Patient's #Father Breaks My Heart...

Last night I was sitting in the waiting room of a radiology place scheduled for a MRI.* It was a 5:30 p.m. appointment so my mom could take me after her teaching job. Right now, I have too many drugs in my system to drive and we only have one vehicle working (mine!) so that's why I need a chauffeur. Plus, for some reason, I don't know if it is the medicine or ME but I am a lot more anxious these days so that factors in too.

( When you see a * go to the bottom of blog for more info.) 

Back to the waiting room... I am done filling out my name, address, prescriptions, allergies, and the "why are you here today" questions on the clipboard. Those of you that regularly go to doctor appointments know what I am talking about, right? Some handle over what seem to be the same size as War & Peace to fill out, am I right? I've already written my memoir many a time, many a waiting room! Ha!  My favorite part are the uncomfortable chairs & outdated magazines... yeah, right! Actually, this place I was at most recently had comfortable  high-back chairs & believe-it-or-not UPDATED magazines! CURRENT ones! Within the last few months! Jackpot!
  Like a Barnes-n-Noble rack! Good thing, my poor Mom had to wait FOR-EVER 
for me! I thought it would be a quick MRI! Like my Mom reminded me, "Are they ever quick and easy, quick-and-be-done?" Um. No.

But believe it or not, I am not here to talk ALL about ME! {wink!} Actually, the reason I am writing this lil' post is because of something I heard. Yes, I did a bit of eavesdropping that goes wa-aaay back in family! My great-grandmother was great at it! She could listen to a few conversations at a time even. Not me. There was no one else in the place but my Mom and I and the following couple. And the "Dad" makes himself noticeable very quickly.

We sit across from a couple - a Mom and a Dad - as I fill out paperwork and then try to read my book. But between the FOX News (no comment) directly above us and the parents, I was NOT impressed

See why...

The Dad already seems like he had been sitting through a long ball game. He seems to sit still and talk to his wife as best he can... But it never lasts too long. He stands up and the receptionist says to him, "Not too long now." He grumpily sits back down in his chair. He chats with his wife for a few more minutes before saying he needs "some air." I didn't know if that was code for stretching, some actual air, or something else.

He comes back in rather quickly and sits down. 

"I just don't get it," he says of his 14-year-old son. Here it comes: "All he has to is lay there." 
AGHHHH! 
Is he serious?

"Remain Still" -- In the MRI
 you have no other option

The father squirms in his seat, kicks his heels.

I am appalled as I hear the words. Shocked. 

They say something about video games, falling asleep. 

"I move so much when I sleep," comments the Mom, indicating that might be a problem for the son if he did try to nap during the MRI.

I've had numerous - A LOT - of MRIs and not once have I fallen asleep. OK, those of you that have had a MRI, I really want to HEAR from you: 

HAVE you:
1) Taken a Nap; 

2) Felt closed-in, fearful, wanted out by the time it was over;  

3) Didn't mind it; 

4) Wanted to scream, yell "Save me!!!" * 

Or... Tell Me Your Story in the Comments Below! 

# ##

Back in the radiology waiting room...

Dad: [stretches again & looks over at receptionist window]

Receptionist: He should be right out any minute.  

I can tell the Dad looks extremely relieved after waiting and doing his "hard" job. 

I wonder if the boy had IV contrast (The tech gives you a shot about halfway through and sometimes you can taste it - metal-like, i.e. pennies or nickel) 

For MRIs, you have to remain very still for the duration of the exam. Depending on the tech, you can wiggle a second between segments. Often, there is a contraption to squeeze  (the tech places in your hand) and you can have a longer moment to stretch and then return to the MRI. But you can't do that every time. Maybe 1-2 at most. Any longer, it just takes more time to get out of there - period. And it puts techs off their schedules. Remember you want to be on their good side. You might be back! If it is serious and you are in pain or feeling nauseous, by all means, that's different. Push/press the button. Being in that tube for 1, 2 or more hours can put a drain on the psyche. That's when the Hawaiian getaway or favorite football plays are best remembered, replayed.

