I want to take a moment to give some kudos to my bride of almost 34 years, Linda. She is 3+ weeks following a knee-replacement surgery and less than two weeks away from her second one on May 9. It has been a challenging journey for her from the effects of the pain meds after surgery to dealing with the rehab exercises and the difficulty doing everyday things that she would normally not think twice about. But she is doing what it takes to improve daily and shows the determination to do what is best in the long run even when she may not feel like doing it. I am extremely proud of her and the determination she shows daily.
All of us avoid pain, of course. To go through daily exercise routines to the point of pain because you know it’s good for you takes a special person with an inner strength that not everyone has. She has me help her with some of the exercises by pushing her leg to bend more than she can on her own for a second or two – something that feels incredibly weird for me when I know the outcome is her yelling at the point of pain. She thinks I enjoy it in some evil way, but I don’t. Still, I’ll gladly do whatever she wants and needs if it helps.
We’ve all heard the phrase ”no pain…no gain” as a motivator to get us to stretch ourselves in exercise and attempts at fitness. Many of us would much rather live by the motto of “no pain…no pain” instead.
There are moments when Linda is a bit apprehensive or weepy about going through all of this again in two weeks with the other knee. I told her a couple of nights ago in one such moment not to think about two weeks from now, but about 6-8 weeks from now. What she is enduring for a couple of months is setting her up to be in a much better place for years to come regarding mobility compared to what she was experiencing prior to the surgeries. She knows that and will successfully keep the long view in mind.
Each of us has challenges we face, goals to achieve, things that cost us some pain and discomfort – physical or otherwise – on the way to victory. If we only concern ourselves with what is expedient and pleasurable in the moment, we’ll never cross those long-term finish lines.
On a related note, I have a number of friends and work colleagues who ran the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon today in Louisville (a half marathon of 13.1 miles), some for the first time. They didn’t cross that finish line only because of what they did today, but because of what they’ve done for weeks, months and years leading up to today. They willingly endured some self-inflicted pain prior to today so that today they could feel the jubilation of individual victory. I applaud them all. I’ve done that half-marathon a few times myself and I know how satisfying it is to complete it.
To coworkers who go the extra mile to get things done and to do them well, to friends and family who choose to live life with determination and fortitude, and especially to Linda who is as tough as anyone I know, thank you for your attitude, your sacrificial efforts and example, and for inspiring me daily to do what it takes.
A few months ago, my daily lesson learned blog post was on the subject “
One of the annual Christmas season rituals for my wife and me is to watch the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. We did that again tonight. Given the number of years we’ve been doing this, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen this movie more times than any other movie.
I had a kind, good person at work send me an email today concerned about some things I had said recently. She feared that my remarks could be harmful if taken in a way that pitted one group against another. While that was not my intent in making the remarks, I can certainly understand where she was coming from. I thanked her for the comments and the manner in which she shared them and felt duly and appropriately chastised. I was reminded that it is difficult trying to find that balance between being a change agent affecting how communication happens in a large company while maintaining good working relationships with all, including those with whom you disagree.
When the Powerball lottery jackpot gets as high as it was today ($550 million), lots of people buy tickets that don’t normally buy them, myself included. The common question is “What would you do if you won?” Answers range from traveling the world to paying off debt to taking care of family, quitting our jobs, buying a new home and car, donating to charity, etc. It’s fun to imagine what you might do if given the opportunity to decide what to do with that amount of cash.
Today’s 600+ mile drive from Folly Beach, South Carolina back home to Louisville, Kentucky was a good time to remember the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The prayer originated with American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (not Francis of Assisi or others to whom it has falsely been attributed).
Today is our last full day of vacation visiting our son, Brian, in Folly Beach, South Carolina. It’s been a relaxing few days and except for my wife not feeling well for part of it, all has gone according to plan. Our dog, Callie (shown here), has enjoyed her first trip to the ocean.
On this Thanksgiving morning, I woke up to the view shown in the photo here. We are visiting our oldest son, Brian, in Folly Beach, South Carolina. This is the view from our hotel balcony at 
Two things happened today that centered around the word “courageous.” First, I was listening to a Christian radio station while driving this morning and heard a caller talk about a truck driver who was catching a lot of flack from others because of his faith. The people harassing him were joking about him not being a manly man like the other truck drivers. The person calling in rightly noted that it takes a lot more courage to go against the tide than it does to roll with it and that the man being harassed for his faith was being more of a man that his accusers.
