"...I'd rather look around me, compose a better song. 'Cause that's the honest measure of my worth..." -- Ian Anderson

 This statue of Johann Strauss is in Vienna's City Park -- a delightful place to stroll, have lunch and just watch people. Been doing a lot of the latter lately.

 The comeback from rehab has been nothing short of spectacular in so many ways. While there's not much I can do some levels, I can do plenty in others. A microcosm was last night, when everyone wanted Chick-Fil-A. I can't stand the place. Politics are one reason but another is it grinds out the most tasteless chicken sandwich ever produced by human hands.

 That said, just out of curiosity and because it'd been awhile, I got a sandwich anyway. It was the same crapola they've been kicking out since I first had one at the old Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium in the mid-1970s. Tasted like this one was a leftover from that era, except now the Braves don't suck as bad. But I slapped on some onion and rolled out some thousand-island dressing and made it at least edible. Kinda what I'm doing on some other levels these days.

 I got notice yesterday of automatic renewal of a prescription for an anti-depressant. The script was written after just one visit with my PCP (who I will see this Tuesday) and a good month before I committed myself to detox and rehab. The list of potential side effects has its own list of potential side effects, so no. I will refuse to pick up this script and have stopped automatic renewal.

 In other words, things have changed dramatically and appear to be working as I fix my own shit like I fixed the sandwich. The focus is on my own personal (physical and mental) space. In short, I'm learning to waltz as Strauss would encourage. It's a simple 1-2-3, working across a sometimes crowded dance floor. You just work around the others.

 The past 18 months or so, dealing with my own health issues and helping a partner deal with hers, has taught me that while there are excellent medical professionals out there, too many focus on just the physical. We can get a script for pretty much anything these days, but what good is it if it only aggravates something else? This one says constipation and possible thoughts of suicide, just as starters. Don't need either of those.

 I agree with a college friend about medical issues we both face, that you reach A Certain Age and you've been doing largely what works for you until you run up against something new. Then you step back to assess medical input before proceeding. Maybe the Younger You was more willing to listen to a professional's advice. Older You says nah man -- I'll deal as much as possible with what I got without relying on the artificial enhancement. Let's give that a chance first.

 Each day is a day less we have here. I'm not saying we always need to be completely clear-headed (though I've learned to really enjoy it). Sometimes it's even best to see things a bit askew. But it needs to come from within, not in a prescription.

 "...what a long, strange trip it's been..." -- Thd Grateful Dead