###

Clad in a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt, the teen-aged boy walks out the door past me toward his parents.He look dazed, yet relieved. I want to go walk up and give him a hug, figuring this was his first or at least one of his first MRIs. It's a transformative experience. Some may shake their head. Some may say, "Come on." Being in a slender tube nearly the size of a casket with loud noises -- it's not music, it's close to construction noise but even that has a rhythm that this does not. It is dissonant bams, rattles, and other funky - and I mean funky - noises science has conjured up. I feel for the young man. It probably wasn't easy.

The Dad asks how the MRI went. "All right, I guess," he says, shrugging his shoulders. Quick, to-the-point. Teenage-speak. I definitely remember the son was was not smiling. 

At least the MRI was done. As the trio file through the doors, I wonder about family dynamics like that. The father shows up. Yet, did he do it because the wife was afraid to drive a far distance? They could be from the country. It seemed from the time I was there to evaluate the situation, the Dad did not want to be there. Or was he just anxious to get home? Or anxious for his kid? He could have just as easily waited at home as my Mom notes that night. 

The whole reason for this blog entry is his comment: His son has the easy job! In the MRI ! 

No. 1: Obviously, the Dad never had a MRI.

No. 2  He needs a brain scan of some sort! 

No. 3  He did mention earlier he hopes his son didn't have homework. He has some heart! 

THE ULTIMATE RESULTS -- The Doctor is in...

I've just always been supported before and after my MRIs! Like I said in a previous blog posts. My Dad gave me advice about my first visit in a MRI. Since then, my mom and extended family, especially my Aunt Jamie, have been there to discuss all the crazy adventures we've had together... Even that one late Friday evening in Houston at M.D. Anderson. This was when I still had my spinal chord stimulator in my body and my pain doctor said, "it would be fine" if I got MRIs. Say, what?!? So here I was with my Aunt Jamie, my Mom and we were waiting and waiting in another waiting room with NO magazines and wondering when my name would be called. When we finally saw someone we asked if it was OK if I went in the MRI machine with my stimulator because I still had apprehension about it. I will never forget that man's startled, OMG look. Plus, it was like 7:30 p.m. On a Friday night. I was NOT happy to be there then. It's a Friday for goodness sake!

Long story short: My pain doctor was wrong. GRRR... That night I waited for several hours and never had anything done. That's right. Nothing. No money reimbursement. Yeah, right. Like hospitals DO THAT! HA! I was so mad that night. Remember, I don't live in Houston. Neither does my aunt. We live 1.5-2 hours away. To be told that MRIs could be done was one of the reasons I put the blasted thing in. But... That is for another day. No MRI. Mark my words: That is the one day I was unhappy not to have a MRI!

Reveal time!
Tell me YOUR most dramatic MRI story... Funniest one... (is there one out there... Come on! I want to hear it!) ... And your first time... in a MRI!  DO TELL! Any & all... MRI stories!!! Bring 'em! 

 ©The Healing Redhead

---------------

*Magnetic Resonance Imaging, my blog entry on first MRI: 

*Unfortunately, the MRI tech did not look like your type, your Prince(ness) Charming! 

Images via: http://www.magnet.fsu.edu/; Microsoft 

Through the View-Master ~ The Year 2012 & Looking Ahead

As 2012 came to a rapid close, I found myself looking back over the year's events, favorite memories, and "a few of my favorite things," although whiskers on kittens would not be my first choice! Ha! If ANY of you know me, it would be dog whiskers! {Smile!} 

By Pinot & Dita on Pinterest

This process of looking back is much like... Well, I remember that favorite old toy of mine, the View-Master,  pressing the side crank down and another picture appeared as if by magic. It was usually my favorite characters, the Muppets or maybe the Smurfs, as they trot off on new adventures. With each new click a new photo appeared with the occasional flub and the previous photos popped up. Before long, it was working again: click, click, click... Lil' happy red-haired girl with her red half-camera, half- binoculars contraption attached to her forehead. It was one of my favorite things as a youngin'...  For this blog post, though, we are merely pretending, of course, to use this relic of my youth to <<Click<< through 2012... 

