Today is your day Boomer! In just two days time, I will join the "hip parade" in Canada...that large number of mostly Boomers that have undergone hip replacement surgery. How many? Well according to cihi.ca, "In 2021–2022, more than 117,000 hip and knee replacements were performed in Canada, which is 5.9% more compared with the previous year, but still lower than the annual number performed before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, more than $1.26 billion was spent on hospital costs." That's a lot of new metal, titanium, plastic and carbon injected into our bodies and a ton of money! Done in a private clinic, the cost is about 20,000-28,000 dollars. In public health, the wait list varies, but it is usually over a half year(I was seven months) and for many the pain is truly unbearable. Many are walking with canes, can't make it around the block, and are popping pills or getting injections to reduce their suffering. At one point last spring, I could hardly walk for about a month as my hip was collapsing. Monday is a BIG day for me. But many of us are in the same boat....er, hip ship.
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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