Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Back to Painting
I've been wanting to get back into painting lately, and being computer-less for a week-and-a-half allowed me to do just that. I painted five rocks in the last few days. Here they are for your viewing pleasure ...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Computer, Winning Race & Crutches
Sorry I have not been blogging as frequently as normal. My computer is STILL not ready for me to use. It's back in our possession, but the techies are loading my stuff on it. Hopefully tonight I'll get it back. Almost two weeks. Incredible! I will say I have felt strangely liberated without my hip-attachment, although I do miss it.
A lot to catch you up on. Don't have time to tell all right now, but here are a few highlights ...
Saturday morning I ran in the Run For Youth, and surprisingly, won for running the farthest distance in the hour - and I started some 5-minutes+ late! 7 3/4 miles in less than an hour! I got a 1st place ribbon! I've always wanted one of those things! lol
Saturday night I played my first game of softball in over two years. I was playing fairly well - got my first hit on the first pitch ala A-Rod (but it was a solid line drive rather than a homerun), and made several outs playing second base. Unfortunately in the bottom of the second inning I went back to catch a pop-up in shallow right-center field. I called for the ball and made the catch, but unfortunately the right-center fielder was coming on strong and didn't pull up in time. He slid into my ankle and buckled me. BUT, and this is a big but (no, not a big butt!) I held onto the ball! And it was for the third out! That, my friends, is the important part of the story!
I was going to wait until Monday to get my ankle checked, but by 11 p.m. it was swelling up and getting quite sore. I have sprained my ankle many times, but this one felt a bit different and I thought it might possibly be a hairline fracture, so at midnight I drove myself to the emergency room. X-rays showed that it was not fractured, but ....
Today I went to the orthopedist. She took another set of x-rays just to be certain. She did see an old fracture (I never knew about that. Just one of the times I thought it was sprained.), but affirmed that this time I had not fractured it. She also said that I also have some arthrtis in my ankle from so many sprains, and that I need to start slowing down in terms of my intense activities. NOOOOOO!!!!!! She wanted to put me in a cast, but decided not to due to the swelling. Instead she put me in a boot and has me staying on crutches (no weigh-bearing) for two more weeks, followed by physical therapy and another week or two on the crutches with some weight-bearing. Uhhh!
A lot to catch you up on. Don't have time to tell all right now, but here are a few highlights ...
Saturday morning I ran in the Run For Youth, and surprisingly, won for running the farthest distance in the hour - and I started some 5-minutes+ late! 7 3/4 miles in less than an hour! I got a 1st place ribbon! I've always wanted one of those things! lol
Saturday night I played my first game of softball in over two years. I was playing fairly well - got my first hit on the first pitch ala A-Rod (but it was a solid line drive rather than a homerun), and made several outs playing second base. Unfortunately in the bottom of the second inning I went back to catch a pop-up in shallow right-center field. I called for the ball and made the catch, but unfortunately the right-center fielder was coming on strong and didn't pull up in time. He slid into my ankle and buckled me. BUT, and this is a big but (no, not a big butt!) I held onto the ball! And it was for the third out! That, my friends, is the important part of the story!
I was going to wait until Monday to get my ankle checked, but by 11 p.m. it was swelling up and getting quite sore. I have sprained my ankle many times, but this one felt a bit different and I thought it might possibly be a hairline fracture, so at midnight I drove myself to the emergency room. X-rays showed that it was not fractured, but ....
Today I went to the orthopedist. She took another set of x-rays just to be certain. She did see an old fracture (I never knew about that. Just one of the times I thought it was sprained.), but affirmed that this time I had not fractured it. She also said that I also have some arthrtis in my ankle from so many sprains, and that I need to start slowing down in terms of my intense activities. NOOOOOO!!!!!! She wanted to put me in a cast, but decided not to due to the swelling. Instead she put me in a boot and has me staying on crutches (no weigh-bearing) for two more weeks, followed by physical therapy and another week or two on the crutches with some weight-bearing. Uhhh!
Monday, May 11, 2009
An Observation About Death
A while back several people commented on my Twitter posts, noting the fullness of my life. I was actually feeling like I was motoring along at an insane pace, and their words caused me to check myself. Were the things I was doing of kingdom value or were they about me or impressing others? Had I begun to equate business with success? Was I spending enough time in solitude and contemplation? Was I just flat out too busy? What was I afraid of?I've been reading Jurgen Moltmann's book The Coming of God, and today his words on death caused me to pause and think. Consider this one thought he offers ...
"Death sets a limit on our lifetime, and makes life short. The unconscious, unassimilated fear of death shows itself in the pace at which we live: presto! If you want to get the most out of life you have to live fast! The modern world is the accelerated world. We 'modernize' faster and faster. We move about more and more. We rush from one place to another. We 'have' ever more experiences, and use up ever more life, without any apparent speed limit - fast food - fast life! And yet the truth of the matter is that it is only the person who lives slowly who really enters into life. That person can stand still in the moment, and experience eternity in it, able to enjoy the happiness and feel the pain. But doesn't this quietude in life presuppose a hope for a life that is eternal, whatever that hope may look like? Fear of death constricts, while hope for eternal life opens a wide space for living beyond death, and brings serenity into the soul: nothing will be lost, and you are missing nothing. The person who retains a knowledge of death also cherishes the love for life - for every life, for the life of us all, for the whole of life." (p.57, emphasis added)
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