Kidney Calamity

I hate being a burden to other people and interrupting their daily routines. I regularly feel like a fifth wheel in social situations. I rarely try and spontaneously start a social event because that would mean getting other people to conform to my schedule. And I do not like asking for help unless I absolutely must.

A number of years ago I was preparing to serve a embark on a great journey to Thailand. I had been planning this for months, and was going to be gone for about 2 years.

I was stoked.

Ticking Clocks

My wife and I are exhausted. We work long days and weeks, and we often do not get the requisite hours of sleep.

Last Saturday, she had an teaching appointment at 8 a.m.—30 students all wanting to learn at her feet. On Friday night, we set the alarm to wake us up at a quarter to 7 so that we had plenty of time to get to work.

The alarm sounded, as anticipated. We both got up and did our morning routines, groggy as usual from inadequate rest. I helped get all our stuff into the car so I could drive her to campus and so I could work in the lab for a few hours until she finished.