My wife is doing much better, but I've been struggling with a multitude of issues including a really messed up right hip and poor kidney function, and I finally had to make the call that I'm not safe in the woods, friend or no. My kidneys can swell me up 30 pounds or more of fluid one day, and three days later it's gone, but I feel like I went a few rounds with my old krav maga instructor. I have days where I don't leave the living room chair, and weeks where I don't leave the house except for appointments. The docs didn't per se sit me down-I know when something is too much for me, and it's gonna be too much for me. It'll take a long time for my kidneys to rebound if they do at all, so the future is all up in the air.
I'm not really upset about this-there is a point that comes where what you worry about is keeping it together, not whether or not you need new fletching. If I lay off a season (possibly two, there's a lot that needs to be sorted including possibly a new hip at 32) I might be able to hunt easier in the future. I have peace about it, but I still need support-this can easily kill me. I need prayers for doctors that care enough to do something and discernment for the ones that try. All the rest of it sorts itself out when you keep your focus where it should be.
Will I miss it? Yup. But I can stick around, learn from you guys and share native woodcraft as I know it-maybe I'll help somebody take something good. I know that doesn't fill my freezer, but it is a sense of accomplishment all the same. Besides, who else would I pass on these ways to?