The Lighter Side

I've heard it said that when facing trials, instead of focusing on the obvious, try looking for the good in whatever it is. Well, alrighty then. Here goes...


Yesterday was not such a good day... just ask my mother-in-law. (Thank you, by the way, mother-in-law, for loving me like you do!)


It all began with a phone call I received from my Cardiologist's office. Patty, the nurse over the ICD/Pacemaker patients, had noticed on my 'download' that was automatically sent in over the phone (it's something almost like Wi-Fi, but it's not... it's complicated) there was something there that wasn't right. "We need you to come in and see the ICD 'Specialists' when they're here on Thursday. You need some kind of adjustment and they're the only ones who can figure out what's wrong." Those are the words she said. Here's what I heard: "You're dying and I can't tell you why, so let's just hope you make it 'til Thursday so that you don't die."


Let's hope. (*Said in my Kourtney Kardashian monotone-expressionless-face-voice!)


While on the subject, it's amazingly interesting, the various conversations overheard (and no, I'm not eavesdropping! Keep in mind most of these patients with weak hearts are also hard-of-hearing. Enough said.) while sitting in the waiting room of the Cardiologist's office. For example, the following is a real conversation between two ladies that could be overheard by the whole room:


Patient One: My husband and I used to go catfishing all the time and then he died. But before he died, this one time we went fishing off a bridge and we caught a 47 pound flathead! That thing was so heavy, it took both of us to pull it up out of the water and even then it fought so hard, I had to get out my gun and shoot it in the head!


Patient Two: Really? What do you do with those things?


Patient One: What things?


Patient Two: The flat-thingies.


Patient One: Well, you eat 'em!!


Patient Two: Really?! (She actually seemed a bit repulsed by the thought!)


Patient One: Oh, yeah... them's the best eatin'!!


Shortly after, and thankfully, I was called to the back to see Doctor. Honestly, it was all I could do not to just bust out laughing, uncontrollably and here's the kicker... I can relate to exactly what Patient One is talking about as my husband is an avid catfisherman. I've heard the stories. I've seen the size of some of these 'flat-thingies' and I've even heard them wail after their tails have been cut off in order to let them bleed out. One thing I have not seen, though, is anyone shooting one of these fish in the head! I guess you do what you gotta do.







Why am I reminded of banjos all of a sudden? Who am I kidding... those 'flathead thingies' really are good eatin'!


Oh, to be of the age where you can say whatever you want and don't give a care! Let's hope I make it past Thursday so that I can find out...


Go out and share a smile today. Some stranger might just need what only you have to give!





xoxoxo

Running The Race

I went to a track meet the other day and found myself on sensory overload. There was so much going on at one time, so many schools with various jerseys, this event or that being announced one after another and just a lot of noise in general. After many phone calls, I finally found my daughter amongst all the teenage kids, waiting for their respective events to begin. Ours, just so, happened to take place at the end of the day so it made for a long day of waiting, picture taking and people watching. I actually like to watch people and observe their different behaviors so I didn't really mind this wait much at all.

As the day wore on, the events seemed to get longer and longer. At one point, while sitting in the stands watching a girl's event that was rather long, it was obvious they were getting tired coming down the homestretch. Then I saw her. The girl at the very end of the very long line of girls running toward the finish line. There was something about her that I found fascinating. I pulled up my camera and took her picture before I even realized it and then it hit me... I am that girl!

Well, I don't mean that in a literal sense, obviously. However, when I saw her bringing up the rear, clearly much slower than the rest of the pack in front of her, with this look of 'why-even-try' on her face, I could immediately relate to her situation. I looked at my friend sitting next to me, who happened to see her at the same time I did and said, "And that would be me... dragging up the rear, barely hanging on in this race of life, BUT not giving up!" We laughed, but there was a certain amount of truth to that statement.

Even though I don't understand why things had to happen the way they did or when they did, the point remains is that they did happen and I can't go back to undo any of it. So now what? Maybe today wasn't a good day to write, because today is one of those days that I either want to stay in bed and cope with it all by sleeping or get out and hit the road with no particular destination in mind and just drive until I run out of gas.

My life, after a year-and-a-half, still feels so up and down and I find that frustrating. I still get angry when I hear statistics about heart failure patients. I don't want to be defined by this scar running down the middle of my chest or the amount of pills I take each day. This is the point at which the race gets hard and I just want to throw my hands up, but... something inside keeps pushing me on toward that finish line. Maybe it has a little something to do with this saying I've sort of lived my life by since hearing it about twenty- five years ago: "Tell me I can't and I'll show you I can!" Yes, I have a stubborn streak and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It is what it is.

Whatever the case, this is life. And it's a hard day in the life of being me. Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow, I won't look at all the people who complain about everything and not want to shake some sense into them. Tomorrow, I will be more appreciative of all the little things in life that I am able to accomplish instead of focusing on what is taxing on my body, wearing me down. Tomorrow I just might go shopping and love every minute of it. Tomorrow, the sun will come out. Tomorrow... you're only a day away. And tomorrow, I'll be one step closer to the finish line.

xoxoxo