Be Good, Do Good, Feel Good

I am at a truly weird part of my life at this very moment.  Tomorrow is the big day.  The hospital called earlier to tell me to be there at 11:30 so I'm assuming that my surgery is scheduled for some time around 1:00. The post-op liquids have been purchased, the refrigerator stocked.  My bag is packed and as directed, I ate a light lunch and have downed 10 ounces of cherry-flavored Citrate of Magnesia.  It is the last sweet flavor I will have for many, many weeks.  That lunch was the last "normal"meal I will have consumed for months if I totally behave and want to avoid problems that will have dire consequences.  Trust me, I will follow the rules to the letter!!

What makes this so weird or so strange and different, and why it feels so much like waiting for the onset of labor at the end of a long pregnancy, is that I am literally on the doorstep of a total life change.  I have referred to my imminent surgery as "the life changer" to my very dear Lynette.  She totally gets it and supports me as I make this reference.  Naturally, so does my patient and loving husband who will be incredibly involved in this life change, for better or for worse.  Isn't that what we promised in our wedding vows some 47 years ago?  He's a man who's true to his word and so much more.

As I sit here, waiting for something to start happening as a result of that cherry drink, emails and texts are rolling in.  What an incredible feeling.  So many people are cheering me on, proving to me that they support what I am doing and why I am doing this.  I hear them saying that they love me, that they would love me just the same if I remained at my current weight. I hear them saying that they support my choice and trust me because they know I am intelligent and will follow this path to a healthier life, not because I am in any way self-absorbed or vain.  Trust me, I'm not doing this for vanity!  That skin has to go somewhere and I'm betting that there will be a lot of nasty places that it will hang.  And my face, well, that might change and not for the better but......it's worth it all if I can feel good and keep on feeling good for the rest of my life.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day in the company of three of my "younger" gal pals.  We went off Cape and I followed them around as they dove in and out of vintage shops and antique centers.  Not that did not indulge mind you.....I came home with a few tangible treasures too.  But, the day was a joy on so many levels.  At one of the first stops, a vintage flea market, there was a "featured" vendor.  Her name is Stephanie Cerep and her company, "Favorables".  She says in her flyer that hers is a company that was "born out of the idea that kindness is contagious and each one of us is ABLE to make a difference, where seemingly small gestures......can make a person's day and ultimately have a positive impact on the world".  Stephanie is a disabled person by some descriptions but a very abled person if ever there was one.  So, I bought myself a little prezzie, one of her little favors, bearing these words: "Be good, Do good, Feel good".  How simple is that?  I told Stephanie that I would place my little item where I would see it every day and would be reminded of her kindness and simple words.

So, I'm on the way, one foot in front of the other, about to jump off that proverbial precipice into strange waters, hoping that I'm being good, doing good and feeling good along the way. Yes, Stephanie, your kindness is contagious and I hope that some of what I am doing will rub off onto anyone who needs assistance in following a path to a healthier life.

Oh, don't forget to check out Stephanie at: www.favorables.rocks