Things are looking up! Tiit is close to the "coming home" point, which is very good news to all of us who love and care so much about him.
I find myself standing back and thinking that here now is an example of the kind of person all of us need strive to be. Tiit's outlook on the "art of living" is so right, so deep in its understanding of what is valuable in living in the first place.
He is one of my heroes. And I don't have many.
If you ask me to describe Tiit I will say that he is an "old soul". by that I mean I get the feeling that he has been through this routine of living many times over, perhaps thousands of times throughout history if you ascribe to the theory of reincarnation.
I know of no other person who is of such peace. I know no other person that is of such understanding of the world. I certainly do not know anyhone who observes the world so intently and thoroughly.
I love the fact that Tiit has (just as a side line) found his own style of making music. he is a man of impeccable rhythym -- a living metronome.
I would look at a length of "rebar" and see a rusted piece of bent iron that is used in reinforcing cement edifices. Tiit sees it as something to tease intricate, chimey music from, adding whole new textures to a band's sound or just backing a friend.
If you haven't seen his arsenal of rythym instruments, all made up of (as Robert "One Man" Johnson calls it) found objects, just looking at it is an education.
But hearing what he can do with it is downright jaw dropping!
In addition, he is very good on wooden flutes. He is one of the first to have played them in the Chippewa Valley and has teamed many times with one of the premiere Native American flute players, Peter Phippen. I think it fair to say that Tiit would be considered Peter's mentor.
The popular catch phrase right now is "thinking outside the box". Listen! Tiit Raid has been doing that since the day he was born.
I once went canoeing down the Jump River with Tiit in one canoe, and Robert Johnson and I fishing from my canoe. Tiit spent the afternoon floating down river, seeing how many different ways he could mount the canoe and still continue to float!
Here are some of the latest "Tiit Updates" gleaned from e mails:
NOVEMBER FIRST
good news Tiit got a day pass so we have a few hours out of the hospital. we
will go to the art center today and possibly a movie tomorrow or somewhere
else. I will take him to the building next door first because it has a nice
central room with a grand piano that anyone can play - bet Tiit will play it.
The docs said Tiit can go home when the neutrophils readh 200 instead of 500.
The reason is that he seems very healthy compared to other patients and because
his platelets are almost normal - 120 today. 150 to 450 are normal. Usually
the white cells rise first and then the platelets rise but Tiit is not like
everyone else and that is what he has been telling them. we will still hope to
go by Monday or Tuesday. Its a good day. Ann
NOVEMBER 2
Greetings:
I'm still at the Mayo Hotel, but it looks like they'll let me out for home early next week...my blood count is going up so that will be the final determiner as to when I go home.
We went out yesterday for the first time...got my civilian clothes on and Ann drove us to the Rochester Art Center...the main painting and sculpture show was very weak. It was still nice to be out and about.
Then we drove around a little and went to Ann's room at the Brentwood...it's a rather nice and comfortable room...we chatted and I eventually feel asleep...it was all great fun being in a quiet enviroment. Today we are going to the Jerry Seinfeld animated flick...Bee Movie. Then we might grab an early dinner somewhere.
Before we left Mayo yesterday Ann had a surprise for me...she led me downstairs and into a huge lobby/lounge...in the far corner was a Stienway grand piano...thank you, thank you!! I hadn't played the piano in a few years so the first attempt was quite tendetive...on the way back I tried again...a little better...my hands would just not work.
Then last night after Ann went 'home' I returned back downstairs...nobody around in the lobby...it was comfortably dark...put on the piano light and started playing slowly, slowly...and pretty soon I'm all over that thing. I closed my eyes and just let my hands and intuition go...wow...I'm not sure what it sounded like to others but I was in it! I was playing in a manner I had never played before...large washes of sound...man was it fun!! Going back tonight for another long session. This is going to cut into my drawing time.
I counted the drawings yesterday...43 of them...since we got here.
We've been in the hospital close to a month...I can say I'm honestly having a good time with the drawing and the putting and writing...and now the piano. Ann seems to be holding up well...her spirits are we are just going with it.
Later,
Tiit
NOVEMBER 4
Hi Guys!
It's Sunday afternoon here...4:05 pm...didn't see the game but the Packers won...and we have been out and about trying to find stuff for me. Went to the Apache Mall...what a shitty looking dump this is...I needed some new clothing that I can use my connection to the chemical world with...the 'connection' is the Hickman tube that goes to my heart and all the chemo and other stuff flows through. I will probably wearing this 'tube' for sometime yet.
Looks like the latest on going home is that it will happen this coming Thursday...after they read my bone marrow results which will be done on Tuesday. If the results are super...which we are of course hoping for...I still may have to go through another chemo cycle. Can't remember if I've told you about this so here goes...this cycle will be in three parts...the three sessions are the same...each will have a morning and an afternoon session...in between we are free...as we will be on the day between the first and second blastings...and between the second and third. But these sessions will be done in EC...it'll be great to be home...may even go and do some putting at Princeton Valley...perhaps hit a small bucket of balls with my 7 iron...and depending on how this goes perhaps play 3 holes a day later. I'm not going to rush anything.
Yesterday we went for dinner at a place called Jasper...what great food!!! And we walked around a lot. Today I felt stonger...and we walked the whole mall looking for stuff. We are back in our room at the Brentwood with our jammies on and taking the rest of the afternoon off you might say. Later I'll go and play some piano and do some more drawing. O yes...I'm an out-patient now and staying with Ann...great fun to be sleeping together again...cozy. Am glad to be out of the hospital...amazing how quiet it is here...and being away from the "well meaning but always at you" nurses is a pleasure.
I must honesty say that I had a good time at the hospital...since I had to be there I made the best of it...got a lot of drawing done...putted every day...listened to a ton of music...it was on constantly...wrote a bunch in my note book and many long e-mails to an old Estonian friend...we chatted about our mutual experiences since we saw each other last many years ago...and got into family and other subjects we had never discussed before with each other. And then Ann finding that piano for me...that was sweet...I'm going to play it shortly...my fingers are itching to move.
Later,
Tiit
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See what I mean about this marvelous person? If you are having a bad day or a day when you are feeling sorry for yourself, read Tiit's above e mails and you will appreciate life all over again.
God Bless You Tiit Raid! You are such a gift!
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