My job here at “Living 44” is done, as I am now 45.
Thank you for following me along this extraordinary journey of life. You helped me find my voice and bring me to where I am now, and I will be forever grateful.
All posts by Jill
365 Days Later…
365 days after turning 44, and I am not the same person I was when I embarked on my journey of enjoying life a year ago.
My 44th year was different. Sure, I endured happiness and sadness, laughter and tears, but we all do. It’s part of life. However, turning 44 was the first time in over 10 years that I actually looked forward not only to my birthday, but to the year as a whole. I embraced each day as best as I could and tried to be positive, albeit difficult at times. I began a Gratitude journal, which has given me an appreciation for things I formerly took for granted. I began writing again, both professionally and for myself, and I found my voice, the voice that has been missing for far too long.
I found inspiration through Susannah Conway, Elizabeth Gilbert, Mallika Chopra, and others; as a result, I aimed to inspire others the way they inspire me.
Most of all, I shared many memories with treasured family and friends. Instead of sitting at home by myself and living vicariously through others, I chose to see new places and to make memories. At times I had to scale back and take it easy due to health issues. Rest and zero stress are key to alleviating many of my symptoms, but it’s difficult to work a full time job without stress. Sometimes it was tough to manage my symptoms and plug along, but I did the best I could. I still do the best I can every day.
I accomplished most of my 10 Things I Wanted to do While 44 (list at the bottom), and then some. Here’s my 44th Year in Facts and Statistics:
Number of new places I saw: 42
Number of mystery trips with my niece and nephews: 6. I began a tradition of spending the day with each of my 3 nephews and niece, just the 2 of us, destination a secret. My niece’s surprise days were to Ron Jon’s in LBI and to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. My nephew’s secret trip was to Six Flags Great Adventure. The 3 of us went to Six Flags two more times, and we all have season passes, so next year will be filled with fun trips. Perhaps I will conquer my fear of Nitro. On the other side of the family, I took my 4 year old nephew to the aquarium, rides, and to dinner 3 times this year. We enjoyed our special dates very much. I have a few places in mind for each’s mystery trip this year…places they will never be able to guess!
Number of Yankees Home Games I went to: 2
Number of times I saw the Core 4 in person: 1
Number of places I went with my treasured friend C: 22
Number of presentations I gave at conferences: 2
Number of GSSPA meetings I attended: 7 plus two conferences
Number of photos I took: More than 20,000
Number of weddings I attended as a guest: 2
Number of weddings I photographed: 0
Favorite Summer Song: I Can’t Feel My Face
Favorite Toy I bought: My stuffed dinosaur named Monk
Number of times I made work friends laugh: too many to count
Number of times I saw “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens”: 4. The best was on opening night (actually, the night before opening night) with my brother.
Number of times I went to Six Flags Great Adventure: 4
Number of Monarch Butterflies I raised from caterpillars and released: 17
Favorite Book I read: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Number of surgeries: 1
Number of things removed during surgery: 3
Most played artists on my playlists: 311 and The Cure
Number of postcards I mailed: 226
Number of postcards I received: 237
Number of Seinfeld references I made on a daily basis: At least 3
Favorite Winter Song: Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay
Favorite Sound: the laughter of my niece and nephews
Favorite Christmas Gifts: My Jedi Alex and Ani bracelet and my 13” Boba Fett talking figure from my husband
Town/Local Events I Went to: Earth Day Celebration, Memorial Day ceremony, Seafood Festival, Car Cruise, Xmas Tree Lighting, Chowderfest, Wings of Freedom Tour, NJ Run for the Fallen, Manasquan Offshore Grand Prix, Postcard Show
Places I Ate: Frankie’s, Shrimp Box, St. Stephen’s Green, Mastoris, Shore Point BBQ, Olive Garden, Revolution Café, Cool Beans, Applebees, Turning Point, Lubrano’s, Surf Taco, Bubbakoo’s, Five Guys, Lava Java, Wharfside, Luigi’s, Emilio’s, 709, Asbury Festahus & Biergarten, River Belle, Holiday Inn Manahawkin, Holiday Inn Clark, Toms River Hotel, IHOP, Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar, Tom’s Restaurant, The Dublin House, Chipotle, Winward Tavern, OB Diner, Brick Diner, Chef Mickey’s, Hollywood and Vine, Biergarten (Epcot), The Wave, Cape May Café, TRex Restaurant
People Who Passed Who Left Footprints In My Journey: Roscoe, Tom S., Neighbor Lorraine, Neighbor Mike, Melvin, Denasia, Kesse, Scott
Some of my favorite memories: Disney, Deepak with Hannah, the Manasquan Offshore Grand Prix, grave hunting and NYC with C, starting the Hawks Hall of Honor, Yankees games, picking a quart of blueberries a day for about two weeks this summer from our bushes, writing Boro Kids, starting SoulSEAker, getting tickets to see The Cure this June with some pretty awesome people, spending time with family and friends, Teacher of the Year celebrations, And Then LIFE Happened, laughter in the Batcave, and any time spent with the 4 most special people in my life, my niece and nephews.
