It's hard to take. And it's funny, peculiar as well.

Don't know if this belongs here or in the blogs, but here goes. Several years ago I had two serious surgeries 4 days apart and wasn't expected to live. But since I'm too miserable to give in, I made it. However, unbeknownst to me, a rumor circulated that I had died. So, OK. I go to visit this friend of mine months later and when I walked into his office, he jumped out of his chair, upending it and tried desperately to open the door to his storage room in back to get away from me. He told me to go to the light, which is what you tell ghosts, that I was dead and didn't belong there. By this time his face had drained white and he could barely speak. I tell you, I had some time convincing him that I was alive. When he got up the nerve, he touched me to see if his hand would go through my body, or meet with solid flesh. Well, finally convinced, he sat down and shook. I had to give him a glass of water to halfway straighten him out. After that I didn't visit too many friends for fear of giving them either a heart attack or stroke. I called one and she thought it was a voice from the grave and she stuttered and hung up on me. So now I pinch myself daily when I wake up to make sure I'm still here. After all, so many people thinking you're dead is unnerving. (big smile)