Delightful
My family taught me a lot about laughing and just being interested in life. I have had a spectacular life - really - when you think about the opportunities that have come my way it is amazing. I don't expect anyone else would think my life is fabulous, in fact I highly doubt that anyone gives it much thought except me and my family and my dear friends - I have not always been in a place to see things in my life this way. Sure there are things I wish were different sometimes..but for all practical purposes my life is good, very good. Life can change on a dime so I am enjoying this moment in my life, why not?
About 14 years ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with kidney disease. She was an internal medicine doctor and inhaled what this meant much faster than most people might. It changed her life. Many things changed her life though, and this was really just one - she had two children, was married to another woman before gay marriage was talked about by many people...She needed a transplanted kidney and I had one that I could live without and at the time as it turned out I was enough of a match to give her my kidney. Okay here is where this story gets good - my friend wanted to take a trip to celebrate the transplant - so what do you do after a kidney transplant with your friend? You go to Disney World! I had never been and Naomi and her partner Janet knew this so they took Kristin and I to Disney World. We stayed at a resort right in Disney World - and it was sunny every day that we were there - but the thing I remember the most about this trip is how all three of us, Janet, Kristin and I were constantly running to catch up to Naomi. She was the first to see a Disney character and the first to spot a ride without a line. She of course felt much better once she had a kidney that was working and it showed. Naomi really could get us to the front of any line, I have no idea how she did this but every time we turned around there she was waving us over to get on a ride or sit down at a table she had found. One particular evening we had decided to go to a restaurant for dinner that was in Epcot Center. Anyway, we arrived and put our names on the list and were told we had an hour wait. We all sat down content to wait an hour and paid little attention to what was going at the hostess table and where they were with the wait list. All of us, that is except Naomi. She was watching and listening very carefully and the next thing you know she flips her index finger up and grabs her purse and yells to the hostess "Johnson party of 4? That's us." Then she put her hand on Janet's shoulder urgently nudging her to get up and follow the hostess. Now Naomi was Jewish and her family was from Austria and her last name was certainly not Johnson. That did not stop her though - she was listening and watching - and when we sat down she leaned in to the table so we could all hear and she said - "hey they called the name twice and by the third time I figured why let a table go. Plus if the real Johnson party of four gets here whose to say that it wasn't an honest mistake." And that is how we got a table about 45 minutes earlier than we expected. She was so pleased with this coup. This was one of the times when I realized that Naomi could see things I had no idea were evening going on and she took delight in this.
I think Gromit takes incredible delight in seeing things that I might miss as well. He keeps me in touch with the lightness and fun of being boondoggled once in a while. Sometimes, not that often, but every once in a while I wonder if training Gromit is really about making him see what I want him to see and to not use his own instincts and insight. He notices the smallest of changes in the house including a new picture on the wall or a new piece of mail on the coffee table. He is not taken aback, but just needs to check it out. Once in a while I like to follow him to see where he is headed - if he pulls on his leash with some delight and interest I like to let him find whatever it is , and it may only be something good to sniff but what the heck. He tries so very hard to play with Chewie while Chewie is retrieving. Sometimes I just throw the ball up in the air for Gromit to catch and he takes off running like crazy Chewie in tow waiting for Gromit to drop the ball. One night while practicing jumping skills I lowered the bar for Chewie and then left it low for Gromit. He balked at the bar - so I raised it and his spirit for the exercise tightened and his tail and his body became more focused. I try to be very careful to watch my sensitive white goofball and make sure he is enjoying himself and that this game of agility is not about my success in teaching him what to do but is about our success to see the course together and that Gromit is delighted - so I try to provide his favorite treats.
I don't want to miss the delight in any of my friends - Naomi, Gromit, Kristin, my family. My friend Naomi had many other very delightful stories and moments. Her body was not one of the delights and we do not have her with us - years after the transplant she had cancer. She fought off the first round and it came back a few years later. She was able to stop working and spend more time with her family. In her eyes, she had 2.5 unexpected years of delightful moment with her girls. She would tell me she felt lucky to have the time she did as crummy as cancer is to stave off.