<<Click.<<

Well, last year {2012} did not get off to a rollicking start like I had hoped. You always want to start the year as smoothly as you can but sometimes it's out of your control. I had worried about the moment of Bridger's passing for quite awhile (my chocolate lab) because I knew how devastating it would be... And I WAS RIGHT. 

Just this week, I burst into tears in the middle of an unusually frigid Texas night realizing how terribly, terribly cold I was that night.* 

 (Note: *See comment at the bottom of the blog when you see *)

Bridger snuggled next to me at my house on in Moscow, Idaho, and in the Idaho backcountry under the stars, next to the mountains (near bears!). When he passed away, a very good friend did something very special in Bridger's honor I will never forget and another devoted friend sent a special card. I also received many lovely messages via social networks, especially Facebook. And for those who aren't pet people, this may all seem strange, ridiculous, or crazy. But you are the crazy one for not letting a cat, dog, bird, horse, etc. into your life... There's something for just about everyone. Yet,  if you are not the type to live with a turtle or feline, that's OK, too! I won't hold it against you... Too long! It's just animals make a life have such dimension and I would hate to deny that to anyone.

Me in the MIDDLE -- Bridger (left) & Sierra (right)

++ Bridger 2001-2012 *This post is dedicated to him!* ++

<<Click.<<

With guidance from a good friend from Idaho (thanks Sue M. for the helpful nudge)  and my Mom (she will always help me get a dog! LOL) I opened my life and my arms to a new lil' fella, Oliver Valentine -- complete with a heart on his head -- for real! I got him just days before Valentine's Day. I was happy but I will say there were some bittersweet moments because it wasn't all fresh, easy like getting a first dog. There were memories, strong and bright, of another dog before him. Part of me felt a guilty for getting another dog. I have since gotten over that (It took time) and Oliver has helped me in my grieving process as well as Sierra, my rescue lab. Both dogs are amazing healers -- in this house it's just the holistic kind I speak of! No on-the-leash training... Sierra does pretty well on a leash, though, for a rescue! Good DOG! Oliver is a WiLD buck! He's in training now! Ha! Although, he does have his sweet, still moments... when he is snoring loudly in my arms! 

<<Click.<<

Back to Miss Good Dog, Sierra... She celebrated her third So-Glad-You-Made-It party! And she knows it's her day! :) It's so adorable! See, right when I moved to Texas my lil' girl, my lab rescue I've had now six years, got the worst news imaginable: cancer. Luckily, I was about to move to College Station, home to Texas A&M & a great Vet School. So, off we went. I don't know which of us shook more. I did my best to comfort her during the visit. Long story short, there was talk of expensive chemo, cutting off her back leg (it was in her paw), or taking a bunch of pills a day. After much deliberation and even a talk with a vet friend of mine, I took the pill route. And... Go figure, it worked. We've been very lucky to have her! This sounds corny but I mean every last word: She has taught me more than I have taught her! It's true! It's really amazing when I stop to think what all she has taught me.

<<Click.<<

I thought I was so cool being The Bionic Woman having to charge myself every week and of course it made for great conversation! Before I get ahead of myself, let me say this: I had a spinal cord stimulator put in 2011. See, spinal cord stimulation  "uses an electrical current to treat chronic pain. A small pulse generator, implanted in the lower back, sends electrical pulses to the spinal cord. These pulses interfere with the nerve impulses that make patients' feel pain." The stimulator was placed on the upper right side of my hip and leads were placed in my spine. For awhile it seemed to help some of my Neurofibromatosis/Schwannomatosis pain then it was like the pain got so deep, penetrating no amount of specialized programming from the stimulator would help. I had to get it out!  So, last year I scheduled an outpatient surgery with a local surgeon here in the College Station area rather than going into Houston.* So, I am no longer the Bionic Woman & I no longer plug myself in. Dang. It sounded so cool. Definitely a sci-fi memoir. {wink}

<<Click>>

New drug, new Me!

The greatest ME news is my switch to the drug, Gabapentin!  I have had more energy and don't spend every minute on the couch. For the majority of this year and the last three-plus years it's been a struggle to keep from staying off the couch & bed. If you read this blog, you know my story!  Stay tuned for more on my progress.

