Tuesday....Ultimate recycling

Today, 18 September, is the second anniversary of my step mother's heart transplant. She has it done in Pittsburgh, and the donor was someone 22 years old from West Virginia. It's been a tough day for me, especially since our expectations were so high. Adri, my step-mom was one of my dearest friends. She survived the transplant, but didn't survive surviving it. Her poor body was so worn out that 5 months later, she watched the Super Bowl and woke up dead the next morning - as my father often says.

I miss her a lot.

Before she had the transplant, I used to joke that if she got a new heart, I'd get the reuse reduce recycle logo (above) tattooed above my heart so everyone would know I'm an organ donor. We used to giggle about it a lot. It just seemed so silly.

Well, I've been thinking about it a lot and missing her a lot too. And it seems like 2 years is about right.

So tonight, I went to Midnight Iguana Tattoo Parlor and got it!!

I'll post pictures another time...

But today, after having a difficult day, I went out to work on the office a little and I was thinking that organ donation is the ultimate in re-use. And it is such an amazing gift to someone.

So as I pounded rebar into the ground to stabilize the piers it just seemed reasonable.

And here's the cinch - I can't swim - my much needed favorite stress relief - for a MONTH. So I've decided to dedicate that time and energy to building the office a few hours every afternoon instead. No, it won't feel as good as doing laps and then soaking in the hot tub, but maybe this is Adri's way to help me get this thing built. The tattoo is in her honor, the office in the honor of the donor. It just feels like the right thing to do.

So folks, Please, if you can, sign an organ donor card, and tell your loved ones your wishes. It really is the ultimate in recycling!! And an amazing gift.

A very deep thank you to the anonymous family who shared a part of their loved one with Adri, to keep her with us, even a little bit longer.

(Yes, okay, I know, no blood donations for a year now, but since I'm in sub-Sahara Africa and the Former Soviet Union, they won't take it now anyway.)