One of the game changers in my foray into palliative care land was reading The Wheel of Life by EK Ross. In that book she details her early experiences setting up hospice environments in none other than Afton VA for AIDS patients. At that time there was no magic cocktail and everybody pretty much died a miserable death. Our small town had the usual outbreak of it and it never turned out well. Prior to the discovery of a test for the virus, getting blood was a risky proposition. Remember the the tennis player and little boy? In the 90's HCV testing began and that's where the much later end result of the intense sex, drugs and rock'n'roll thing became apparent with liver transplants becoming the surgery du jour. Any type of transplant requires fairly good health to keep your body from rejecting the new organ. Most people don't think about blood as an organ but it is...all sorted and typed and tested and crossmatched just for you. Who loves you baby?
I'm happily sipping a beer (what,it's five o'clock somewhere) and listening to Kasey Musgraves croon me into the weekend. The weather forecast is awesome and the colors are about to come forth, literally. And then? It's pecan season kids! If I see you anywhere on my property during that time in the hands and knees position under a tree, you will be shot on sight. I'll let the law know ahead of time that I'm packing. And then I'll send the GOP a great big fat thank you note. Um, and then there's this piece of swampland....
Here's to good friends, happy times and strong support when things go south. A real friend whether by blood or choice will stand with someone who really needs one. I've been blessed with a whole bunch over the years at different times. Each friend brought some part of my personality out of hiding and gave me the strength to be who I am right now while struggling to maintain faith. I'm tired..dang almost 60 freakin' years old and still running the concrete in cheap tennis shoes. Those who know me know that it's never easy and lord knows I try. And in the end? That's all that really matters ^j^
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