The deadline is finally here.

Today is MLK day so I held a minor hope the elevator guys wouldn’t be here today. The reality is they work 4-10’s and take Friday off, so they more likely don’t want to disrupt that schedule. I woke up at 5:55 am and looked out my 8th floor window and sure enough, there was the TKE company truck. My exercise program has officially begun. I would argue I use our condo elevator more than anyone else and got every last minute of use out of it yesterday. I am feeling anxious about it, but not for the expected reason. I see how a lack of qualified labor keeps builders, contractors-really any business that depends on workers. The thought of walking the stairs for 10-12 weeks is humbling enough so anything that might delay it further makes me shutter. Our Board President has sweated every detail and contingency so I’m sure it will be fine…

A day with a friend.

We don’t get together often, but attending the annual International Auto Expo is one opportunity we never miss. This year is particularly important I think because my friend has spent a large portion of 2022 in a hospital bed or recuperating and needs a break. He “survived” a mass-shooting in 2007 and lives with pain everyday. Truthfully, he and his wife live with it. My wife Lisa has been friends with the wife for many years but sadly they had a falling out so we don’t get together as couples anymore. Initially it was strained but we didn’t let it affect our relationship long term. I was living in Miami when he was shot. I heard it on the news and was horrified it could happen in Salt Lake City. As we know 15 years later, it is a regular part of our everyday lives. Every time I hear about it I automatically think of him and can only imagine the mental trauma he must feel to accompany his daily pain. I have only known him in a “chair” since we never met before his injuries. He has taught me, or rather exposed me to how some people react to disabled people. Most are decent enough and offer a smile or hold a door open. Others you see catching a glimpse but not wanting to make eye-contact with the crippled guy. The ones that make me crazy are the oblivious ones. They pay no attention to their surroundings and almost trip or walk over him and then offer a snide or disapproving look like he is inconveniencing them. It is purely coincidental that the day we get together is the day they pull the plug on our elevator, but the significance doesn’t escape me. I can be grumpy about the stairs but am extremely grateful for having the good fortune to be able to walk those stairs. I know my friend would give about anything for the ability to perform that simple task.