carbonated joy

 

I’m sitting here in my big comfy chair listening to the soft rhythm of my infusion pump. 

As it pushes the delightful chemo cocktail into my body, it makes an almost reassuring noise that sounds like “kuusshhh”. Occasionally it makes a little beeping noise that lets me know that it’s almost time to go to the doctor’s office to get a refill. 

I’m ready.

I’m wearing some happy green socks with Gumby and Pokey on them. 

Why in the world would a 53 year old man be wearing Gumby socks?!

Because, I’m a fan of fun.

I’m also a fan of Gumby.

I grew up watching it.

I learned things from my green pal that are guiding me now…

It’s good to be flexible. 

Sometimes life is sweet, sometimes it is sour.

It pulls you in all sorts of directions. If you aren’t flexible, you can break. 

Friends are vital.

No one escapes from the blockheads alone. We need friends, faithful companions to join us on the journey. Your best friend might not be an talking orange horse, but you need somebody!

Friends make each other better.

I’ve learned that friends can help carry your burdens. 

Sometimes life is stop-motion 

You can’t be in constant motion, you’ve got to stop and rest. It might look or feel a little herky-jerky or awkward, but that’s okay. 

Stop…blink…breathe.

Anne Lamont puts it like this: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Sometimes you need to get reanimated.

My pal Gumby has made several comebacks since 1953, remember the Eddie Murphy version?

He even became the mascot of a college town pizza shop, if you’ve never had Pokey stix you are missing out on a culinary delight! 

and now he finds himself on my socks.

We all need to be reanimated.

We all need refills.

Because we leak. 

That is why, this morning, before my chemo pump gets refilled, I got flexible in my faith.

I stopped moving, and I took the time to talk to my very vital friend, the Holy Spirit, and I asked Him to refill and reanimate me.

And He did.

And then I asked Him to come out and play.

Because I am a fan of fun.

And, He invented it.

From the beginning, fun was meant to heal. 

So, I’m going to get my chemo cocktail refilled, but I’m going to enjoy some holy mischief while I do it.