February 17, 2016

Normal morning routine- up at 7am, get coffee brewing, take medicine, let the dogs outside, shave, shower, dress, let the dogs back in, kiss my wife goodbye and drive the 2.5 miles to work.

I am a cancer survivor, and the medicine I take at 7am is a thryroid hormone replacement. My thyroid was removed in 2003 because of a malignancy. Most days I just take the medicine and go on, other days I have thoughts creep into my head about whether the cancer might ever return. Or, if there is some particularly bad natural disaster in the news, I sometimes think about what an interruption in the production of my medicine might bring…I am totally dependent on the medicine to live. Today, with NPR reporting on rising tensions in North and South Korea, I was reminded of the important dependency I have for this seemingly unimportant little pill.

Saw a co-worker walking to work and waved hello. I see him most days. Sometimes on bad weather days I stop and offer him a ride.

Got a great spot in the parking garage, (always a small personal triumph) and made it in to my office a little after 8.

My usual routine at the office is to check for urgent emails, phone messages, and look at my calendar to see what’s on the agenda for meetings and deliverables. Then I tackle my to-do list of projects.

Because of a one hour waiting period after I take my thyroid medicine, I generally eat something for breakfast while checking emails- typically a whole wheat bagel and banana.

Busy morning, working out details related to an upcoming community event.

11:50am-Drove a couple of blocks to the Kitselman Center for a meeting with the collaborators and informers of the study I am participating in. Warmer weather I would have walked!

Walking into the Kitselman Center brings back some good memories- of many meetings held there for ‘working retreats’ with coworkers and also back in the 80’s and 90’s when I did a lot of freelance photography work, I attended lots of wedding receptions at this location. I have a deep appreciate for older buildings and their history so I love the interior of this house.

During the conversation with the informers, P. mentioned Virginia Ball’s name, and that also brought back a flood of memories. I had numerous interactions with both Ed and Virginia over the years, particularly Ed Ball, who was probably one of the kindest, most generous individuals I have ever met. He used to say to me “you do good work, young man,” and that simple praise was so powerful coming from such a successful yet humble man.

It was great to meet some of the collaborators in the project, I was delighted to see Ms. F, whom I had taken yoga classes from in the past. And to dialogue with my two assigned mentors, TJ and Alex. Alex and I have an acquaintance in common and it was fun to discover that. Hearing about the various fields of study that each student described, I drew some energy from their youthful passion about what they wanted to study and do for a career. When I was that age, I had no idea just what a special time of life that was.

Great conversation about substance abuse, with insightful input from informant 10 about his perspectives. Reminded me about how much I truly don’t know about the lives of others in this community. R. mentioned growing up in the Morningside neighborhood, that’s where my first wife grew up and where she and I lived the first couple years of our marriage.

P. mentioned his specialty was early 20th century British authors. My thoughts immediately went to JRR Tolkien…I’m a big fan of fantasy and sci fi literature and film.

Back at the office, around 1:15, my wife called and asked if I could pick up a prescription for her and bring it to her office. My pharmacy is within my workplace and my wife’s office is only 6 blocks from my office, so it was a quick errand. Perks of living in a compact city like Muncie! My wife was very grateful. She’s been sick for over a week so I’m glad she finally went to the doctor.

The rest of my afternoon was uneventful and consisted of a conference call and project planning work. Headed out promptly at 5 to get home and let the dogs out.

A little before 6-on the road to my monthly ‘beer club’ meeting. I am the founding member and principal organizer of a social group that meets to taste about craft beer. We have about 45 members, with regular attendance of 10-15 people at each gathering. Tonight’s meeting was held at Muncie’s newest downtown restaurant, Three Wisemen Brewing.

Home a little after 9, conversed with my wife about the night’s activities, spent some time on Facebook, commented on a couple of posts by high school friends, posted pictures from beer club on our FB page and noted who was present. Flipped on the tv as a distraction and watched a portion of an episode of Criminal Minds on Netflix.

Didn’t get in a workout today, so I made a mental note to add some time to my workout on Thursday.

10:30, my usual routine of prepping the coffee maker for morning, taking my medicine, and letting the dogs out one last time. In bed a little before 11.

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