Livin the Dream vs Livin the Nightmare

Saturday morning, to a degree, was what I would call "livin' the dream, man" Seriously, this morning at the reef was really nice.
Last night , on his way home from work, my son, gave me a surf report.
While it was a little late for the distance I was from the beach, it sounded like tomorrow, early,
might be a good surf day. He said some sets were showing at the reef and the nothing for awhile after that...
The morning weather was perfect.
I was there STILL TOO LATE @ 0645.
For the first time in my life my body now allows me to actually sleep in, if I want too.
Anyway, I paddle out solo to the reef where there are already 15 in a line up half inside and half out. Terry and Stewart were there, then Marcia, but those were the only faces I new, really. For me, sometimes I enjoy that. It gives me a chance to try to learn and forget myself a bit.
Cold air, warm 0700AM sunshine bouncing of the sunny glass.
Saw some really nice sized shoulder+ sets come in. This all had me kind of stoked.
As soon as I pulled in the line up, the frequency of these sets began to diminish.
I did wait and got a really fine one.
First wave in a week and I stay up a little too high and play it too safe for the inside line up. Could have really dropped it then cranked hard on the bottom, nope, not this one.
Any way, that was the first time I have heard my board going fast, in a long time.
I enjoyed it.
Paddled back out and waited for more.
Really beautiful right then.
Got a few more that were good..
God is good.
My wife and son are too.
Friends are as well.

LIVIN THE DREAM.........
Vs.
LIVIN A NIGHTMARE.....

exactly 3 years ago today I lay dying in a hospital bed.
I was truly, completely, dying.
I would be dying for another 3.5 weeks, in that bed.
It would take 6 weeks total to get me out of there.
plus
plus
plus
plus
Complication after complication occurred,
This was a rampant case of peritonitis, unchecked due to the un-noticed, nick and then rupturing of my colon during a surgery. Doctors and surgeons could not figure out
why I was not recovering. Why I was hitting the Dilaudid IV gun 75+ times a day.
Why was my abdomen was swelling up like a red and purple blimp.
Why I wasn’t recovering….

After 6 months at home, another surgery to put all my guts back together.
Walking back into that place after that first 6 week long nightmare was the hardest thing to do.
Then there was the long road to right now.
3 years later I am still having some real gut issues.
My head is still messed up a bit.
That nightmare is pretty much over and gone.
I still get glimpses of this thing at unusual times and places.
For the most part it’s gone .

Saturday, however, I was LIVIN THE DREAM.