Wednesday – 7/25/2012

“I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.” – Dennis Waitley

I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy these days, so I ended up treating myself to an impromptu “staycation” today. Woke up early and decided to just let the day lead me where it would. First on the agenda was to pop in a copy of the new Mark Wahlberg film, Ted. I ended up listening to most of the movie as I drifted in and out of a light sleep. No worries, though, as I had already seen the movie a few days earlier. It wasn’t until 9 AM that I actually got an official start on the day.

The weather was perfect, which in hindsight, served as the catalyst for deciding to relax. Spent a couple hours baking and basking in the morning sun and enjoyed a big bowl of mixed fruit and some Dunkin’ Donuts mocha flavored coffee. For whatever reason, drinking hot, black coffee when the weather is above 85° now appeals to me. Not quite sure how this habit came about, but without fail, the hotter the temperature, the bigger the cup of coffee.

After I was fully caffeinated, I got into my standing frame for two hours while Dave did some massage work on my spine/back and leg muscles. And wouldn’t you know, we decided to watch Ted while I stood (if you’re keeping count, that’s 3 times in the past few days). Standing for a few hours every Wednesday has become a routine part of the week. I’m at the point now, where Pat works on me every Monday, exercise-based workouts at Buckeye Wellness Center on Tuesday and Thursday, and Dave on Wednesday and Friday. Fortunately, the monetary donations that I continue to receive have allowed me to set up a daily exercise regimen. I’d be remiss if I did not recognize the fact that my continual progress and overall great health is due in large part to the support I receive from everyone.

I headed back outside early afternoon for some more “me time” that I spent with my friends Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, et al. There’s something soothing about listening to the Blues, in the hot sun, with a cold adult beverage that is hard to duplicate. Closing one’s eyes quickly conjures up images of a hot, un-air-conditioned, smoke-filled room, filled with the dirty, raspy guitar licks of a Fender Stratocaster. It just makes everything taste better, including the beer. (On a quick side note, lately I’ve been enjoying a favorite of mine, Bell’s Oberon. I discovered the ale a few months before my accident. I later came to find out that while I was fighting to live and severely hallucinating in a Kalamazoo hospital bed, Oberon was being brewed at the Bell’s brewery across the street. If I ever make it back up to Bronson Methodist to visit the hospital staff I will be sure not to miss out on the brewery this time).

As I’m writing this, I’m still listening to the Blues, at present, James Cotton is tickling my ears. The sun has set, the lights are off, but it still feels like it’s heating up. I still have the image of a filthy, Southern bar (and I mean that in the nicest way) floating around in my head. And if I really concentrate, I catch a whiff of a bourbon-laden Old Fashioned every couple of moments. What is it about a sad, depressing Blues riff that puts one in a good mood?

I do have some other exciting news to talk about other than beer, bourbon and the Blues, but I think I’ll save that for another day.

The Olympics kick off on Friday, followed by the Paralympics a month later. A fellow quad I met at Metro a year ago will be competing in the Paralympics Sailing events in August – excited to cheer her on! I came across the video below and felt the need to share it. If you’ve yet to see it, I think you’ll like it – make sure your sound is turned on in order to get the intended effect.

As always, thank you for the continued support and prayers. I feel very blessed!

Stand Strong!

Scott