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Some things can’t be cured. I guess at some level I understood that sentence even before my military service caught up with me. I had had experiences in my own family of diseases such as cancer and heart attacks that couldn’t be cured. I knew of accidents and things that happened in combat ranging from the loss of a finger to the loss of a limb or two. However, I didn’t realize it could apply to me. When it was suggested that surgery could solve my “back problems,” I said yes. When that didn’t solve the problems, I said yes to surgery again. It took me three tries and over 40 hours on the operating table before I realized I couldn’t be “cured.” At first, I was angry. I thought of all the things I couldn’t do that I enjoyed; i.e., I couldn’t go fly fishing because I could no longer wade in a on stream or I could no longer climb the tower to put up an antenna for my hobby of amateur radio and so on. I don’t know if it was something I read or heard or just something that popped into my mind, but I realized I was thinking the wrong way. I had to celebrate the things I could still do. I might not be able to climb the tower, but I could still enjoy my hobby of amateur radio. I could still enjoy the company of friends and family and so on. That has brought a certain peace to my life, but there are still times when I still get angry. Often, it is when I go to do something and I can’t. I have to stop and remind myself to think about the things I can still do, then remind myself of those who are worse off than I am and be thankful.