Tumultuous Times

Well, it's that time of year -- when folks like me in the Gulf make a daily trip to the website of Jeff Masters, "Weather Underground," to find out what kind of turbulence might be developing in the Atlantic or Pacific. That's typically followed by a stop at the National Hurricane Center website. Tonight, there's a good sized orange circle just south of Cuba. It's a little early in the season to be fixated on such things, but then again, it's been unusually hot in these parts.

Just how hot? Well, we had the hottest day ever recorded in New Orleans this past week. And what's even more peculiar about that to me is that I recall decades ago experiencing weather at least that hot in Chicago. Go figure.

So, I'll be staying tuned for the weather that's about to come on after a repeat airing of "Farrah's Story." Brave, beautiful, and very complex woman. I'm only glad for her that her ordeal was relatively short in terms of time to endure the pain and frustration. But long enough for her to make her peace with her life and loved ones. I'm also glad for her that she still had her lovely dad there for her, the love of a committed man, and a few good friends.

As a fellow dancer flatly stated to me after I came back to performing after cancer years ago, "I never understood what is meant by a mortality rate. Don't we all have a 100% mortality rate?" Yes, we do. So the most and the best we can do is treat our time as the precious commodity that it is and hope that, like Farrah, we have the support and care of family and friends. A true romantic love is the icing on the cake.

This past year, I've had a different medical issue to deal with -- one that blindsided me and pretty much stole the whole year from me as I spent an inordinate amount of time treating for it and working to pay for it ... and the rest of the time worrying about it. But it's time for that to stop. A change is going to come. That's what I'm focusing my energy on these days.

This ain't a dress rehearsal.