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"Taking
a Swing at Weight Loss - Update #8"
03 August 2001
Hey to the
Fam, Hey to the Friends, and to Hey to Those Who Care!
Lots of enthusiastic love coming at ya from Chicagoland!!!
No worries, this will be a shorter update as we are thankfully back on track
with a glitch free web site that hopefully you have found interesting and
informative. Am so very thankful for all the time and effort Toni Hock
has put into the site with some help from my homie and bro, Mark Searle.
Its humbling how quickly time is flying by! As I type this update I must
admit that I have some very mixed feelings realizing and pondering that it has
already been 4 months (1/3 of a year) since I have been blessed to be on this
journey. While part of me is eager to get this over with and have
something besides a shake to eat again, I also am regretting the fact that
this carefree adventure on the road cannot last indefinitely. I highly
encourage each of you to consider and actively pray to be granted at least one
opportunity in life before you get too old, to step off life's treadmill and
wander off your usual path in a different direction for a while. The
experience for me has been so very rich in terms of rest, peace, health and
gaining a fresh view of life and what I hope to accomplish with the time God
has granted me on earth. I have been heavily burdened with the concept
of Stewardship lately and am very eager to give God the best I have to offer
to accomplish His will and intent for my life. This investment in my own
physical health I hope will enhance my ability to accomplish His purpose while
being an encouragement and inspiration to others.
Here are the updated stats thus far: I have now lost 129 pounds but
still tipping the scales at 338. Can't wait to break that 300 pound
barrier and am so excited to be well past the half way point of my weight loss
goal. Have been to 40 of our country's 50 states with Hawaii, Nevada,
Utah and 7 northeastern treasures left to explore. I have been to 20 of
30 major league ballparks while attending 67 games and seeing 652 runs scored.
My top five favorites so far include Wrigley in Chicago, Kauffman in
Kansas City, Fenway in Boston, Coors in Denver and Miller Park in Milwaukee.
It is amazing the distinct flavor of each park, its fans and the metropolitan
context in which it is found. I had so much enjoyment sharing almost
every game with a cherished friend either old or new. That is one of the
many things I appreciate about the game. It's pace allows for some good
fellowship and interaction.
Gosh was it good to be home though just for 2 days a couple weeks back. Thanks
to my cousin Michelle and her groovy new hubby Fred for the timing of their
wedding!!! It was a great reunion with many of the loved ones from my
mom's side of the family from Virginia and New Jersey. We had a joyful
celebration of LOVE and even got to burn off some calories while celebrating
enthusiastically on the dance floor. Being home allowed me to restock
the RV with dietary powder and do a massive wardrobe conversion into smaller
sizes. My daily style is sweats and a T-shirt as I try to keep it simple
and comfie. Actually looking forward with much enthusiasm to shopping
for some stylish diggs when I return late November in any store other than a
BIG and TALL.
After the brief retreat into familiarity and the comforts of home it was time
to hit the road again. I was blessed and excited to be joined on the
road with my good friend and pastor of Calvary Chapel Escondido, Pat Kenney.
We had lots of miles to cover on our way to Chicago and of course planned some
baseball as part of the trip. We got to see the Padres play in Phoenix
the first night then drove all the way to Denver the next day. My good
friends Yang and Alice Chen were out of town but generously entrusted us with
their home which was very relaxing and enjoyable. The Denver visit
was enhanced by the largest hail I have been pelted with in my life!!!!
Fortunately, it did not reach the critical size of causing any damage to the
vehicle but was like ice cubes!!! Pat and I got to enjoy a wonderful and
warm afternoon game at Coors between the struggling Rockies and surging
Giants. From there we had quite the drive through endless fields of corn
as we drove through Nebraska and Iowa on our way to Chicago. Pat grew up
in Chicago and his mom and 2 of 3 siblings live in the area so we had lots of
his family to enjoy and visit. His mom was a splendid host despite being
in the midst of a very hectic move and we had a great time with his brother
Mike and sister Mary and their respective families. We did a side trip
up to Milwaukee for 2 games of our hometown heroes the Padres as they took on
the Brewers in their brand new retractable roofed Miller Park. What a
beautiful place!!!