Thank you to everyone who played a part, no matter how big or small, in my 44th year. I will continue enjoying life even more during my 45th year. My 45 list is forthcoming…until then, I am going to enjoy celebrating the arrival of another year, one that will be like no other. 45 Alive…here I am!
I will continue blogging from this point forward at my sister site, SoulSEAker. Please feel free to head on over there and join me. I am posting this same entry on SoulSEAker with a video I made of highlights from my 44th year-I cannot upload it here because of file restraints. Nevertheless, I hope to see you again!
Living 44: My Goal List, as published on February 13, 2015 – one day into my 44th year: There were a lot of great ideas about things to do during my 44th year, as suggested by friends, family, students and colleagues. This is my final Living 44 Goal List and notes about each goal. I think I did pretty good.
1. Go to Central Park and see Strawberry Fields. COMPLETED on 12/7/15.
2. Go to the State of Liberty and look out of the crown. COMPLETED on 8/12/15.
3. Do 3 things I never did before. COMPLETED! 1: Meditation (March). 2: Yoga (June). 3: Hear an author lecture (February-Deepak Chopra).
4. Sit at the Inlet for a day and photograph all of the boats that come in and out. COMPLETED on July 10, 2015!
5. Get my passport stamped at least once, or have travel plans that will have it stamped in 2016. KIND OF. This one, so far, did not happen and I’m okay with it, since my husband and I went to Disney together in November, which was a surprise and time just for us. Our trip meant more to me than seeing someplace needing a passport. But wait…we DID have a passport for Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. SO I DID ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL! 🙂
6. Go to a Yankees game: COMPLETED on May 9, 2015!
7. Go to Grounds for Sculpture. This one will not happen, and I’m okay with it. I have seen so many other new places this year in place of Grounds for Sculpture that I’m happy. Perhaps I’ll make it there during my 45th year.
8. Watch the fireworks on July 4th. It’s been a long time since I have done this. COMPLETED on July 4, 2015!
9. Watch a sunrise during each of the 4 seasons: COMPLETED! Spring: Completed on April 6, 2015. Summer: Completed on August 2, 2015. Autumn: Completed on November 27, 2015. Winter: Completed on January 26, 2016.
10. See 3 new places a month. 95% COMPLETED! UPDATE: New places for March: Ron Jon’s in LBI, Surf City 5 and 10, St. Stephen’s Publik House in Spring Lake. New places for April: Flatiron District in NYC, Strand Bookstore in NYC, Heritage Park in Allentown, NJ. New Places for May: The Record store in Howell, NJ, Yankee Stadium, D-Train Subway in NYC. New Places for June: Due to medical appointments, surgery, and recovery, I was unable to attain this goal for June; however, I did go to Six Flags Great Adventure on a school trip, and Jenkinson’s Aquarium and the rides with my nephew (awesome places, just not new places). New Places for July: Turning Point, Shore Points BBQ, Lava Java, Cattus Island County Park, Atlantic City Aquarium, Absecon Lighthouse, Lucy the Elephant, Panda Express. New Places for August: Monmouth Battlefield, NJ Vietnam Memorial & Museum, Smithville, Topanemus Burying Ground, Middletown Church. New Places for September: Surf Taco (Manasquan), Winward Tavern, Crown & Anchor Tattoo. New Places for October: Seaside Park Beach at 4 Street, Frightfest, Chowderfest. New Places for November: Stroudsburg PA, Hot Dog Johnny’s, Chef Mickey’s. New Places for December: Asbury Festhaus and Biergarten, Tom’s Restaurant, Central Park, Book Culture. New Places for January: Marquee Cinemas, Monmouth University Polling Institute, RWJ Hospital, Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury (last 2 are due to husband’s surgery..lame, yes, but nonetheless are new places). February: Count Basie Theater, the Dublin House.
Time for an update!
