I've Come Unraveled

Well, I know some of you may have been worried, but I managed to survive my 4 days of pay-per-view, room service, naps and sponge baths at the JW Marriott at Ko'Olina . It really was the key to my speedy healing process. That and the care of my ever-attentive friend, Matilda:

That's her on the left, ever radiant, several glasses of champagne away from a sunset, and me on the right, beginning my soft, slow descent into the evening and its respective slumber. Of all the Marriott brands, JW is their top-rated hotel, and this one is delightful for several reasons, but mostly because the location is about 30 minutes west of Honolulu, poised atop a disturbingly perfect man-made scalloped shore. We may have been the only ones there who were not honeymooners or Japanese.

I was the only mummy:

My 24 hours of getting approached by men came to a sudden and dramatic halt--it turns out Japanese men and 22-year old husbands having near-constant sex with the love of their lives are not distracted by the blond girl in pain. What the hell? Had I been more creative, I could have staged a "tumble" down the cascading staircase, towards the shark pools that surround the eating pavilion:

There are also giant black rays that swim around in other pools you can gaze at as you sunbathe nude on your lanai, ensconsed in hospital dressings.

It was great--every morning Matilda would tip-tap upon my door, then let herself in with my room key, "How are you, sweetie?" as she sets my latte on the bedside table and flings open the slider and the shades. We would chat for a few minutes and then off she would go, like a little hummingbird on ecstasy, flitting about the resort until darkness fell. She got to be a mom again for a few days. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. The rooms there are great, with the bathrooms almost equal in size to your sleeping quarters, as they say.

I have to make a plug for the Straub Clinic and Dr. Wong in the Vascular Department in Honolulu. They were superb. I felt cared for and confident about my procedure from the get-go and my speedy recovery was due in large part to his skill and their care. I have one less painful, bulging vein in my left leg--perhaps now I can get my foot behind my head? I will keep you posted on THAT!

But I am back on boring old Maui now, still not active enough for exercise, but when I unwrapped my leg from the 17 feet of gauze and ace bandages, I was tickled with myself and Dr. Wong to see that I suffered no bruising, just little healed-over incisions and some soreness. I will share one last sunset shot from Oahu, just to remind myself how incredible it is here.