From This to This...

I had been feeling sort of low lately. It was a combination of emotional, physical, and mental fatigue that had acculumalated over the last four weeks. I can only imagine what a state I would have been in without the help of so many good and kind family and friends...
So, a friend call me and offered to take me to The Angel, an English Pub-style bar in downtown Decatur.
This friend is also good mentor.
He is a bit older than me, doesn't work in government, and has a family that has faced similarly scary medical problems in the last couple of years. We are personally unalike in a lot of ways too, but we share similar core values. We have great conversations in which we speak freely and we laugh a lot.
He notices when I speak casually of dead bodies and mayhem. The fact that he notices makes me notice that I DON'T notice much at all, and reminds me to be human. Humans notice and are affected by dead bodies.

So, we met at the bar, and coincidentally, the bar was the scene of the retirement party of a man who had been my Lieutenant when I worked in Homicide at DeKalb Police. The party was in the back, and we sat at a table up front. I got to see several former colleagues as they left, providing me good opportunities to tell some of my old war stories. It also had the ego boost of me seeming like some kind of big-shot as a steady stream of guys and gals walked by, recognized me, and stopped to say "Hi."
So, we spent a good couple of hours talking, laughing, and learning from each other.
I left with a spring in my step, and a load off my mind.

Being an amatuer neurotic, I can easily trap myself in my own thoughts, and this was a great opportunity to release a lot of tension and gain some perspective.
I shall never underestimate the value of just sitting a sharing your thoughts and time with someone. Until something else attaches itself to my mind and must be dislodged with a strong draft and an open ear.

Thanks, buddy!

P.S.
Cathy (I sort of feel obligated to include her in all of this) saw her cardiologist for the the first time since she got her new valve, and everything seems to be working pretty well.
She goes to see the surgeon next week to get the release from him to start some kind of rehab program, and to find out when she will be able to do simple things like pick up Lucy again.

The earlier she gets into a rehab program, the longer it will delay my entry into a different kind of rehab program!