So… at some point today, pretty soon now as I write, my father in law is going under the knife. Like any operation on an old man, it could kill him, but the hope is that he gets another 10 years of kicking ass on the tennis court.

Unless you are in the operating theatre right now (and if you are, get back to work!), there’s not a damned thing you–or I–can do for him now, so I’ll just use this space to mention that if you are ever on the fence about donating blood, or visiting your parents, or picking up that phone (I do that all too seldom, cos I have great anxiety about phones), or encouraging that kid in a science class or that teacher who makes a difference… it’s all connected, and maybe you can help someone else’s loved one on down the line.

Edit… 4 bypasses and a new valve later, things look good. A long road ahead, but that sure beats some of the shorter ones.