Today Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy died after a long battle with cancer.
I was born shortly after his famous brother was elected to create Camelot, and I was John-John's (JFK Jr)age, 3, when JFK was shot and killed. It is one of my earliest memories, watching my parents cry and feeling angry at this president person who had brought them so low.
In later years I learned more about the Kennedy family, not just because my father was a lifelong Democrat who worshiped the likes of MLK and JFK, but because they seemed to have everything in terms of wealth and fame, yet they consistently had these things taken from them or rendered useless when family members were killed for no good reason.
When I was in graduate school in Massachusetts, I heard a lot about Teddy Kennedy, the fat younger brother who didn't get the glamorous lifestyle or good press that his brothers got, nor did he have the stunning, brilliant wife or the meteoric career---but he had something that a lot of us pudgy folks have, patience and the ability to work behind the scenes, without fuss or bright lights, to get things done. I actually met and talked to Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill when I lived in Mass, and he was also a chubby Irishman who had no time for those who lorded their wealth or fame over others, and who didn't actually get anything done but propagate their 'brand.' I met Ted Kennedys son, briefly, once as well, and found him charming. I was saddened when he died of cancer at a young age.
Yes, they were full of surprises and Irish blarney and tragedy and pathos, but you could never say the Kennedy clan were dull people who lived mousy lives and had no impact on America. Instead, they enriched us with their unstinting public service, giving their very lives for this country and its people.
So I raise my glass of iced tea and lemon to Tip and Ted, both passed but not forgotten. May they rest in peace at the right hand of God.
Speaking of round guys with big bellies, I happened across some marvelous Buddha statues at a garage sale in which some former missionaries were 'de-cluttering' their home of what they seemed to think were 'pagan' statuary and icons of various kinds, including some lovely carvings of Kuan Yin, goddess of compassion and the begging Buddha, walking Buddha and various Hindu figures like Ganesh and Shiva.
The missionary couple had traveled to China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan, so they had quite a collection and seemed anxious to get rid of their great stuff at pennies on the dollar.
I looked at the begging bowl Buddha, dark red, with his friendly rats running around him, his big smile and his chubby cheeks, and I got him for a dollar, and then I grabbed the traveling Buddha with his walking staff, great grin and shiny red tummy,and I couldn't resist bringing him home for a quarter. I realized, as I set them around me, that they don't just physically resemble me, with their upholstered bellies, but they also represent my outlook on life, that of a happy heart who loves being around other people, traveling to explore other countries, and loves to eat and enjoy the sensuality of life. If that couple had had any statues of Siddhartha with a pile of books by his side, I think I would have swooned with joy.
Oddly enough, my dear friend Janine, while on vacation, bought me a miniature prayer flag set that I hoisted above my traveling Buddha, and she also brought me a lovely raku wishing bowl, tiny and gloriously fired in rainbow glaze colors.
Perhaps these things were meant to be, and my path is now being heralded with heavenly help, or perhaps they are just here to make me smile, either way, I am grateful to have these new editions to my life.
In other belly news, I've gained 12 pounds since my surgery in June, probably because I haven't been able, due to monetary constraints, to afford the expensive food that I know I need to eat to lose weight. Simple carbs are cheap, and while we struggle to put food on the table, those are the foods we can most easily access. But I've been working out regularly, and hard, since June 15, 10 days after the operation, so I am still building muscle, if not taking off fat.
Friday of this week I go in for my follow up colonoscopy to see if my colon and small bowel have healed up completely, and if so, whether or not I go back to taking Imuran/Azithioprine to prevent further strictures and obstructions, or at least slow them down. But tomorrow, I must do the ultimate purge, which is the hardest part of the whole process, so say a prayer for me as I choke down the nasty PEG solution by the quart.
This summer has flown by, but I am looking forward to fall (my favorite season), and a renewed commitment to keeping my body healthy.
Extra note: The colonoscopy went well with my great friend Dr Fred Drennan, and he tells me that my surgery is almost completely healed, though he doesn't want me to go back on Imuran again, because he fears that it will fry my liver. So for now, I am just taking Pentasa and trying to keep my colon happy with soluable fiber.
