October 21, 2002

Thanks for the Body

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for the resilient and durable body you've given me. Your loving craftsmanship just shy of 33 years ago has proven once again to have produced a quality product that I appreciate every day I use it.

After having my cast removed this morning, with the Dr. Lynch's stamp of approval, my right wrist is back in business with just a little soreness and stiffness from being held straight for four weeks.

My body is no muscle car by any stretch of the imagination, but it's sure sturdy and trustworthy as an old Ford truck. It's gotten me through lots of bumps and scrapes over the years reasonably unscathed, childhood falls, bruises and scratches with little or no scarring. But luckily nothing more serious has happened than a broken right collar bone from getting hit by that van when I was 6, and now a serious sprain from acting like I was still 6 on the go-kart track. My body has been through boot camp and has run hundreds of miles with little more than a knee strain and mild shin splints. I'd pushed the ground in Orlando with my fellow recruits so many times that we swore that part of the city was closer to sea level when we graduated.

I've been through weight loss, weight gain, and weight loss again and the body just snaps back into shape like a rubber band. It's been infected with several minor pathogens and has fought off every single one of them with little help.

It's a tough bastard, my body, and you should both be proud of your creation.

Your loving son,

Richard

- Rich