Perspective at 2:15 A.M.: Grateful for Modern Medicine

It's 2:15 a.m. EDT, and apparently I'm still not tired.

After writing about Nextdoor, I found myself doing what many of us do far too late at night—doom scrolling. A Facebook Reel stopped me in my tracks. It was about anesthesia, and it gave me a whole new perspective.

If you'd like to watch it, here's the Reel that inspired this post:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1TT4xxcoQT/

Before I get to that, I want to say something that I don't think I say often enough.

I'm incredibly grateful for where science and medicine are today.

Because of medical advancements, I have a prosthetic leg that allows me to walk and continues to improve with every generation. Because of dialysis, I'm not days away from dying from the toxins that my kidneys can no longer remove. Because of modern eye surgery, I can once again see clearly after having my cataracts removed.

Then I watched the video.

It explained what surgery was like before anesthesia became common. Imagine undergoing an amputation while fully awake. Patients would bite down on a piece of wood or leather, assistants would hold down each limb, and the surgeon would work as quickly as possible. People would feel the pain, pass out from it, wake back up, and endure it again until the operation was finished.

I can't imagine it.

One thing we often overlook is that anesthesia doesn't just put us to sleep. It also helps prevent us from remembering the experience. That's an incredible gift.

As I thought about it, I realized how many surgeries I've had over my lifetime. It started with an appendectomy at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side of New York City, when I was 19 or 20 years old. Since then, there have been many more procedures.

I'm thankful that I don't remember them.

It's easy to focus on what medicine can't do yet. But now and then it's worth stopping to appreciate what it already has done. Millions of people—including me—are living longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives because of generations of scientists, physicians, nurses, engineers, researchers, and innovators who kept pushing forward.

Sometimes all it takes is a late-night video to remind us just how fortunate we are.

Helping Launch A Godd3ss3s Cr3ation Has Strengthened My Recovery

One of the projects I’m most proud to be involved with right now is helping launch A Godd3ss3s Cr3ation at https://agodd3ss3scr3ation.com.


Most people know me through NielFlamm.com, where I write about everything from leadership and AI to movie reviews, recovery, and whatever else catches my attention. This project, however, has become something much more personal.


Working alongside Godd3ss Aisha and Godd3ss Alicia has given me the opportunity to help build something centered on healthy living, mindfulness, self-care, and becoming a better version of myself.


What surprised me is how much it has helped me.

I’ve been sober for many years now, and I’ve learned that recovery isn’t simply about not taking a drink. That’s where it starts—not where it ends.


Recovery is about taking care of my mind.

My body.

My soul.


It’s about the people I surround myself with, the conversations I have, and the thoughts I allow into my life.


As I help edit blog posts, brainstorm ideas, and publish articles for A Godd3ss3s Cr3ation, I’m constantly reading about gratitude, letting go, protecting your peace, managing stress, self-care, healthy habits, and slowing down long enough to check in with myself.


I can’t spend hours editing articles about becoming healthier without asking myself if I’m doing the same.


The blogs aren’t just helping readers.


They’re helping me.


I’ve always believed that if I'm around positive people long enough, some of that positivity rubs off on me. The discussions I have with Aisha and Alicia aren’t about gossip or negativity. They’re about growth, healing, perspective, and trying to become better than we were yesterday.


That reinforces the principles I’ve tried to live by throughout my recovery.


One thing I’ve learned is that sobriety requires maintenance. It isn’t something you accomplish once and never think about again. Just like physical fitness, healthy relationships, or a successful career, recovery requires attention.


Helping launch A Godd3ss3s Cr3ation has become part of that maintenance for me.


If one of our blogs encourages someone to pause before reacting…


If it inspires someone to take better care of themselves…


If it helps someone choose hope over despair…


Or simply reminds someone that they’re worth investing in…


Then we’ve accomplished something worthwhile.


If you haven’t visited the site yet, I’d love for you to take a look.


Visit https://agodd3ss3scr3ation.com, spend a few minutes reading through the Blog, and if you enjoy what you find, subscribe. It’s completely free, and you’ll receive new articles as they’re published.


And if a particular blog resonates with you, please share it with someone you care about. You never know whose day—or life—you might brighten with a simple act of kindness.


Thank you to Godd3ss Aisha and Godd3ss Alicia for trusting me to help bring this vision to life. It’s been a rewarding experience, and one that continues to strengthen my own journey every day.

Back Where I Never Wanted to Be

There are places in life you hope you never have to visit again.

For me, the hospital is one of them.

This time, I’m not here as the patient. I’m here as a visitor and caregiver for my mother.

In 2023 and 2024, the hospital became a place I knew far too well. My first extended stay came after a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic. The second marked the beginning of my End Stage Renal Disease journey. Those experiences changed my life in ways I never imagined.

