I'll just say it: I hate this time of year. This morning, we packed away all the Christmas decorations and took down the tree. Now the house looks kind of bleak and bare. Our three-year-old grandson, Noah, will be devastated to see that all the Santas (which he calls "ho-hos") have disappeared. The holiday parties are over and soon the homes in our neighborhood will not be sporting lights and decorations. It's pitch dark in the morning when I drive to my daughter's house to get the kids off to school and dark when my son-in-law arrives home from work. I feel like the grumpy Santa shown here. Bah humbug. OK. I feel better having gotten that out of my system. So what to do in the New Year? I still have to go to physical therapy twice a week and do my exercises at home (see previous post). I want to start reading again. Toby and I will walk greater distances around the neighborhood. Perhaps there is a volunteer job I would like. I'll put out some feelers about freelance writing. Andy and I can take some day trips around Dallas. Now that I can be on my feet longer, we'll take in the museum district in Fort Worth. 2018 is sounding better all the time. Springtime in Texas can't be far away and I have things to do.
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Many of you know that in mid-September of last year, I underwent major spine surgery. After nearly eight hours in the OR with incisions front, back and side, I am now the possessor of enough titanium cages, screws, and rods to correct a half dozen misaligned vertebrae, a 27 degree curve, pinched sciatic nerve and significant arthritis. Four days in the hospital (none of which I remember thanks to big doses of happy medicine), nine more in a rehabilitation center and I was home to finish recovering. In some ways, that was the easy part.
Therapy began in the hospital, and continued in the rehab center and at home via a visiting therapist. Then I began twice-weekly sessions at an outpatient center, consisting of 90-minute workouts including bike pedaling, recumbent sled pushing, wall pushups, squats and my personal favorite--sitting on a large ball while kicking, marching and doing exercises with a latex resistance band (much harder than it sounds). Then its off to a table for more exercises, topped off by a therapist stretching, twisting and bending your limbs while you try not to yell. Dessert is ice or heat. This doesn't count what you do on "off" days. Oh, no. You are given a home program of exercises including many of the same ones you do at the center. I now have my own big blue ball and use two cans of garbanzos as a substitute for the medicine ball used for stretching. Our dachshund Toby watches me in amused silence as I go through my paces. I won't lie. It's much easier to stay motivated when someone is coaching you along. The payoff for these efforts is that I feel pretty much back to myself, with a few exceptions. Loading and unloading the dishwasher can still be uncomfortable and I can't tie my shoes. I have to use the sock-putter-on gadget they gave me in rehab, which makes me feel ancient. I'm told that it will be about nine months before my back feels normal. With any luck, I'll have another 20 years to use my new spine. In the meantime, I'll grin and bear it! Although I'm a few days late in sending a New Year's message, I do want to wish all of my friends and readers a very happy and healthy 2018.
The title of my blog comes from one of my favorite songs from the TV show Nashville. The lyrics talk about the simple things we need in life to satisfy us. Indeed, this is a happy and much less complicated time in my life, without the often intense pressures of my job and the freedom to pretty much do whatever I like. After years of living in rented condos, my husband and I were lucky to find the perfect retirement nest in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett, TX, complete with a pool and outdoor living spaces. We're just blocks from our daughters and three young grandchildren, and play a significant and satisfying role in their lives (our son Pete lives in Richmond, VA). Andy and I just celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary. Our health is good and we have all that we need and want. In this third year of my eighth decade on the planet, I'm well aware that nearly everything about this existence could change in an instant. Some of those closest to us have already experienced these painful transitions in their lives, which has made us value what we have even more. So...I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you. Sometimes I'll look back, sometimes forward and often just focus on what's good about the present day. |
AuthorI'm Chris Barabasz, retired from a 35-year career managing communications for health care development (that's fundraising for you civilians). I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and freelance writer. My husband Andy and I moved from Delaware to Texas to be closer to our daughters and three adorable grandchildren. Archives
January 2024
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