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"Taking a
Swing at Weight Loss - Update #13"
12 October 2001
To Those Who Care and Embrace Me as a Loved One or Friend,
It is late Friday afternoon and I, along with a few other wandering
pilgrims, sit atop a lichen covered granite rock at the Summit of Cadillac
Mountain. As part of the Acadia National Park in Maine, it is at the
NE tip of our country and is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic
seaboard. I feel privileged as one of a handful of honored guests
who are the first in America to witness the setting of the sun today.
I watch as another day slips into extinction as evidenced by rays of
brilliant light piercing puffs of white and silver clouds suspended in
the skies above. I am surrounded by trees so rich in color it is as
if buckets of paint were dropped from heaven splashing over what once were
trees of pure bright green. Trees that are now ablaze in scarlet
red, rich orange, bright yellow and royal purple blend in with the firs
retaining their green coats of consistency. As the sun fades and
light slowly gives way to dark, I am mesmerized by God's glory and my
heart so overflowing with joy pushes tears of thanksgiving and praise from
my eyes. The rays of the sun's light are scattered in these tears of
gratitude as I marvel as such divine handiwork. I have found deeper
peace and contentment than I have previously known. To God be the
glory for the things He is doing in my life and for allowing me the means
to behold such beauty.
Arriving in Maine today I realize that from Key West in Florida, Sitka in
Alaska and my home in San Diego, I have now been to every corner of the
continental USA, from sea to shinning sea! My van has reliably
provided over 30,000 miles of service through 47 of 50 States with only
Nevada, Utah and Hawaii left to visit since starting this adventure
on April 1st. Along the way, 180 pounds of extra stored fat have
melted off my body with only 57 pounds left to go before reaching my
target weight of 230. On Monday October 1st, I reached my baseball
milestone when I walked through the gates of Shea Stadium, the 30th and
final Major League Baseball Park on my ballpark tour. I have
actually seen 103 regular season games which I guess makes me a 103/30
fan. Wonder if that might be a baseball fan record? And what a
memorable season its been for baseball. Tight division races
in the National League, Barry Bonds breaks sport's most coveted
record(saw 8 of the homeruns live), the Seattle Mariners tie the all time
season record for wins, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken say goodbye and Rickey
Henderson breaks two important records and reaches the 3,000 hit plateau.
Its been a wonderful thing to share games with so many family and friends
while baseball also provided a practical distraction from the hunger pains
and "foodlust" that come with the very aggressive diet I am on.
The first week of October was spent at the rescheduled baseball games from
the week of the tragedy. Attending them in NY at the homes of the
Yankees and the Mets, it was wonderful to witness the tone and demeanor of
the crowds. Enthusiastic singing of the National Anthem, God
Bless America (in place of "take me out to the ballgame") and
Glory Glory Hallelujah added a spiritual and patriotic dimension to the
gatherings in NY I had never previously experienced. They often felt
like patriotic pep rallies with crowds chanting "USA! USA!" and
waving flags like it was a July 4th parade! The first game of the
week I got to share with my dear friend Willy Foster. Willy and I
were medical school classmates and have done medical mission trips
together to South Africa, the Philippines and Mexico. He and his
dear wife Elena have adopted two precious little girls from China and I
had such a great time catching up with them and getting to know little Joy
and Jasmine. Willy is an emergency room physician at Lincoln
Hospital in the heart of the Bronx and is thriving in the midst of a
chaotic inner city environment. Next, was Albert Sirinidies a life
long friend and one of the groomsmen in my brother Paul's wedding this
past May. My cousin George Alexopoulos who is a high school student
with ambitious goals in life had fun with me at my 101st game. The
oldest companion of the year was Mr. George Hawxwell. A 91
year old long time Met fan who had never seen a Met game at Shea, joined
me for my second to last game. He is a WWII Veteran and a very
humble and Godly man that was my Sunday School teacher many years ago.
My last game I attended with Nick Yphantides my cousin with the same name
as both of us are named after our deceased paternal grandfather. We
had lots of hearty laughs just like we were kids again though part of me
was quite remorseful with the realization that the regular season of
baseball had suddenly come to an end. An extra sports bonus was the
chance to attend an exciting Giants football game with my cousin Gus and
my cousin-in-law Tommy along with a couple of their friends. Tommy
who is quite the chef, always puts out a gourmet spread during the pre-game
tailgate ritual and boy was it tough taking in the sights and smells
without diving into the food headfirst.
This past week has been a break from a break of sorts. I decided to
skip the first round of the baseball playoffs and instead head to New
England alone for some time of contemplation and prayer. This escape
from reality is ending soon and so I felt like it would be a good time to
reflect and integrate all I have experienced and learned over the past 6
1/2 months. And what a strategic time to be here!!! Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine are splendid landscapes of art this time of year.
I have enjoyed lots of hiking and driving through many miles of colorful
fall foliage. There has been much to pray and think about as there
is much uncertainty with regard to the details of what I will be doing
when I return home just before Thanksgiving. I do know that after
loosing half of myself physically that I will need to re prioritize how I
spend my time and the amount of effort I put into physical fitness and
activity. Your prayers on this specific issue are so deeply
appreciated. This is only the first part of what is sure to be a long
struggle to maintain the weight loss I have been blessed with thus far.
And so, I sit atop this majestic summit soaking it all in. I remain
thankful. The sky is almost completely dark now and were it not for
the light of my screen, I could not even see the keyboard of my laptop to
continue typing. Must look silly sitting here with the glow of a
battery powered laptop in the dark. Tonight I will go to sleep early
as tomorrow I will return here before dawn to be the first in the country
to witness the sun rise on a new day. Its so peaceful and calm at
these heights and yet many in the world below are troubled with all the
uncertainty our society now faces. Vulnerable hearts in America are
seized with fear and anxiety with the new threats that evil doers are
making against us. Hate cannot win against hope. Gazing
upward, we can find our hope. In times like these we need the true
hope and comfort which for me comes only from Christ. That hope is
certainly the foundation of my life. As the sun will rise and shine
bright over this summit spot again soon, so too may we allow the Son to
rise in our lives and shine bright to those around us. "You are
the light of the world.....Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5: 14a&16.
Striving to be a light and half the man I once was,
dr. Nick
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Taking a Swing at Weight Loss! 