Since September started, life has been a whirlwind. In addition to adjusting to school demands and schedules, I had 4 articles assigned to me for the Fall 2015 issue of Jersey Shore Magazine. It has definitely resulted in an overwhelming feeling of disconnect.
Each of the article topics were awesome. I do not want to give away any spoilers, but all 4 were about things I am interested in. I had the opportunity to interview 5 fantastic people who each have made giant contributions to the community in their own way. It was truly an honor to get to know them better while sharing their stories with the readers of Jersey Shore magazine. The last article was emailed this morning to my publisher, along with the images I took to accompany the written words.
September has left me little time for seeing new places or to relax in general. However, I was able to catch up with many old friends yesterday as we celebrated the life of our friend, Roscoe. If any goodness can come out of this terrible loss, it is that so many of us were brought back together. What doesn’t matter is the years between the last time we saw or were in contact with each other. Instead, what does matter is that we are connected now. Again. Let that be one of Roscoe’s legacies.
September has brought some great memories, despite being so busy. Seeing my work friends again, going to the Seafood Festival in town, celebrating my husband’s birthday, seeing my Aunt who had serious cancer surgery earlier this month, laughing with my niece and nephews…those are the moments that make me smile.
I am looking forward to working on some personal projects in whatever down time I have, including a few book ideas and making my other blog, Soulseaker, better.
I make the promise to myself to find the goodness in every day, no matter how chaotic or stressful it is. I will find reasons to be grateful every day.
And I am focusing on being the best that I can be. I am going to try my best to go with the flow and not let “life” interfere with my frame of mind or my happiness. I will succeed.
I am borrowing an image from one of my favorite Facebook pages.
What I Did This Summer
Today is bittersweet. I’ve been getting my school bag ready, while putting my summer trinkets where they belong. It seems like yesterday was June, and here we are on the last day of August.
Usually I sit around during the summer wishing to do things with others, but this year, I DID THINGS! I am no longer sitting by letting life pass me by. I am enjoying our world, seeing new places, and making wonderful memories with family and friends.
And even though the calendar is flipping to a new month tomorrow, I will continue LIVING.
Here’s what I did this summer:
- I successfully recovered from surgery, and have been able to reduce my medications for Lupus…and lost a few pounds too! I feel great, and it’s been a LONG time since I could say that!
- I planted all of my flowers from seed, and have enjoyed all of the sunflowers, zinnias, salvia and marigolds that are still blooming.
- I had more monarch caterpillars on my milkweed than the past 2 summers combined, and the count at this moment is 2 butterflies that have emerged, 8 chrysalises left, 4 hanging caterpillars (soon to be chrysalises) and 2 smaller caterpillars.
- I enjoyed watching all of the different kinds of birds and butterflies that visited my yard every day.
- For one of my Fall article assignments, I researched and visited many local cemeteries to find the oldest headstone in the area. More to come on this!
- I took my niece to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, my one nephew to Six Flags Great Adventure, and another nephew to Jenkinson’s Aquarium and boardwalk twice. One on one time with Auntie Jill were great days, and I look forward to continuing this tradition next summer.
- I went to another Yankees Game at home with cherished friends, and got to see Jorge Posada honored by the Core 4 and more! Plus the Yankees won, and I also got to see Gardner hit a home run.
- I went to a few barbeques, a bridal shower, a wedding, and had many lunch dates with friends & family. I had a blast watching my niece at surf camp.
- I successfully began my other writing outlet/blog at soulseaker.com.
- I participated in Susannah Conway’s “August Break 2015” photo challenge, only missing one day (because I don’t cook, and the prompt was for a favorite recipe).
- I went to the Wings of Freedom WWII Aircraft Tour, the Manasquan Veterans Offshore Grand Prix Powerboat Race, weekly fireworks, and Classic Car Nights downtown.
- I visited the following places with friends: Atlantic City Aquarium, Absecon Lighthouse, Lucy the Elephant, Monmouth Battlefield, NJ Vietnam Veterans Museum & Memorial, Old Tennent Church (and other local cemeteries, as I mentioned earlier), Historic Smithville, Cattus Island County Park, and Cape May.
- I added a lot of pins and postcards to my collections.
- I treasured my beach walks, the sunrises, boardwalk walks, and just sitting outside in the beautiful weather.
I wish summer could last forever. But, since it can’t, I am so very grateful for my experiences and my memories.
Life can be pretty good, if you let it be.
Goal #2 COMPLETED!
Go to the State of Liberty and look out of the crown. COMPLETED on 8/12/15.
