A Bit of “Humble Pie”

When you take things for  granted, life has a way of putting it all into perspective sometimes.

I've been playing guitar for 42 years, most of it semi-professionally.  I've been shooting longer than that.  You get to where you almost don't think about it, you just go up on stage....or out to the range, and just "DO IT!"

To quickly re-cap what some of you out there know.......I've been struggling musically over the past 2 years.  problems in the left hand were previously believed to be the arthritis that often comes with "old age."

Those of us who are "proud" (which equates to "stubborn and hard-headed), would often rather band-aid & doctor OURSELVES, then actually go to SEE one!

But you can't fool Father Time or Mother Nature, and when the cortisone shots don't work anymore,  when you have to medicate your hand just minutes before a show, to be able to make it through an hour & a half, when you USED to go all night at "full throttle", it's TIME.

My doctor & surgeon, who I have tremendous respect for, made the decision a little easier for me.:......."You've had 2 steroid shots in the last 3 years.  No more.  We can either FIX this, or somewhere down the road, you can quit playing.  Your choice."

NO choice.

While I was being prepped this past Tuesday morning, the "vanity side" came out------------"What if I've put this off for TOO long now, and he can't fix it?   I'll be finished playing music.    But if I do NOTHING, I'll be finished ANYWAY!"

A couple of hours later in "recovery" though, he said it went well, and there was NO further damage than he'd already expected to see......but it would be at least 2 months, maybe three before I can start playing again.  This was STILL "good news".  The surgery was a bit extensive and I'll have to follow therapy instructions to the letter, but I should get a lot of it back....maybe even everything, if I don't try to rush anything while it's healing up.

In the meantime, here at home, I've quickly realized a lot of things I've always "taken for granted".  In the first few days, Donna has had to help me get dressed, tie my shoes (both of which I can do now with some difficulty).  She has to tape a plastic bag on my left hand before I can shower, help me re-dress it, and when I go anywhere, I have to drive something with an automatic transmission so I don't have to try to steer and shift at the same time.

I cannot shoot at the moment either, unless it's a small enough caliber that I can comfortably shoot 1-handed.......and THEN, it's a daunting task to RELOAD. 

Man, you don't realize how much you depend on yourself during the day, until all of a sudden, it's a struggle to just do the simple things.  And you think about the unfortunate people who DON'T have an arm, or a leg or something.

For me, this is temporary.  The hand will heal.  I will drive whatever I want to again.  I will shoot again, and I intend to play the guitar again----unrestricted and pain-free.  But a permanently handicapped person is STUCK!  This wasn't a "life-threatening" surgery by any means.  It was a simple "out-patient"........but it has re-newed my faith in being blessed by what I've been given throughout my life.

Donna has been a blessing to me as well, from the day we met, and I've never failed to tell her that and show her that as the years go by, and a little bit of THAT has come home to roost just over this past week.   What if I was all alone and had NOBODY to help me?

Got a good mate?  Never let them forget it.

PS.  When the therapist unwrapped it this past Friday morning, I was stunned!  It looked like a road map from here to Featherville, but there was a specific path he had to follow, and after a little thought BOTH ways, I've chosen to post the photo anyway.

It'll BE awhile before I'm back in there "pickin' & grinnin'", but it'll be worth the lay-off if the surgery fixed the problem.  The Doc said it looked good and went well.  The "real" test will come somewhere between A-minor and B-flat.  I'm optimistic about it though.

I hope this photo doesn't "gross" anyone out, but I wanted to show you guys how it's going, and thank you all again for the thoughts & prayers.

Zook