Reflection 39: The cat came back

🎶 🎶 

🎵 “The cat came back, we thought he was a goner

But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.

Away, away, yea, yea, yea”  🎵

🎶 🎶

 

"The Cat Came Back" is a comic song written by Harry S. Miller in 1893. It has since entered the folk tradition. In more recent years it was popularized by Dr. Seuss in 1958. Ole Mister Johnson tried to get rid of the old yaller cat. “But the cat came back.” In my case the “old yaller cat” is an allegory for my taste buds that left shortly after the Radiation Treatment began. ‘Sun Wukong, we are out of here!’ 

They left four months ago. That is a long time eating tasteless breakfast, lunch and dinners. During that time I also contended with ‘dry mouth,’ a medical condition caused by the lack of saliva. One of my glands was removed as part of the cancer operation. Even using a moisturizer, food continually stuck to my teeth and gums. Yuk. You can well imagine this is more than awkward and not a pleasant sensation. Trying to discreetly remove the foodstuff is even harder to deal with. By the time my Radiation Treatments ended on September 6, 2017, I didn’t know what to think of it all. 

I thought the taste buds were a “goner." 

But the cat came back! More and more I can taste and enjoy my food. Taste started with mashed potatoes around New Year’s Eve. I know, it is hard to imagine the joy of tasting mashed potatoes. I was so pumped, I just had to tell two of my friends. I just knew that they will understand. 

I am thinking by Easter I just might buy and actually enjoy dining on Easter ham. Buying an Easter ham…I like how that sounds! This is great. Imagine going from dining on tasteless food that I have often described as “akin to eating cardboard” to a full array of taste sensations! Wow. A medium-well, thick sliced steak, peas, carrots, pan fries topped off with a large slice of warm apple pie and a scoop, no two scoops of vanilla ice cream all make me hungry just thinking about it. Or better yet, Dim Sum enjoyed in either Kum Noon Garden, Noodle Express or the Sam Po Restaurant. It makes my mouth water. HOLY COW, my mouth with water! It has not completely happened yet. It will happen s-l-o-w-l-y. But for the first time I am confident that it will happen! The “old yaller cat” came back. YES indeed!

 

🎶 🎶 

🎵 “The cat came back, we thought he was a goner

But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.

Away, away, yea, yea, yea”  🎵

🎶 🎶

 

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