Eleven months

This is my 11 month surgery landmark. I'll stop counting monthly in November. At least I'll stop counting here. But these monthly acknoledgements still seem like landmarks to me. So much is different from this time last year.

I thought this morning a lot about how I vowed to be different because of this experience and how I haven't made good on that. I will pay more attention to that in October so that I'll be able to feel that I actually progressed somewhat through this year.

The weather was glorious this weekend although I didn't have much time to revel in it. Lots to do. I did notice that the trees are beginning to change everywhere now. In the spring each tree shows up individually as leaves come out freshly pale green. In the summer the trees appear as a group - a uniform, richer green. You don't hear people saying, "that tree" as much as "those trees", or "that forest", or "that hillside." As the leaves age into the autumn each tree can be identified separately again. It's almost as if each wants to be noticed as different from the others before moving into the cold of winter. That makes sense to me.