Category: Character

Morning!

Well! Tuesday saw me at the hospital with my husband, in preparation for all the thingees in the yellow circles about my femur removed.

In a nutshell, the surgery went text-book perfect. I could have probably found a more-local doctor than whom I ultimately chose, but I wanted a surgeon for whom bone tumor removal was routine. And I found him – James Wittig at Mt. Sinai in NYC. Not only does he have a superb bedside manner, but he and his team are extraordinarily skilled. He’s even dealt with my condition before (multiple hereditary exostoses) and quite frankly, I cannot say enough good things about him.

I opted to have a spinal anethesia, so I could be awake and listening to everything going on. As is my nature, I was cracking jokes all the time up until the actual surgery – I had promised the doctor I’d be quiet so he could concentrate. The surgery took about 70 minutes or so, and then I was in the recovery room for 3 hours (the epidural didn’t want to wear off). That whole day was spent resting in bed.

The next day I saw physical therapy, and let me tell you, getting on crutches after that kind of surgery was quite an outer body experience. I kept repeating to myself, I can DO this…even though my right leg started laughing at me. But I kept at it and was eventually able to hobble my way down the hallway. I’m so grateful to my current karate knowledge – I had that to rely upon when trying to walk (it was quite an emotional challenge, actually).

Today I’m doing rather decently, all things considered…I’ve promised my husband I’d take it easily and even (gasp!) not go to karate and (even more gasps) let myself heal. So we’ll see.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – need good canes? Lookie here!

Well, in less than 24 hours, I will be at the hospital, being sliced and diced for the condition on my right femur. And let me tell you, it cannot come a moment too soon!

I’ve managed to arrange everything while gone. I picked up a pair of 35 pound dumbbells so I can workout without going the gym, I made arrangements with the school, I finished everything in regards to launching the I can DO this diet!…I’m ready to give myself permission to get into recovery and rest.

I’ll greatly miss my karate and other things, but I know that recovery will take time and patience. I’ll spend most of it overseeing the book sales and memorizing my beloved sword demos. And sooner or later, I will return….better than ever, I might add.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – there are lots of diet books around, have you ever seen:

Morning,

I just came across the following from Maggie West. It’s terrific!!

….It’s rather difficult for me to ignore anything that is written with life’s obvious “I could of [have] had a V8” implication in the message.

In keeping with the “giving thanks” topic for this week, I have chosen this “little” insight to post. As an ardent fan of coffee, I savor each and every drop as often as I can.

I am thankful for being able to enjoy “the coffee,” regardless of its presentation — no matter what day it is.

Hopefully, all who read the following blurb will apply some of its wisdom into their daily routines as well.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit the conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the alumni had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

“Notice that all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups…. and then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life. The type of cup one has does not define, nor change the quality of life a person lives. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your coffee.

~ Presented by Toma [The Old One]

How true, how true.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – as you know, coffee is indeed life: