Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Opinions
Ruffin’s Renderings: Operations
BY MIKE RUFFIN
ruffinml@gmail.com
I have, in almost
every way that re
ally matters, lived a
blessed life.
One of the ways that 1
have been blessed is that
in my almost 63 years of
living, 1 have been hospi
talized for a total of five
days. My two hospitaliza
tions occurred 42 years
apart.
My first hospitaliza
tion was for a tonsillecto
my. It happened in 1979.
1 was 20 years old. 1 did
most big things early -
things such as beginning
kindergarten, finishing
high school, graduating
from college and getting
married. But 1 got my
tonsils out late. This was
despite the fact that 1 had
annual bouts of tonsillitis
throughout my child
hood years. Every time
1 did, my mother would
ask the doctor if my ton
sils should be removed.
Every time she asked, the
doctor would say 1 would
outgrow it. When a rip
roaring case descended
on me at the beginning
of my third decade of
life, a doctor in Macon -
where doctors evidently
had a different take on
outgrowing things than
those in Barnesville did
- told me he didn’t think
that living more years
was going to lessen my
chances of developing
inflamed tonsils.
1 thought that sounded
reasonable if, as a more
accurate version of the
old saying would put
it, practice moves you
toward being more aware
of what perfection might
look like if you could get
anywhere near having
any idea of what perfec
tion would look like if
there was any possibil
ity of your attaining it,
which there isn’t. 1 had
been practicing getting
infected tonsils for my
entire life, so 1 figured
that 1 would keep getting
better at it, even if 1 had
no chance of
developing the
perfect case
of tonsillitis,
which 1 didn’t
want to do
anyway.
So it came to
pass that a ton
sillectomy was
scheduled. 1
spent the night
before and the
night after the
operation in the hospi
tal. I know how strange
that sounds, given that
a tonsillectomy is pretty
much a drive-through
procedure these days,
but insurance companies
allowed the hospitals to
do it that way back in the
ancient times, so they
did.
My recovery went
reasonably well. At least
it did until my father
upstaged me later in
the week by suffering a
massive and ultimately
fatal heart attack. But
that’s another part of
the story, which you can
(and should)
read about in
my best-selling
(among a few of
my friends and
family) book
Fifty-Seven:
A Memoir of
Death and Life
(available at
Amazon; signed
copies available
through me -
but be aware
that my autograph may
lower the book’s resale
value).
Forty-two years
passed between that
two-day hospital stay
for a tonsillectomy and
my next hospitalization
in January of this year,
which happened because
1 had a stroke and which
lasted three days. Since
I wrote about that in this
space right after it hap
pened, 1 won’t go into it
again, except to say that
I’m doing fine.
Well, I’m doing fine ex
cept that my right hand
still doesn’t feel or act
right. That brings me to
another part of the story
that 1 didn’t write about
in my previous stroke
hospitalization report.
Before the stroke landed
me in the hospital, 1 had
already been diagnosed
with Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome and Cubital
Tunnel Syndrome, which
would require surgery on
my right wrist and elbow,
respectively. In fact, 1 had
just had the nerve con
duction study that con
firmed those diagnoses
on the Friday before the
symptoms that indicated
that 1 had experienced a
stroke - confusion mainly,
and yes, it took me a
while to notice the differ
ence - sent me to the hos
pital. While 1 was on the
stroke unit, the doctors,
nurses, and therapists
kept examining and ask
ing about my hand, and
1 kept telling them that 1
had been diagnosed with
the aforementioned syn
dromes, and they kept
acting as if that had noth
ing to do with anything.
They seemed to think
that the stroke was the
more pressing matter. My
orthopedic doctor said
that they had their priori
ties properly aligned.
But we are now at a
place where 1 can have
surgery on my hand and
elbow. It’s scheduled to
take place in a few days.
It’s not serious surgery.
On the other hand, minor
surgery is surgery some
one else has. I’ll gladly
accept any prayers, well
wishes, and positive
thoughts you want to of
fer. If all goes well, I’ll be
able to write even longer
columns than this one.
It’s an outpatient pro
cedure - in and out the
same day.
I wouldn’t have been
surprised had it been
drive-through.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives in Yatesville and works in
Macon. His new book, Praying with
Matthew, is available at helwys.com
and at Amazon.
Ruffin’s
Renderings
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Local 4-H members who attended this year’s Jr./Sr. District
Project Achievement at Rock Eagle include (l-r) Brooklyn
Strader, Millie Smith, Rose Kennedy, Lana Kennedy and
Noah Strader.
Students attend 4-H
camp at Rock Eagle
Five Pike County
4-H members attended
Jr./Sr. District Project
Achievement at Rock
Eagle from June 2 to 3,
2021. The competition
consisted of 4-H mem
bers submitting a port
folio of their project
work for the past year
and giving a researched
based illustrated talk
on their chosen subject
or a performance in the
preforming arts catego
ries.
