“We’re riding on the escalator of life
We’re shopping in the human mall
We’re dancing on the escalator of life
Won’t be happy ’til we have it all
We want it all!
Escalator of life
Up and down!
Escalator of life
Round and round!”
- Robert Hazard (1982)
As Robert Hazard so aptly described, we’re riding the escalator of life – up and down, round and round. Here’s a brief review of my ups and downs in 2024-
In January I started off the year with a bang, getting the first of two cornea transplant surgeries for Fuchs’ Dystrophy. That knocked me out of commission for a while, as you are blind in the transplant eye for a few days and have to remain flat on your back. I remember how relieved I was when my sight started to come back. I was thrilled with the results, but those first few days of laying on my back were pretty brutal.
Then in February, we suddenly lost our dear cat, Cora, to cancer. We didn’t know how old she was when we rescued her, but I’d like to think she had a good life in the 4 short years she was with us. I still miss her. On the plus side, I attended the ZERO Prostate Cancer Summit in Washington DC, lobbying on Capitol Hill for funds supporting prostate cancer research, education, and treatment. It was a great experience, and I always enjoy getting together with other prostate cancer survivors.
In March I had the second of two cornea transplant surgeries for Fuchs’ Dystrophy. At least this time I knew what to expect, but it didn’t make it any easier. The number of drops I was putting in both my eyes every few hours was a pain to manage, but in time I could get down to just a few drops a day. Like my first transplant, eye number two also came out well. It was nice to finally cross the “Fuchs’ Dystrophy” surgeries off my “to-do” list.
In April, we adopted another cat, bring us back to four. Eli was our first kitten adoption. He was (and still is) a handful, but he’s fun to watch. I wish I had his energy!
This summer I attended two milestone anniversary celebrations- the 100th anniversary of my old Boy Scout Troop, and my 50th High School Reunion. It was great to see so many old faces and catch up with folks, but it was also a bit depressing to think how quickly the past 50+ years flew by.
Because of my various health issues, I didn’t get to travel as much as I had hoped this year, but I was able to sneak in two trips to meet up with former classmates- one in New York City and one in Boston. A highlight had to be attending a baseball game at the historic Fenway Park.
August was another crazy month- another one of our cats, Jesse, also developed cancer and he passed as well. Having two cats die of cancer a few months apart was truly devastating (and expensive). While the rest of the family was down the shore, I volunteered to stay home with Jesse during his final days. He mostly slept and didn’t appear to be in any pain, but he was eating very little. It was a difficult time- I remember constantly checking to see if he was still breathing. We euthanized him shortly after everyone got back. On the plus side, Jason and Siedah got engaged while they were at the shore. We are thrilled to welcome her to the family. Then continuing on the up and down of the year, my prostate biopsy showed continued growth of my prostate cancer. Thankfully it is still non-aggressive and my oncologist is continuing me on active surveillance, although my odds of needing treatment in the future are increasing.
Having gotten through the summer, in October it became time for another surgery- this time my total knee replacement. I knew it would be difficult and time consuming, but I blocked off two months, and with the help of my caretaker Eva along with my physical therapist, I recovered pretty quickly and am getting around much better now. It’s certainly nice to walk without a limp and significant pain. And I can’t even describe how great it is to be able to go hiking again, which for me is a great stress-reliever as well as good exercise.
While I don’t like to post too much about politics, I will say for me personally the November election results were another downer. I do worry about where our country is headed, but it was a free and fair election, so I suppose the people will get what they wanted. I’ve now stepped away from being involved in local politics and watching any news/political programs- I need a mental health break. I plan on focusing on my own health and family, and just getting by day-to-day without worrying about things that are out of my control.
Because of all the “downs” this year, I didn’t get to as many live music shows as I normally do, but we still managed to get to several concerts between my surgeries and other activities. If I had to pick my top 10 concerts for the year (not counting our favorite local musicians whom we see so often), I’ll go with (1) The Rolling Stones, (2) Jeff Lynne’s ELO, (3) Madonna, (4) the Alan Parsons Project, (5) John Lodge (the Moody Blues), (6) Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), (7) Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina, Poco, Buffalo Springfield), (8) Greg Hawkes (the Cars), (9) 10 CC, and (10) Jon Anderson (Yes). Hopefully I’ll get to more shows in 2025!
Babysitting our grandkids is always a highlight, although I wasn’t a lot of help this year with my bad knee. It wasn’t too easy to get up and down from the floor, or to play “hide and seek”. Hopefully “Pops” will be more fun next year!
And that was my 2024- up and down, round and round in my golden years.
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