So, in the good news department, Mike went to Emory today and was told that his blood counts are back to normal. He has been cleared to go out without a mask on, although he will continue to try to avoid people with colds and flu. He will return to work the week after next, and start going to other activities that he has been avoiding which is practically everything. He had been told that he would be restricted for 100 days after the Big Chemo, and it is now only 58 days. We are very happy about his speedy progress. Next week he goes back to Emory for tests to determine if he is in full remission or not. The hope is that the big dose of Chemo that he got will put him into a prolonged remission. This would be a good time for everyone to continue praying. While you are at it, please also continue to pray for Brenda, Ellis, Carl, Bob, Mario, Mike L., and all the other cancer survivors in Mike’s world. And for everyone else in need of prayer. That would be everybody. Thanks.
You may or not know this, but it is much easier to start a business than to end it. (This is true of marriage as well.) The annoying details are endless. Mike closed his office about 5 months ago, but failed to notify his workman’s compensation carrier. A couple of months later, they sent him a notice that they had cancelled his policy for failure to pay the premium. So Mike called them and explained that he had closed the business, and forgotten to call them to let them know. This week Mike got a letter from them saying that they had reinstated the policy. So, he called and explained, again, that he had closed his business. The person he spoke to explained to him that they had to reinstate the policy so that they could cancel it again. What???
Yesterday Mike watched 3 hours of his 6 hour set of Joseph Campbell being interviewed by Bill Moyers. The interviews were held in 1983-84 not terribly long before Campbell died. He was an expert on mythology, and became famous after the publication of his book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” in 1949. Campbell saw recurring themes in the mythology of peoples from all over the world. He concluded that the stories reflect fundamental truths about the world and about human life. The book isn’t that easy of a read, but Mike is currently reading it, I think, for the third time. Campbell is one of Mike’s heroes, and he has heavily influenced Mike’s thinking. One of the things that Mike has learned through his own experience in life is that everyone has to follow their own path; that what is true for one person is not necessarily true for the next person. Campbell says his advice to everyone is to “Follow your bliss.” Find out what is important to you, what your path in life is to be, and then do it.Robert Frost wrote about taking the less-traveled path, the one that is yours alone to follow. Mike is reading a lot and enjoying it immensely.
Happy Meadows has been a wet, wet place recently. It started raining around 5 o’clock this morning and hasn’t stopped yet, almost 12 hours later. And we had already had 16 inches of rain since the beginning of January. This is putting a crimp in my prowling around the neighborhood. The water is high everywhere around here, and trees are falling over because the soil is so saturated. I hope you all are safe, wherever you live. Not much more to tell right now. So, until next time, be well, be safe, and don’t forget to pray for world peace. So long from Happy Meadows!