About 14 years ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with kidney disease. She was an internal medicine doctor and inhaled what this meant much faster than most people might. It changed her life. Many things changed her life though, and this was really just one - she had two children, was married to another woman before gay marriage was talked about by many people...She needed a transplanted kidney and I had one that I could live without and at the time as it turned out I was enough of a match to give her my kidney. Okay here is where this story gets good - my friend wanted to take a trip to celebrate the transplant - so what do you do after a kidney transplant with your friend? You go to Disney World! I had never been and Naomi and her partner Janet knew this so they took Kristin and I to Disney World. We stayed at a resort right in Disney World - and it was sunny every day that we were there - but the thing I remember the most about this trip is how all three of us, Janet, Kristin and I were constantly running to catch up to Naomi. She was the first to see a Disney character and the first to spot a ride without a line. She of course felt much better once she had a kidney that was working and it showed. Naomi really could get us to the front of any line, I have no idea how she did this but every time we turned around there she was waving us over to get on a ride or sit down at a table she had found. One particular evening we had decided to go to a restaurant for dinner that was in Epcot Center. Anyway, we arrived and put our names on the list and were told we had an hour wait. We all sat down content to wait an hour and paid little attention to what was going at the hostess table and where they were with the wait list. All of us, that is except Naomi. She was watching and listening very carefully and the next thing you know she flips her index finger up and grabs her purse and yells to the hostess "Johnson party of 4? That's us." Then she put her hand on Janet's shoulder urgently nudging her to get up and follow the hostess. Now Naomi was Jewish and her family was from Austria and her last name was certainly not Johnson. That did not stop her though - she was listening and watching - and when we sat down she leaned in to the table so we could all hear and she said - "hey they called the name twice and by the third time I figured why let a table go. Plus if the real Johnson party of four gets here whose to say that it wasn't an honest mistake." And that is how we got a table about 45 minutes earlier than we expected. She was so pleased with this coup. This was one of the times when I realized that Naomi could see things I had no idea were evening going on and she took delight in this.
I think Gromit takes incredible delight in seeing things that I might miss as well. He keeps me in touch with the lightness and fun of being boondoggled once in a while. Sometimes, not that often, but every once in a while I wonder if training Gromit is really about making him see what I want him to see and to not use his own instincts and insight. He notices the smallest of changes in the house including a new picture on the wall or a new piece of mail on the coffee table. He is not taken aback, but just needs to check it out. Once in a while I like to follow him to see where he is headed - if he pulls on his leash with some delight and interest I like to let him find whatever it is , and it may only be something good to sniff but what the heck. He tries so very hard to play with Chewie while Chewie is retrieving. Sometimes I just throw the ball up in the air for Gromit to catch and he takes off running like crazy Chewie in tow waiting for Gromit to drop the ball. One night while practicing jumping skills I lowered the bar for Chewie and then left it low for Gromit. He balked at the bar - so I raised it and his spirit for the exercise tightened and his tail and his body became more focused. I try to be very careful to watch my sensitive white goofball and make sure he is enjoying himself and that this game of agility is not about my success in teaching him what to do but is about our success to see the course together and that Gromit is delighted - so I try to provide his favorite treats.
I don't want to miss the delight in any of my friends - Naomi, Gromit, Kristin, my family. My friend Naomi had many other very delightful stories and moments. Her body was not one of the delights and we do not have her with us - years after the transplant she had cancer. She fought off the first round and it came back a few years later. She was able to stop working and spend more time with her family. In her eyes, she had 2.5 unexpected years of delightful moment with her girls. She would tell me she felt lucky to have the time she did as crummy as cancer is to stave off.
For me, it is this simple - a bunch of delightful moments can add up to a pretty great life. Gromit has one every day, maybe more that I don't see. When he runs around in a field and through trees in big loping circles as fast as he can and then comes racing back to me - feet thumping and breathing hard - it is most delightful.
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