Last Sunday night we experienced what so far has been the richest baseball
moment of the trip. As I have previously mentioned the San Diego Padres
through ticket Guru Kurt Varricchio, have arranged tickets for me all season
for all of the hard to get games and ballparks which is a majority of the
games I have been to. Arguably the biggest and longest rivalry in
baseball is between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Both
tremendous baseball towns with very loyal fan support. Well this was a
nationally televised Sunday night Classic between them and it was the one game
Kurt was unable to arrange tickets for. Pat and I decided to resort to
drastic measures. Sure you can buy tickets from scalpers at ridiculously
inflated prices which as a back up I was prepared to do if needed.
Instead we decided to try a more basic human skill.......begging.
In hot humid weather I put on my mask and held up signs we had just made out
of cardboard and stood outside the exit to the subway stop at Wrigley Field.
The sweat was pouring and the stares from onlookers were glaring. But
after over an hour of near fainting under the mask conditions, a kind season
ticket holder approached me and offered me 2 amazing tickets right above the
third base dugout. I had to fight off scalpers who were eager to make
big bucks from the resale of such prized seats. With brains already
boiling from the heat I had to restrain myself from resorting to hostile
street tactics but came away with the tickets fight free!!! Wrigley
Field is quite the place. With no ads, no jumbo TV screens or flashy
scoreboards, and some very passionate and victory hungry fans, its a true
baseball oasis. The atmosphere was electric and we were surrounded by
very friendly folk. The couple from whom I got their 2 extra tickets we so
kind and even bought me a Cub hat which I wore with pride. Next to us on
the other side were four friends who had worked with WGN and invited us up to
the WGN sky box during the game. What "kids in the candy
store" feelings that elicited. Everyone was so nice and it was such
a great game, Pat and I were in baseball nirvana!!!
Well after 10 rich days together, Pat flew back home yesterday. I was
honored to share such transparent and joy filled days with a good friend and a
servant of the Lord. I have a feeling he may join me again for a
playoff series somewhere. In the next few weeks I will be fortunate to
have my buddy Mike Grant who will get to see some great games with me in
Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Then my friend and
colleague Dr. Don Miller will be joining me for a few days. He is a
knowledgeable and true fan of the game. Finally, Jeff Frank, columnist
with the North County Times will be joining me for a couple games in
Cincinnati. Then it will be family time again as I pick up my grandpa
from Virginia and head north into Canada to see Toronto and Montreal.
Chicago is a rich cultural place. As a medical student in the bone chilling
winter of 1991, I worked for 6 weeks at the Lawndale Christian Health Center a
true national model of a clinic that is a church based, faith ministry.
Under the direction of Dr. Art Jones they are a splendid example of
integrating faith and practice and doing so under some very difficult economic
and social challenges in a multi-cultural neighborhood on the south side of
the city. Yesterday, I took a break from baseball and I had the
privilege of going back for a visit and to say thank you to Dr. Jones for
having been such a strategic role model to me during my impressionable medical
student days. His lifestyle and commitment had a profound influence on
my life and choice of style of practice. My theme quote of life
"preach the gospel at all times and when it is necessary use words"
he certainly lives out with all the rest of his hard working staff.
Presently I am enjoying a visit with an old pal Harris Macris who is a medical
student in Bologna Italy but finishing up some independent study while living
in Chicago with his wife Maria and their two precious children. She is
one week overdue with their third child and I have offered to deliver the baby
right here in the comfort of their own home. They declined.
I miss home and especially my nieces Nicole (coli coli) and Sophia (sofula)
and Josia (doughey). Sofula turns 1 this Saturday and I am sad to not be
part of the celebrations. Her mommy Heather, John's wife, has a brother
under construction due to arrive as an air breathing little guy in Mid
November. He will be the best welcome home incentive!
Again I humbly thank those of you who pray and express your support through
supportive email messages. May you be blessed as you have blessed me.
THE BEST WAY TO KNOW GOD'S WILL IS TO SAY "I WILL" TO GOD.
Striving to be half the man I once was,
dr. Nick
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Taking a Swing at Weight Loss! 