Recalibration

Every New Year I “recalibrate.”

Do you like my new word? I had heard the word many times, but it had never gotten into my vocabulary until a few weeks ago when we were with our friend Ed Schmidgall. He had driven across the city to treat us to breakfast near O’Hare airport. In our conversation he said that in his lifetime he had been "fortunate" enough to have to recalibrate nine times. “Each time I’ve lost someone close to me, it has made me recalibrate and evaluate what’s important on this earth.”

I’ve been thinking about that ever since, because that’s what’s been happening to me.

Perhaps recalibration is kind of a “guy word” because it’s necessary for guns, laser levels, and computer thermal sensors. So for my girlfriends I’ll explain. Recalibration is the resetting of everything. Realigning. Fine-tuning. Dialing back. Adapting. Adjusting. Putting right.

I guess recalibration happens naturally when the doctor tells you that you have a terminal illness. It’s like suddenly you know what’s important and what isn’t. I, like Ed, feel blessed to have been through this recalibration process.

Now with the normal New Year re-evaluation upon me, I find I’m thinking differently than before. As I make my plans for the year ahead I feel embarrassed when I think of how “ME-centered” my resolutions have sometimes been in the past.

If you’ve been a regular reader of my blogs over this six month period, you know that God has been challenging me to rethink my thinking. He’s giving me glimpses of what matters for eternity and what doesn’t. It’s been a time of major recalibration.

This may sound strange, but my New Year’s wish for you is that you will be faced with a situation that will make you recalibrate. Maybe you, like Ed, have already had to do this many times. If so, you know exactly what I’m saying.

So if it happens to you during 2008, don’t run from it. Seize the opportunity!

Yesterday I went to the physical therapist and she gave me exercises to strengthen the muscles in my torso. Hopefully, that will help my walking become stronger. Next Monday I’ll meet with a doctor who I’m hoping will be able to help me manage the mucous that is limiting my speech. Other than these two things many days I feel quite normal.

And what about my neurologist’s evaluation two weeks ago that indicated "no change” in my ALS for three months? Well…it allowed me to...........RECALIBRATE! ☺