I played music for my friend’s 30th wedding anniversary recommitment ceremony with my friend Kirsten in Northeast Iowa this past weekend. Sure, we are older (not wiser) but it felt like it did 30 years ago, we all danced to the (goofy) 80’s music and laughed a lot. On another but related note, I was rounding yesterday with an employee who came back to Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics as an employee after a long absence and she said it felt like she never left. It’s weird, but nice that things really don’t change with time. Comforting.
I’m celebrating this month my 5th anniversary with bariatric surgery*. I wrote an article on it yesterday for our newsletter. Essentially, it was a life changing event for me. I was (maybe not literally) dying in place prior to surgery. I struggled for years with my weight, I was depressed and my body was failing me. Pre-diabetic, hurting joints, bad sleep … it wasn’t good. The surgery was important - but what was more important was regaining my confidence and living … really living again. It’s never too late to change direction and reinvigorate your life. Sometimes it’s losing weight, sometimes it’s evaluating your relationships and make necessary changes, sometimes a job or activity. Again, it’s never too late.
I really hope you are doing the best with summer as you can. Before we know it, it’ll be winter and cold and we will be complaining about the cold. Get outside and run through the sprinklers, sit beside a lake, ride your bike on a trail, dance with the lightning bugs. It’s the best time of the year, don’t let it slip by without maximizing the joy!
*Not everyone is as open and transparent as I am with medical stuff as I am AND it’s not a violation of HIPAA if I say it about myself.
