Walking Spirit

This time the delay was due to surgery. Don't freak out! Nothing bad has happened, this one was my decision, and it only took about 10 minutes. Last Wednesday I had Laser Eye Surgery to correct my vision. I was hoping to get this update done before then but, I was waiting for the pictures above to arrive in my email. Unfortunately I didn't get them until after the surgery and I couldn't stand looking at the computer screen until now.

If I'd had Lasik I probably would have been able to do the update sooner, but my corneas are too thin so I had a procedure called PRK. Instead of cutting a flap in my corneas to reshape my eyes with the laser they used an acid eye drop to eat away the first layer of the corneas and then use the laser. The healing process is longer, but my eyesight has already dramatically improved. However, this isn't the point of this update. I'll go into more detail of the eye surgery next time.

The great moment mentioned in the title is, of course, captured in the pictures above. More on that later, as I want to end on a high note. The uncertain times refers to the job situation. I've been fairly positive about this, and I continue to have high hopes, but I have to admit that things are getting a little scary. May 30th is the end date for my employment with Sodexo if we can't find an internal solution, either short term or permanent by that time. At which point my severance will kick in and I'll have to go on COBRA to maintain my insurance.

The insurance is the most disturbing part of this ordeal. COBRA is very expensive, but I can't let my insurance coverage lapse, or my amputations and any other issues resulting from the accident will be considered "pre-existing" and therefore won't be covered by any new insurance policies. I've been discharged from Physical Therapy, but there are still lingering issues. In fact, I have an MRI scheduled for later this month to see what's causing the nerve pain issues in my left stump.

As of yet Sodexo has not found a solution that will keep me in the company. There continue to be possibilities, but the number of possibilities are shrinking and nothing has become a solid opportunity. In regards to my own search outside of Sodexo, I have been looking outside of Hospitality, because I feel this is an opportunity to make a dramatic change in my life that would be both emotionally and spiritually rewarding. Unfortunately my search has not uncovered anything that is very financially rewarding and the medical benefits are uncertain at best. I'm willing to take a job that allows me to break even on my monthly expenses if the benefits are good and it is a job that I enjoy, but the benefits are the priority. I have a second interview tomorrow for a job that may fit that description, but they haven't given me a clear answer on the benefits yet.

The fact is that May 30th is fast approaching and these things are weighing heavily on my mind. If anyone reading this has any contacts in the realms of Advocacy, Public Speaking, Consulting, Lobbying, or any other area that I may not have thought of but follows along those lines, your help would be appreciated.

It would be very easy to curl up in ball and shut out the world during a time like this, but I continue to have faith that the right outcome will ultimately make itself known to me. Therefore, I continue to live life and enjoy each day as much as possible. The weekend before I had my eyes burned with lasers joined a group of youth from our church on their Confirmation Decision retreat. The decision they were to make was whether or not they wanted to become members of the church and accept Christ. As one of their leaders I was committed to helping them feel comfortable making this decision with their own free will. I was also committed to being apart of their experience on the retreat, which meant making some decisions of my own, and taking my own symbolic steps in faith.

The retreat was at a Methodist camp near Brown County that was in a fairly secluded area of the woods. I say fairly secluded because there was a shooting range nearby. The not so distant sound of gun fire added a strange surrealism to our singing, prayer, and communion service in the late morning. We held our prayers, lessons, and services in an outdoor chapel that was in the woods, along a path, down a hill from our cabins. It was the perfect place for the youth to absorb themselves in the spirit to make their decisions. However, in order for me to help them and be with them, I had to cling to my faith (and my crutches) to get to the chapel myself. The pictures above capture the terrain, the beautiful setting, and the smile on my face to once again commune with nature!