mulberryshoots

my de-cluttered kitchen “sparks joy”!

I was thinking that having day surgery is a blessing in disguise. How’s that, you might ask? Let me count the ways:

1.  It’s not serious or it wouldn’t be day surgery. However, it does contain potential pitfalls for recovering from anesthesia (getting air back into your lungs, dry throat) and elevating limbs to avoid blood clots. So you still have to be careful and watchful during recuperation.
2. Just being minimally at risk makes you appreciate everything that you have and don’t want to take for granted: a loving, thoughtful husband; good wishes of people around you who offer help with carrying things or doing the laundry (our tenants who live on the 2nd floor); friends who offer to come by with a pizza and greek salad the next night you’re home; well-wishers from all over the place you had least expected.
3. Peace and quiet convenience. I ordered a Coleman camp chair  for $22.00 that is spacious and comfortable with a pillow on its seat. It has a mesh cup container built into the right hand arm and a compartment for books and the TV remote on the left side. A large wooden board on the sofa beside my chair serves as a platform for more books, my phone and my laptop computer. And my legs are elevated on a stool with a cushion in front of me. Handy dandy!
4. Nice food: As a way to fill up the time before the surgery (and clean out the fridge) I made some light soups (cucumber and potato) and put them in the freezer. We have been eating lightly because it’s the middle of August, but it feels good to know that in the freezer, there are rib-eye steaks on the bone, chicken thighs and extra-large shrimp on hand. We still have corn on the cob, tomatoes, squash and green onions from the local farmstand that we’ll replenish this weekend. Tonight, we’re having dinner with a neighbor who’s taking six hours of Medical Boards today – will experiment with the homemade egg pasta I made yesterday with some shrimp scampi sauteed in garlic and fresh rosemary tonight to celebrate her milestone.
5. Good will: I feel content with my life. Stopping ever so temporarily over a physical procedure has made a difference in the way I feel about the future. I no longer feel hidebound to certain responsibilities anymore. My kids are grown and able to take care of themselves. And I’m free to live without striving for anything any longer. Just live simply and enjoy the day.
6. In fact, I almost feel like I’ve faked my own death and am free to run away to Mexico to sip margaritas with fresh lime juice and eat tacos on Tuesdays!