things have been one a rollercoastrer for me for the past... 5 years or so. My father passed on. At the funeral I was made aware that I was the oldest remaining male of my particular family line, making me the patriarch, a position that I admit i have fallen through on. Wages in my industry have been dropping while cost of living continues to rise. I was involved in an industrial accident, shattering my right wrist and cracking my pelvis at the hip socket. During recovery I suffered a Pulmonary Embolism (Blood clot in the blood stream gets powdered by the heart and the particles clog up the lungs) and lost about 1/4 of my right lung, a couple years ago I got on a large project building barges. Working 70 hour weeks I finally manage to pay off my remaining student loan and claim financial solvency. 6 weeks ago I had a stroke, an Acute Cerebellum Stroke to be precise. I have lost a bit of mental agility, as well as fine control over my left side. My Insurance wont cover it and Labor an industries wont cover it as I cant connect my stroke to the work I was performing leaving me with 80k or so worth of medical bills (At only 6 month after claiming financial independence, a fact that has my inner conspiracy theorist cackling with "I told you so"s). No longer capable of performing my work I resigned from my union. giving up my career of 17 years and finding my self with the marketability of a high school graduate.
and then life happens. Yesterday I get a call from my son.
meet Zackery David Turner, the latest member of my linage.
So this morning I drive to the hospital. hold my Grandson for an hour or so under the watchfull eye of his mother. Then I drive home, with new determination I roll up the sleaves. Its time to get to work.
