Up and away

"Validation", "confirmation", and  "affirmation" ... individually, they are often annoyingly trite and meaningless expressions, but sometimes they are just right. Words have great power when used carefully and honestly.

Affirmation 1: The surgeon said yesterday that he was thrilled with my recent progress, and congratulated me on my efforts. 

Until then I had felt merely sick and sore and distinctly sorry for myself, but hearing his positive message (after 5 weeks of him looking worried and downcast) did wonders. I can now feel myself getting better.

(For those wisely ignorant of my health saga, I recently underwent additional surgery for a post-operative complication arising from an elective operation a month ago.)

Affirmation 2: Further to my suppressed distress over understandable but unnecessary resignations from ODP/DMOZ, I am delighted that some well-placed and authoritative words of support and encouragement have done their job in at least one case. Definitely better late than never.