(written on the 26th from notes taken previously)
Undisturbed night of sleep. 🙏 The streak is gratefully alive. 🙂
Have I talked about canker sores at all?
Several days ago, I developed a canker sore on the gum just above my left canine. I didn’t think much of it. I’d eaten like a third or a half of a bag of cuties, and well… It’s kind of normal to pay a price via canker sore after eating that much citrus all at once.
At least it is for me.
So I didn’t think much of it.
But then a couple of days later, with that canker so we’re still fresh and painful, I developed another one on the gum above my right upper canine.
😶
🤔
But I hadn’t had any more citrus.
❓
Ok, whatever. Didn’t think much of it. But then the next day I had canker sores developing the inside of my left cheek, right about the tooth line (the part that actually touches the food first).
😶
What the heck?
And this morning… this morning was bad. Canker sores, two of them, in the same place on the inside of my right cheek as on the inside of my left.
At this point, it was not just a nuisance, but a real concern. Nothing really new in my diet. I wondered… Did I get some sort of virus or bacteria from the dentist I went to?
But the first canker sore, I’m just about positive, was before I went to the dentist.
Now, I did do an extra brushing of my tongue and the inside of my cheeks, in an effort to get rid of any bad breath, if I had any, for my dentist’s sake.
Maybe I opened up some little abrasions that turned into canker sores?
I don’t know, but it’s a little concerning at this point. What’s going on? I’ve been eating chili like normal, cheese like normal, pea protein… The only thing new in the diet really is sauerkraut, but I just had sauerkraut two weeks ago without any issues whatsoever. No citrus. No sugar. Less stress than I’ve had in a very long time…
What’s the deal?
Gratefully, I was able to remain grateful. I was able to actually give thanks for the opportunity to go through another little health blessing.
🥰
That’s so huge for me. Anyone who knows, anyone who’s read my blog for the last however long… This is a little bit of a 180. 🙃
I started working pretty quickly after waking up, just turning my phone on to wait for questions that might pop up. I did a little bit of trash clean up around where I parked for the night, finding a heavy duty bike lock, sans key, and an intact storage bin lid mostly buried in dirt that I excavated and threw in my van–both for future disposal.
I think I chatted a little bit with the Big Guy, and for the next several hours, I drove and worked and drove and worked.
Somewhere around 3:45ish, I talked to Cory, trying to help him with his van that had died and wouldn’t start, so I walked him through some diagnostics to try and figure out what was going on, while at the same time, I took the opportunity to try and diagnose why my interior lights weren’t working anymore.
Through the diagnostic process, we were able to narrow it down to what looks like a bad ignition switch. He’s got battery power going in, but then only like four or five volts in the accessory and run positions, and only like two volts in the cranking position.
Pretty classic ignition switch issue.
He wasn’t really in a place to be able to get the part and fix it today, so I guess he’ll do that tomorrow.
On my end, I was excited to figure out the reason my interior lights weren’t working anymore was that I had unplugged the wires from the back of the on switch.
😶
😆
Would definitely help to have wires plugged in if you want to switch to work. 🙃
Gratefully, though I didn’t know which of the three wires went to which of the three terminals, I was able to figure that out by checking for continuity on the terminals in different switch positions, finding the two terminals that had continuity, and gratefully, I, without actually thinking about it ahead of time, put the switch back in right side up. 🥳
Chatted with my brother Richard for a little bit after that.
Then it was more driving and working. Western Montana is absolutely gorgeous in so many places, beautiful mountain ranges, Rivers, etc.
[sigh] If it didn’t get so blasted cold in the winter. 🙃
So many places I could have stopped, but… No one to share it with, and I wanted to get to South Dakota as soon as possible.
So it was work and drive and work and drive.
Without thinking it through, used Google maps for something and turned off my destination, which had been a gas station at the perfect spot for the best price.
And I drove right on by with the needle right about at empty, and the next gas still something like 38 miles away?
😅
There weren’t any immediate places to turn around, so I figured I would just cross my fingers and hope.
If I ran out of gas, it would be an adventure in a story, because I’m sure I would be thumbing a ride to the next town, buying a gas can, and thumbing a ride back. 🙃
Though there was a teeny bit of stress about it, I was actually pretty settled and just okay with whatever happened. 🎉
I didn’t run out of gas.
I made it to the next gas station with probably just under 2 gallons of gas left in my tank, so I could have rolled to a dead stop at any time. 🙃
But I made it!
And it was raining… hard. And hailing a little. Could have been an even more eventful running-out-of-gas story. 🙃
Called my dad and stepmom just to check in and see how things were going. Chatted with them for a little bit until I lost signal, and the call dropped.
