Why?
Stepping out of your own element, especially when shocked out of it and suddenly elsewhere for an extended period of time, can be a blessing. It causes you to pause and consider how you live and what is important. The important things–family, meaningful purpose, and physical nourishment to maintain good health–are constants. We leave behind the devices, entertainment, projects and deadlines to fall by the wayside. I found this out when our 33 year old son suffered a ruptured colon and emergency surgery that removed the 4.9 foot organ and necessitated an extended convalescence. Suddenly I was elsewhere, in Miami, which is indeed another culture, and in a very hard place with him. A place where food wasn’t the answer, at least not for a long while. And a place where the longing for food was almost unbearable.
What I learned in the four months was to appreciate a silver lining. I was able to spend time with a son who left home when he was 17 and to get to know an 8 year old grandson in his own element. We enjoyed our time together. I got to know his friends from work, a lively and hungry bunch, whose support was unfailing. And I saw how very strong my son was to overcome this crisis, to suffer the excruciating pain of his tormented intestines, the indignity of a colostomy bag, to witness his unfailing determination to be strong and healthy so the reversal surgery would go well, and to rejoice at the miracle of that second surgery and the reconnection of his new “short pipes.” He looks on the bright side, “I’ll never have colon cancer.”
During this escape from my own reality I learned in a very elemental way how important it is to know How to Eat and Drink.