Adjustments: the second adjustment

The first adjustment? WONDER - seeing it in everything! Not letting the mundane outweigh the sublime.

The second adjustment? SLOW DOWN!

Learning to live with the aftermath of bariatric surgery is a lesson in slowing down! Everything seems to require slowing down. For example:

Taking my medicines becomes a 30 minute task, since I have to take the pills one at a time, and allowing time to pass between the pills. If I took them all in one gulp (as I used to do), they would either get caught in the plumbing someplace, or would all hit my tiny stomach at the same time and cause me to be sick.

(I’ve been here writing for about 45 minutes... I just finished taking my morning meds. That’s how slowly the task has to be done.)

Eating is a slow-mo task too. There’s only so much space, so to get a half-cup of cottage cheese down, it’s taking one bite, chew it until nothing remains, put the spoon down and wait, then pick it up and take the next bite. And, for the record, it’s tough to get that whole half-cup down. I get full right about the time I take the last bite.

Drinking is slow, since if I gulp my water, I’ll get air mixed in with it. There’s really no room for air bubbles down there, so it’s got to get out. If I just chug the water down, the air will come up and bring a cargo with it. (I’m putting this as delicately as possible...) So slowly drinking, trying to keep air out, is the way we do it. And no drinking when I eat - no fluids 15 minutes before to 45 minutes after eating. It takes up room that is needed for protein.

Getting ready to go out for the day? An exercise in slow. Thinking about what I’ll need to eat while I’m gone from home, packing it and making sure I have enough. Then packing my water, along with whatever else I need to take along. It’s kind of like packing up a toddler to go away for the day - all the various things necessary need to be brought along. Fortunately, I don’t need a pack-n-play. That puppy would be HUGE...

Slow is not easy. In all of our lives, slow is not only hard, but nigh unto impossible. The pace of life seems to demand fast - after all, if you snooze, you lose. Reach out and grab... something. The early bird eats worm guts. Something like that. Slow is definitely not considered a virtue.

And yet, slow seems to be where I have time to notice things. I see God moving when I’m moving slow. I have more time to appreciate all He has done for me, when it takes me so much time to work through it all. I have time to see just how sweet life is, and how amazing it’ll continue to be as He keeps us on this path. I have time to see the wonder, and not just watch it all flash by.

Not everyone has that luxury, and I realize that. I am grateful for this time, where I move slow and see God all around me. I know as I get used to the routine, it’ll get faster, and in gaining that I’ll lose something. So for now, slow is alright. I’ll take my time and store up good things to carry me through faster times.