I am in disbelief that I no longer have outstanding appointments with any physicians or therapists. The last six weeks I accumulated a whole drawer full of medical bills and a calendar circled with scheduled visits. I am trying to ease my life back into the daily grind of training. Discipline I have plenty but concern for relapsing concussion symptoms looms. Last weekend, I trained “too hard” and paid the price on Sunday. It was most unpleasant and alarming at the same time.
Chatter about the upcoming US elections is steadily growing louder. Just reading the discussions among my Facebook friends of various political leanings makes me realize the big chasm that exists. It used to be said that politics and religions should not be part of polite conversation. In cyberspace, few things are off-limit and it is almost voyeuristic to observe how my friends and acquaintances feel about such personal issues. Being one border crossing removed, I rarely jump into the fray. However, issues such as healthcare, women’s rights, gay marriage, and education strike a universal chord. Even as a casual observer I am becoming more aware how strongly I embrace my core values.
Among my drawer of medical bills, two stood out. One was responsible for my emergency room visit in Washington DC and the other for the x-rays and MRI’s taken on the same day. The moment after I crashed and hit my head on the ground was unbelievably stressful. I was actually wondering “did I hurt myself badly enough to risk an expensive medical bill?”. I could not even estimate a ball park figure. The stress to weigh my health against my wallet at such a vulnerable time was terrifying. This is a struggle some of my American friends are facing and it pains me to know they are forced to make a choice between life and debt. For all its flaws and bloated inefficiency, I am thankful to live in a country with universal healthcare.
Food blogging seems so frivolous by comparison. Would you like to see what I had for dinner and how I made it? My soapbox is piled high with butter and sugar and occasionally bacon. Or in today’s case, tomato sauce and meatballs. At least good food is much less likely to ignite a war of words. I assume you don’t want to insult my meatball sandwiches, right?
For the sake of being inconsequential, inoffensive, and light-hearted, here is my meatball sandwich dinner from Saturday. The meatballs were made with two parts ground beef to one part ground pork following smitten kitchen’s recipe. I braised them in a flavourful homemade tomato sauce and served with sautéed kale, onion, and aged provolone cheese in crisp ciabatta bun. I rarely order meatball sub at sandwich places because it so often disappoints. Thankfully, this made-to-order home version was juicy and messy in all the right ways. If only life is so simple.