“Pike County 4-H is
so proud of these 4-H
members and the out
standing job they did
presenting their cho
sen project,” said 4-H
educator Penny Cosper.
“Congratulations to all!”
THINKING FOR A CHANGE
The lover, the dreamer and me
BY ANTHONY VINSON
advkdv@att.net
The
degree to
which you
believe
you are
right is in
direct pro
portion to
the degree that you are
not. In other words, you
are wrong at least as of
ten as you are right, and
the greater the certainty
that you are right, the
greater the likelihood
that you are not.
Counterintuitive?
Sure, but consider that
many of us were at one
time convinced of the
existence of Santa Claus
or the Easter Bunny. And
if you cast your memory
back to those times, you
will clearly recall the
power of those beliefs.
And why not? They were
based on information
received from trusted
sources. They were also,
by definition, deceits.
For years now I have
crusaded against willful
ignorance by encour
aging people to think
beyond their personal
biases. I often think it
may be time to give up
the fight.
My goal has never
been that anyone agree
with me or share my
opinions, but rather that
they reach their own
conclusions by assessing
the facts and following
the evidence, even if
the evidence contra
dicts presuppositions
and dogma. A condition
known as cognitive dis
sonance kicks in when
the mind attempts to
resolve two or more
conflicting ideas. This
can be a humbling and
painful experience, so it
is one that most people
avoid it at all costs. Even
the cost of being will
fully, blindingly ignorant.
Since 1980,1 have
trained myself to ap
proach the world as a
scientific skeptic. At
times I wonder whether
I should have simply
remained, in the words
of Jackson Browne, “... a
happy idiot.” Life would
have been simpler.
Instead, I stumbled and
fumbled my way along
the road less traveled by
and it truly has made all
the difference.
One thing of which
I am certain is this: I
am most likely wrong
about most everything I
think I know to be true.
This drives my constant
search for what truths
there may be. It also
requires that I remain
open minded and willing
to change my opinions
when presented with evi
dence that controverts
them. I have learned to
live in a perpetual state
of cognitive dissonance,
and sometimes even love
it since it indicates that I
remain true to my philo
sophical journey.
What have forty-one
years as a practicing
skeptic taught me?
Three things. One, being
wrong is no weakness.
Knowledge and informa
tion evolve and keeping
current and adjusting is
smart. Two, everyone is
doing the best they can
with what they have, but
they could - and should
- always strive to do
better. And three, being
right matters far less
than being flexible and
remaining openminded.
After all, being right
is always temporary,
whereas mental agility
always transcends.
To remain in stasis,
to be content with the
status quo and believe,
against all available evi
dence, that you are right,
and others are wrong,
is a delusion based on a
deceit. Closemindedness
is a weakness, a crutch
that often becomes a
cudgel against those
who dare disagree. And
that seems to be where
we are. Is it where we
must remain? I like to
think not. I hope not. But
then again, I could be
wrong.
Think about it!
Anthony Vinson is a freelance
writer, speaker and humorist for hire.
He lives in Williamson, GA, and can be
reached at advkdv@att.net.
Pike County Journal Reporter's letter printing guidelines
The Pike County Jour
nal Reporter welcomes
letters to the editor.
For a letter to be con
sidered for publication,
include the writer’s ac
tual name, address and
telephone number when
submitting it. We publish
name only. Letters from
individual authors will
be published no more
often than every other
week.
Limit letters to 250
words or less. Shorter
letters are appreciated.
All letters are subject to
editing.
Personal attacks on
private citizens, political
endorsements or letters
that are racially divisive
will not be considered.
Drop letters by the
office on the court
house square, mail
them to P.O. Box 789,
Zebulon, 30295, fax
them to 770.567.8814
or email them to
news@pikecounty-
georgia.com.
For additional
information, call
770.567.3446.
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.O. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Moiena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
published weekly by
Hometown Newspapers
Inc. Second class
postage is paid at the
Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers: Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
AT PIKE
BY BWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
June 24, 1921: In anticipation of Winneck’s
Comet on June 27: the coming of a comet is pro
ductive of good in that it turns thoughts of many in
the busy march of humanity to the wonders of the
heavens; of the spaces wherein this little world of
countless millions rolls on its ordered way.
75 YEARS AGO
June 27, 1946: Residents read with interest of a
new contract for the construction of 7.165 miles of
concrete paved road, GA 18, from Concord to Moie
na. Whitley Construction of LaGrange received the
contract June 22, authorizing the work to proceed.
50 YEARS AGO
June 24, 1971: Seventy five voters participated
in the City of Zebulon special election to increase
terms of office for council. Votes tallied were 52
for the increase and 23 against.
25 YEARS AGO
June 26, 1996: Days before the June 29 event,
Tech Sergeant James Dickerson of Zebulon was
disclosed as the July 4 parade Grand Marshal. During
almost five years serving the U.S. Army in Germany,
Dickerson received awards and medals such as the
Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and an ex-POW badge.