Yes. She actually decided to gift me a workbench. I was speechless. I was confused, perhaps in the same way many women (and some men) react to receiving kitchen appliances, lumber, or the like as gifts during the holidays.I know Daniela has watched hundreds of hours of Seinfeld episodes during the past decade. And if she didn't learn it from this TV comedy, she should've reached into her anthropological archives and anticipated my confusion. This gift...this Trojan Horse (The ideas for future home improvements dormant not within the workbench, but Daniela's imagination.)...this "honey-do list" monument...sits in our basement awaiting assembly.
After dwelling on when I could assemble the workbench and what I could do...once it was built, I realized the workbench had to be seen as an unintended metaphor. I haven't figure out whether it is a metaphor for the strength, the tenacity, and the sheer mettle Daniela has always displayed and will deploy once again. (This is the woman that cross-country skied to radiation treatments during winter... in Wisconsin...and then skied back home...during her bout with Hodgkin's Lymphoma more than 12 years ago.) Or, perhaps, the gift was Daniela's way of telling me that piece by piece, and plank by plank, I too can create a structure, a platform to build upon....and from which to draw strength.
Daniela is at her best marshalling ideas and dreaming of projects. This gift was not only an indication that she is "doing well," but also an indication that she is well enough to draft a list of things to do while she recovers from surgery. That is comforting and reassuring, and it also means that I should get off my blog and start assembling....Chazak, chazak, venitchazek. (Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other.)
4 comments:
Thanks so much for keeping us posted, Ken. It's a wonderful story, and a superb photo of Daniela. We'll try not to bug you with calls, but please know that we're out here and glad to do whatever we can to help.
Hugs!
Natalie, Mark, Rachel, and Becca
Gracias Kenny! A wonderful idea very nicely executed. It will doubtless be a long and painful road, and we're all here to offer succor in whatever form along the way.
Still, I'm imagining an afternoon in summer, with Daniela stretching her left leg and then her right, getting ready for soccer practice. Her muscles are getting stronger again, her body adapting. My tough big sister is stretching against the fence of the yard in Arlington, with birds flitting over her shoulder on their way home. They twitter as they land on one of your early projects on the work-bench. Yeya's snowshoes (which you made in anticipation of a rare Virginia blizzard) have served their original purpose and are now wedged between two branches, serving as a nest to a visiting family...
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I'm confident that this grueling hardship (which alas starts in earnest in just a few days) will, within months, begin to recede and give way again to normal, happy life. Hang in there, and count on us however you wish! Much love...Steffi
WOW! Kenny thanks for sharing what you hold dear and what must be a tiny glimpse into the intimacies of yours and Daniela journey. What a beautiful testament!
May you be blessed with those gift and resources you will need to embark on this journey together. Know that you have friends and family that love and support you.
Our prayers, thoughts and "good vibes" are with you both. I Love You both...Elisa and Mike
This blog is an usual way to build and build on a commnity deeply concerned about you and your beautiful wife. Thank you for keeping us informed and helping us help you.
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