Next Friday, right around lunchtime, I’ll be in the middle of an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. Hopefully, it will cure my loss of fine motor skills, strength, coordination, and balance. The symptoms have progressed faster than expected. I now walk around with a cane (I have my good and bad days/moments) and typing and writing are difficult. I’ll be honest, I’m a little freaked out and ponder how my 46-year-old-body is so banged up. Here’s a four-minute video of me trying to volley with DaughterGeeding. Even though my fingertips are numb and can barely lift my arms above my head, playing with my kids brings a smile to my face.

What else brought a smile to my face? DaughterGeeding memorized my favorite poem, If by Rudyard Kipling. I should recite it daily to get me through this purgatory.