The View from Here

Between the Showers

We have a brief break this week between spring storms. Three days of sunshine sounded like a good excuse to visit the wildlife refuge, so we went yesterday. There wasn't a lot of wildlife, perhaps because of the high water. There were a lot fishermen! 

Back to Normal

I did something yesterday that brought me tremendous satisfaction and encouragement. I walked in the rain. Yes. That’s it. Nothing more exciting. Just walked on a gravel road at the cemetery.

I met with a group of women from the Caddo Civic and Cemetery Club to discuss an upcoming project at the cemetery. It was lightly sprinkling by the time we finished our meeting and I walked back to my truck, a distance of about half a block. On the way back I couldn’t stop smiling. I was outside. I wasn’t concerned about my strength or capability. I wasn’t in any pain. I didn’t even mind getting a little wet. It felt normal to meet with the group, to get caught in the spring shower, and to casually walk to my truck.

I’ve had other “normal” experiences lately: attending a library meeting without a mask (all six of us have been vaccinated), agreeing to attend a small luncheon in June, walking on the treadmill at the gym, hugging my son, talking in person with a friend.

There are still things I probably won’t do for a long time: go to a theater, attend church in person, shake hands with anyone, go to the grocery store or pharmacy without a mask, get a haircut at a beauty shop, eat at a buffet or potluck.

This is how we find our way down the path to a new lifestyle. We embrace the things that bring us joy and avoid the things that cause us concern. Isn’t that what we’ve always done? Yes. I guess this past year our decisions have just taken on much more urgency and importance. Returning to normal means that each choice isn’t a life or death one.

I hope that we all do something today that seems normal and brings us joy.

Mothers and Others

Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy:

³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

I am feeling blessed this morning as I recall the sacrifices my mother made to make sure I was always as safe and healthy and happy as possible. She faced a lot of challenges and she wasn’t always able to overcome them, but I have no doubts about her love for her children.

I’m also thankful that I was privileged to know my grandmothers and two of my great-grandmothers. They were all strong, intelligent, creative women who were wonderful role models for me.

I am grateful that I was blessed to have children of my own. I wasn’t always the best mom, but I did the best I could with the knowledge and skills that I had at the time. I think that’s all any of us can do in any situation. My children and grandchildren have enriched my life in a thousand ways.

I pray that your mind and heart are filled with mostly good memories and good feelings this morning.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Birthdays

Today both of my granddaughters are celebrating their birthdays. Although born years apart, they share the same day on the calendar, and one of them was actually born on Mother’s Day. I’ve been miles away for most of their celebrations, but we’ve still managed to share some great memories over the years. I pray that each of them has a wonderful day. Happy Birthday!

Monkey Bars

 

              I’m reading an interesting autobiography and in this morning’s chapter the author mentioned playing on the monkey bars. I literally had to stop for a moment. One of my worst childhood accidents occurred on the monkey bars, when I fell down and landed with my tongue between my teeth. It was not only painful, but I was convinced by the amount of blood that gushed out that I had bitten it in two. Thankfully that was not the case, but the teacher did have to call my mom. And I spent a few days eating very soft food.

                Sometime before that accident I had been injured on someone’s home slide. It might have even been ours. It was one of those that are attached to a swing set. Anyway, a playmate thought it would be fun to lift the end of it just as I was climbing the ladder. The objective was to knock me off; what actually happened was that the ladder step knocked off a piece of my front tooth. I bore that mark until I was an adult and could afford to have my front teeth filed down. The back of that one still has a missing piece.

                I frequently bruised some body part while jumping onto a spinning merry-go-round. A classmate got knocked down by a tether ball. One of my brothers jumped out of a swing and broke his arm. A cousin fell off the top of the slide. When I think back about all the dangerous playground equipment we used and all the rough games we played and all the physical education classes we had outdoors on blacktop, it’s remarkable that we lived through childhood without more injuries. But you know what? It was so much fun! I even went back on the monkey bars just a few weeks after my tongue healed. I let my brother dare me to the top of a 12-foot slide at the park. I threatened him with bodily harm if he jumped off the teeter-totter and sent me crashing down…but he did it anyway. And somehow, we only suffered a few minor scrapes. If our playground antics had given our mother too much concern, she wouldn’t have let us play in the park.

                Today most of the equipment we played on has been removed from schools and playgrounds. It’s dangerous and uninsurable. Surfaces are covered by wood or rubber chips, tiny pebbles, or play sand.  Carefully designed wooden/plastic play structures can be seen on most campuses and in parks and back yards. Of course, over the years I had at least a few students who still managed to injure themselves. One got his arm stuck in a way that required three teachers, some ingenuity, and some Vaseline to set him free. Kids will be kids.

                I’m happy that kids today have the opportunity to play safely. But my playground memories are priceless!

