Introduction & Early Stages

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June 2003

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

It’s been a wild couple days. I was in Houston last week from Wednesday to Friday, where it was another round of fun and games with Joe Namath at the Arthritis Huddle event. This time I got a kiss goodbye from Joe, which I think is only to shake things up a bit, since it can get a little mundane from time to time.

What made Houston different than the last half dozen cities we’ve visited, however, were the presentations made by Dr. Singleton. Peter Singleton is a doctor from Stanford who is a rheumatologist and a member of the Stanford University faculty. What makes Dr. Singleton so interesting, however, is that he’s one of three men in the world who has background in rheumatology in addition to pain management. In other words he went back to school to learn about acupuncture, stress points, and the ways the body heals itself.

Imagine that. Just when I begin thinking about "alternative" ways to "cope" with my pain I meet a man like Dr. Singleton who combines the best of both worlds. His presentations to other physicians was very interesting, touching on the ramifications of all sorts of conditions. His philosophy of looking from all angles when treating arthritis, and not just swallowing medicine to feel better, were very intriguing.

I think I’m at the point of my life when I’m old enough to figure out what’s going on inside of me for myself. I don’t want to do it alone, I need to rely on the experts around me, but it’s time to have a more thought provoking open mind. The same way my mother doesn’t tell me when to go to sleep (without me asking why) is the same way my doctors aren’t telling me to swallow medicine without me wondering if that’s the only answer. I’m not averse to prescription drugs – they’ve kept me up and around for all these years – I’m just ready to see what else is out there…in addition.

Spending a full day with Dr. Singleton was when the penny dropped. I hope his patients realize how lucky they are to be under his care.

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

The body needs a break, and that is exactly what mine got last week. In the grand tradition of family, we took a vacation down south where the 12 of us (or is it 13?) spent the week relaxing together. Four generations, as a matter of fact, from my grandmother all the way down to my two little nieces. We didn’t get on each other’s nerves as much as could be expected, but I think that’s because everyone was distracted by nice weather for a change.

Despite all that’s going on here at home with our different events coming up, programs we’re rolling out, and so on, I was able to take about two days out of the week to think of nothing. Cleared the mind of everything I worry about on a constant basis. It was waiting for me the next day, as I began thinking through different problems we were facing, but for the day and a half, I was at peace. It’s what happy adults are able to do every night after work or on the weekends, but something I can’t get my head around yet. In college every day is a day closer to an exam. In the real world there aren’t exams but every day you don’t do something productive could be a missed opportunity. And I shouldn't miss an opportunity to quote a line from "What about Bob", starring Bill Murray: "Take a vacation from your problems, Bob." Which is exactly what I did.

And the body knows this, and sometimes needs one or two days to catch up. I’m glad I had that chance, but it’s hit the ground running now, so to speak, for me.

Spring came and went in a blink, and now it’s 90 degree summer heat. Just what the body needs, right? After all that snow, after all that rain, we go from one extreme to another. But I suppose it could be worse. Thousands of acres of land could be on fire like Shayne’s Arizona. Families could be fleeing their homes from floods the way they are by Lake Manatee in Florida. So for once I won’t complain about the weather.

I'll stick to complaining about other things.

Monday, June 30, 2003

When it’s been so long since we’ve done something we loved sometimes we wonder if we still love doing it. For me, among other things, it’s been golf all these years. One of those games I loved to play all day as often as possible when I was younger and had nothing but time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. My brother Justin and I would head out to the course nice and late in the afternoon, when it started to cool off in the day, and squeeze as many holes in as possible. We’d play for hours together, each hole doing better than the last. Sometimes we’d par. Other times Justin would birdie. We’d be seriously competitive and seriously careful whenever we cheated that the other one didn’t catch us.

Yesterday, on our way home from dinner, Justin decided to make a quick stop at the driving range, since he had a couple extra tokens and his clubs in the trunk. It was the first time I’d been on a golf course for years. I haven’t played for the longest time, ever since it got too difficult to swing a club past the fourth hole. But every now and then I’ll flip past a PGA tournament and wonder what it feels like to be out chipping, putting and driving an afternoon away.

What did come of yesterday was the gentle reminder of how good I used to be and how much better I’ll never get. I tee up on the driving range, kick off my sandals, and in one swing drive my very first ball 250 yards straight down the fairway – to his (and my) astonishment. "Goodnight" I said, returning the club to the bag, sitting down to ease my newly acquired back pain, and relish in what could have been.