Field of Dreams Come True

     My blog has been stagnant for almost a year.  So many wonderful things have happened in that time, and I have much to write and share about those experiences, but it would be very poor form to let today pass without a post.  I am, after all, the Transplanted Dad, and today is Father's Day.  While many fun and memorable experiences occurred today, for me, nothing could quite surpass what happened last Saturday.  On our calendar, it was an unassuming family event-- picture day for my son's Little League team.  A scheduling fluke meant our son didn't have a game that day, but his team needed to get dressed in their blue and white uniforms for their team and individual photos.  Less than 48 hours before picture day, the coach sent me an email, and a dream come true was in the making.  

52 Steps to My First Vlog

I've been to many beaches since my transplant nearly two years ago-- but not this one. The first and only other time I've been to my brother-in-law's cottage, I was on the transplant list, on oxygen, and definitely not ready to face the steep stairs to the beach. 

I stayed up near the volleyball net and tried, without much success, to chase my son around while wearing a portable oxygen concentrator on my back. 

This visit was so much different. It included a lightsaber battle and races on the sand. It was so satisfying to reclaim what I'd been unable to do two years ago. 

https://youtu.be/ZeYF7zFj4ms

Father's Day Collaboration

This year, I spent Father's Day totally one-on-one with my son, since my wife is currently taking her mom and aunt on a tour of Ireland, an my own dad's plans (along with the plans of my two brothers) did not permit all of us to be in the same place at the same time.

"Gonna Fly Now"

     This past weekend held many "firsts" for me.  My first trip to the Philadelphia.  My first time flying alone.  And, the primary reason for this post, my first time flying since the transplant.

And In The End, The Fandom You Fake May Outlast the Friendships You Make

First off, yes, that title is quite a reach, but it is a reference to a Beatles lyric.  Good Human Points to the first person who posts which album the song referenced here is from.  :)

     Secondly, I want to thank the many, many people whose readership of this blog has pushed me to over 10,000 views in 11 months.  I will never know for sure how many of you are out there reading this regularly or popping in once or twice a month, but I am grateful to have you. 

   Okay, onto the actual post...  In honor of the Detroit Red Wings making the playoffs for 25 consecutive years, it's about Canada's national pastime and my favorite sport to watch.  Let's open with a question:

How many people who've never laced 'em up and played a game can say their life was defined by the sport of hockey?

What is a String Man?

"It was the role I was born to play."  I've said that in response to numerous people who have asked me, "Who is String Man?"  (and once, "What is a String Man?")  I quickly followed by explaining that the middle school orchestra needed someone to play the titular role during their performance of the song, "The Adventures of String Man."  The person in the role basically upstages the kids for three minutes and then gets to go sit down and watch the rest of the show.  It's a sweet gig.

On the Radio - My 2015 Song of the Year

This marks the fourth time I've chosen my "song of the year"-- a song that was new (to me) and resonated with me more deeply than any other. A former student and her college radio show get credit for introducing me to the the song I chose this year, as was the case in 2013. At some point I need to write a post about that song snd the other previous too. 

Regina Spektor is perhaps most well known as the singer songwriter responsible for the tune which opens each episode of Orange is the New Black. The song I heard on my student's show several months ago begins with a somewhat morbid and esoteric verse, but some of the lines reflect my reality from two years ago: a young guy walking though a busy store with oxygen is not wholly unlike driving a hearse through a crowd. This verse ends with a lyric about disease affecting loved ones. It was about then that this song "hit me," and it didn't let up. 

While the chorus replays one of those odd events in life that I've always found fun to analyze and appreciate, and enjoy even more in my post-transplant life. 

But it is the second verse that locked it into "song of the year" territory. As someone whose heart literally pumped someone else's blood, who was one room down from a man my age fighting to survive every day following a heart transplant, Spektor's depiction of what "life" is speaks to me on a very literal level, as well as an emotional one.

 I fought back tears writing this, just as I do each time I listen to "On the Radio."  Here is a link which includes lyrics if you'd like to hear my "Song of 2015."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4nuDlSxLOjI

New, Cool, and Never Before...

