The plan now is to take the Temodar (chemo pills) five days a month and go in for MRIs every two months. This can go on for as long as things look copacetic. Given that the Temodar caused me very few problems earlier, I’m very OK with that protocol. "Dan, I’m offering you…(imagine
Monty Hall saying these words) …a normal life if you take all your meds and get an MRI every two months. Or would you rather have what’s behind the curtain?" I’ll take the normal life and thanks for letting me play.
I’ve read frequently that learning new skills during times like these is a good idea. So towards that end I’ve learned to shave my head. It’s always been a source of fascination to see these dudes on football wrap-ups, singing with bands, whatever…with these perfectly smooth, sometimes even shiny (see Ronnie Lott) heads. (They’re almost always dudes, except for Patrick Stewart.) As someone who doesn’t even shave his face every day, even with the help of a mirror, I’ve reached the point where I can take a shower, armed with nothing other than a razor, crème rinse and the Braille method, and emerge with a dramatically hairless head. (Except for my eyebrows, which are now the only hair on my head. Makes me wonder what Frida Kahlo would have looked like with a shaved head? Better than me, I hope.) At any rate, it’s a new look. Ellen likes it. I’m going to have to go find a band to sing with, or run for governor of Minnesota.
We’re getting ready to host a large gathering for Thanksgiving. My mom is staying with us, my sister and her partner were due in last night, and I was expecting my brother as well. Unfortunately, he’s been detained by the unique but urgent need to keep a bear and her three cubs
alive in Montana. If it doesn’t appear in National Geographic, I’ll tell you how it turns out. My sister and her partner are dealing with the last days of a beloved dog; Rebecca couldn’t make it, and Dede had to survive the Flight from Hell to arrive around midnight. Ellen’s mom, brother, in-laws, nephews and other very likeable relatives will round out the party. There is certain to be a ton of good food, which doesn’t need to concern me as long as I barbeque the two turkeys to my usual unassailable standards. We’ll celebrate all the many things we’ve traditionally had to be thankful for, along with a few new ones.
Maybe the best thing that’s happened to me is the sense that Thanksgiving can be every day. Each morning I wake up and feel thankful for being given that day. It’s a gift. I appreciate it and treasure it. Often I think of an improv character that was featured in a group I was in about thirty years ago…Gramps Nerdle…whose entrance would always consist of the line "I feel GOOD today" delivered with equal parts delight and surprise. Maybe if more people could be thankful every day that they have life, it would be a more liveable world.
Join us in celebrating a great Thanksgiving. And don’t feel as if you need to stop the next day.
Peace and love,
Dan
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