One Month

 

Well, it’s been a month since my surgery and I’m happy to say that I feel about as “normal” as I’m going to get. Both mind and body seem to be functioning. I’m sleeping well. Eating without nausea. Beginning to exercise. Feeling blessed.  I’m ever mindful and thankful that I have friends who have spent far longer recovering, or are still in the process of recovering, from far more serious conditions.

I suppose for me the most definite proof of recovery was picking up a hoe a couple of days ago and ridding a tiny section of my flower bed of an invasive vine. Even though the section I cleaned was barely three feet long, it felt like a great accomplishment.

Praying that May is a healthy, happy, positive month for America.

Red

These certainly brightened my day!

Papillary Cancer

        Almost a year ago I fell in the yard and suffered a shoulder injury that required some physical therapy to correct. As a precaution, an MRI was done to determine if the injury had also affected my neck. The results showed some moderate changes to my spine, but not from the fall. However, the MRI also showed a nodule in my thyroid. Once he read the results, my physician scheduled an ultrasound at the local hospital. The outcome of that test lead to a referral to an endocrinologist, who did another ultrasound and ordered blood tests. The nodule seemed “suspicious”, so the next step was a needle biopsy. The diagnosis was papillary cancer. I was then referred to a surgeon who gave me lots of information, told me my options, and encouraged me to stay positive. On March 30 he removed half of my thyroid.

                A quick note before I continue: Most delays in testing/treating this were due to COVID. There were restrictions on some of the tests. One of the clinics I was attending had to quarantine for a few weeks because a patient tested positive. The another had to do the same because a staff member tested positive. Elective surgeries were restricted. And even under the best of conditions, specialists and surgeons are very busy people and garnering appointments with them often requires patience. In “normal” times this would probably have been treated in half the time.

                My primary reason for explaining the circumstances leading up to my surgery is to warn YOU. My cancer might have been overlooked for several more years if I had not injured my shoulder and had that MRI. All three of my doctors informed me that many women with thyroid cancer have NO symptoms. Like me, they are diagnosed during the treatment of some other problem.

                I encourage you to click on the following link and read the symptoms of thyroid cancer, especially if any other woman in your family has had surgery. The only symptom I had was a little trouble swallowing my vitamins. I had reported that to my doctor during a routine checkup about six months before the injury. He examined my neck, but the nodule was too small to detect.

Papillary Cancer

Knowledge is power.

Caffeine Free

I’ve faced some challenges since my recent surgery. I won’t bore you with some of them. There are a couple I’ll discuss later, with the intention of perhaps improving your health and happiness.

One of the problems I had to deal with was a powerful, painful two-day headache. While the major cause of it was never determined, my nurse observed that a contributing factor was undoubtedly caffeine withdrawal. (I couldn’t drink any yet.)

I’ve had several previous surgeries without that level of post-op headache pain, and I was also suffering from extreme nausea, so I’m going to blame both on a reaction to the anesthesia. I have, however, also had many medical procedures that have required caffeine abstinence and resulted in a slight headache. Several years ago, my doctor warned me that drinking ten cups a day was dangerous…so I cut back to four. My new thyroid medication came with a warning from my endocrinologist to NOT consume caffeine within two hours of taking it.

I don’t like for things to be complicated if it’s within my power to simplify them. I know that there will be other medical procedures in my future. I know that caffeine may be a hindrance to my optimum health. So, I made the decision two weeks ago to just give it up. I gave up sodas years ago and never think about drinking them. There was no doubt in my mind that I could give up caffeinated coffee.

Thanks to Keurig and some great “half-caf” coffee from Green Mountain the transition was not that difficult. I gave my body a week to adjust, then switched to decaf. What I’ve discovered is that I enjoy the warmth and taste of coffee. I don’t need the boost of caffeine.

I’ve always liked hot teas, and most of the ones on my shelf were already caffeine-free. No problems there.

Iced tea is always on our daily menu. Making the switch to decaf has been a little tricker because I need to make both caffeinated and decaf. I’m not going to force my choices on Gary. Remember…he still eats meat too.

I’m happy with this accomplishment. Not bad for a woman who drank her first cup of coffee when she was about five.

Note: Yes, I know there is a minimal amount of caffeine in decaf coffee. Caffeine is also present in chocolate, anything that contains chocolate (cookies to cereal to ice cream), and many other foods and drinks. My goal is not TOTAL avoidance, but simply getting rid of the major sources of it in my life.

Summer Sanctuary

I have finally begun phase one of the patio makeover I planned this winter. Our cold, wet weather forced me to postpone a couple of times, but yesterday was just about perfect. I felt good and the rain held off until late afternoon.

 I can no longer do a lot of yard work, or drag a water hose to some of my flower beds, so last year I began moving my plants closer to the house. This week I purchased some plants for my patio. Today I’ll move some succulents and other plants that have spent the winter outside.

I love to sit outside early in the morning, drink tea or coffee, and watch the birds. This covered patio is the perfect place to do that.