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Wednesday, April 29. 2009
As Recoveries Go ...
Walking 40 minutes around a parking lot takes a lot of discipline, or at least a few phone calls and text messages from friends to keep walking. That’s how it went Tuesday and will probably be the same Wednesday. Four laps that include walking down to the street, plus one lap around the parking lot itself is 40 minutes.In an earlier post, from about a week after leaving the hospital, had to remember how excited I was to do two laps around just the parking lot and it only took 15 minutes. Now, that same two laps around the parking lot takes about eight minutes. In four weeks, not only has the length of my walks increased, but so has the pace. Not by design either, it’s just the natural progression of my recovery.
On Sunday my buddy John and I walked about Lake Miramar. Not the entire five miles of course, I’m really not up to a two-plus hour walk yet, just out to the ¾ mile pole and back. That took 40 minutes and the pace of my walk was about 2 mph. Quite an improvement over the pace on April 3 when getting around the condo parking lot twice in 15 minutes was a major accomplishment.
Still, as I was walking the lake a woman, probably 20 years my senior, blew past me like I was standing still. Ah, before we get too heady with our self-congratulation, a little humility must be delivered. Just a guess, but her pace was probably close to 4 mph. But that’s okay, it isn’t a race.
On leaving the hospital five weeks ago the chief nurse of the heart and lungs surgery department said that I should get out and walk every day, even if it’s just a little bit and that’s been my goal. In these five weeks I’ve missed just four days of walking, this past Monday being one of them; purely a day of lazy forgetfulness. So Tuesday it was imperative to walk at least 40 minutes, as briskly as possible.As if the older woman at the lake Sunday wasn’t humbling enough, on Tuesday’s walk I met and older woman with a walker, at least 25 years my senior, doing her walk on Erma Rd. We met three times and on the second meeting I told her my heart surgery tale and she wagged her finger — just like any mom — and said, “Well you keep walking!” She made me smile!
So, the recovery continues. The feeling in my chest is beginning to return, annoyingly so. If it doesn’t hurt it itches and my nipples are extremely sensitive. Now, before anyone goes into erotic fantastical ecstasy, just remember this is me we’re talking about.
The incisions are healing quite nicely, and those little sticky things they put on to protect the stitches have just about all fallen off. And for the rest of my life I’ll sport a zipper scar down the center of my chest.
My sister asked if I would write about President Obama’s first 100 days. Here’s my take on it: that’s slightly more than three months into a four-year term and hardly worth the effort to analyze. TV pundits have been doing it for a week already and depending on who’s doing the gabbing, Obama is either the greatest president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, or he’s an abject failure.Of course conservative pundits consider Obama a failure because the president didn’t handle the financial crises the way Republicans thought it should be handled: let everything fail, let General Motors and Chrysler go out of business and cut taxes. In other words, do what President Hoover did between October 1929 and December 1932, letting the nation (and the world) slip into a deep depression.
But, in 100 days, Obama has pushed through his agenda. Having a solid majority of Democrats in Congress certainly helps. With the help of three Republicans, Obama got his stimulus plan approved and cities — including San Diego — are getting money to start and complete new public works projects. Not to mention, money for extended unemployment benefits and to keep the police and firefighters up to current strengths.
Right around the Republican “Teabag” day we heard from Republican governors who vowed to not take the stimulus money, but since then all have taken it. I would call that victory for Obama. The truth is, Republicans and other conservatives talk a big game, but all they can add to the discourse is the word “no.” And let’s not forget Governor Rick Perry of Texas who threatened to secede from the Union. And of course Michelle Bachmann calling for armed insurrection against President Obama and the Democrats.
Obama’s Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, just proposed a Pentagon budget that is revolutionary in its departure from a Cold War mindset. That will take some work to get passed considering defense spending is the Holy Grail for most people in Congress. In his plan, Gates cut the F-22 Raptor fighter, a Cold War-designed fighter. I’m guessing it won’t actually get cut once Congress is through with the budget.
All in all though, I give kudos to Obama for his bold plans and initiative. When the Republicans didn’t want to join in the process, he and his fellow Democrats moved ahead without them. The Party of Lincoln is on the way out of existence. Only 21% of Americans claim to be Republicans and as more states vote Democrat you can guess that percentage will only shrink.
The Democrats got a big boost Tuesday when Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter switched parties. Nationally, Republican didn’t like Specter since he is a moderate who would often vote with the Democrats, so you would think they’d be glad to see him go — except that Arlen Specter as a Democrat gives the majority 60 votes in the Senate, provided Al Franken gets seated.
Minnesota used to be a state the rest of us envied politically. Now, with the likes of Michelle Bachmann making idiotic statements — like carbon dioxide isn’t dangerous — and Norm Coleman stringing out the senatorial election for no good reason other than to keep Franken out of office as long as possible, The Land of 10,000 Lakes is getting tarnished.Watching Republicans like Eric Cantor and John Boehner blubber foolishly with their opposition to Obama, offering nothing of substance, only strengthens Obama’s hand. Currently, the president enjoys a 66% approval rating and that’s really the measure of Obama’s first 100 days. The Republicans’ big gamble on “Teabag Day” did nothing to change the country’s confidence in Obama.
President Obama is governing without any real opposition. He won the election and in the process won the support of a large majority of Americans. That’s how he’s doing in his first 100 days.As for me, I’m just 34 days into my recovery from heart surgery but, I’m feeling pretty damn confident! Another 22 days and I’ll be back on the Trusty Trek! Maybe by then I can find a job too … but let’s not go overboard. Taking the summer off sounds good too.
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