Yesterday I received an e-mail letting me know that the University of Michigan Transplant Events Center had added a page devoted to my transplant journey.  I am remarkably honored to have, for the first time, a web page that features my name in it!  (I'm not counting the one I had to make for a class in college, which was just a loose collections of Simpsons references and a link to Eastern Michigan University's newspaper, The Echo.)

Simply a Marvel

     Stane Lee, one of the creators of Spider-Man, is well known for saying "Face front, true believers!"  I feel that quote is very apropos, considering that I am sharing the official, full front angle video of my Vita Redita speech today.  The Michigan Transplant Center's Facebook page posted it Monday.  Between the video my wife made that I shared on YouTube and this official version, my speech has been viewed a staggering 2,200 times.  I am stunned by this number, and incredibly happy that the potential impact of my speech is now seven times larger than it was when I spoke the three hundred people in attendance that night. 

The link to the official video:  https://www.facebook.com/UMTransplantEvents/videos/vb.409959805373/10156299669220374/?type=2&theater

Rink Rats

     I was apprehensive when my doctors approved me to ice skate a few months ago, based on the fear that if (more like when) I fell down, it would hurt my still-not-as-strong-as-it-could-be upper body as I braced my fall and subsequently got myself back up.  But my son's ice skating birthday party gave me a chance to face this fear and skate with him for the first time ever.

Can't Thank You Enough

     Yesterday I returned two items to Old Navy. The cashier seemed to be happy about scanning the items and crediting me the money back, even though I'm willing to bet she wasn't exactly having the time of her life. But she put a fun and energetic spin on something as mundane as a refund, without being sarcastic or fake about it. I was about to mention her attitude and thank her by saying something beyond, "Thanks," but didn't, lest I seem weird or something.  (Not that that's bothered me in the past.)  But this little situation reminded me that all too often, the "above and beyond" actions displayed by others go under appreciated.

     When I spoke to the Gift of Life Michigan staff at their meeting yesterday, I concluded by noting that teachers and those who work at GOLM tread the common ground of being chronically under appreciated. Not because we aren't thanked for our efforts, but because no amount of gratitude can match the significance of the work we do. That work is very different, to be sure, but the impact the people in the meeting yesterday have on others-- often during heart-wrenching moments-- cannot be undervalued.

     Though I have not been teaching these past two years, I still feel the sting of news reports and political efforts which undermine the importance of effective educators. Ultimately, we should not base our worth on those things, but rather on the responses of those we serve. We must remind ourselves that when we do hear a heartfelt "Thank you," it is representative of more than just that individual. If we regard these shining beacons of gratitude (such as my brief speech yesterday or the college application letter a student wrote about me) as the norm rather than the exception, the path to satisfaction, to knowing we have done good work in our time here on earth, will be extraordinarily bright. 

     I will close this post by thanking you-- as of yesterday, these blog posts have been viewed over 3,000 times in less than three months of existence. I realize that doesn't translate to 3,000 people, but no matter how many of you are reading this, know that you are providing me with the motivation to work on (and soon (?)) finish my book. And then comes, as my mentor and friend says, the most important job an author has-- rewriting! Don't worry, I'll keep the blog from becoming a writer's workshop once that time comes. 

Using those hand gestures I teach students about in Public Speaking as I talk to the Gift of Life Michigan staff.

What Ifs, Lasts, and Goodbyes (?)

     Thursday was the last day of summer school-- my attempt at "dipping my toe back in the water" to see if I can return to teaching in the fall.  While I had every intention of having a decision made before summer school ended, a few pieces of the puzzle were still missing prior to my last day.  As such, I invited everyone I'm friends with on Facebook who is connected with me through teaching to attend what may have been my last day of teaching.   

A Message from the Past, a Prophecy of the Future

     This video is something I made to officially explain to my students that I would not be returning to teaching in the 2013 school year.  It seemed like all of the kids (and everyone on staff) were hoping, wondering, and worrying, so I made this and had my substitute show it to all of my classes.  I didn't write down any notes, just turned on my webcam and spoke.  