This past Christmas holiday was particularly special. I was able to make a variety of holiday goodies to share with my Mom's co-workers, my friends in Idaho, and our family here in Texas. Plus, I enjoyed quite a few chocolate chippers!  Yum! 

I'll be downright honest, I don't have a ton of fancy bullet points this year. Insert SAD FACE. I did spend a lot of time dealing with pain issues with a pillow under my head and I may or may not have been gritting my teeth. I hope 2013 will have more sparkle, beauty, and love.  I plan to focus on my writing even more, exercise/strengthening my body, and cooking/baking. And, of course, hanging out with my dogs! 

To my followers, I wish you the very best in the new year! Here's to a wonderful 2013!  To a healing, positive, transformative year. But, wait...

By Jessie (shopsweetlulu) from Pinterest

You gotta see my...

Favorite Things from 2012:

--Can't live without my Greek yogurt! I crave it like crazy... For breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert! Not all in the same day! The fun part? Toppings! And guess what they're even healthy too...mostly! Here's a sampling: slivered almonds, dried pineapple, dried cranberries, walnuts, coconut, etc. 

--My Best Book of the Year: Ask Me Why I Hurt -- Believe it or not, this is not a chronic pain story. Yet it is still tragic and heart-wrenching, and at the same time life-affirming. You must read it. It sprinkled  with humor, love, and relationships (co-workers, doctor-patient; father-mother; and wife-husband.) It's a book set up of dichotomies: rich and poor, sick and heathy, insured and uninsured, etc. The book follows doctor-turned-hero Randy Christensen. Trained as a pediatrician, he works not in a typical hospital or clinic setting but, rather, in a 38-foot Winnebago that has been turned into a doctor's office on wheels. His patients are the city's homeless adolescents and children. It's an amazing story, actually mini stories within a larger arcing story. It's a wow-piece. I think it should be read by every American in order to see what our poverty story looks like. This is just one portion of a bigger story but it is a well-told, lasting portion. These "characters" will resonate. Then you will remember these aren't characters.

--Fun, light reading -- Take A Bite! You can't read grand literature every day. The ol' brain needs a break. I found a cute lil' collection of books called the Hannah Swensen Murder Series!  It is VERY LIGHT reading but gives me a chance to sit back and completely immerse myself in something... Delicious. See, the author's books all feature treats! Scoop 'em up! http://www.murdershebaked.com/ 

Pray for cookies? Well... I didn't have molasses at the house and I wanted a few gingerbread cookies... I remembered Pillsbury makes an OK version during the holidays. I had made everything from scratch this year but I was running out of baking steam. While shopping at HEB, our local grocery store, the gleaming package of Gingerbread Spice called out to me from the - you won't believe it unless you've tried it - the Immaculate Baking Co. Perhaps it's my Catholic roots and/or the colorful folk-art packaging. It got better the more I read: "made with high-quality organic, natural ingredients." The next day the house filled with an aroma not too sweet, a delicate blend of holiday spices: ginger, clove, and cinnamon. I was, indeed, in heaven. I just needed a glass of milk. Oh, and my Mom was kindly doing the honors of taking the sweet lil' bites out of the oven (Boy, she was nice to volunteer!) while I wrap a few presents! Fa-la-la... GIMME!  I gotta try one of these aromatic delights! They do not disappoint! *

The Immaculate Baking Co. 

Products include: Wonderful array of cookies, pie crusts & biscuit, scone, cinnamon roll and crescent roll doughs!  Yum, yum, YUMMMMMMY!

 http://www.immaculatebaking.com/

@@@

Did you know: The View-Master was introduced in 1939! Still a hit today as wedding invitations. Expensive ones! 

++++ Would you like to guest blog, leave a private comment, or have a topic for a blog post? Please send a note via e-mail at lesliee30@gmail.com & in the Subject Line - put The Healing Redhead. Thanks! ++++

©The Healing Redhead

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*Oliver was close by that night in the bed -- just not close enough. Don't get e wrong, I am so appreciative of his presence in my life! In fact, there are some Bridger-esque things Ollie does that just make me smile sometimes. I just miss my first boy a great deal. We had a lot of wonderful memories. It's hard for me to even believe I can miss a dog this much. I do. A LOT. He was a major part f my life for 10.5 years. It's a healing process,

*WebMD.com source

*I loved the hospital, doctor, and the rest of the staff! It was such a great hospital experience. Day surgery rocks!

