How the heck are ya?

"Really?," I responded, with that kinda high pitched surprised tone. "It's been three weeks already?"

"So, how the heck are ya?," I asked.

"Great," came the response. As though I would have expected to hear anything less from Eric.

Sometimes I think the doctors could tell Eric anything, and he'd find the good in it.

I can hear it now: "Umm, Mr. Jones, I don't know how to break this to you, but we have to completely submerse you in lye." "That's great," he says. "It'll really help clear my complexion."

The doctor's visit last week wasn't nearly as dire. Thank goodness.

It sounds like it went pretty well. The podiatrist was pleased with the progress. After our visit on the phone, Eric wrote (yes, wrote, using voice recognition software) an e-mail update.

He wrote, "(the podiatrist) is absolutely delighted wants to see me back on September 4 at which time he'll schedule surgery for the following week. I was a little bummed that I have to wait around some more, but all in all it is terrific news as he plans to do a split thickness skin graft instead of the more invasive skin graft options. That will make my hospital stay shorter, and hopefully my recuperation swifter."

Wow. I get a leg cramp and baby it for weeks. Eric is getting ready for skin grafts to close open wounds, and finds the good in it.

As though he doesn't have enough going on, he is also developing a course curriculum for an on-line program in partnership with the University of Michigan. The man is absolutely remarkable. He is the embodiment of "The Leaders and the Best."