Friday, March 4, 2011

On The Way In...

Alright, folks. The day has arrived. In a few short hours I go into surgery. In a few hours after that I will come out, lighter one colon and with a 'loop-ileostomy', which if all goes well should be temporary as the rest of me heals.

I just wanted to take a moment to mention that I have all the faith in the world in the medical community, and even more in my friends and family. I have come to realize that there are times in our lives that we have to simply open our arms  and accept that there are things we can't control, and that there are times when we need to depend on the love and support of others -- because, we have all done the same for them at times.

Another key element to my healthy recovery is, I believe humor. I think that man evolved humor and laughter as a way to deal with times like these... We have to have SOME kind of response to situations that are simply beyond our control, some way to deal with pain and suffering that keeps us all from running, lemming style, over the end of a cliff every time we encounter something in our lives that seems insurmountable.

At various time in my life I have had the opportunity to travel to areas of our world that do not share our standard of living, and those experiences have had a profound impact on me. Looking closer at those times and images I made as a photographer then, one thing remained clear. In spite of all human suffering, in spite of the worst of human conditions, in spite of all cultural, religious and political differences two things remain universal. The ability of humans to smile and laugh, and the importance of the simple gesture of holding another persons hand or wrapping them in a hug that reassures that we are all in this process together, that in the worst of times, there are always people around we can count on, sometimes, in despite of ourselves.

I will see you on the other side....
Love to all of you.

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