This Day
This has been a long day, and I'm glad to be home, unwinding. I don't have Max with me tonight, and I really missed him when I took a walk this evening. The warm temperatures linger at night, and the clouds have finally, after several days of effort, covered the moon. I met a couple of neighbors out walking down the road as well; we exchanged a brief hello in the darkness. A rabbit was startled and bounded along the fencerow for several yards before making an abrupt right angle and disappearing into the thick darkness of the field. In the distance a horse whinnied for no apparent reason.
Most of my afternoon was spent sitting and waiting at the urologist's office. I got in fairly quickly, but as usual there is so much waiting before tests and procedures. Fortunately today, I snagged the late Robert B. Parker's last Spenser novel, Painted Ladies, from the library, and that kept me engrossed. Regardless, the waiting takes a toll on a body, and as I sit here and type, I feel exhausted. As it turns out, my tests came back clear, and another ultrasound of my kidneys revealed no blockages (I still have a stone in my right kidney, but it's not causing problems). The doctor told me to keep up with my medicine and diet and to see him again in three months. I've already lost 13 pounds in a little over three weeks, so it has a double benefit.
After so many years, I find myself slowly emerging from a self-imposed internal exile. After my wife passed away going on six years ago, I quietly retreated into a very narrow place inside, devoting myself to my dissertation work and not doing very much to really enjoy myself. A series of events over the last couple of years - finishing with school, moving back to Kentucky, working with the Census, making new friends and getting back in touch with old friends, and getting to live alone for a time - have slowly, painfully drawn me back out in the light of day. My eyes have had a hard time adjusting. I have come to see what a pinched sort of life I've been living, and it is time to spread the proverbial wings.