Well, at least half of the goal was completed. I took my niece to the Statue of Liberty on August 12, 2015. However, I didn’t realize that tickets to the pedestal and crown sell out months in advance. Because tickets were sold out, we weren’t able to make it inside the statue.
But that’s okay! I am happy that we weren’t able to make it inside, because it was quite warm, and because we would have spent most of our visit waiting on another line. Instead, my niece and I were able to walk around the grounds, take a lot of photos, and enjoy each other’s company.
When I first picked my niece up, she had no idea where we were going, and she tried asking for clues on our drive north. I had on my Old Navy flag tee, but she missed that subtle hint. After we exited the turnpike and were driving towards Liberty State Park, she saw the statue in the distance, and figured out that’s where we were headed. She was so excited, but I think I was more excited!
The ferry from Liberty State Park stops at Ellis Island first, but we stayed on to go to the Statue first. I was able to point out how the angle of light changes throughout the day, and how photographs taken at different times would look completely different, even though the pictures were of the same subject.
After we had lunch, ice cream, and a second walk around the Statue, we got onto the New York bound ferry, because that one’s next stop was Ellis Island. We walked around inside and learned a lot. I think what made the biggest impact was seeing the original graffiti under the plaster of the walls. The names, marks, and art left by people waiting to enter the United States of America years ago is still there.
When we left Ellis Island, we rode once again to the Statue but stayed on the Ferry. Again, I showed my niece how the lighting was different, and we looked at the various images each of us took throughout the day to see the difference in lighting. The first pictures of Manhattan were very flat, whereas the ones taken later in the day were more robust with the colors popping off of the buildings. Same with our pictures of Lady Liberty herself.
My niece and I discussed how there were so many interesting and historical places so close to where we lived, and all day long we saw people who traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to see the same places. We agreed that we were lucky, and that we should make it a point to see more places together.
Getting to have such a special day with my niece is something I will remember forever. She helped me fulfill one of my goals, and I helped give her memories she will hopefully remember forever. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful niece.
Below are some iPhone photos from the day. I will post a link here to my camera photographs when they are online.
Summer is now on the downslide…
Hello friends! I know it has been a while since I have updated this blog, but I have a good reason: I’ve been OUT THERE ENJOYING SUMMER!
Meals with friends…seeing new places…enjoying the weather…it’s all been wonderful. I am completely recovered from my surgery, and I proudly mowed the lawn on Sunday! It looks so neat and clean, and I love that I am the one who made it look like that. I missed mowing the lawn the most.
Here’s a list of what I’ve been up to over the past 3 weeks…quite different from summers past when I just sat around…
- I have enjoyed breakfast/lunches with friends and family members at Shore Points BBQ, Frankie’s, The Wharfside, Turning Point, Four Seasons Diner, Five Guys, Brick Diner, The Committed Pig, and Mariner’s Cove.
- I visited Cattus Island County Park for the first time and walked around with a friend while taking photographs.
- I went to Six Flags Great Adventure with my 10-year-old nephew and we had a blast! We went on Skull Mountain 16 times and the Mine Train 7 times, among other rides such as Congo River Rapids (and I got completely drenched, which he loved), Dark Knight Coaster, Safari, Log Flume, Skyride, Jolly Roger Train, Scrambler and more. The best question he asked was, “Where are the 6 Flags?” We couldn’t find them…
- I joined work friends for a day of adventures at the Atlantic City Aquarium, Absecon Lighthouse, and Lucy the Elephant. I had never been to any of these locations before, and I’ve wanted to see Lucy for 4 summers now…and I finally did. I also climbed to the top of the lighthouse with my friend, and we took a lot of breaks on the landings. I almost gave up, but I made it the whole way and am glad I persisted on. It was awesome to view the area from the top. It was a great day!
- I have laughed and played with my niece and nephews several times, and enjoyed every minute of it. I wrote a blog about one of my interactions with my nephew H on my other site. You can read that here.
- In the past few days alone I have watched the sunrise, cleaned up our yard, cataloged photographs, gone shopping with my sister in law, and updated my planner/written in my journals.
- I updated my “Living 44” Goal List and am confident that I will accomplish most, if not all, of the things I want to do while I am 44.
- I’ve been participating in Susannah Conway’s photo challenge for August called The August Break 2015. You can see my daily photographs on my instagram account, which is here.
Every year, I keep an ear tuned to the first time I hear the mid-afternoon hum of the insects…I don’t know how else to describe it. When I hear it for the first time, I know I must cherish each and every day left in summer. With a bit of dismay, I heard it for the first time on Friday, 7/31. The summer is now on the downslide, and September is closer with every passing day.
