. I try to be grateful for the challenge. As much as I dreaded this day, it turned out to be one of the best days of my life. It reminded me that things aren't really as bad or as hard as we anticipated. And it reminded me that, by God's grace, you can keep trudging on.
