ukecantdothat
Well-known member
Aloha UU ohana, all! Well I just got out of the hospital (unrelated to last year's stroke...) and while I'm laid up around the 3rd or fourth day into recovery, I felt better enough to ask my wife to bring my CBU in, since it's still semi-solid body, no sound hole, quiet enough for late night strumming at home, and in this case a hospital room where my the last thing some people want to hear is some dope with a mighty strum competing with the beeps and hums of medical equipment. Anyway, it turns out my neighbor from down the street spends part of his free time playing his beautiful Taylor acoustic to patients at Cedars Sainai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The healing power of music in this environment is not to be denied. Many of the patients there have been laid up for months. Visitors tend to start dropping off after a few days of an extended stay, and the sight of a complete stranger walking in with a guitar or uke, keyboards in some cases, is a welcome sight over that of another health care provider armed with a bag of potassium chloride for the I.V. stand. When I am fully recovered, I have vowed to put together a set with Rick so we can take our act to every ward in the joint! Any one who knows me says, "Yeah, sure. You say that now..." but I swear I'm a gonna do it! I implore anybody with the will to look into their local medical/hospice community to volunteer to lift the spirits of those who can't lift a finger on their own. The personal reward is nearly equal to the joy you can bring to the suffering. This is my challenge to all y'all. It's the purest form of aloha spirit and all you need is a couple of songs in your heart and an ukulele in your hands to make a difference.
Last year I had a stroke and lived to tell about it. Now, a perforated colon on the verge of rupture that could easily have also meant "Lights out for you, Mr Ukecantdothat..." Nice try, but it looks like UU's got my back! I'm home now. Tomorrow's my 53rd birthday. I used to disregard birthdays. I have two boys, eight and two who need me as much as I need them, so bring it on. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger never meant so much.
Here's a clip of me and Rick havin' at it in Rm. 8809:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ukecantdothat#p/a/u/0/hlzkxNFzUfw
Aloha
The healing power of music in this environment is not to be denied. Many of the patients there have been laid up for months. Visitors tend to start dropping off after a few days of an extended stay, and the sight of a complete stranger walking in with a guitar or uke, keyboards in some cases, is a welcome sight over that of another health care provider armed with a bag of potassium chloride for the I.V. stand. When I am fully recovered, I have vowed to put together a set with Rick so we can take our act to every ward in the joint! Any one who knows me says, "Yeah, sure. You say that now..." but I swear I'm a gonna do it! I implore anybody with the will to look into their local medical/hospice community to volunteer to lift the spirits of those who can't lift a finger on their own. The personal reward is nearly equal to the joy you can bring to the suffering. This is my challenge to all y'all. It's the purest form of aloha spirit and all you need is a couple of songs in your heart and an ukulele in your hands to make a difference.
Last year I had a stroke and lived to tell about it. Now, a perforated colon on the verge of rupture that could easily have also meant "Lights out for you, Mr Ukecantdothat..." Nice try, but it looks like UU's got my back! I'm home now. Tomorrow's my 53rd birthday. I used to disregard birthdays. I have two boys, eight and two who need me as much as I need them, so bring it on. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger never meant so much.
Here's a clip of me and Rick havin' at it in Rm. 8809:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ukecantdothat#p/a/u/0/hlzkxNFzUfw
Aloha