Well, been three months since my last visit and my doctor didn't recognize me today.
22 years ago I was working as a master auto tech making darn good money, loving my work and in great shape, life was great. I didn't know it but I had the world by the ..., but things were about to change. Then the hits started coming one after another, spine problems grew until I just couldn't do the physical labor any more. Then I lost both my parent's in a three year time span, Dad with cancer and Mom already in the stages of Alzheimer's, their care wiped out all the savings I had saved. In the last year of Mom's battles I fell from a ladder smashing my leg, that turned into three very dark years, eventually leading to loosing my leg. Unable to walk or work and with no income from me we went even further in the hole, a final straw that broke my spirit and I became very, very depressed. I finally found my way out of that dark hole, slowly picking up the pieces life was gradually getting better and I was getting FATTER, almost 240 lbs at one point, then the damn throat cancer hit.
After beating the cancer I made up my mind I was going to get as much of my life back as I could, I wanted to get back to where I was when I was twisting wrenches. One of my biggest (pun) goals was to get back to the weight I was at when I was then, 165 lbs. I found my old inspection lic from the 80's with a pic of me, that young kid with a mustache and hippy hair down to my shoulders, I wanted those days back! Took a long time but I was doing really well with the weight this summer, I thought,
"Why not let the hair and mustache grow again, maybe add a beard, what the heck." I haven't had a haircut since June. This fall I was almost there, 170 lbs, anddd looking like a hippy again, this was actually getting fun!
Then when the cold weather hit I got my winter clothes and coats out and they all were wayyy to big on me so I was going to have to buy some new clothes. For a coat I went into our storage room to see what I might find, I knew I had one or two stashed. And there I found my old friend, the bomber style leather jacket I use to wear when I was a mechanic, would it fit and would I be able to zip it up? YES!! It fit perfectly! I was so excited, not only could I wear it again after all these years but I loved that jacket so, it made me feel young again. So all excited I come down stairs with the jacket on, stopping by the mirror and son of a gun, except for wrinkles I looked like I did decades ago, slim, long hair and even my same old leather! I walked out into the living room proud and happy to show my wife, well she wasn't as excited as I was, have to admit it is a badly worn, torn & shabby looking jacket.. She also asked me when the heck are you going to get your hair cut?
For Christmas she had found me another leather jacket almost I identical to my old one, it's just perfect, I love it! This morning I the jacket on to take the pup outside, got thinking about the past years, where I'm finally at now and that we're just a day away from a new year so before I left for my doctor visit I shaved clean, left early and went to cost cutters and told the gal to give me a short "mad men" 50's style hair cut, I want it short! Careful what you wish for, man is it short!
Yup, my doc didn't recognize me at first
and my wife took one look and said holy sh*t!!
BTW, I asked the doc to check my weight today, 165.2
I'm turning the page, putting all those dark years of sadness behind me, tomorrow is a new day and in the evening we'll walk into a new year closing the door on the past, I can't wait!
Happy New Years! I Pray you all are excited as I am! Be Happy!
