LIFE IN THE ODD LANE – I KILLED THE MESSENGER

     The Vallejo Times Herald reports student graduation is up and dropouts are down.  PBS aired a special feature on a program in the Vallejo Schools.  The Public Relations pro hired by the school board is doing his/her job.  Superintendent maintains high schools are safe and points to Vallejo’s environment for the reason why a kid got shot on school territory, and why she had to call the cops when 50 kids got into a fight on school grounds.  She got a round of approval from the board, the public, and her constituents.  I read that Vallejo is # 1 in the country for home health care workers; very promising for eventual recipients, and our port in Glen Cove is also tops in the land. The Mayor is ridding Vallejo of pot and all the benefits that go with it.  We’ve stopped talking about the pool table.  I guess things are getting better in our fair city.

     We must elect Robert McConnell as mayor next time; don’t settle for less, and when their time comes get rid of the others.  And elect Bernie Sanders; I think he’s the best and makes a great case for how he’d run the country.  Yes, I’m still a leftie.  
   

     Meanwhile, I feel better, well, actually; strong enough to ditch the doctor who described my imminent demise with such lurid details I could see nothing but my funeral while I was his patient.  Found another doctor, a person who cares and wants to help me, not intubate me and administer the coup de grace as soon as he can.  

    Best of all I’ve discovered the John Muir Pulmonary Rehab in Concord, which for me is like finding god.  They’re teaching me how to live with my disease, and making me exercise like training for the Olympics.  The way they teach it, it's living in the "preventative mode rather than the rescue mode," and it's working.  They won’t accept negativity; I feel more positive.  By dumping the bad doctor I killed the messenger and put those thoughts into the trash, where I dumped his body. I’m going to live as well as I can as long as I can and to hell with the naysayer.

     One can live, I’m learning, but in a different way.  Hey, that’s why I moved to Vallejo. 

     So, I’m living La Dolce Vita, exercising every day, which makes me happy; I always did that. Working a lot in the kitchen, preparing healthy delicious meals for myself, like I always did.  Staying close to home – nothing new there.  Tethered by the nose to a 50 + foot green plastic tube that’s connected to a noisy machine that takes in air and spews out oxygen?  Oh man, this a new and strange experience; an odd road hitherto fore untraveled.  Can’t say I like it but I’m learning to live with it.  

     Oh yeah, “live” is the operative word here.  Next month I plan to celebrate the birthday I didn’t think I’d live to see.  I’m not dead yet, baby.  Fuck you, doctor L—!   (This must be the meds, I don’t talk like that.)