Last week Troy performed in an art museum and the next day I performed in a women’s prison. Not the most theatrically convenient spaces we’ve ever acted in, but his included a talk-back afterwards in front of a beautiful Rothko painting and mine meant reading the words of prisoners who sat directly in front of me.  Both experiences perfectly capture our strange and wonderful Arkansas lives.  Both also included the coming together of many special friends, which meant much fun and sleep deprivation.  You know you’re laughing hard when you fear your recovering eardrum may burst its surgically repaired cartilage graft.

Speaking of my recovering eardrum, yesterday I drove back to Little Rock for what was supposed to be my final follow-up appointment where I would receive a clean bill of health and permission to finally swim underwater, which is what I was most excited to tell Huck. Instead, Dr. Gardner discovered a teeny tiny new hole in my new eardrum, not caused by heavy laughter.  It could very likely heal itself or it could very likely take over the eardrum.  He did a small procedure right then and there in hopes of helping the healing process, and we made a date for July 10th.  I showed him pictures of his childhood friend (and my grown up friend) Jason & his family (including Huck’s childhood friend Lydia) on my phone, and we sadly took a smiley selfie.

On my way to Little Rock that morning an old Patty Griffin song came on the ipod that ends with the words, “Heavenly day … all the trouble’s gone away … Oh, for a while anyway …”  I heard it again on my way home and frowned.  Troy and I had made plans to sit on the back patio that night and relive all the excitement of the past busy week, and I thought we’d be clinking wine glasses to healed ears and successful surgeries.  Maybe this summer, maybe never.  It didn’t feel so much like a heavenly day and trouble does not seem to be gone away, but Troy did get to play Mark Rothko and I did get to read the stories of prisoners and there’s always room for friends in our back yard.  And regardless of the final surgery outcome, I did get some hearing and hope back.  For a while anyway.

Positive thoughts and healing prayers sent in the general direction of my left ear are most welcome.