No problem, thank God and hope remains for me to travel out of the country once more (and never come back this time).
One of the great perks of having Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer is people who love you do nice things on a whim to show it.
I'd mentioned when Gary and Sandy visited our house that if I ever get the chance, I'd like to visit Asbury Park, NJ so, once we land and arrive at their marvelous apartment, they tell me we're hitting the Beach the next day.
Prepared with a playlist of Steven Van Zant, Southside Johnny and Bruce Springsteen, I am beyond excited!
AND, I haven't been to the Beach all year, a sad testimony to my state of affairs, given it's only a 15 minute drive from home and we have a parking pass.
Sarah and I stroll the Boardwalk, tour the Convention Center, see The Stoned Pony, Madam Marie's and hit the Beach!
Che plays blissfully in the Ocean with Sarah's folks.
I'm unprepared for the beauty of Asbury Park's thousand restored Oceanfront Victorian Homes but see it for myself standing in the middle of E Street where the band took it's name from.
We find a Deli for lunch before making our way back into Gotham.
I'm exhausted though extremely grateful for the adventure, spending the next several days wondering why we never went there before? The Jersey shore has so much more than New York City could ever compete with!
We get immersed in Van Gough the next day on a real date, something Sarah's waiting to do for what seems like ever.
Sarah and I are never really alone.
There's always a kid around, each with an incredible knack of showing up whenever Sarah and I are alone together, so it's a big deal to be on a date!
We take our time strolling through neighborhoods near the docks, eat lunch on a Manhattan roof top garden off Times Square and hold hands on the subway.
"It is good to love many things," Vincent once said, "for therein lies strength, and whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done with love is well done."
Sarah does most everything well.
She accomplishes most everything she puts her mind to.
She out performs her peers.
She's a strong ass woman in lots of different ways.
And she very much loves me, among lots of other things.
And I very much love her.
And it's good to date this late in life!
Maybe you should consider it?
Regardless, the biggest thing I look forward to these days are dates with my wife.
So I spend lots of times imagining our dates as I recover from whatever-it-is-now, training for them every day I walk outsides, eat often to regain the 20 pounds I lost, think lustful thoughts and ponder my endurance.
It's a lot to live for and I sure as Hell ain't ready to miss these times out with my wife.
That's really the only thing left of my bucket list so I'm spending more time focused on it than much anything else.
She's busy holding our world together and I'm always busy healing, or not, but Sarah and I are two determined people and we've got more dates to enjoy together!
