Och-la-reeeeee! Red-winged Blackbirds trill their delight in morning sunshine, joined by a chorus of warblers, wrens, and other bird cousins. I'm on my daily recuperation walk, and I'm humming my appreciation of morning sunlight, too. Four weeks have passed since my donor nephrectomy, and it's remarkable to contemplate all that has – and has not…

Gurgle, gurgle, groannnn. The laxative-laced Gatorade had offered an insistent though delayed effect, kickstarting the thematic soundtrack of gastrointestinal clicks, groans and glugs that would accompany my positional changes for the next four days. This evening’s guttural performance was punctuated by the soundless stickiness of pajamas on skin made tacky by the antiseptic-wipe birdbath the…

Fwoosh. I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up or fall over, but the sound of the train cars passing overhead at 4-minute intervals was making my head swim. Wisps of hair escaping from my unruly ponytail were just enough to breach the “Must be this tall to ride” mark, though if there…