Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Day 222

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Good morning, all!

As I typed the number of days since my diagnosis—222—it reminded me of the TV show Room 222 from the late ‘60s into the ‘70s. It was a comedy-drama set at Walt Whitman, a fictitious high school, in Los Angeles and tackled many of the same issues we still face today—racial integration, the early LGBTQ movement, women’s rights, politics, war, and other controversial topics.

I was in sixth grade when the show debuted, on my way to seventh grade at Jack Benny Junior High. I remember the start of integration. The details are a little fuzzy now, but I can picture some of the kids from the south side of Waukegan in our classroom. We probably had about 25 or so white kids and a couple of black kids. If it felt strange to me at the time, I can only imagine what it was like for those students—being bused out of their neighborhood, away from their friends, and placed in a school where they didn’t know anyone.

Even though it felt odd at first, it quickly became normal. I don’t recall any conflicts in junior high—though some of you reading this may remember things differently—but high school was another story. There was plenty of tension, but somehow, we all managed to coexist. Those were interesting years—most of it I loved, some of it frightened me—but in the end, it was a life experience that shaped us. I had a great group of friends and we stuck close together. If any conflicts did arise we were all in. It was our “peace through strength”!

Looking back, I think integration was mostly successful, at least from my perspective. But then again, I wasn’t the one being bused out of my school district.

Remodel work continues… Today, we have a carpenter coming over to finish a few things around the house. He’s more of a handyman today since I can’t get my hands to cooperate. This is the stuff that really frustrates me, as everything he’s doing today is work that I would do.

The most important task is installing a handrail on the staircase. It wasn’t originally part of our remodel—I didn’t think I needed it, assuming the banister would be enough. But I’ve realized I’m unsteady going down the stairs, so I’ve been going down sideways, gripping the banister with both hands. Going up is another challenge—my legs don’t quite have the strength anymore, so my arms have to help. At least the carpenter knows what he’s doing so I won’t fear the hand rail pulling out of the wall, had I done the work.

It’s funny how life works. When I was at Mosaic, toward the end of my career, I took the stairs all the time. My rule was always to use the stairs whenever possible—why pass up a chance for a little exercise? One day, I was walking up without holding the handrail, and someone reported me to HR. I actually got written up for a safety violation. Seriously… who does that?!? That was just one more sign that my nearly 30-year career was winding down.

Last step on the bathroom… We’re still waiting for the plumber to finish hooking up a couple of things, and then the bathroom will be fully functional….finally. I’m looking forward to trying it out, though I’m still a little skeptical about the no-curb shower. I just hope the waterproofing was done right—otherwise, we might have some surprises. CINDY…we need extra towels at the ready!!

While the carpenter is hammering away on things in the house, I will be hammering away on taxes. I’m making progress and only have a couple to go. They are more complicated so it will take some time to finish, especially if I get distracted by college basketball.

Lastly…we have Nicole and Wyatt flying in this coming weekend. Wyatt is counting down the nights…only five more nights until you’re here. He thinks he’s going to be staying for seven months. I love the perspective of kids…it’s interesting and funny.

Have a great Sunday.

Love you guys!❤️