Thursday, March 13, 2025 - Day 212

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Good morning, friends and family. The bathroom remodel should end today—though The plumber is coming after his regular union job to install all the fixtures in the bathroom and I’m most excited about the bidet. Everything I’ve read says it’s a game changer for personal hygiene and independence, and frankly, I’m all for anything that makes life easier.

That said, I have a complicated history with bidets. Nicole and Zack have one in their basement bathroom, and I’ve had a couple of incidents—let’s just say, when you accidentally activate an unexpected Arctic blast, you wake up faster than with any cup of coffee. After those surprise wake-up calls, we made sure to get a bidet with warm water. Apparently, it has other nifty features, too—I’ll report back once I’ve taken it for a test drive.

One area of concern with the new setup is water containment. Our shower has no curb, just a gentle slope, which sounds nice in theory but also seems like a great way to flood the bathroom. Sure, we’ll have a shower curtain, but will it actually keep the water where it belongs? I have my doubts. And then there’s the infamous incident where Cindy bumped the bidet valve while getting into the shower, and by the time she was done, it looked like Lake Powell had breached the dam. So, yeah, extra towels will be on standby for rookie mistakes.

Catching Up with Rob (Chief Idiot) Yesterday, Cindy and I met up with Rob, an old friend and training partner from my Lake Forest days. We logged thousands of miles together—running, biking, swimming—giving us plenty of time to talk about family, work, divorces (mine), and life in general. We were perfectly matched (as in, perfectly average athletes), which meant our competition was always fierce but fun. For over a decade, we got up way too early, pushed each other, swapped stories, and laughed—a lot. We thought of ourselves as “idiots” for all the early morning training we did. Rob anointed himself as the chief of all the idiots and there were plenty of us.

Moving out to Crystal Lake, IA and traveling to Florida each week for 10 years caused us to drift apart (all on me). Sure, we still exchange Christmas cards, but life took us in different directions and even in my retirement…I moved on to other things.

Reconnecting was good, but it was also tough. Walking in, I didn’t want to be the guy with ALS—I wanted to be the same training partner Rob used to know, the one pushing the pace and keeping things competitive. I accept where I am, but some days, it stings. In my mind, I’m still that same guy, but the minute I move or speak, the illusion breaks. The effort to disguise or downplay symptoms is exhausting, and when communication becomes a struggle, it’s frustrating. I’m grateful Cindy was there to help pick up the conversation when I needed a breather. She knows what I’m thinking and can fill in many of the details.

Still, despite the challenges, I’m really glad we met up. We re-established our friendship, even if it’s different now. Next time, it won’t feel so heavy. At least, I hope not.

Thanks for picking up lunch, Rob—it was great seeing you again.

Today is another tax day…it’s sure to be crazy again. Still…the reward I feel from this volunteer effort is one of my favorite activities. I know it sounds crazy to some of you, but once you hear how thankful all the clients are…it just melts the heart and makes me smile ear-to-ear.

Six months to Alex and Nicole’s wedding.

Have a great Thursday.

Love you guys!❤️