After each acute hospital stay, I was transferred to a physical rehabilitation unit. One of the most eye-opening lessons I learned was that simply lying in a hospital bed can cost you about 10 percent of your strength each day. It’s amazing how quickly the body can weaken when it’s not moving.

During rehab, the therapists asked me a question I’ll never forget:

“What kind of quality of life do you want to have?”

That question became my motivation.

The first rehabilitation stay lasted about two weeks. The second was about a week. Every exercise, every painful step, every frustrating moment had one goal—to reclaim as much of my independence as possible.

Walking through these same hallways today feels surreal. There are familiar faces everywhere. Several providers have recognized me, which is both heartwarming and a little funny. It’s strange when people remember you not because you were a regular customer, but because they helped you through some of the hardest chapters of your life.

Now the roles have changed.

I’m the one sitting beside the bed.

I’m the one encouraging someone else.

I’m the one helping navigate questions, translating when needed, and trying to bring a little comfort during an uncertain time.

Life has a funny way of bringing us full circle.

As difficult as hospitals can be, they also remind us of something important: healing doesn’t always happen the way we expect. Sometimes we’re the ones receiving the care. Other times, we’re fortunate enough to be the ones giving it.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that difficult seasons don’t last forever. They shape us, strengthen us, and prepare us to help someone else when their turn comes.

So today, I’m choosing gratitude—for the caregivers, for the second chances I’ve been given, and for the opportunity to be there for my mother the same way so many people were there for me.

Tomorrow may bring new challenges, but it also brings new hope. And hope is a powerful medicine.

Life Happens… Vegas Will Have to Wait

Earlier this week, what started as a normal Tuesday quickly turned into a family crisis involving my mother. It was one of those moments where priorities become crystal clear in an instant.

There were decisions that had to be made, questions that needed answering, and someone needed to be her advocate. My mother was confused and, because English isn’t her strongest language, communicating with doctors and fully understanding what was happening became even more challenging. I spent the night at the hospital, then headed straight to dialysis the following morning without ever making it home.

As exhausting as it was, there wasn’t another option. Family comes first.

Unfortunately, that also meant making another difficult decision—canceling my trip to Las Vegas.

I was incredibly excited to spend time with my amazing children, hear about school, laugh at their stories, and just enjoy being Dad for a few days. Those moments become more valuable every year, and missing them hurts.

I was also looking forward to attending CCW, hearing about innovation, learning best practices, and connecting with leaders from across the customer experience industry. It’s always energizing to be around people who are passionate about improving the customer journey and sharing new ideas.

But sometimes life tells me that my place is somewhere else.

So, I pivot.

That’s something life has taught me over the past few years. Whether it’s losing a leg, sitting in dialysis three days a week, navigating health challenges, or unexpected family emergencies, I adapt, adjust, and keep moving forward.

Vegas isn’t going anywhere.

CCW will come around again.

Hopefully my children understand that Dad wanted to be there, and hopefully my mother continues to improve.

And for those of you who have been following my ongoing commentary about Nextdoor… don’t worry. I hope someone from Nextdoor still makes it to CCW, picks up Natalie Beckerman’s book When Did You Stop Caring?, and saves us all from the in-person confrontation my followers have apparently been waiting for. I suppose what happens in Vegas should probably stay in Vegas anyway!

For now, my place is exactly where I need to be.

Sometimes the greatest trip I can take is simply showing up for the people who need you most.

Thank You for Reading My Internet Garbage

There are moments when I stop and look at the analytics for NielFlamm.com, and I honestly have to laugh a little. When I started this little hobby, I figured the only people visiting would be a handful of friends, family members, and maybe someone who clicked the wrong link.

Instead, something unexpected has happened.

I've started seeing steady movement in the site's traffic, especially through the RSS feed, and visitors are coming from places I never imagined. A huge percentage of readers and viewers are coming from Asia, with China and Vietnam leading the way. The United States continues to be a strong audience, and across Europe, Germany has become the largest source of visitors.

I have no idea what resonates with everyone. Maybe it's the movie reviews, the health journey, the recovery stories, the Nextdoor commentary, the random observations about life, or just the collection of what I affectionately call Internet Garbage.

Whatever the reason, I'm incredibly grateful.

Over the last 30 days, the site has received more than 800 unique visitors, over 1,000 page views, and more than 800 visits overall. I'm still learning what all these analytics mean, but every number represents a real person who took time out of their day to stop by my little corner of the internet.

That's pretty amazing to me.

If you've read a post, watched a video, or listened to a podcast episode, thank you. Your support means more than you probably realize.

I'd also love to hear from you. Tell me what you enjoy, what you'd like to see more of, or what I could do better. This website is a hobby, but like any hobby, I want to keep improving and evolving.

And if you enjoy the content, please share it with someone else. Don't gatekeep the Internet Garbage—spread it around!

Thanks again for stopping by, and I look forward to bringing you even more Internet Garbage in the weeks and months ahead.

See you on the website!

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