Late Afternoon, About 4:00 PM, Nov. 11, 2009 The anesthesiologist comes by last to tell you of the two step process and to address any possible outcomes one more time. The first drip is started and my self-induced calm became even calmer. As a nice surprise the hospital bent a rule and allowed not only Anne, Rachel, and Aaron in two’s to my bedside at this point but also my baby granddaughter, Lily, who was awake and alert (Mike was tied down to a show but would be in shortly). Seeing my family was my parting vision as they came to wheel me down to the operating room. I had already begun focusing my mind and reaching out in silent prayer. Trust me it is very, very easy to pray at this point. Hopefully this prayer is not a get acquainted introduction to God but more a continuation of the conversations you have been having all along. I didn’t expect any answers and did not need any: I knew God was present. You just know. Operating rooms are cold and the surgical team was already well into their preparations. I was aware of people in masks moving quickly but not in a hurry and of bright lights getting brighter. Was Chuck Basement there? Yes but only as a fading memory as the anesthesia took hold. I was not afraid. I knew I was in much bigger hands now. You may hear from different people many different things about “being under.” Some will tell you of dreams and visits from loved ones long passed away. Some will tell you they have no memory of anything and simply went from being masked and blacking out to waking up groggily in recovery. As for me as I went under I remember focusing on a point directly overhead and silently repeating ‘Together we cannot fail. Together we cannot fail.’ Then it was dark. And then sometime later, I have no idea how much later, there was a light. The light was as through a doorway although the doorway was only partially defined. The light was bright but also soft, warm, and welcoming as if to be the arms of your lover reaching out toward you. I knew intuitively this was not the gateway to what comes after but instead an embrace as I was to be nurtured and warmed and then returned with a renewed strength and power to the conclusion of my unconscious thoughts and the procedure. I knew any serious risk had passed and that all would be fine. It was as pleasant a sensation as I think we can handle here in this life... stevebaum.wordpress/2012/03/03/and-so-the-life-and-times-of-chuck-basement-begins/
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 19:44:47 +0000
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