It's been over six months since surgery, and we are full in holiday mode. Spending Thanksgiving with my wife's family, we went up to Connecticut to see my family the following week. The air is heavy with anticipation, not only to see what people say about my weight loss, but also the added baby news. Baby news did seem to trump Band news, and as much fun as it might be to recount the telling of our baby news to the family, it is a bit off topic, so I will let it go as it came as a big surprise, especially with everyone initially focused on my weight loss. :-)
I will say expectations are hard to overcome, especially if they may be high, but I was over all pleased with the results. It's funny, but reactions although varied from person to person, seemed to all have some commonality as well. The initial reaction always seemed to be one of hesitant processing accompanied by a studying stare. I'm not sure if it was more of disbelief or in some cases I wasn't meeting up with their expectations. I will say I was handicapped by the weather and time of year. Not only was it Winter, but I was coming from Florida to Connecticut, which probably net an equivalent temperature drop to match my weight loss! I was forced to layer and wear heavy clothes negating some of the apparent benefits of my weight loss. I must say that I was a bit disappointed with some of the reactions as a result. I may have even got a comment of "that's it?" along the way. However, any less than stellar reactions, were often followed by a more congratulatory tone, especially once I took my coat off. I dare say that I may have been able to bask in the glory of better adulation in a warmer clime or better season.
I had some unexpected reactions as well. For example, I got a surprise gush or two, not from how I looked so much, but seeing me actually perform some simple feat of agility, that prior to surgery would've challenged me as a monumental task, such as bending over to pick up something from the ground, climbing stairs without the accompanying huff and puff, or walking in general for that matter. There were comments like "Oh my God, he's able to do......" Fill in the blank. I hadn't realized how poor my physical abilities had gotten to prior to surgery. Seeing my progress through the eyes of others was an eye opener. I'm very pleased with how far I've come, and appreciate all my friends and family who have supported me and gotten me to where I am now. It's truly been a journey and not a destination, but sometimes it's nice to stop and look around and appreciate how far you've come. Thank you all for all of your support.
I can't wait until my next trip, perhaps in the Spring, where maybe I can sport shorts instead of over coats! It was also my first time back on a plane since surgery, and it was so nice to leave the seatbelt extender behind. I fit comfortably into the seat despite being stuck in a middle seat. I was amazed on the difference. Last time I felt like I was stuffed into the seat like an over plump sausage in a narrow sausage casing. I would have to endure the stares of fellow travelers hoping I wasn't sitting next to them and impeding on their space. Now I felt like nothing particularly special or noteworthy on the plane; it was nice to just be one of the crowd. Thank you to all who made this vision a reality.
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