Celebrating 90 Years – my mom

Aug 2nd, 2010

At age 90, finding out you’ve got an aggressive rare cancer (stage 4), moving from one assisted living apartment to another one several states away with a husband who has dementia and congestive heart failure–that’s a lot to take in, but mom’s doing it.  She comes from pioneer stock to be sure. 

In the past month,  mom and dad moved from their assisted living apartment in Sanford, NC to their new assisted living apartment in Chelsea, Michigan to be near family for mom’s remaining weeks or months.  The surgeon removed a third of her colon and discovered that it had spread to her abdominal cavity.  She was hopeful that she could do chemotherapy but was recently informed that chemo was not recommended in her case.  She’s taking it like a trooper but confessed she wishes she had a couple more years.  Her family does too.   Her kids are heading to Michigan this weekend to celebrate her 90th birthday.  Dad turns 87 in August so we’ll be celebrating his birthday too.

The video below was made last year when mom was released for a few hours from the rehab hospital where she was recovering from a stroke.  My sister Diane and I were visiting and clearing out their home of 24 years so they could move into assisted living in Sanford, North Carolina.   She has a missing tooth (it broke when she bit into a biscotti biscuit she received in a birthday basket—tough luck!).  Other than that, she looks pretty good for 88 don’t you think.  This little snippet is so funny – she has an infectious laugh and sense of humor.

I welcome your comments and stories about your family. 

1 Dress, 365 Days – the Uniform Project

May 22nd, 2010

Have You Had Your Laugh Today?

May 22nd, 2010

My dad was a salesman for close to 60 years.   Most of his clients were men and humor was an important part of their language.  He told a wide variety of jokes – some of them shared in private, just for men.  I used to roll my eyes.  I was such a snob.

Dad has dementia now and can remember only one joke.  So I no longer groan when he asks “Have you had your laugh today?”  I act like I’ve never heard his joke and he gets a big kick out of it.  And so do I.  Here’s the joke:  Do you know how to make holy water?  No, how?  You boil the hell out of it.  See why I used to roll my eyes.

So if you haven’t had your laugh today (and you love dogs), watch this short video.

Do you have any funny jokes to share?  See the comment link below….share your humor there.

Day 36 All About My New Look

May 3rd, 2010

I walked Toby on the levee this evening in my garden clogs and that was not a good idea.  About a mile in to the walk, the shoes rubbed a blister on the top of my foot.  Ouch.   I didn’t have any socks or a Band-Aid so I decided to head back rather than tough it out.  Ouch ouch ouch.  It really started getting raw and sore.  In a stroke of genius, I decided to try putting my shoes on the opposite feet like 3 year olds do.  And it worked.  The shoes did not rub me in the same spot so I was able to walk more comfortably.  But, Crocs on the wrong feet is not a good look.  Although there was no one on the levee at the time, it occurred to me that someone could come along and think I was a little strange – just judging my weird shoe behavior. 

I scanned my ego to see how I’d feel about being seen with my shoes on the wrong feet.  I should say with orange shoes on the wrong feet.  I decided to just keep walking and see how it went.  If I saw somebody like Brad Pitt or Robert Downey, Jr. I’d swap them back in a heart beat.  But those guys never walk on the Kansas levee so I figured I wouldn’t be too embarrassed no matter who approached. 

Then the test.  I saw two people walking in the distance with a small dog.  As they approached we talked about the dogs and they never looked at me or my weird shoes.

In my mind I was giving myself points for walking, subtracting points for wearing shoes that hurt my feet, adding points for coming up with the switching feet solution, subtracting points for worrying about what others thought, and adding points for keeping them on the wrong feet when the other walkers approached me.  It was a fun little game.  I love dog people – they focus their entire attention on dogs.  You can get away with murder – even wearing orange Crocs on the wrong feet.

Have you got any odd or interesting stories to tell about your life that made you be creative, relax, or accept yourself?

Healthy, Happy, Resilient People

Aug 16th, 2009

Dog, Cat, Rat – Amazing Trio!

Mar 25th, 2009

A friend recently sent me an email about a kitten and parakeet playing together – I asked if she thought that would last when the cat grew up.  She sent me an email saying the following:

Maybe if they grew up together they’d remain friends. When Michael took his mom to Santa Fe for a vacation, there was a guy in the plaza with a dog, a cat, and a rat. The dog had a harness that the cat held onto and the rat sat on top of the cat. They were all piled up and just hung out that way: a rat on a cat on a dog. Why can’t we all just get along?

So I did a search at Youtube.com and found THE VIDEO – I love how easy it is to find information on the Internet.  It connects us in ways that until recently were unheard of.  In the search box I typed: dog, cat, rat, and this charming video emerged to delight me.  (If your company blocks YOUTUBE.com and there’s a gaping hole below, open this post at home.  It’s worth it). 

Admiring Physical Genius

Mar 20th, 2009

I’ve been annoyed by black marks left by skateboarders and bikers….but I just watched a little video of Aaron Ross that blew me away.  He has such incredible physical genius that I wouldn’t want him to not use it.  His physical gifts of balance, creativity, daring, and showmanship are worth a little damage – shocking statement I know!  Does he just take your breath away!

Why Men Lose Weight Faster Than Women

Oct 24th, 2008

30-Day Self-Care Challenge (Part III) Day 24

Have a nice day!

Oct 8th, 2008

30-Day Self-Care Challenge (Part III) Day 8

This is one of those times when a photo is worth 1,000 words.

What Makes us Happy?

Aug 20th, 2008

This is from TED:  Ideas Worth Spreading.

Themes What Makes Us Happy?

This image of pure canine joy was captured on the streets of Paris in 1989 by Elliott Erwitt.

It’s perhaps the most universal human yearning: to be happy. But this simplest of goals so often eludes us. We’re not terribly good, we humans, at knowing what we want.

“The Pursuit of Happiness” was 2004’s conference theme, but TED speakers over many years have continued this quest. (Watch the videos for each speaker by clicking the links).  Daniel Gilbert’s astonishing talk shows how we’re poor predictors of what will actually make us happy. Stefan Sagmeister shares how great design contributed to his happiest moments, suggesting that the secret may be attention to detail. And Malcolm Gladwell, tongue in cheek, explores what we might learn about the pursuit of happiness through one man’s quest to make the perfect pasta sauce.

But suppose we understand happiness. How, then, do we find it? Carl Honore says the key is, simply, to slow down. Pastor Rick Warren appeals for a life of spiritual purpose. And Barry Schwartz thinks a little less choice might do us all a lot of good.