Saturday, July 30, 2011

Celebration at Cradle

Well, the 12-week cardiac rehab period is officially over this weekend. Farmdoc now graduates back into his own life - or rather into the new life that has been granted to him by a team of doctors and the everyday miracles of modern medicine.


Physically, Farmdoc's almost back to normal, but emotionally...looks like that'll take a little longer.

We talk about it all the time but I'm not sure we're any closer to truly grasping what happened - how bad his heart disease was, how close to dying he was really, and what was done to him to repair it.


And then there's the whole idea of a fresh start. I wonder if we'll ever take that for granted.

Farmdoc the scientist is obsessed with the physical aspects of this new life. He's bought a pedometer which he wears all the time, and every day he walks for at least 30 minutes. Even today in the rain we strode out in rain gear, leaving behind a warm, cosy house. And he watches his diet obsessively.


I, on the other hand, am obsessed with what it means to have a second chance. I look at the long scar on Farmdoc's chest and it seems so strange. I don't associate it with operating theatres. It seems more symbolic to me somehow, a sign that something within has changed.


This week we took Daughter Number Four to stay at Cradle Mountain for a few days. The trip was a celebration and a thanksgiving, a time to immerse ourselves in Mother Nature's offerings at their most sacred and sublime.


It feels too soon to write properly about this experience and what it means, but I do know it feels to me that there's something holy about the responsibility of making a new life count. Cradle Mountain seemed the right place to set out on this undertaking.

3 comments:

  1. Beautifully expressed Vivienne.
    Wishing you well..for this new journey you are both travelling.

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  2. At times, you write beautifully. Even the grammar is right. The syntax and cadence ring with the pitch of a bell struck at the start of high service.

    I enjoyed your post, as you can rightly sense, and the feeling you expressed about a new start rang true for me too. Please encourage Ross to write.

    Perhaps his ability to concentrate on detail, or the challenge of reading text has discouraged him. A small post on your blog or his would be an effort, but it would stimulate his creative mind.

    My wife and I talk about you often. There are things about our lives that are remarkably similar, even parallel. Just take one day at a time. Inspiration will come with the certainty of sun in the morning, and soft moonlight at night. Bless you both.

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  3. Thank you both, Judith and Geoffrey, for your support and encouragement.

    I wonder if Ross will ever be able to write about this part of his life. Maybe when the enormity fades and he can take life for granted a little more, he'll be able to. In the meantime your support and cyber friendship mean the world to us both!

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