You open the door and your heart begins racing, as you are immediately hit with that unmistakable antiseptic smell. You make your way to the brand new machine that has been placed in the waiting area and you sign in. You are "masked up," because the call to remind you of your appointment stated you should be. You sign in and you sit and pretend you are reading a magazine, flip pages and wait. Finally, they call your name and you are ushered into an office. They take your blood pressure and then you are told to step on the scales. They kind of raise their eyebrows and write down your weight and then they draw blood. Then you wait for the doctor to come in and he's rolling a machine that looks like a mini computer where he types everything in. You answer his questions. He types. He pokes and prods you and you try not to wince very much. On the way out they hand you a sheet with a diet for healthier choices that resembles the diet of the late Mahatma Gandhi's "fast until death" diet.
At this writing, I have not yet spent one night in a hospital; well, except the days after I was born and I don't remember them. I know I am very blessed and I know the hospital stays are coming. Until then, though, when I do meet friends for lunch or dinner, or any social occasion, I am going to smile, laugh and try to steer those conversations to humor, laughter and pleasant subjects. We all need to laugh and enjoy life every chance we get and not let anyone steal our joy. Let's hang on to our joy, along with our knee caps, for as long as we can.
Now, the flip side of that medical scenario has been the recent and continued wonderful job done by local and area health departments, pharmacies, private health care providers and others who have worked diligently to bring needed COVID-19 injections for those who elected to have them. These agencies and a great deal of medical personnel have been on the battlefield during this pandemic, testing, re-testing and then injecting. At times, the enemy looked as if it might prevail. Now, it looks as if the tide is turning. Thank God, but keep praying and don't let up.
This Easter I sat in church for Good Friday and Easter services. I couldn't do that last year. What a blessing! We have a lot for which we can be thankful each and every minute of each and every day. I appreciate so many of you who are kind enough to tell me you enjoy for my column and for those who don't enjoy it, I thank you for not saying a mumbling word.
An individual purchased all four signed copies of my books: Nightshade, Secrets, Destini and Black Runs the River. This individual told me he didn't care much for them. I told him I was sorry about that, but no refunds. I did ask him if he read part of them or all of them before coming to that conclusion. "Oh, I read them all," he said. I replied: "Bless your heart." One always wants to be fully informed before coming to an opinion, sometimes. Sometimes, to become fully informed doesn't take long.
If you are looking for a great place to eat that's a little off the beaten path but worth the drive, try T and T Barbecue on FL-6, 12 miles west of Jasper and if you want great pizza or Italian, I highly recommend Frankie's in downtown Lake City on Marion Avenue. They have the best pizza I have eaten anywhere in this area and always, the wonderful shrimp and grits at Live Oak's All Decked Out Café.
From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs. Wishing you a day filled with joy, peace and, above all, lots of love and laughter.
