May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

OK, I stole this from The Hunger Games, but it relates to our lives. I’m specifically referring to my husband, who is going to have open heart surgery tomorrow.

When we are young, no matter what we are told, we constantly defy the odds. We feel invincible. Sometimes, our actions have disastrous consequences in real-time, but we are often unscathed.

It is the cumulation of things we do and don’t do that come back to bite us later in life—specifically smoking and drinking.

I never smoked, although I tried to. I don’t drink. Once, at the age of 17, I had a drink, which I believe was drugged, and I can’t remember 24 hours of my life! I was not alone, though; my friends got me back home. I prevented that from ever happening again by not drinking.

My husband smoked for 40 years. I hated it, complained about it, and cajoled to make him stop. Nothing worked. I probably had more secondhand smoke from him and my smoking friends than I would have had if I smoked myself.

The odds have been in his favor. He, at almost 80, has not suffered till now from the effects of his smoking and, I must add, his addiction to chocolate and sweets. Now, he is undergoing open heart surgery due to blockages in his heart. He has a strong heart because of his swimming every other day, so the surgeon expects a good outcome and complete recovery.