Personal milestone

The scoreboard at Morse High has a quirk. The digital

clock doesn't show every second as it counts down

the time remaining in a quarter during a soccer

or football game. It skips, then with a time delay

of two or three seconds, shows the correct time

remaining--but without the one or

two seconds in between.

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's boys soccer game at Morse Wed., Feb. 9 marked a milestone for me personally.

The last time I was at Morse, La Jolla's football team played the Tigers in the first of five short-season games in Spring 2021.

Having no driving privileges, I was dropped off at the football field by my wife. At the end, I had to call a Lyft ride to pick me up.

Try that, in this day of personal freedom and mobility.

I'd suffered a stroke August 19, 2020--at the height of COVID restrictions. After my brief episode at 12:30 in the afternoon, at Staples, my wife and I immediately headed up the street to the Kaiser hospital on Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

I spent Wed. through Sat., Aug. 19-22, in isolation. Each of my nurses and specialists in stroke treatment came into my hospital room completely gowned up, then left me in further isolation after they attended to me.

Thank God.

Thank God for my treatment. Thank God we went immediately to Kaiser after my "incident". The nurses and doctors all said that that is vital in limiting the effects of the stroke.

All make-up driving tests for cases like mine were paused by Gov. Newsom Jan.-March 2021 due to the spread of COVID. I finally got an appointment for a required driving test behind the wheel for May 5, 2021 at 9 a.m. I counted the days until that test. I passed with flying colors.

I calculated that my re-driving test May 5 came almost 51 years after my original driving test at age 16. 

My wife's sardonic comment after my successful test: "You never drive like that." Only loved ones can say something like that to you.

So, I walked out onto the Morse football field to take photos Wednesday with considerable perspective and gratitude. (I drove myself.) God provides these reminders, because we tend to take things for granted.

The lights at Morse are really good, so I got some good photos of the game, a 3-2 loss for the Vikes.

Regaining driving privileges has given back

freedom to roam in my car, like on this day

driving back to Clairemont in congested

afternoon traffic following a subbing

assignment at La Costa Canyon High.

Feb. 4.