I am finding my DIRECTION, which is one of my other goals for 2015. One of the results of finding my direction is my other blog that I started in July called SoulSEAker. Please head on over there and follow my blog and my SoulSEAker social media accounts.
I am LIVING this summer, and LOVING all of the memories I am making.
What are some of your favorite memories from this summer? Share if you’d like in the comments section!
Goal #4 COMPLETED!
Hello friends! Some updates before I get to completing Goal 4, as I haven’t updated in a week.
I am feeling great after surgery! It been a very, VERY long time since I have felt this good. Lupus is behaving itself, and I think the surgery actually helped keep the Lupus symptoms at bay, and even subsided some of them. I never thought I would feel this good again, so I am ecstatic! I still have about 10 days until I see my doctor…no strenuous activity yet, but I’ve been getting out and about more and more, enjoying this summer season. I went to a Bridal Shower on the River Belle riverboat on Sunday, which I loved, and I also enjoyed watching my niece at surf camp this week.
I’m getting a lot of work done on my research project for the magazine I write for, and have spent a good portion of the last 2 rainy days making great headway. I hope to finish this project soon so I can start working on my articles for the fall 2015 issue. And I’ve picked about 10 quarts of blueberries total from our blueberry bushes this season, and it looks like today will be the last day of our harvest, then we can reopen the bushes to the birds and they can enjoy the straggler berries.
Now getting back to focus, I am happy to say that I crossed off #4 from my “10 Things I Will Do While I am 44” list: Sit at the Inlet and take photographs of the boats. I accomplished this goal on Friday, July 10, 2015. While I was only there for 4 hours instead of a whole day, 4 hours was just enough time for me to be there, considering the sun and the heat. I do anticipate another Inlet day, but there was something special about July 10.
You can read my detailed account by clicking here.
The link will also give you a visual to my new blog “SoulSEAker.” The tagline: “Sea”ing the Good Amid the Tides of Life.
As I wrote in my last entry, my goal for “SoulSEAker” is to write at least twice a week and keep most lessons centered around the sea. Read my mission statement and you’ll get a better idea of what I mean. SoulSEAker is the vision I have had for a few years, and it all came together in some strange insights last month. Please take a look if you are so inclined, and give me a follow. I hope my words and photos encourage others.
I will still be maintaining Living 44 to document my year and days, kind of like a diary format.
I am looking forward to making more wonderful memories this week…summer memories, because summer is the best time of year.
What are you looking forward to this week? Feel free to leave a comment! Thanks for reading and have a splendid day!
Making Progress!
Hello friends!
I just looked through my list of 10 things I will do while I am 44, and realized I needed to modify my original list because of health/medical concerns and scheduling conflicts. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to complete the things I removed, but unfortunately, they cannot be accomplished this year. They will be added, instead, to next year’s list.
I was able to cross off fireworks in July, which made me so happy. It has been a very long time since I watched the fireworks on July 4 for a variety of reasons. This year, though, I went up to the beach with my family and we had a wonderful time viewing the fireworks to the south and to the north. Luckily, a resident was shooting off his own display about a block away, and his show did not disappoint.
On the health front, I am recovering well and can drive again. I did a little too much last week, and learned my lesson, so no lifting or strenuous activity for another few weeks. The pain is less and less every day. What’s killing me is NOT being able to mow the lawn. It is one of my summertime pleasures, and I mow like a boss with our 1979 Black and Decker electric lawn mower. We don’t have much of a lawn to mow, and sure, I trip over the cord all the time and get tangled up. However, that little lawn mower just keeps on going and takes down anything in the way. There’s a method to my madness, and with my health issues, I need to mow on a day I am doing nothing else because it sooo drains my energy. In my head, I have our yard divided up into 5 zones. And when I’m finished with Zone 5, there’s nothing like looking at the yard after I mowed it…such a feeling of satisfaction, despite the grime, the dirt, the sweat, the heat, the red face, and the loss of energy. I cannot wait to mow the lawn again!
I have been using my recuperation time to not only research for my next assignments for Jersey Shore Magazine, but also to set up another writing outlet, a blog different from this one. I will still be maintaining Living 44 to document my year and days. My new blog is called “SoulSEAker.” The tagline: “Sea”ing the Good Amid the Tides of Life.
My goal is to write at least twice a week and keep most lessons centered around the sea. Read my mission statement and you’ll get a better idea of what I mean. SoulSEAker is the vision I have had for a few years, and it all came together in some strange insights last month. Please take a look if you are so inclined, and give me a follow. I hope my words and photos encourage others.
