Today I found myself a bit bored; not because I have nothing to do, as I have a long list of so many interests, hobbies, and responsibilities to choose from. The issue of boredom for me usually arises when I am looking for something new to do or, I am in such pain that I cannot do what I would like to do, and as a result, I become somewhat complacent to life on any given day, from time to time. This is especially so if I am in need of staying in bed for a few days. Stress and anxiety will sometimes also cause me to become complacent which may lead to boredom. Today was one of those days.
I decided to work on the jig saw puzzle my husband Rick and I are doing together, but that did not last long, so then I decided to have something to eat around 1:00pm. I made some English muffins, buttered them, and watched as all the nooks, and crannies soaked up the butter. I also brewed myself one nice strong cup of Italian Roast Coffee in my new Keurig coffee pot which I bought in July/August of this year. As I sat back in my desk chair with my legs up, took a few bites of my English muffin, and had a few sips of coffee, I thought, “Ahhhhh……..the little things in life which make such a difference.” That one cup of coffee, and English muffins gave me a nice relaxed, comfortable feeling, and brought me back to a good place. That led to other “little things” and not-so-little things to dwell on which can have a great impact on one’s life for the better. This can be so even if it might be a negative occurrence in life.
I read on Face book today about a Doctor who at this point in his life, was somewhat advocating, for himself at least, and possibly in general for others, that living past 75 years of age could/would be non-productive, and he for one would take himself off all medications, and allow nature to take its course. I thought “ YIKES, I am almost at that age at 71 years and 7 months old” So, looking at my life from his perspective, in 3-4 years from now my life would be all downhill and might as well be over ? Wow, is that a depressing thought! I do not take medications on a regular basis, including heart medications, which were prescribed to me, so I do not have an issue with his thoughts on medication as I have never been one for taking pills my entire life, other than pain medications, or an anti-biotic when I have needed it. When I was in the hospital, I did take medications, but that was a special situation. Once I recovered, I stopped. But… to think of myself as useless at 75 is a stretch for me.
I remember my Grandmother, Dorothy, (Nana) the last time I visited her in Atlantic City. She was sitting in her chair in front of the TV. She was 94 years old. I saw long lists of hand-written words on the table, and when I asked her what they were for, she told me she would write down every word she could remember, to keep her mind sharp. Her mind was as sharp as a tack! She could still walk also. She went into a nursing home sometime in early 1995, and died May 20th, 1995 which was 17 days after her 96th birthday. I doubt if she would have wanted to die at age 75.
Dorothy Dixon Hake McKean 1994 Atlantic City (Ventnor) N.J.
My Grandfather had died in 1992, so my Grandmother was a widow, living alone, but she had many friends around her. She and I never really got along, but we kept in touch.
Having visited her a few years before she died and getting some much needed family history from her has filled in many blanks for me with my Genealogy work on Ancestry.com. Although the visit was somewhat of a negative occurrence in some respects, it still had its positive points. The positive was the little things of keeping her mind sharp, and the bigger negative issue of seeing how well she coped with her illness, which was Cancer of the colon, and which eventually took her life.
Getting back to the some little and not-so-little things in my life; I love the smell of fresh air and newly cut grass. The neighbor next door is mowing, and cleaning, and the sun is shining bright, and the temperature outside is a balmy 64 degrees. I have several windows open, I am enjoying the fresh air, and my home is fresh, and clean. My health over all is good aside from serious pain from my back, shoulder pain off and on, and some other issues, which are annoying, and occasionally keep me in bed for a few days. I am really feeling great since my close to death experience with Anemia, back in January of this year (2014) I am so thankful for what I have. Of course I have had to come to terms with riding a cart around the stores, and having to use a disabled sticker now, so I do not have to walk a long distance on cement, but I have resigned myself that, “I am old now” and this is a “pleasant nuisance driving slower than I could walk.” Rick makes it interesting when he is with me as he insists on pushing the cart faster than it’s actually designed to go, and making all sorts of noises, and I do not know whether to be embarrassed or laugh!
Rick and I have a solid marriage, and both of us still look at each other and are as attracted to each other as we were when we met in 1995. We have been married 18 years and 6 months. We will be celebrating our 19th Wedding Anniversary March 15th2015. That was no little thing (task), and took great work on both our parts. I am hopeful that we will both make it to our 25th Anniversary in 2021 in 7 years and beyond. I will be 78 years old, and Rick will be 69 years old.
Granddaughter Cory just gave birth to our 7thGreat Grandchild, a daughter, Kenley Rose a few days ago. She is adorable. I am so happy to be alive to see her. Next year, I would like to fly down to visit her and her beautiful family in Georgia for a week.
Rick and I are still looking to land a home to buy, and I am grateful that we are still able to do that both financially and physically, and are able to hire movers. I said “land” instead of find because we have found several in our price range and even lower and have put in offers. So, finding them is difficult, but they are there, but it is a pain-in-the-butt process.
First, we have a home, and then we do not because some contractor or another buyer with more buying power comes along and outbids us. First, we have a buyer for our home, and then they cannot get financing, or they can get financing, but we have no place to move, or they can’t wait. Rick has left it to me to find a house, so he does not go anymore, as he has issues with finding a home, getting excited about it when we put in an offer, and then losing it to those with more buying power. I don’t like it either, but neither of us want to be mortgage poor, so we have a cap on how much we will spend on a home. The problem with the amount is that it is a popular with contractors and they sometimes beat me to the home before I can get out the door to see it! But….. I am not giving up.
So, as you can see, I found something to do! Writing is something I love, and do not do enough of. Now I think I shall put this on my blog and link it to Facebook and go make Lil-Lea some cookies.
Copyright ©2014 By Pamela Stoker Brander Myers
October 5,2014
Richard and Pamela Myers Blog 