A Flat Stomach…the Hard Way – Sunset Observer #40, by Whitney Farmer – Un Pop Culture | @MDWorld

January 30, 2015 Victor El-Khouri 2 Comments

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When you read this, my surgery will be finished.

These will be my first interesting scars. True, not the coveted half-moon from a great white that starts to bite and then spits you out. But my life isn’t done yet.

The waiting for this moment began nearly two long months ago. The doctor saw my abdomen as I started to lay back on the table, said, ‘Stay here…’, and left the room to order a rush CAT scan. It struck me as good to hear that what I had wasn’t normal.

I am looking forward to the questions being answered when the robots start working on me. The brilliant surgeon will work remotely from across the room on a console, basically playing a video game in my body. The technology was originally developed for battlefield casualties with the hope that surgeons anywhere could give soldiers a better chance at surviving by performing complex procedures within a golden window of time. It isn’t being used in this way yet because WiFi isn’t stable in war-torn areas. But Orange County is fine.

Of all the emotions I have, what dominates is that I feel peaceful. God’s got this, and He has got me. This doesn’t mean that I am assured that everything is benign and that I won’t need pain meds. It does mean that I am in a boat that is going in deep water, but I am not the Captain.

Someone else is in the wheelhouse and I instead get to pay attention to the voyage. I can notice the sound of the waves. I can hear the hull of my limitations creak as things get stormy and notice that it is the same sound that my soul makes when treasure is loaded into my life. I can hear the orders of the Captain that teach me what to do on my first voyage. I can hear excitement in His voice because I will see great and hidden things that I have never before known. I can catch a fish over the side of the boat when I am hungry and watch the stars, realizing that they give direction only after night falls.

In a perfect world, a miracle wouldn’t be needed. It might not even be noticed. The answer to the question, “Why me, God?” is another question: Why NOT me, God…? If we all were given everything that we cried for, we would never learn how to walk and we would go to our graves still living only on milk.

The biggest fear that I have is that my life will be so shallow that I can see sand and starfish if I look over the side of my boat. With what I am going through now, I have a chance to gain wisdom and receive love.

This cargo truly comes only from an exotic place. And when I bring it home to my safe haven, it will be worth a fortune.

Picture of my arm after my last round of pre-op tests, as I drove home past the Huntington Beach Pier.

For the archive of my previous Un Pop Culture blogs, click here:

https://mdwp.malibulist.com/category/un-pop-culture/

Note: The University of Edinburgh’s MOOC “Digital Cultures and E-Learning” is FREE and open to ALL. To register or for more information, go to:

https://www.coursera.org/course/edc