Yesterday (June 29) was my 65th birthday. Attaining this age was not a sure thing, especially the past 3 years. (But then, none of us gets a guarantee.) The past year has been wonderful... new experiences, new friends, new abilities, old friends, family... full of serendipity and glee. I can't decide whether it was the last day of my old year or the first day of my new year (remember the foofaraw about the turn of the century?) but I am so looking forward to this new year. Great things (my year, my yardstick) are going to happen. I don't feel 65 years old... more like 40 or 45.
I've learned and experienced so many things during the past years... I've made a list... it doesn't include everything because I can't remember everything....
...I'm glad my children are raised and out on their own. Parenting has never been easy and seems to be getting harder every generation. My kids managed to overcome their genes and upbringing and turned into people of whom I am very proud to call mine.
... Children will tell it like they see it. It's important to realize that it is their perception, not necessarily the way it actually is. That's something we adults need to consider for ourselves... 'is it real or just our opinion?'
... Don't ya hate it when the i.d. photo on your renewed Driver's License makes you look like a hedgehog caught in the headlights... and everyone says what a good picture it is?
... Counting is very important when knitting. New obsessions can hit at any age and knitting has become mine. For a short time it even over-shadowed my reading obsession, but things have evened out... I'm knitting and reading now.
... Having a conversation with me has become more interactive. Between Chemo-brain and Senior Moments, I sometimes have a hard time getting out a complete sentence without hand gestures (Mime... encouraging others to supply the word I'm trying to say) and questions to identify the subject (who was the guy that... you know... the one who starred in that movie with the...). I was chatting with my daughter and her husband the other night when she quipped, "Hey! We're playing Charades!"
... My life is the best it's ever been. I'm learning to savor everything... not just what I'm doing but the atmosphere, colors, and surroundings, while I'm doing it. Chemicals have altered my taste buds but the flavor of food I eat seems richer (I catch myself 'yummming' a lot). I think I can feel the auras of my friends and, sometimes, those of people I meet during the day. Wow! Teach yourself to savor. It's wonderful.
... Just because you make a Strike your first time up doesn't mean you won't drop the ball on your foot the next time you get ready to roll. Just sayin'...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wired.... uh, caffined?
As of 5am, I have officially been awake a full 24 hours. The night was lovely. I opened my windows as soon as I could to freshen the stale air in my apartment. Fortunately, it was a quite night... infrequent but quiet traffic, some train whistles, only one siren about 1:30am. It was the first time in over a year that I felt able to leave the windows open. Heavenly.
Yesterday was a busy day. I had to be at the Infusion Center at 8am for a treatment but left early as I had to get gas... I was running on fumes. My treatment was completed about 12:10pm but left a little later after I finished the lunch they provided (Thursdays are 'chicken' day but I've been assured it's the best meal on the menu). Stopped at the library to return audio CDs then headed home to rest, but stay awake, as I had plans for an adventure.
I had made arrangements with one of the founders of From the Heart to go out of town to a meeting of another group of FTH stitchers. On the way, we stopped by McDonald's for an iced coffee and a large mocha frappe (wonder if that had anything to do with being un-sleepy?). The meeting was held at the new library in Hopewell, VA. The library is beautiful and much larger than I had expected. The group brings food to the meetings so I had dinner there, too. The group is wonderful... lovely women using their knitting and crocheting talents to make items for those in need. The conversations ranged from help with patterns and stitches, family news, news about absent members, recipes, and other very important subjects. I will be going again as often as I can... it was a treat to be with them.
On the way to the meeting, I realized that I had forgotten to turn off the alarm on my clock... not a problem if it were a normal clock. Let me tell you about this clock. I had purchased it last year. It had large numerals so I could read the time without my glasses. The numbers were so bright that they cast shadows! I had set the alarm for yesterday morning so I wouldn't oversleep and be late for my infusion appointment. While I was home getting ready to leave for my meeting, I realized that the alarm had not gone off in the morning... I had accidentally set it for PM instead of AM. Two problems: 1) I have no short term memory left... if I don't do something at the moment I think of it, it doesn't get done, 2) the alarm on this clock is truly alarming!... so loud that the first time I had set it, it nearly gave me a heart attack! I did not get up at that moment and turn off the alarm. Traveling to the meeting it suddenly hits me that this monster alarm is going to go off while I'm away from my apartment. I at least had the presence of mind to call a fellow resident and warn her... I didn't want other residents thinking I was in the apartment too ill to move, or dead. No one could get into my apartment and I certainly didn't want emergency personnel called. When I arrived home yesterday evening, one of the other residents from my floor was sitting outside enjoying the delightful weather. She said she was glad she had been aware of my alarm(ing) situation because '... that alarm is certainly effective.' I told her I had decided that I didn't need to know the time during the night. She said she wanted to get one like it because sometimes she has trouble waking up to go to work. As soon as I got into my apartment, I unplugged that sucker, put it in a plastic bag and hung it on her door knob.
I think I know where the directions are for the clock. Wonder if I'll remember to look for them.
Yesterday was a busy day. I had to be at the Infusion Center at 8am for a treatment but left early as I had to get gas... I was running on fumes. My treatment was completed about 12:10pm but left a little later after I finished the lunch they provided (Thursdays are 'chicken' day but I've been assured it's the best meal on the menu). Stopped at the library to return audio CDs then headed home to rest, but stay awake, as I had plans for an adventure.
I had made arrangements with one of the founders of From the Heart to go out of town to a meeting of another group of FTH stitchers. On the way, we stopped by McDonald's for an iced coffee and a large mocha frappe (wonder if that had anything to do with being un-sleepy?). The meeting was held at the new library in Hopewell, VA. The library is beautiful and much larger than I had expected. The group brings food to the meetings so I had dinner there, too. The group is wonderful... lovely women using their knitting and crocheting talents to make items for those in need. The conversations ranged from help with patterns and stitches, family news, news about absent members, recipes, and other very important subjects. I will be going again as often as I can... it was a treat to be with them.
On the way to the meeting, I realized that I had forgotten to turn off the alarm on my clock... not a problem if it were a normal clock. Let me tell you about this clock. I had purchased it last year. It had large numerals so I could read the time without my glasses. The numbers were so bright that they cast shadows! I had set the alarm for yesterday morning so I wouldn't oversleep and be late for my infusion appointment. While I was home getting ready to leave for my meeting, I realized that the alarm had not gone off in the morning... I had accidentally set it for PM instead of AM. Two problems: 1) I have no short term memory left... if I don't do something at the moment I think of it, it doesn't get done, 2) the alarm on this clock is truly alarming!... so loud that the first time I had set it, it nearly gave me a heart attack! I did not get up at that moment and turn off the alarm. Traveling to the meeting it suddenly hits me that this monster alarm is going to go off while I'm away from my apartment. I at least had the presence of mind to call a fellow resident and warn her... I didn't want other residents thinking I was in the apartment too ill to move, or dead. No one could get into my apartment and I certainly didn't want emergency personnel called. When I arrived home yesterday evening, one of the other residents from my floor was sitting outside enjoying the delightful weather. She said she was glad she had been aware of my alarm(ing) situation because '... that alarm is certainly effective.' I told her I had decided that I didn't need to know the time during the night. She said she wanted to get one like it because sometimes she has trouble waking up to go to work. As soon as I got into my apartment, I unplugged that sucker, put it in a plastic bag and hung it on her door knob.
I think I know where the directions are for the clock. Wonder if I'll remember to look for them.
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