Coming to

So, today I went back to work after having last week off due to a flare-up of my colitis.  I've got to admit, this time it attacked me like a tornado.  Without warning, I had significant rectal bleeding Monday night and Tuesday morning.  While getting ready for work Tuesday morning I fainted twice on the toilet and fell off, then twice more in shower--one time falling completely out of the shower and another time falling in the shower.  I called my daughter Tess, and she told my ex-wife Vicki, who picked me up to take me to the ER at Bixby Medical Center.

Each time I 'came to' after fainting, I was immediately confused about where I was and also felt like I had been in a fight.  Since I have been on blood thinners for two years, those falls could have resulted worse than what happened.  They did a Cat Scan and found no bleeding in my brain, thankfully.  Steroids and other drugs in the hospital got my colon functioning closer to normal, and I only needed to spend three nights there before coming home.

I spent my weekend in recovery at home, watching a lot of the British Open Golf and Major League Baseball on television and spending some nice time with both of my kids in the evenings. I missed our Legion (Adrian Post 275) team's District Tournament, but we swept through it to qualify for next week's Zone Tourney.  I am truly thankful and lucky for so many of God's Blessings, most notably the people with whom He has allowed me to be with.

Today I went back to work, though it was an easy day.  Jason Boring and I had to pick Sammy up at his house in Tecumseh, bring him to the Hope Center, work on his goals, and we even to take him to the Lenawee County Fair.  I haven't been to that fair in a few years, and we went before it was too crowded and hot.  I appreciate the willingness of Jason to do most of the physical work, pushing Sam's wheelchair around the Fairgrounds.

Though I did get tired kinda easily, I came home, ate lunch, had a decent workout at the YMCA of Lenawee, and then came home to read, shower, make dinner, etc.  Being back to work is a blessing, and so are the people in my life.

I'm trying to become better at being me and understanding my body.  More to come later.  Thanks for taking a few minutes to read about me!

Observing the mental game

Today is basically the last day of my stay-at-home recovery from this past week's flare-up.  I am reminded of my initial bout with colitis in 2010 and my recovery at home.  At that time my hospital stay was fourteen days and my at home recovery was virtually all summer.  This time I only spent three nights in the hospital and am now in my third day at home, thankfully.

Each time I returned home from the hospital I have been able to relax and watch major sporting events on television as a doze off and come to the realization that I don't always have to be doing something.  Two years ago, my mother-in-law Jean Murray took care of me for a week while we watched the French Open Tennis Tournament all week.  Jean is a huge tennis fan and player.  I was struck by the television broadcasters and how much they talked about the mental game during that week.  I was also able to share some mental tips with Jean's husband Mike, who was also visiting and playing rounds of golf during his week here in Adrian.

Today, during the last round of the 2012 British Open, again I can observe not only the performances of these fabulous professional athletes, but at the same time I can listen to the broadcasters and their opinions of the nerves, the mental preparation, the sleep patterns interrupted, and the emotions of the golfers.

The more I am involved in athletics and have the privilege of working with kids of many ages, I can clearly observe while watching some of the world's top athletes, that the mental game and the ability to control emotions is so vitally important to success in competitive athletics.

In saying that, I want to give a shout out to 23 year old Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers, who dominated the Chicago White Sox yesterday, and to the Adrian Post 275 American Legion Baseball Team, who swept through the District Tournament the last two days by allowing only three runs in three games.