HERO

We all only have so much time on this earth.

I painfully wanted to visit my father with this in mind.  My father is my hero.  He's slowing down.  Lessons learned while I visited him reinforced why he is my hero:

• at age 90, he goes to the gym every day, then goes swimming
• he takes a shower at the gym to save $ from taking a shower at home (no comment)
• in a dr. evaluation he counted backwards from 10 to 1 and provided our names and other basics (I can't divide without a calculator)
• we took away his car--scoots around like crazy, independently on his scooter.  He went to bridge and came back on his own which made me feel good.

Like all daughters, I have so many memories about my Dad....... the time he took the subway to my HS to say I didn't like the class I'd been put in and told the Principal I should be put back in the class I like.  The time he bailed out an Indonesian worker from his restaurant for not having correct citizen papers.  The time he ran out to stop a cop from giving him a parking ticket and won.  The time I did something wrong, said "I'm sorry", and he said "Sorry doesn't mean a damn thing".   More, more, more....

I went with him to a Gastro doctor appointment because he had big swelling in his stomach which is not a good sign due to retaining fluid.  I was pre-determined to hate the Doctor and Dr. reco but realized the doctor was right.  Not a good idea to stick a 90 year old man in the belly with a needle with big risk of hitting bowel/infection etc etc.  No harm will be done if swelling stays in belly.  OK.

Then we went to have an EKG (when I say WE I meant he).  It was there I fell off my chair because he has a hernia I didn't know about.  Protruding piece of skin below his belly button that scared the shit out of me. Got mad at Gastro doctor for not examining him more but then realized gastro doctor had probably seen the hernia way more times than me.

Dr. said if fluid doesn't bother dad, it should've bother me.  Look out for infections:  we'll know if he's just not acting like himself/lethargic versus fever, etc.  Otherwise this is what happens when you are 90.

Things bother me more than they do my Dad.  Hernia doesn't annoy him, fluid in belly doesn't bother him.  Why does it bother me?  Why do I think somethings wrong when he thinks nothing is wrong, and goes about happily scooting around in his life?

That's why he is my HERO.

We all only have so much time on this earth.  Respect it.