Today was an unusual day. Today my husband Ubered from our hotel to the UCSF Medical Center to have a kidney transplant. A kidney from a very generous Minneapolis donor flew the friendly skies this morning landing in San Francisco to help my husband.
Because we are in a pandemic safety protocols prohibit folks from sitting in the hospital waiting rooms. To keep everyone safe, patients check into the hospital by themselves. As a spouse, I don’t really have the words to describe how that feels. What I can say is that its a very weird experience. I’m not criticizing the hospital. They need to do whatever they can to keep people safe. Thank goodness for technology; I received text messages throughout the afternoon and evening updating me on my husband’s status. As soon as the surgery was completed, the surgeon called me to let me know it all went well (big sigh of relief). “Congratulations,” said the surgeon. I love that!
What I found most helpful today was the two hour walkabout my daughter and I took. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my daily walks. Obviously fitness is a big benefit but the stress busting is huge! Walking provides an outlet to clear your head and calm your soul. I’ve said that many times but it really bears repeating. Surgery is not in most of our daily realities but stress comes daily from many directions. I think we all can and need to acknowledge this. It carries a heavy impact if ignored. Please do what your able to take care of yourself.
I’m calling today a “walkabout.” We walked Crissy Field heading south purposely to go see the Wave Organ which is a very cool art installation with tubes that create sound influenced by the tides. The San Francisco Exploratorium worked with Artists in Residence Peter Richards and George Gonzales in 1986 to do the installation. It’s been around for years but I think it may be one of those underrated opportunities. You put your ear next to the tube to hear the water surging below. It’s very cool! It is well worth the effort to see. Best during a high tide.
Our second stop was the Palace of Fine Arts. The architecture is fantastic and the gardens and pond are gorgeous. Another must see that never gets old! Enjoy my pics! #iluvtowalk #sanfrancisco #waveorgan #palaceoffinearts #ucsfmedicalcenter #kidneytransplant #nationalpaireddonorprogram
Perspectives From My Trail 