I CONTINUE TO BE IN EUPHORIA

Day 156 of the Lower Puna Eruption, and nothing new to report.

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Since I decided a couple of years ago to just enjoy life and give up on trying to organize or run anything, my enjoyment of life has materially increased.  Combined with cataract surgery, which restored my eyesight to 20-20, the mostly disappearance of tinnitus and walking 18 holes at the Ala Wai Golf Course twice per week, I think I now also have increased the percentage of black hair on my head.

There have been ups and downs, of course, which is what life is all about.  But what can elevate your life to euphoric status is a significant alarming incident...a potentially life-changing physical scare, that you somehow overcome.

This past Tuesday night, returning to my apartment after a night of poker, I began to limp.  My right hip began to hurt.  Nothing serious.  I took a shower without difficulty and went to bed, where there was no obvious pain.

When I awoke at 3AM to go to the bathroom, I could not walk.  I couldn't place any pressure on my right leg.  But I had to take a pee, and the cord to alert the clinical staff is located at 15 Craigside next to the toilet.  Somehow, with considerable difficulty, I hung on to whatever I could and made it.  Chose not to pull the cord because this was not life-threatening.

Did I have any pain pills?  Yes, Advil twice now had cured me of the flu.  Maybe it could work for the hip.  Took two.

Made it back to bed, but had difficulty sleeping, wondering if my life-style had come to a crushing end.  Hip surgery, perhaps, which would incapacitate me for a long time.

I went back to sleep and awoke at around 6:30AM.  I still couldn't use my right leg, and worked my way to the toilet.  Managed to get to the basin to wash my hands.  Then, amazingly, I could walk again.  A mild hurting of the hip, but I could actually walk.  Did Advil cure me again?

Had breakfast and did my blog for the day.  This experience, however, so traumatized me that I went to Amazon.com and ordered a walker and bathtub seat.  These walkers range in price from $50-$200 and I purchased one that cost $120.  I might never to use it, but $120 is the cost of a cheap hotel night.  My biggest problem is where will I store it, but at least I have some immediate remedy should I suddenly have difficulty walking.

Then my second big decision of the morning.  Should I go golfing?  Without much further thought, I went and walked 18 holes at Ala Wai without any problem.  Normally, I'm bushed and only go through all this agony because I can then eat and drink whatever I want.  This time, I was so euphoric that this feeling overwhelmed my normal senses.

Euphoria lasted until the following morning when I had difficulty getting out of bed.  However, soon thereafter, that initial hip pain went away and I spent my Thursday not doing much, to rest my body.  On Friday, I went golfing again and did okay.  

I felt that my hip needed to be rewarded, so on the way home I purchased the ingredients for wagyu beef sukiyaki with hamachi (yellow tail) sashimi, which I feasted upon on my lanai:

I then noticed that another sunburst was beginning to bloom on my lanai:

This morning, I remained in a pleasant state of euphoria.

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