Later in the evening, I spent some good time chatting with my friend Cory. We talked for about an hour, and… I’m just in such a good place. I’m so grateful. I’m so excited. In the midst of more physical issues than I think I’ve ever had at once in my entire life, I’m happy. I’m grateful. I’m grateful for the issues.
This is so great!
If I already wrote this, then forgive the repeat, but I’ve been this happy before. Perhaps I’ve even been happier, but I’ve never been this far along in my spiritual growth and understanding. I’ve never had my mind and heart so in tune at the same time.
I’m so grateful. I am so so grateful. 🥰
I’m cheerfully in pain!
🤯
Cory joked that he wonders what happened to Stephen, so miraculous has been the change.
Glory and gratitude to the Big Guy. For I was lost, and now I’m found.
Oh what a difference a little faith and hope can make! Nothing has appreciably changed in the circumstances of my life. In fact, by the measures that heretofore have been most important to me, my circumstances are worse.
But I’m happy. And cheerful. And optimistic. And grateful. And even… ready for more.
😅
Bring it on, Lord. With you, I can do all things.
It’s really great to be able to be in a place where, not only am I in a really good place for myself, because of where I’m at, I’m so much more prepared to be a blessing for others.
🥳
I stopped by the national monument for the battle of the Little bighorn while I was talking to Cory. Unfortunately, it was closed for the night, being quite late at night at that point. I had hoped that maybe it was just a place I could walk around, but there was a gate, and it was closed.
Oh well. Maybe next time.
I think of my mom who went on the Great Western Road Trip of 2024 with me last year and had to deal with all of my negativity, and massive pessimism, and seeing the bad in every situation instead of seeing the good, and here on this trip, I’m positive, seeing the good, being grateful for everything.
I wish you were able to be with me to experience that, to see the contrast and to be able to enjoy things more than what I put her through last time.
Of course, my mom being the wonderful person that she is, still loved being with me last fall, despite my being a fairly dark cloud on very consistent occasions throughout the trip.
Anyway, all the driving wasn’t so great for my spine, and I found myself doing as many tricks as I could do to reduce the pain and discomfort.
My quads are exhausted from holding myself with them above the seat, so I wasn’t sitting down. Gratefully, at times, I felt pretty significant relief. That’s pretty abnormal these days, honestly, so it was a lovely little reprieve. But even if things continue to get worse, I’m going to thank God for the opportunity to experience those struggles and challenges.
I think I finally got to where I was going somewhere around 2:00 in the morning? Maybe 2:30? (The Mule Creek junction rest area in Wyoming, super close with the border to South Dakota. My goal was to get up and take a bath in Cascade Falls, just down the road from my sister and brother-in-law’s place, and then surprise them at church.
Very tired. Too many short nights.
And the last 3 hours of the drive were quite long, but I made it, and I’m here, and it’s only about 45 minutes to where I need to be tomorrow, I think. 🙏
Gratitude:
- I’m grateful to have been able to find that electrical disconnection and get my interior lights working again.
- I didn’t mention it, but I also did a parasitic draw test and found that there wasn’t much of a parasitic draw at all with the key off. I forgot to check to see how much power was being drained with the key on, but there were about 10 amps being pulled with my interior lights turned on. Not sure exactly what to do with that information yet, but I have it. 🙃
- I’m grateful to have my friend Cory who’s able to rejoice with me as I continue to grow. 🥰
- I’m grateful to be able to sit there in pain and discomfort and just… be happy and grateful. I think maybe in the past I thought that if I chose to be happy, then I’d end up having to live with it forever? I’m not exactly sure what my thought process was, but there is like this… If I’m okay with it, then maybe I’ll have to live with it kind of thing. Maybe I’m just repeating myself. I’m might do some more thinking on all of that.
- I’m grateful to have been able to answer a fair number of questions online today. I’m well past thursday, so they don’t really count for this week’s evaluation, but they’ll count for next week’s evaluation. Of course, hopefully I don’t get bumped down a level for accidentally taking the other guys question. I opted out and left a note for all other mechanics to not take the question because it was his, but apparently, someone else took it anyway, which was why he had chewed me out because he’s had it happened so many times by people who just tell him to take a hike when he confronts them about taking questions that were directed specifically to him.
Success:
- I don’t think the words I have can actually convey how big it is in my mind and heart to be able to be cheerful and grateful and even excited to go through the pains and struggles and suffering that I’m going through. It’s just… miraculous. And I’m so grateful. I do expect at some point the honeymoon might be over, and it’ll be my opportunity to remember what it felt like, and then to do the hard work to get back there, through the grace of God.
- I think I was a heck of a lot better today using my phone the way I should than I was yesterday?
Improvement:
- I… can’t think of anything again? 🙃 Not sure sure? I’ll take it!
Never give up.
Lift the world.
Bring it on.
~ stephen
Lift the World 