Doctors orders

Doctors orders

“My back is playing up” were the words I uttered to the Doctor. I had taken some days off with tension and soreness in my back. The job involved moving objects from one end of the table to the other in a sitting position and lifting boxes from the floor to the table. The Doctor took a long look at me, drew a deep breath and without any examination this is what he said to me.

A thorny devil caught in a
four-wheel drive track.
François Peron National Park.

 “I see guys like you in here every day. You look tired and worn out. You have probably been waiting for a promotion but they have overlooked you for some younger person. Why  don’t you go and do something you like?” I can still hear my mouth falling wide open with a thud.  This is definitely not the kind of treatment I expected for a back complaint. I replied with all the excuses to this onslaught in my mind  and at that particular moment a rather harsh diagnosis. “Ahh yes but…… and several uhmms. But I would like to achieve this and that. What about the kids? Family? Money.”  I merely answered meekly. I knew he was right and that I have been saying the same thing to myself for many years. I was caught like a thorny devil in a four-wheel drive track.

In the car on the way home my mind went into overdrive. I  could not wait to throw some wild plans at my beautiful partner Julie. When I arrived home I got stuck in immediately. “We are doing such and such and going here and there” I said. It was then that I suddenly noticed that Julie was very quiet. When I finally stopped waffling and got over myself she told me she had to have a suspect mole removed from her leg. The skin specialist had dropped the “Melanoma” word.  Enthusiasm can be such a bastard.

Of course I spent the next day holding Julie’s hand at the surgery while she had a neat little incision made with Dancing Queen playing in the background. By the time Fernando was playing Julie had stitches in her leg and was paying the hefty bill at reception.

The whole thing is a reminder that we are all just mere mortals and will return to dust hopefully later than sooner.  I have seen the signs before on many occasions but tried to ignore them. A year or so ago two little kidney stones screamed “you are going to die now!!!!” This time death upped the ante and now forced us to consider our mortality together.

It was just the push we needed. The horse had bolted. Let’s go out in a careful bang. Doctors orders.

Semi-grey nomad tips

• Keep a close eye on your skin and consult a specialist when changes of any kind occur.
• “Yes!! I know!!! - Boooooring”.  Slip, slop, slap.

Take care in the Australian sun. Big Lagoon. Shark Bay.

• Don’t wait for your body to hit the self-destruct button before reaching out for your dreams.
• Now is a great time.