Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Winter of My Discontent

This has been a long hard winter. It is currently 18 degrees outside and I am wearing my gloves to type.

I have some ferocious bruises but other than that I am none the worse for wear from my fall. I am grateful. My life came suddenly into perspective this week. One of our friends nearly cut his arm off with a chain saw. He was Life Flighted to Salt Lake and they saved his arm and hand, but they aren't sure if he will be able to use it again. He's a contractor.

I am fifty-one years old and fatter than I could be, but for the most part I am healthy. So is Mark. As I get older I am more and more grateful for my problem free body. God knows this is not from any effort on my part. In fact just the opposite. But after John's accident I am determined to take better care of what God has given me. For instance, I am going to take my magnesium at night and put on my wrinkle cream. If I have been "good" with my food intake during the day then I think I am entitled to take the magnesium and use the wrinkle cream. If I have been a "bad" eater then I am not entitled to take the pill or use the cream. I sometimes have to literally force myself to swallow the pill. Isn't that weird? This type of odd weight induced thinking has got to go.

I may never be a really "good" eater but by damn I can take care of my self in other ways. We have begun walking in the mornings again. It is freezing cold and I have to wear my giant snowmobile suit and boots, but we are up and moving. I have begun drinking water again. I am taking my vitamins and using my plethora of potions on my face. I am going to bed at 10pm. I am beginning to address my mountains of paper work. I have begun to take my spiritual life seriously again.

It was a rough winter but I think spring is on the way.

Take care of your dear selves. Love Bea

P.S. I got all the boxes unpacked upstairs. I was in a cleaning frenzy but after the accident I decided the house would be just normal clean for the party. Feels like a good decision.

7 comments:

Cindy said...

I know it has been a real rough winter for you, but you have made it to spring (even though it's 18 degrees!) and you are taking care of yourself. I think that's amazing! You make a really important point - there are many ways to take care of ourselves that have nothing to do with food. I hope your friend is doing ok. Maybe he will do better than they predict.

Cindy said...

PS - I need a good wrinkle cream..

ar said...

Ahh Bea. Feel so much better for reading your posting. Almost like listening to a deep sigh of contendedness. Think I can follow in the footsteps of that one. I had Xrays taken two Sundays ago so looks as though I am in for osteoarthritis in my ankles (of all places), my lower back and neck disks are in trouble, need to get a bone density test, and well, after that it was one way skidding down for me as prognosis was getting darker by the moment. Am not very proud of myself.

Have the same mental pic as Cindy for wrinkle cream probably need it much more than she does ... magnesium ... is that for sleeping? :>) Walking in the snow sounds great ... different from the Middle East, is getting uncomfortably hot even during the evening times.

Nory Roth said...

Paradigm shift.....sets things in perspective doesn't it? Glad to hear you are doing better. Have sent up a prayer for your friend.

Great to hear you got some unpacking done. Those kinds of things weigh heavy on my mind. As an unrepentant procrastinator, I have had many, many crazed last minute marathon cleaning sessions prior to entertaining. You would think that I would have learned my lesson by now. But, NOOOO, I find that I hate cleaning FAR more than the discomfort of worry. Also, I tell myself that if it bothers one of my guests enough, they are more than welcome to do it for me!

ar said...

Read your posting again, as there is always so much in it and a second reading is even better than the first. For example, I completely missed out on the fact that you had typed the posting with gloves on while it had been 18 degrees outside. Now that to me is phenomenal. Was it on a laptop or desktop keyboard? I have never done that before.

"Life in perspective", thought I had my life in perspective after all the "bad news" at beginning of last week but then one can probably write a posting on that as well.

Am really sorry about the accident. That must have been enormously upsetting and would have caused the ground to shift under me as well. Hope John is doing OK and a miracle like a neuro surgeon has sorted out all the connections to work again so that he can use his arm again.

Vickie said...

I don't deal with the Good and Bad thoughts. I deal with "What's the point?" thoughts.

Glad your friend is better.

Very glad that you have your boxes done so you can put them out of your mind.

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