Getting Better

"Nothing is worth more than this day."  (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

It's good to feel better today.  The temperature is still at 70 degrees this afternoon (at about 1:00), a nice change from the last week or so.  My GI symptoms are lessening, and I hope this is a sign of long-term improvement. 

To illustrate how energetic I feel, I thoroughly cleaned my stovetop and even scrubbed one of the drip pans!

I also attempted to make poached eggs this morning, a skill I have never quite mastered.  I was somewhat successful, but I think I'll try again later this week to see if I can keep the egg white from almost completely disintegrating.

It's wonderful to feel like doing something - even if it's as mundane as scrubbing a drip pan or poaching an egg.

Soooo Tired But Soooo Prioritizing

My apartment heated up like a car parked in the sunshine as the thermometer rose above 90 degrees over the weekend. For me - a person who considers 65 degrees an ideal temperature - this is a severe heat wave.

I keep drinking fluids, especially water, to combat dehydration. I avoid using the stove, the toaster, or anything that generates heat. It seems to take a great effort to go anywhere, but I enjoy the frozen food aisle when I get to the grocery store. Nonetheless, the hot weather, on top of the ailments I've mentioned in previous blog entries, has resulted in feelings of weakness and exhaustion.

The good thing about this experience is that I take greater care to establish my priorities for each day. I don't like to plan on feeling tired and weak, but - if I do - I want to know that I have accomplished at least one thing I consider high priority. The surprise is usually not in what I have done - it's in what I have been able to let go of doing.

For example, I may succeed in going grocery shopping and putting the groceries away at home. Then I feel ready to rest or even sleep. Later that day or evening, I may actually pay some bills and load the dishwasher. At that point, I may feel like I've done about all I can do on that day. Guess what! I didn't change my bed, read some articles I wanted to read, send a card to my cousin, and several other things. Guess what else! I can still do them tomorrow if they become a higher priority.

I call this OWTM (One Woman Time Management). Fortunately, I have no spouse or children at home, so I am the one who is responsible for making the priorities and for seeing the priorities are carried out. The great sense of power comes when I realize I can change my priorities as much or as little as I want along the way.

Finishing My Degree

Twenty-two years after completing my undergraduate degree, I entered the master's program in adult education at Oregon State University.  The program was designed to be completed in 3 years; it took me more like 4-1/2 years.

This evening I took time to look over my final project - a less formal one that occupied the last month (May 2005) while our portfolios were being reviewed by University faculty.  I did mine in the form of a scrapbook (of course!).  Looking at the pages now, I marvel at all I was able to accomplish in spite of feeling slow, confused, and technologically challenged at times.

This was truly the achievement of a long-time goal, and one I am grateful I had the opportunity to complete.  Here are the final words in my project scrapbook:

"The more I see, the more impressed I am - not with what we know - but with how tremendous the areas are that are as yet unexplored."  (Senator and former astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr.)

Thumbs Up!

This morning, I stood at my kitchen sink, holding a glass of water and some pills I needed to take.  All of a sudden, I realized I was holding that good-sized glass of water in my left hand!

After several months of difficulties with my elbows, wrists, hands, and especially thumbs, particularly on the left side, I can see progress.  The ongoing tendency of my left arm to go to sleep with an unpleasant tinglyness has been lessened considerably.  I sometimes have days now when my wrists, hands, and thumbs hardly bother me.  If they start hurting a bit, that reminds me to take it easy on them (Fortunately, there is no need for me to peel and slice pounds of potatoes every night).

My being able to raise a glass with my left hand was especially exciting because that hand had begun to lose some of its strength and coordination - it was just not functioning as it had in the past.  To regain some of that function is extremely encouraging.

Some may have climbed a mountain, patented a new product, or had a baby recently - and that's good.  Me, I am grateful for drinking a glass of water with my left hand.

I Love The Oregon Coast

What I love about the Oregon Coast (this photo taken in June 2009 at Newport):

• the view of the ocean stretching out to the horizon
• the continuous sound and movement of the waves
• the imprint of my feet in the wet sand
• the fresh-smelling, salty air
• picking up interesting rocks, shells, and pieces of driftwood
• looking at tide pools filled with sea life such as starfish and sea anemones
• eating all kinds of seafood, from clam chowder to grilled salmon
• seeing the colorful kites flying, especially at Lincoln City
• casual attire is always appropriate
• teasing the waves – and getting my feet wet!
• looking at all the other people – and dogs – on the beach
• it is close enough for a day trip and fascinating enough for a long weekend
• the intriguing landmarks(Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Devil’s Punch Bowl, Haystack Rock, etc.)
• the graceful flight of the seagulls
• browsing – and buying – in all the little shops

Waiting

My son was due to be born on August 2, 1974.  He didn't actually make an appearance until August 17.  I only have a dim memory of what the waiting was like.  I do remember it was hot weather, and the blackberries at the end of our dead-end street were ripening.

Along with the waiting, there was a sense of expectation.  Soon, I would give birth to a baby boy or girl.  I was eager to embark on the adventure of motherhood.

Today, I feel I am waiting again.  The weather is hot, but expectation and eagerness are lacking.  I wonder when my health will improve and if I will be able to resume a somewhat normal life - normal for me, at least.

In the meantime, I have come across this passage in my reading:

"I have learned that patience is not my ability to wait, it is how I act while I am waiting."  (Joyce Meyer)