Ya Know What? I'm Taking a Day Off

Jefferson Update

Wednesday was a long-ass day at the hospital.

Jefferson needed to be checked in by 10. I got there at 9, knowing that parking is always a challenge. They called him in for prep around 11, but didn’t actually wheel him back to start IVs and all that until almost 3. By then, he was cranky and hangry. Who wouldn’t be?

Apparently, an emergency came in, which pushed things back even further. They didn’t get started on his surgery until almost 6 pm.

The good news? Everything went really well. Once they opened him up, they found that things were in better shape than they’d expected. So, a couple of valves, a new air filter, a couple of quarts of oil, and they patched him back up.

He got out of surgery around 10:30 pm. By the time he was settled in a room where we could see him, it was 12:40 in the morning.

Naturally, he was still out, but he looked good. Yeah, there were tubes and wires and all that shit, but past all of it, there was our friend, looking peaceful. After that much waiting, seeing him was a relief I can’t quite put into words.

We finally left the hospital at 1:15. By the time I got home, took out the trash—because apparently life doesn’t give you a pass on trash night—and got to bed, it was after 2 am.

This morning, I looked at my schedule, full of Zooms and meetings, and realized I just don’t have a full newsletter in me today.

So I’m going to do what I keep telling you guys to do: listen to your body. Be good to yourself. Give yourself some grace.

And eat bread.

Warm bread, straight out of the oven, with a cup of coffee. Sit for a minute. Breathe. Be thankful for the doctors who know what they’re doing, the friends who show up, and every bit of love and good energy you sent his way.

Today, Jefferson is on the other side of his surgery. I’m tired, relieved, and grateful. And that’s enough for this morning.