“Is it too soon to ask if you would say that what happened to you was good?” That is the question I got last night at dinner out with friends. My answer was “no it isn’t too early. I would say what happened to me has its good, absolutely.” I appreciate things in a new way. I don’t take things for granted like walking and seeing and balance and Jack. I appreciate friends checking in on me. I was often lonely in a new place before surgery. I make time every day to do what I want to do like reading and painting. I don’t wait until everything else is done before I have fun. I sit in the middle of it and have fun. My painting station at the moment is on the kitchen table. If I had to go upstairs every time I wouldn’t do as much. I know that about Mandy 2.0. The time in the hospital and in rehab was tough, but for some reason it was “good'“. I lived moment to moment, saw the joy of little blessings like rose lotion and Raisin Bran, and didn’t waste time worrying because I never received peace or mercy until the moment it was needed, and I trusted in that. The further I get from that time, the harder it is to remember what I really did go through. It has only been four months, but a lot has gone on during that time. So, time does sometimes change perspective, but in this case it hasn’t really. I had a positive experience, and I still view it so. I will say that a positive outlook sure does go a long way. I didn’t try hard for that it just came along with the territory. It helped that I was surrounded with great family, doctors and nurses.