I remember quite a few family trips where my mom would turn around to look at Dustin, Mira and I, and reflect, "We are so lucky!" To be healthy, to be able to go skiing, to have enough food, to be together, to be in the mountains, blah blah blah. We would sensitively reply, "Mo-om! We're trying to watch Scrubs, can you be quiet?"
I think of this now because I am recovering from jaw surgery which has left my jaw wired shut. Everything I eat is liquid. I don't even get milkshakes from a blender because fruits in the blender come out too pulpy and thick to make it through my teeth. Fruits and veggies must be juiced. Everything must be strained. I'm not allowed to suck, so I inject food into my mouth with a syringe.
Basically, all pleasurable things about food have disappeared and it's made me realize just how lucky I (normally) am! These six weeks are such a short period over the course of my life and it'll be over very soon and I'll be able to eat whatever I want - not only physically eat and enjoy whatever I want, but "rich" enough to eat almost anything I want and go to bed full every night.
I won't even go into how lucky this experience has made me feel to be healthy and active. The night of the surgery I needed a doctor and a nurse to wheelchair-me to the bathroom--and I still nearly fainted. I'm thankful that I am independent, that I enjoy the use of all my limbs, that I have a healthy mind.
I'm planning the most amazing binge sesh EVER the week they unwire me. I'm going to savour tearing into a chewy baguette. I'm going to relish the way sushi has so many different tastes and textures at once. And I'm going to think, with every bite, about just how lucky I am!
Julian
