Man Over Machine
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I opened my Road Runner e-mail this morning and found this photo from Mom. That's our dear dog Leda beside me (Lucky and Lady were in the back seat). She took it on 2 April 2009, my brother Mike's 37th birthday - but he took ill that day and decided at the last minute not to attend his party. I thought maybe he just had the flu or something. A couple of weeks later, he had to be rushed to the hospital, where they ended up blowing out and stenting some of his arteries again. The doctor said the severe blockages would have killed him if he hadn't gone in when he did.
Some folks aren't so lucky. Yesterday morning, an inmate at a prison in Grafton was having chest pains. He'd been having them since 2 a.m., but hadn't told anyone until many hours later. As soon as they found out, the staff there called an ambulance to take him to the hospital (and did what they could in the meantime). But the rescue squad was delayed by a train near the prison, and by the time they were able to get the man where he needed to go, he didn't need anything anymore.
On 3 April 2009, the morning after that photo was taken, I realized it was the last day of my 3-year auto lease. So I cleaned out the vehicle and took it back to the dealership. No more shiny red Mustang! Now I'm driving my bicycle and (when available) my wife's truck. It can be extremely depressing to lose something like a car and the feeling of liberty that comes with it. But it's not so depressing when I realize how lucky I am to have lost a machine instead of a human being. I liked my car, but I love my brother.
Here's a photo Mom gave me a long time ago:
Mike and me at Mom's apartment in Parma, Ohio, on Christmas 1986
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 5/5/2009 6:01 AM 
Categories: Miscellaneous
Tags: John Burroughs Jesus Crisis Automobiles Mike Burroughs
Categories: Miscellaneous
Tags: John Burroughs Jesus Crisis Automobiles Mike Burroughs
Domo Origato Mr. Roboto just shuffled in on Pod.
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Uncanny!
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So you are no longer a 'Stang man... life moves on I suppose.
You are right though... you have your health as well as the people you love still close to you... what is a car or hard drive to that. It is all about perspective I suppose... and it is all about change.
This too shall pass.. it is but a turn in the cycle.. no pun intended..
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Both Mike and Marc have had stents after heart attacks. Marc is in Evanston right now and will undergo a stress test given by his cardiologist. My closest nephew, Mike, just had open heart surgery bor badly blocked arteries. My husband had open heart surgery when he was only 47. But lived long after that. So thank God for the
medical advances in the past few years.
Sorry you don't have a car now. But it started with your bicycle, then a Toyota, then a Mustang that I didn't know you had leased. So back to the bike for now.
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A "turn in the cycle"... funny!
Funny, too, that Mike seems taller than me - since at the time he was 14 and I was 20.
Good luck to Marc!
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What a touching entry. Our family has had some rocky times. Wish I could make everything perfect for you and your brother. You both deserve a break. Have some more pictures of the gang, but, wasn't sure if I should send them, not knowing your computer status.
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I love my mom, too.
Go ahead and send them!
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you guys even look alike.
cars suck - they kill our bodies, they kill our planet, they kill our pocketbooks.
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At the time, he was 14 and I was 20.
I can't get to poetry events now as frequently as I could (I hated to miss Jawbone, for example). But at least my contribution to planetary destruction has lessened somewhat. And in a pinch I can always "do" poetry wherever I am. Better yet, I can try to "be" poetry.
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I'm enjoying having our car but I do feel guilty about it. Some of my best poems were written while driving.
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Hey Kathy isn't that a bit dangerous? I hope you pull over and don't write while you drive!! This has happened to me also.
But I forget the poem before I can stop to write it down. lol
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Glad your brother is OK. I like the pic of you both. There is nothing like a brother or sister if you're close...or a mom for that matter.
Yeah, cars are more trouble than they're worth, but unfortunately it is difficult to get along without them in this country.
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Thank you, Susan! I agree with you absolutely on all counts.
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I'm glad your brother got to the doc before getting any worse. I know it's hard not having a car, but riding the bike could turn out to be a good thing, as it will help keep YOUR heart in shape. Have you had a stress test? It may not be a bad idea, considering you have family hx of heart problems.
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Thanks, Irma. I had a stress test in 2004 and they told me I was in perfect health. But I haven't gotten as much exercise in the last five years with a car as I did in the previous 5 years when I had no car and ran several miles at least every other day.
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So many youngsters with heart problems! Your brother, Elena's son... wow! I'm so glad your brother came through okay and hope that Elena's son does okay with his test.
So no more red pony... bummer! It's too bad Elyria isn't more bike friendly. Well, and the US in general. But biking is such good exercise (and something I should be doing too!)
Didn't Queen have a song about biking on Night at the Opera? Or was it Day at the Races? But then they also had "I'm in Love with My Car"!!
Oh, well... I'm sure there must be some poetry there somewhere
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Thanks, P! There's poetry in everything, methinks, if we look for it.
"I'm in Love with My Car" (composed by drummer Roger Taylor) appeared on A Night at the Opera. I believe "Bicycle Race" was on A Day at The Races. I believe both album titles came from Marx Brothers movies - so maybe there's a way we can blame the whole problem on the Communists... lol.
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wow, I missed this one. Glad your brother is well. Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!!
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Thanks, Susan!
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Cracking the Maya Code on Nova followed by graphics of the medical heart treatments for stents and open heart surgery. In the first hour on PBS I knew and have traveled and studied with most of the epigraphers on this program. In the second hour learned more about heart surgery with close up
details of what a stent looks like and what a vein looks like before sewing it into a blocked artery. The moon is almost full, the night is cool and memories haunt me tonight. From Mayans to heart disease. I've been through a lot also John. Keep optimistic. Life goes on with or without poetry but it is definitely better with poetry. I hope I can make it to your next event.
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