“Julie Jaffe was one of those rare beings capable of adopting an optimistic view of the past…” (p298)
“Titus ……. had never said anything remotely to the effect that he had a hole in his heart in the shape of a father, but like an astronomer with an exoplanet, Julie c0uld infer that hole’s presence from distortions in the field around him.” (p298)
Lines like these are the rewards of reading even a few pages of Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon; it is barely enough to live on as a voracious reader, forced to be a more mindful reader to overecome the pain, but it is just enough.
Who knew you needed two hips in good working order to read. The two foot surgeries never interupted my taking pleasure in fiction and poetry but lacking cartiledge, the bone on bone hip joint abrasion takes pain to a new level, though I still have to write the poem “On a scale of 1 – 10.” Pain meds are a godsend, but I can usually read only a page or two and a time.
Because pain medication buys a few hours of time, it is the time for me to work. Whether it is work work or volunteer work. Both are important for distraction and self-esteem, and everything takes longer now I don ‘t have as much time. Family is amazing, I have no idea how people on their own manage this without booking a flight to Zurich.
I vowed to more or less leave my family in peace as far as this site is concerned, but their support is more important than the most brilliant lines, whether written by Chabon or myself. I thank my lucky stars every day.
I am also thankful for doctors, surgeons, and specialists (8 and counting) wheelchairs, oxycodene, Meditatation Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). My surgery for a total right hip replacement is scheduled on June 14th, and will take an hour.
I will be one of 3,000 Manitoba joint replacement surgeries this year.
V