In other news, yesterday I picked 4 QUARTS of blueberries from our blueberry bushes…man are they good! I enjoyed watching the US Women’s Soccer Team win the World Cup Final, and even more proud of captain Christie Rampone, who graduated with my brother. She is a class act and such a role model for female athletes everywhere, and my niece looks up to her very much.
On the flipside, I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow, as I will be attending services for one of my students who passed away last week. D was a lovely young woman, polite, respectable, very intelligent, kind and soft spoken…the kind of student you want in EVERY class, EVERY year…the kind of student you want to keep forever. D was going to be a member of our Advanced Journalism family next school year, so her loss hits much harder for me. It will be difficult to say goodbye to her tomorrow, and her absence WILL be felt every day next school year. D had a lot of friends, who are hurting so much, and I pray that they are able to get through losing yet another Hawk.
Whenever a student is having a bad day, I always say that I wish he/she could come live in my “safe bubble,” where he/she is protected from physical and emotional pain, where life is good, where nothing ever goes wrong and everyone who lives there is kind and compassionate. Boy, do I wish I could make my safe bubble a real place right now.
Please, as a tribute to D, let those you care about KNOW you care about them, for you never know when it will be too late. And, do something kind for someone else in D’s memory.
This post is a lot longer than I had anticipated, and thanks if you are still reading! What progress have you made towards one of your goals this week? Please share in the comments section…I’d love to hear!
June Update
Hello friends,
I am now 11 days post-surgery and I am healing well. I will be able to drive on Friday, and return to a little more activity as I feel good. I still cannot do anything strenuous until my next doctor appointment, which is at the end of July. I’m in just a little bit of pain now, and can get around quite well.
I’ve hated wasting these beautiful summer days though! Luckily, I have been able to get outside a bit every day. So far, I have picked 5 pints of blueberries from our blueberry bushes, and spent some time this morning with a friend wandering around the local shopping area after enjoying breakfast.
I am very thankful that I have my husband, friends and family to help me get back to 100%. So many times I have seen friends go through such issues with their own family members, and I am so lucky that I can count on my family, no questions asked.
I’ve been working on some freelance article assignments while housebound, and I love the opportunity to write lately. In fact, later on this week, I hopefully will be officially launching my next writing venture. I will still be keeping this blog as a way to share my 44th year still, but I will also be focusing on a new arena and I am so excited for it! Once I announce it, I hope you will join me on my new journey.
Until then, friends, be well and be safe. What are you going to do today for YOU? Please share with me! I’d love to know!
Random Musings…Now That The Summer Is Here
Hello friends! As you already know, my summer started a few days earlier than the rest of my colleagues due to unavoidable surgery. I am on the mend and feeling pretty good. Every day since, the pain and fatigue has gotten to be less and less. Today I spent some time outside, saw a wonderful friend when we picked up lunch, and ventured out again to walk while food shopping. While I am taking it easy, I did miss the traditional “end of the school year” customs, such as waving goodbye to the buses, talking summer with colleagues and hugging my friends who won’t be back in September goodbye. It’s such a drastic change, doing from BUSY BUSY BUSY to nothing, and I love this time of every year. There’s a song by Michael Franks called “Now that the Summer is Here,” and it sums up these early summer days perfectly. Give it a listen, if you haven’t already.
I was so blessed to have excellent caregivers while in the hospital, including the mother of a very special former student, who was my post-surgery nurse. Talk about a small world! The compassion and care provided to me was just heartwarming. I also enjoyed a visit from a great friend and her husband, and received many well wishes. Going through this made me appreciate home even more than before. My activity will be limited until I see my doctor next week, but I am enjoying the birds, the blooming daylillies, the blueberries that are almost ready to be picked, and our little fish pond more than in the past.
It’s strange…while in the hospital, and even now, I feel relieved…like I made it over the proverbial “hump.” The day after my surgery, I was in pain and very uncomfortable, but I felt at peace and was filled with happiness. I’m 4 months into my 44th year, and for the first time in MANY years, I am smiling as I look to the future. I do not know what it will hold, but I am so filled with peace and calm. No stress, no doubt, no fears.
Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes, who took care of me, and who helped me out in any way over the past few weeks. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.
The summer is just starting, and this little surgical road block won’t hold me back for long. I look forward to writing, to seeing new places, to learning something new, and to making awesome memories with family and friends.
Today I am thankful for TODAY. What are you thankful for?
Living 44 