doc brown and marty

Recognize those two characters?

Well, you should, regardless of your age.

I was reminded of the sheer fun of time-travel, as embodied in "Back To The Future", when I caught the last third of it on my first night in Daytona, and the first part of it the next day.

That's when I had tried to read the AARP article on Michael J. Fox, but could not; having just seen him in the movie, fresh and young and vibrant, looking at his photo as he is now at 60 years old, after half his life living with Parkinson's Disease, had me sobbing like a child.

I had put aside the magazine, to save for another time.

After all, timing is everything, especially when it comes to getting a different perspective on something troubling.

That was a good move.

This afternoon, I had an appointment with my dermatologist at the Savannah VA Center.

Doc Brown always brings to mind the Christopher Lloyd character in that movie, even though they have different first names (this one's name is Hal, though he should not be confused with the space-traveling computer).

(smile)

Today, the cold weather had me a bit down, as well as the news from Christina yesterday that she has COVID now.

She caught it from another teacher at the school in Hinesville.

Damn.

But she had a booster, right?

No, she did not; she is as much a wienie about pain as I am about cold weather, choosing to not make time for that shot.

So, I told the good doctor about my concerns with her, and he listened intently and compassionately, as he always has on every visit.

Then I told him about my general sadness about still being in the pandemic, that I was waiting on the world to change, which was definitely a song and was even more definitely not the way life worked, as I am well aware that I am the only one I can change.

And he listened intently, with his genuine concern, reassuring me that all would be well while not saying a word.

Right?

Because sometimes the sadness simply needs to be vocalized, even though naught can be done to alleviate it; it's just good to have it released back into the wild.

When he asked if I had any new skin issues, I pointed out the flaking and rough skin on my scalp, on my face, behind my ears.

Seborrheic dermatitis, he diagnosed, not nerves, prescribing me more of the shampoo that I once had.

Good - a problem with a solution.

Then I showed him the ointment Dr. Saladyga had prescribed for the skin condition on my right nipple, talking about the intermittent nature of the problem, talking about the extreme painfulness of the punch biopsy that was done.

Lichen simplex chronicus he said, confirming the diagnosis, examining the nipple area, and telling me to continue using the cream for flare-ups.

When I asked what caused it, he told me that no one knows; it's one of those ischemic maladies that mysteriously pops up and, just as mysteriously, disappears one day, never to plague the skin again.

Good - a problem with a solution.

After checking my skin for moles that might be taking a wrong path, he pronounced me good to go, with no need for another 6-month check in - back to annual exams!

Good... though I would miss not seeing his patient, non-judgemental face until next year.

Then it was on to my second appointment of the day, this time with the nutritionist, Elizabeth Corley, to check on my MOVE! progress.

She even noted that I was down a pound or two!

She's good to talk to, also, listening and making little notes, though I think sometimes those are as much to share with others as to keep tabs on me.

For instance, we were talking about the weather being cold enough to have hot cocoa at night - then, I told her about my use of Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk for that very purpose, as the powdered milk in packaged hot chocolate (like Swiss Miss) precludes me from being able to use it.

Yep, she definitely made a note of that!

The rest of our time was spent on Module Eleven of the MOVE! program, which was all about food choices and various seasoning ideas.

Next Friday, I'll be one of five participants in a 6-week cooking class - that should be fun!

Afterward, to the grocery store I went - gotta get milk!

And so I did, too, as well as sundry other items, including...Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk.

This will be the first night of hot cocoa for me in quite some time.

(smile)

Over my late lunch, I finally read the article about Michael J. Fox.

This was definitely the right time for me to do so, as I found it refreshing and hopeful.

Here's one of the best parts from it.

The interviewer had asked what he would want his legacy to be.

After responding with the expected answer, Michael added this story.

"Beyond that - and this is kind of a vanity thing - a lot of really great guitarists have come up to me over the years and said they picked up the guitar because of the "Johnny B. Goode" scene in "Back To The Future". 

If I did anything in this life, I got John Mayer to pick up the guitar!"

How about that?

I've circled right back around to my conversation with Doc Brown, while reading about Marty, through the eyes of the grown-up actor that portrayed him, about a chance coincidence that led to "Waiting On The World To Change" being written.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.