*Gluten-free products available. See Web site. The Cinnamon rolls (a five-pack) are heavenly! Try 'em! You'll be prayin' for more! ;) 

A lesson in the cookie dough

A cookie is round but not perfect.

When I make cookies I am always trying to make each perfect, erase any blemishes, get each one so that they look as bakery perfect as possible. See, I roll out cookies sometimes five to seven times so that it might look right because the previous try had a tear, lump, crease, or just didn't look right to me. Yeah, it's a bit crazy. Or a lot crazy.

Then I realized something last week. A big something.

Start Over

Not only am I far from being perfect -- Woooah, Waiiit, I realized a looong while ago! That's not it! Move along before I get comments on THAT! I actually have a genetic kink* that makes me even more unique you could say. We've been discussing that in previous blog posts, too. My pursuit of perfectionism and my genetic condition collided in that one moment last week baking with that rolling pin. It was an a-ha moment or maybe it was just my pup Oliver running by in his holiday collar complete with a jingle bell (so cute, by the way!). Seriously now, how can I so easily erase a mild bump, a ridge in the dough? Press it away? Press it flat... What does that say about me? 

Who am I really? I have always been in the pursuit of perfection. If the cake can ook like the cookbook photo, I'm going for it. If there's no photo, I don't bother with the recipe. Am I superficial? Maybe. Maybe I need a guide to go by. In any case, the cast-aside dough made its statement. It scared me. It still does a bit. This is more than cookie dough. I like myself. I hate what these tumors have done to me -- anyone would. In all truth, this condition has actually made me even more giving, accepting, and loving of others. I will admit I am still working on letting people into my life. For some reason, that's never been easy for me. I recognize that and I am working on it.

HOT! Cookies! 

All THIS amidst the lingering aroma of spice sugar cookies! Can you believe it?  The biggest take-away lesson: Not only do the "duds" -- the cookies that come out of the oven twisted, bent and crispy! You know -- not-so-perfect ones -- they taste the best, they give the holiday season character. I mean who doesn't want an extra chocolate chip on Frosty's belly? A wild sprinkling of nonpareils on a candy cane or cut-out tree? Extra, Extra frosting on the gingerbread cupcakes... Yes, yes and Y-E-S!

                                                                     ------------

It's not easy to let go at times.  Perhaps it is stress or anxiety.  I have heaps of it-- enough to fill Santa's sleigh and then some. I'm not just talking about at Christmas either. Of course, pain makes its entrances and exits when it wants to like an unwanted guest. No matter how many times you put up the DO NOT ENTER or Leave ME Alone sign the pain tears it down and tramples on in like a crazy drunk, not listening, stumbling through the body, ready to rip through whatever is in its path, unrelenting. I never know where the pain might hit but when it does, I have to brace to myself, hold onto to something sturdy. I beg for it to stop but it's no use. Luckily, a new medicine has quieted the beast of pain. I am able to enjoy afternoons again, weekends, and I even have more energy. I have been doing a lot more lately. The biggest change as I said before is the baking! It can be so enjoyable, fun, and rewarding. Even I would say meditative. 

Really, you say? Meditative?

Baking is my serenity in between the storms, the lightning leg pains, the thunderous plummet of pain as it hits out of nowhere. Baking is among few other beautiful activites that gives me solace.  Measuring, sifting, and pouring puts me in a zone, a zone that only gets interrupted by a door bell or a dog barking. It is wonderful.

I am so thankful for this. Especially this year! I haven't been able to bake like this in years.  I bought a Kitchen-Aid mixer several years ago and this year I have finally felt like it's mine. It's been christened with sugar cookie dough, spice sugar cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough (two batches), Nutter Butter truffle mix, Oreo truffle mix, snowball cookies... And I'm not done! I even made homemade whipped cream last Saturday! 

