Sunday, April 09, 2006

DadWatch: talked with The Man Himself



I finally got hold of Dad in his room at Alexandria Hospital, and we talked for about 20 minutes. Dad sounds like a man who's been in bed a while, which I suppose is normal when you have been in bed a while. But he seems happy with how the cardiac procedure went: he was even able to witness part of it. Dad says there's no pain now, and earlier on, Mom conjectured that this procedure might allow Dad to sleep better at night (he'd been breathing with difficulty, a sign that things weren't good). Dad'll be leaving the hospital on Monday, but he and the docs have to discuss rehab in detail.

Sounds already like Dad'll be on a fairly strict regimen in terms of diet, exercise, and stress reduction. I don't know the particulars of the regimen (am not even sure they've been fleshed out), but I'm hopeful that Dad, who claims to have "learned his lesson," will follow it faithfully.

As Mom did, Dad has asked me to lose weight and take care of my body. Getting fit was one of my four major resolutions for 2006, and it's still early in the year. My friend Max has occasionally and politely mentioned fitness issues, as have my coworkers-- the Korean women in particular have been blunt with me about perceived weight gain (I'd have to agree: my time at Smoo has been good to me). My French friend Dominique, who saw pictures of Saturday's picnic, skirted the issue of weight by emailing:

Au fait, je trouve que tu n'as pas changé, toujours aussi jeune le Kevin, c'est bien!

Translation: "By the way, I don't think you've changed-- still the same young Kevin, that's great!"

What a polite guy. This same Dominique, who is a nearly pro-level tennis player, once told me years ago, during a less sympathetic moment, "Kevin, on ne voit même pas ta mâchoire!"-- "Kevin, we can't even see your jawline!", which was a reference to my double chin and the padding around my cheeks (facial cheeks, I mean).

So-- outpourings of concern seem to be flowing in every direction. It's just like Dad to express concern even as he's lying in bed, post-heart attack. I guess those of us not taking care of ourselves should take all of this as a big hint that Something is Not Right and that Something Should Be Done About the Situation. While it's easy to realize, intellectually, that Something Should Be Done, moving from intellectual realization to true, from-the-heart action is a difficult thing.

Maybe it's time to review those New Year's resolutions once again, time to hold myself to certain promises. Now there's something I've never done before: review resolutions.

Here they are.

And on that note, we now-- somewhat tentatively-- edge into the new week.

Night, all.


_

3 comments:

Lorianne said...

I'm glad to hear your Dad is doing well. That must be a huge relief for you & your family.

Maven said...

Been out of the loop for a few days... I've been remiss.

Sorry to read about dad. Keep us posted. I'm sure it eased your mind, somewhat, to hear his voice. I'm sure that adds stress to you, too, being a world away, and not being able to be by his side.

Peace & Health...

Anonymous said...

Losing weight is hard regardless of where you attempt it, but if you can't do it when in Korea, I would wager heavily against you pulling it off in the States. And I'm not the gambling type. Except for craps, but that's another story entirely.

The wife and I visited her family in Seoul a couple of months back and we joked that we walked more during that three weeks than we walk in a whole year here in the States. It's not like we're happy about that, but with both of us working FT and two kids under five years old, you gotta pick which hills to die on.

I'm also looking to shed some pounds, but the combination of the standard American diet, plus the door-to-door driving lifestyle, plus a heavy load at work, plus the kids, plus I'm a lazy-ass when it comes right down to it, collectively make it exceedingly difficult. Plus I was a fat kid, so for my body being fat is pretty much an equilibrium state.

But I did it once: diet, exercise, and a year in Seoul all helped tremendously. Restrict your calorie intake, boost your metabolism via regular exercise, and eat reasonable amounts of Korean food.

Best of luck...