You've Got Mail - and a lap full of ice!

I don't want to say that I'm concerned about my recent knee surgery, but just as I was going under, I heard the surgeon ask the nurse to get on the surgery.com website.

There are few things in life more painful than recovering surgery. I say "few" because there are some. Example: not long after my wife and I married, we went to the theater to see "You've Got Mail", starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Heather went in to get our seats, while I went to get the popcorn and the world's largest Diet Coke. As I entered the theater, I saw Heather and walked up the stairs to where she was sitting. I put the popcorn down and began to put the Diet Coke in the cup holder. As the beverage was headed into the holder, I saw the lid begin to come loose from the drink.

It all happened in slow motion, from that point. The huge drink began it's descent, flipped upside down and emptied it's contents squarely into the lap of my wife, who tried to get up to avoid the baptism, but it was too late. Within seconds of arriving at our seats, I spilled this huge soda, filled to the brim with Diet Coke and ice.

I was obviously speechless. Saying "I'm sorry" was certainly not going to cut it, although it had to be said. The only thing I could think of was to ask her if she wanted to go home and see the movie later in the week. To my surprise, she opted to stay and watch the movie.

We lived in Idaho then, and it was about 20° outside. When we were ready to leave, Heather asked me to pull the car around to the side door, so she wouldn't have to walk through the lobby with her soaked lap.

Call me insane or just plain stupid, what happened next would certainly support that theory. I pulled around and parked the car a pretty fair distance from the door. Why? Because I thought it would be funny, and no one could see her. She got in the car and her jeans were frozen. I was laughing until I saw the look in her eye.

Suddenly, I was afraid. Very afraid. Interestingly enough, the ice at the theater was nothing, compared to the ice at home. To make matters worse, (refer to the "insane and stupid" comment above.) I had a morning radio show that all of her friends and co-workers listened to.

I thought it would be funny to tell the story on the air. Yeah, not exactly brilliant. But, as most any radio host would do, I told the story to the delight of my audience - at my wife's expense. Looking back, I still find it funny. Looking forward, I would never do that sort of thing again.

So, what does that story have to do with the pain of surgery? Simple. I have Heather's empathy with the surgery. She has compassion for my pain, which is so much better than having to say how sorry I am for an entire month. Much better.

See you tomorrow.

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