I was watching the Rachael Ray Show (I DVRed it from several days ago) when singer Richard Marx was her co-host. Did you catch that episode? Boy, he's funny to watch in the kitchen! He needed help dumping noodles into the strainer/colander, if that tells you anything! He also needed help grading nutmeg! I was afraid to watch! Giggle! That's not what I wanted to talked about, though! It was a previous segment on yummy latkes (basically dolled up potato pancakes).  The cookbook author and NYT columnist Melissa Clark presented the traditional Hanukkah food to the audience. She actually mentioned to my delightful surprise that cooking for her is meditative. I could SO understand  where she was coming from. This was in response to a question by Richard Marx who asked both women if they liked to cook when they get home given both jobs deal so much with food... Both women said they still love cooking. I think it has so much to do with passion. Passion for cooking.

When I had my writing job I came home and took writing courses or wrote on my own. If the passion is there, it's all you need often times. Having an outlet in life is key. For these women, cooking is an outlet. Much like baking is for me. Filling candy baking cups with rich chocolate batter is part of being in my zone. Rach's is making burgers & Melissa's is topping a beet latke (looked marvelous on TV!) with a horseradish sauce.*  To see more on the RR segment, go to: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/ and type in latkes in the search engine.

Being in the zone is one of the greatest gifts life can give to us. For so long, the brain fog of drugs has not even allowed me to connect on certain levels -- to books, even edit friends' work, etc. My brain is slowly coming back to me. Being in the zone connected to the dough as a baker has allowed  me to realize this. What a welcomed feeling! Nearly as good as the yummy treats I'm making... NEARLY!

Before the oven

Commercials always make holiday baking look inviting, fun. The chocolate chip one pulls me in EVERY time! You know which one I'm talking about, right? As bad as a Hallmark commercial or Frosty melting... Kids love Rudolph with "his nose so bright" and I love him, too, yet it was the guy with "the corncob pipe and a button nose" who made this

little red-haired girl very sad one day. Always at Christmastime, my parents talked about how I cried and cried when I first saw Frosty the Snowman melt as part of the television special. I will never live that down! Ha! Ha! 

I love this time of year and I feel blessed I am able to enjoy it more because of the new pain medication I am taking. The pain is by no way gone but I am feeling much, much more like Leslie as anyone can tell by the amount of baked goods on my Facebook & Twitter accounts!

Merry Christmas & Happy Hannukah!  --The Healing Redhead

P.S. Race you to the cookie tray! First dibs on the "dud!" 

*I have Schwannomatosis, a form of Neurofibromatosis. Big words, I know. All you really need to know is that tumors grow on nerves causing pain. Surgery is sometimes is needed to get the pesky tumors out. More information: www.ctf.org/ 

*I think it was a sauce but I'm not 100% so don't kill me. All I know is that it looked dang good ad my mouth is watering and I want to have latkes sometime this holiday but my food processor is in storage. Maybe I can borrow one from family? Wink, wink!  

©The Healing Redhead

(All photos by Yours Truly  Leslie Einhaus, other images by Microsoft clip art)

'Small moments win'

(*Check the end of the blog)

The "attitude of gratitude" on Facebook has had me thinking. Yes, I know, shocking, isn't? For those of you unaware, some folks on Facebook are using status updates during November to show love to their parents, kids, co-workers, etc. It's all about showing what you are thankful from BIG to small given that it's the month of Thanksgiving.

Here's the deal, as much as the big ticket items should get their due, I want the small things to get the recognition they deserve. So many times, the little things get overlooked, passed by, and simply missed. I believe the little things are so often best things! Not to discount the parents, kids, and co-workers -- NO WAY! They are MUCHO important. I just want the spotlight turned on the little things, too. I know in a month's time small items will make people's list as you will see in a little bit. Here are a few of the examples that could very much be worthy of gratitude if on my lil' list:
-Christmas twinkle lights;
-Warmth of a fire;
-The bare page, empty screen; (a writer thing)
-Puppy hug;
-Holiday creamers;
-The first page of really good book;
-Sappy holiday movies on Lifetime & Hallmark channels (my DVR is full!) and
-Sonic happy hour!

