When I was four years old, my mother used to bring me a cookie every time she came home from the market. I always went to the front yard and took my time eating it, sometimes half an hour or forty-five minutes for one cookie. I would take a small bite and look up at the sky. Then I would touch the dog with my feet and take another small bite. I just enjoyed being there, with the sky, the earth, the bamboo thickets, the cat, the dog, the flowers. I was able to do that because I did not have much to worry about. I did not think of the future, I did not regret the past. I was entirely in the present moment, with my cookie, the dog, the bamboo thickets, the cat, and everything. It is possible to eat our meals as slowly and joyfully as I ate the cookie of my childhood. Maybe you have the impression that you have lost the cookie of your childhood, but I am sure it is still there, somewhere in your heart. Everything is still there, and if you really want it, you can find it. Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation.
—Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step (from Daily Tricycle)
high
I thought this was really interesting. Obama needs a top hat!
happiness
“A happy life is just a string of happy moments.
But most people don’t allow the happy moment
because they are so busy trying to get a happy life.”
—Abraham Hicks
new swim buddy
So, I’ve been (making my best attempt at) swimming at the Y three mornings per week. The experience is humbling, to say the least. I’m slow and awkward. People twice my age pass me up. But it’s still fun, and I like not sweating.
On Wednesday, I overheard some ladies griping about people doing water aerobics in the lap lanes. Were they talking about me? Sometimes I stay in the deep end and do water jacks and XCski moves. I make a special effort not to get in anyone’s way. One of the lifeguards asked me if I wanted a flotation belt, so I’m sure what I do is kosher in a pool sense.
I’ve seen people walk in the shallow end, so perhaps that’s what frosted the other swimmers’ shorts. Regardless, I felt a little self-conscious when I slipped into the water this morning.
I shared a lane with (as usual) someone who can actually swim. My moment of triumph today was making it across an entire length without having to flip onto my back to gasp for breath. As I was finishing my last lap (using a kickboard), I noticed my lane partner at the end of the lane, relaxing.
“I hope I’m not in your way,” she said to me. I decided she was a kindred spirit — she seemed friendly — and we started to chat. We exchanged names and talked about our swim routines. Turns out she was at my level when she started out. “I could only swim three lengths, and I was done,” she told me. I was encouraged when she seemed impressed by what I’m doing. It makes me think I might actually be able to swim for real someday.
Anyway, I know another swimmer now. I had seen her before. She has white hair that she wears spiky and short, and she looks to be in terrific shape. Yay, a new role model!
a few things
- This shirt made me smile this morning, and it also made me think of Jodi.
- Kim sold a greeting card to Jonah Hill. She lives in LA now, so opportunities to rub shoulders with celebrities happen far more often than they do in Madison. (And needless to say, more often than they would in Somonauk, IL.) Her creations are available to us little people, too!
- Heroes last night was all kinds of awesome. I’m even willing to overlook some of last week’s continuity problems because sort-of-good Sylar rocks so very hard. Plus, Mama Petrelli “feeding” her child? Deliciously evil!
- I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think the dizziness that has plagued me for the past two weeks is subsiding.
- Flock is really slow lately. I’ve been using Chrome, and I love that it doesn’t crash like Firefox does, but I miss all the extensions. I hope Google hurries up and (a) releases a Mac version of Chrome, (b) creates an email checker.
quick update
So, about a week and a half ago, I ran out of the psych meds. Usually it’s no problem to get a refill approved, but this time it had been a whole year since I had been to see the shrink man in person. Seriously, where does the time go? Anyway, by the time I found out it wasn’t approved, I had been off for almost three days and already endured the headache and nausea. After serious thought I decided to not get the refill. I’ll still go see the shrink man, but I want to wait a few weeks to see how things go.
Right now the worst part is that I tend to get dizzy periodically. Mainly at night. Otherwise it’s not bad. The anxiety itself is fine, although part of me is worried that I’m going to get depressed. Weird, eh? My best weapon for keeping on an even keel is physical activity.
Coincidentally, the non-refilled prescription happened a few days after I re-joined the Y. I’ve been there 9 times in the past 11 days. I’m in terrible shape, but that’s okay as long as I keep moving. I alternate between swimming, where I gamely try to keep up with the 70-year-olds in the next lanes, and using the elliptical trainer, which makes me sweat a lot.
In other news, I have shorter hair. I’m knitting Cassidy. I have a new bag and another bag to go inside it.
much better, thanks
Wednesday was painful, but Thursday was better. Today I’m walking pretty normally. Our chiropractor must be a miracle worker. Maybe I’ll be able to sign up at the Y this weekend. (I won’t be doing any running, though.)
In other news, it’s kirtan night. And there was an appalling lack of communication between my kids after school today. Missed calls, unheard messages, and so on. I’m glad I had to store Peter’s friends’ phone numbers in my cell phone last year, because they have already come in handy. What good is it if my kids have cell phones, but keep the ringer on “silent”—or don’t bother to turn them on in the first place?
