An Odyssey ... of a sort - Part 1 of 6 by KimB

Every year I go through the somewhat obligatory review of achievements and failures of the previous year. Most often the win/loss columns are equal but in some years the columns are more lopsided and I make assertions to “do better” in the coming year.

Last year was no different... except is was.

The Greek epic poem about the end of the Trojan War, the Odyssey, reminds me of my journey this year. The story is full of adventure, romance, awe, sorrow, happiness, obstacles and surprising victories over everyday impediments. It's one that everyone experiences in different ways and continues until the last breath and the last heart beat. Mortality and the Ferryman capture us all, but before the Ferryman comes, demanding his payment, the Odyssey continues.

During the Trojan War, the Greeks and Trojans fought epic battles and the gods were divided about which side should win. The Greeks were promised ultimate victory but not an easy one. The war consumed both sides and at the end, Troy was burned, the city razed, their people slaughtered or enslaved and their heroes dead on the battlefield.

The triumphant Greeks headed home after a decade of war, secure in their victory with the spoils and riches of Troy as proof. They didn't live long to enjoy it.

Nearly every great Greek hero dies before or shortly after arriving home. Their doom is pronounced often but they ignore the warnings. One of the few that return home successfully is the hero Odysseus but not without trials and delays.

Odysseus' journey lasts another decade and there are many obstacles to his return. He is shipwrecked, attacked, delayed, held hostage. The gods fight over his fate as he persists in what seems to be a futile effort to return home. His homecoming is not without danger and he must overcome the effects of 20 years of absence to prove his identity and re-claim his lands and family.

Over the last decade my health has declined – a lot. The effects of illness and the required drugs with their numerous complications and side effects, led to a very large weight increase. Add in aging, with its increasing physical limitations, all made a recipe for “the worse”.

Oprah has nothing on me; I could beat her bag-for-bag in any cookie eating competition.

At the end of 2013, the state of affairs was on the “awful” side of the ledger. I could barely move without a cane, I was starting to seriously look at walkers and thinking of motorized wheelchairs. The pains in my joints and back made even simple tasks an Everest style challenge. I had been through more and more tests and spent hours in the MRI hoping that the doctors would find “something” and especially hoping that the “something” had a reasonable chance of being alleviated/fixed.

It didn't happen. They found nothing new.

That turned out to be “the good news”.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB and is part 1 of a 6 part series.]