53

Dang, here I am, my 53rd birthday, still alive. Who woulda thunk it?

My health and appearance are pretty good for my age. Few people would guess from looking at me that I am even 50.

Yes, I have a hernia that I have learned to live with. Sure, my eyes are getting worse. OK, I have a lesion that is probably some kind of skin cancer and there is a joint in my right shoulder (not the ball-and-socket) that may be slightly arthritic.

And of course I have chronic pancreatitis, which has me trying to figure out what I can eat without becoming ill for days at a stretch.

But I'm alive and sober. Happy birthday to me.