I’m happy it’s the weekend.
not so hip
I felt a little soreness in my left hip last night, but chalked it up to sitting in one place for too long. This morning, though, it was full-blown pain. The kind where it hurts to put any weight on my left leg, so I hobble around pitiably as if I’m 50 years older than I really am.
I went directly to the chiropractor, but that only did so much. I’m pretty immobilized. Now I have an idea what my dog goes through. (Here’s hoping she doesn’t have all this pain, though.)
It’s not as if I’ve done any triathlons lately, so I have no idea what caused all this. Sadly, it hurts even to lie down. I am the opposite of entertaining today.
post-olympic garage sale
Today was our second try at having a garage sale. Pete and I did some serious garage cleaning during the Olympics, and found many items which potentially could be attractive to budget-minded strangers. So we set up a sale last Saturday, but ran into a problem. Labor Day weekend. Slow traffic.
It was no big deal to store everything for another week. Good decision, because today was much better. Between the four of us (including the kids) we made over $100 and sold some very junky, bulky stuff. The weather couldn’t have been nicer for sitting around and shooting the breeze with customers.
We hauled the leftovers off to St. Vincent de Paul, so now our garage is much less cluttered and messy. Our basement is much improved, too. I actually accomplished my summer home improvement goals: painting the upstairs, getting bookshelves for the basement, de-cluttering, and having a garage sale.
Don’t I deserve a new t-shirt? I’m kind of in love with this one. This one, too. I’m seriously thinking about spending some of my newly earned cash.
things that happened this week
- Pete and I cleaned the garage and found some stuff that hadn’t been touched for over 10 years. Nasty!
- Two days later, Pete woke up dizzy and upchuck-y. It was so bad that I took him to the doctor and he had an anti-nausea shot and some IV fluids. Diagnosed as vertigo. It’s been much better since then.
- The kids registered at high school. I have two high schoolers now. It’s still sinking in. Does this mean I’m old?
- Peter decided to check out stage crew after hearing about the first meeting from Moon. He went to the meeting on Saturday (really not a meeting, but a work session — physical labor for these kids!). He had a great time, so it looks like he’s found a school activity already.
- We’ve watched loads and loads of Olympics, and I’ve worked on my Ravelympics project whenever possible. But it won’t be done tonight. I’m like a hurdler who tripped up but will still finish. Or like a marathoner who is still working on the race after everyone else has gone home. Oh well, I’ll have an awesome pair of socks when it’s all done.
- I ordered this and sold a few of my other bags.
- We finally finished cleaning up the basement, although the computer work area is still pretty piled up with papers and stuff. Not my problem, though!
- Our vacuum cleaner shut down in protest, so we bought a canister vac to replace it. Not a Dyson, but it was $400 cheaper so I’m not complaining. Plus, I only do about 25% of the vacuuming around here, if that.
- ALF’s daughter is at college now, and that seems very surreal to me although we’re only a year away from the same thing.
too cute to drink
I saw this on Flickr and had to show you. What a skilled barista!
bad bite
The past few days have opened my eyes to the important place our family animals have in our lives. I thought I knew that already, but apparently I hadn’t ever clearly imagined what a Foxxi-less home would be like. So now I have. Thanks, anxieties!
Anyway. I noticed a long time ago that one of Foxxi’s fangs was chipped, but the vet couldn’t get near her mouth during the annual exam. It had been a while (like, 3 years) since her last cleaning, so we decided to bite the bullet and have it done Thursday. Estimate: $600-800 if nothing major was found.
Actual final cost: just over $1,900. Which covered removal of three badly infected teeth, bone grafts to save the adjacent teeth, sealing of six chipped teeth, antibiotic injection, three different prescriptions to bring home, and all the related surgery costs. The vet said she’d have thought Foxxi chewed rocks if she didn’t know better. (Our dog is not a big chewer, never has been.)
That wasn’t the scary part, though. I laid Foxxi in her bed when we came home, and she literally didn’t move for the next 6 hours. No barking, no interest in food or water. When she finally attempted to get up, her back legs didn’t work. Her front half kept flopping to the floor. I heard her whining at 4 a.m., and jumped out of bed to see what was wrong. Her back legs were jutting in opposite directions, so I gently tried to straighten them out. I was rewarded with a snarl and snap towards my wrist.
I spent the night thinking about paralysis, old age, and all that implies. In other words, I was kind of a wreck.
After I got to work, I called the vet, who told me that the difficulties might be a result of going under. Foxxi already had weakness in her back legs before the surgery. That made me feel quite a bit better, but not as good as it felt when Foxxi finally pushed herself to a wobbly stand and barked for her lunch.
She’s even better this morning. I’m very, very relieved. Even with all the nipping, barking and occasional obnoxious behavior, it’s good to have her back to her usual self.
