TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY

It is a week until Christmas here in picturesque New England. And it is raining … coming down buckets of cats and dogs. At the same time Old Man Winter is blasting the sodden landscape with fierce winds and erasing the little bit of snow cover we have had for a while. It really is very un-Christmassy out there. Added to this I have had a bad cold for the last week, and have had to cancel all my pre-holiday plans, including my annual Christmas tree party which had been scheduled for this evening. Such a bummer. My tree and I are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

However, this morning while stretched out in my big chair, honking and coughing and sniffing and blowing, I realized I am, in a way, celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of my first cancer procedure. Ten years ago, the week after Thanksgiving a biopsy had confirmed my bladder cancer, and a couple of weeks later they went in to see how bad it was. So ironically, ten years ago at this time I was stretched out in my big chair, wiped out from the anesthetic and recovering from my first hospital procedure. I can’t recall if it was raining back then, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The aftermath of the diagnosis and following treatment puts the inconvenience of my common cold symptoms into perspective. Big whoop!

But I do wish my voice had not fallen victim to my cold and sore throat, I really miss it.