Frankenfinger...It's ALIVE!!!

Hello all! I had the remaining pins removed from my finger today. Though it's got no protruding metal from it anymore it still lives up to the name Frankenfinger. Ol' Frankenfinger has some scaring and looks like it's been pieced together from Igor's collection of ghastly digits. I'll be continuing the therapy well into December but it's moving quite well. There is a loss of feeling in parts of it but I am well on my way to recovery. I'm thinking if I gain an inch or so more (please no "manhood" jokes) of bend-ability I can get that clutch in far enough to jump on the scoot! OK, OK I better not rush that. Right now the goal is to get this digit in working capability to get back to my first love, TATTOOING!!! It's been just about 2 months not working and as much as the finger has been hurting the wallet shares the same pain. In a time where most people are struggling with financial stability I'm certainly not alone, especially being a self employed person with no disability and no workman's compensation.
I've shared alot of things through this blog in the past 2 months and I hoped they would have been mostly adventures on my bike. As fate would have it the crash changed everything and to pile the shit higher I lost my best four legged friend, Tut. In the midst of everything I've struggled to keep my head up. I am still faced with alot of burdens but hell, so is everyone.
I was pleasantly surprised by my crew at the shop with a benefit they have decided to hold to help ease a bit of the money woes that wait for me with little patience. For those of you who know me I'm not one to complain and not one to ask for help, probably to a fault. That may explain why I stubbornly got back on my bike covered in blood with a finger hanging off , a motorcycle that barely ran and drove it back to my shop the night I "cracked up". Hey, I love that beast and I wasn't about to leave her alone under a bridge far from a familiar place with out me!
My friends have come together and good fashion will be throwing a hell of a time not only to raise a couple bucks but to show everyone a good time the way the Lucky Soul crew does. I was speechless when I learned of the great time they have planned and yes this big tattooed biker almost lost a tear from his eye...almost!
There are many people who have suffered hardships far greater than my experience and I  hope I keep them in mind as I continue on this interesting ride in life, to relate, to empathize, and to draw strength from them all. Let's continue the 3.6.5. ride mindfully, whether on 2 feet ,2 wheels, four wheels or however it is we make our way through each moment.

Happy Monday...
Jim

Big thanks to Steve Chanks for this incredible artwork!