Everything Working in Concert

     My favorite music group is Dave Matthews Band. They are the band I requested to be played as I entered the OR prior to my transplant. I have seen them five times in concert, and starting three years ago, I'd made it my vow to see them every time they rolled through Michigan on their annual summer tour.  However, in 2013, I was still adjusting to being on oxygen, which I either had to carry or drag behind me on its little luggage cart style stand.  I was in the process of getting a scooter when the tickets went on sale, and I decided it was just too much to try to go to a venue where I wasn't even sure about the accommodations they have for disabled people.  I remembered vividly that when I went in 2012, the walk to the entry gate was long, the stairs were extremely steep, and the bathroom was down another huge flight of stairs.  So, after missing the concert in 2013, I was committed to making it work the following summer.

A Closer Look in the Magic Mirror

     Going to Disney World (and Land) is unlike any other vacation experience for a variety of reasons.  One of the most visible is that people are encouraged to make a public declaration of their reason for being there.  The parks distribute buttons which indicate what a person is celebrating... first visit, birthday, family reunion, anniversary, or honeymoon.  The last of these is also frequently made apparent by mouse ears or a shirt indicating "bride" and "groom."  All of these proclamations are encouraged by Disney, and if you are celebrating something they don't have a specific button for, their generic one allows guests to write on the button to explain what the special occasion is.  So, my wife, son, and I each made a button that said something about my lung transplant.

Green and Sons

     While I've written a lot about fatherhood for this blog and in my eventual book, as the title would lead you to believe, I have not yet written in-depth about my own father.  While my Father's Day really happened a week early, I spent the actual day on the road and wasn't able to see my own dad.  He and I spoke on the phone, and we'd given him his present when we saw him during our last trip to my hometown.  Of course, I could give him presents every day for the rest of his life and still not be able to repay him for the gift he gave me, one which had a defining impact on my life:  he raised me no differently than my other two brothers.

The Little Things ARE the Big Things

  While on vacation in Disney World I had many opportunities to notice the differences between this year's trip and last year's, when I was on oxygen 24/7 and rode a scooter nearly everywhere I went.  Some of these moments were big and obvious and amazing, while many others were small, revealing themselves quietly or only dawning on me after the fact.  And is is these moments which we all too often overlook, only appreciating once we've lost them.  As such, I relish being able to reflect on them now.

"Never Tell Me the Odds."

     My Father's Day experience this year consisted mostly of driving from Kentucky to Michigan as we returned home from our vacation in Florida.  But my transcendent moment as a dad came a week earlier, when I was able to use my new lungs to propel my son and I into an experience of a lifetime at Hollywood Studio's Star Wars Weekend.

Visiting Gift of Life Michigan: An Unexpected Stop on the Gratitude Train

     I thought today was simply about a photo op.  About dropping off a check.  I was so wrong.  And I am so glad that I was.  At the start of the 2014-15 school year, the STEM Academy coordinator at my school did what's she's done every year since she took on the role.  She encouraged her students to choose an organization to raise money for-- one with some connection to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics.  But this year Danielle solicited ideas from the community, to bring in more ideas and more interested parties.  I emailed her, as did one of my colleagues, suggesting that they choose Gift of Life Michigan.  It made the list of fourteen potential groups that the students could choose from.  The leadership council, which included a few of the students who had been in my classroom on the last day I taught prior to going on medical leave, looked at the list and said, "We don't even need to vote.  We're doing this for Mr. Green."

The Pre-Transplanted Dad: "'Light Bulb' vs. 'Wow' Moments"

     As the hustle and bustle of getting on the road to Disney hits high gear, I will be putting my weekday updates of the blog on hold.  I plan to offer some photographic updates at least a few times while we are away, or I may just wait until I return... but I will be quickly diving back into Lake Educator as soon as I get home.  (Not any real lakes, though, I'm still too immunosuppressed.)  
This entry is from February 2011, just as the previous one was.