After a long day, a hot bubble bath or shower is one of the best things in the world. Some might argue something else is (cue Barry White!) but I'm not going there. That's for someone else's blog. Ha!
I gave a maid of honor speech at a wedding reception for my friends Matt and Sarah [Baney] several years ago in Idaho and I told the happy couple that the big events in their marriage are, of course, important and worthy of the picture book and, I guess now, worthy of the Smart phone, or what I call the Smarter-than-Us phone or the Smarter-than-Me phone. The big events are special, champagne moments but the small ones will bind you both together, connect you as a couple. These will be the moments you will look back on the most and be most grateful for as a couple. Now even though I didn't quite word it like that then, I am now for the sake of this post and the intrinsic message remains: small moments win. I think it's a great lil' message this time of year!

The following are two recent excerpts from Facebook.com*
"While I'm not doing the 30 days of thankfulness here on FB, I did feel quite thankful today for public libraries. . . . as I was walking out with a bag of 35 books. How lucky we are! Thank you Benjamin Franklin (and others)."
--Jolene Cihak-Taylor

"I am thankful for music that begs to be blasted and sung along with such as Blister in the Sun" --Liza Woods Anderson





Both are small moments that have big impact. Each reflect what life is truly about: celebration and the simple fact of R&R: sittin' back with a good book or rockin' out to your favorite tune!
Quick note on public libraries. I love 'em. I could do a whole post on 'em and probably will one of these days just to show those of you out there what you're missing. Get ready: free movies, magazines, books! For all ages! But for now, a simple statement of thankfulness! We are all indeed lucky to have our libraries. I will say that I recently checked out my first e-books from my local library this fall. Earlier this year I was busy to and from the same library getting books the old-fashioned way and I even got an old-fashioned fine. Oops! But it wasn't very much. Little did I know I could call in my books from home. It's merely getting hang of the system again. I've been buying my books for awhile now and simply not needing the library as much. Yet every place I've lived I've owned a library card and used it. It's a simple pleasure we often overlook. Young parents, it's definitely something to consider, if you don't already. What a great lesson for the kiddos!
There's a song or many on the radio or one you can play on your iPod and instantly you are transported, right? There's probably a lot!

Here's one. It's embarrassing. Nervous giggle. It's after school, fifth grade, Stevensville, Montana, in my room with two gal pals from a new school I was attending listening to Tiffany. Yes, Tiffany. We we're gossiping about boys. I knew every word of the song by heart.

Then, there was Kathy Mattea's "18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses." I was on the road with my Mom and we are headed to the mountains or Texas. It's sometime during what I call the "Moving Years." It's dusk and we were trying to decide whether to go on another 60 miles or stop in the town that's next up on the yellow line. I look in my Best Western catalog and try to pick a good place to stay for the night. In the rearview mirror, I can see Dad in the the moving van. I am mouthing the words to every last lyric. "Ten more miles on this four-day run / a few more songs on the all-night radio..."

The very song Liza chose is by the Violent Femmes and one friend of hers posted part of the lyrics, then I did... Music always brings people together. That's something I could write a post about easy, probably a book -- given my Dad's side of the family. Anyway, it's not the first times that's happened regarding a song and lyrics on Facebook. Someone will always provide lyrics to a song:
"Let me go on..."

I think no matter what make a point to reflect not just in November. Showing a grateful heart is sexy. Show it off to those single guys and gals or to your husband or wife. Plus, I'll tell you a lil' secret: It makes you feel good no matter what time of year. No, really. It's also a great lesson to pass down to


the next generation. Showing generosity to one another is such a beautiful thing, especially in this day and age! We seem to over extend the love during the holidays yet rarely check in on the neighbor or aunt or uncle during the year. Plus, the world... you see the headlines. Yes, life is "back to normal" but that doesn't mean we can't share a little love around January-October. A sweet treat, a big hug, or just someone to listen -- these are just a few little ways to show we care. A friend of mine, Soo Lee, who lives far away, decided she wanted to do something just a little extra special recently, sent me a pair of gift cards to places she knew I would enjoy (one was to Dairy Queen to get a few DQ dipped cones and another to Starbucks) It doesn't have to be a BIG something to make a HUGE, lasting impact. Just remember that. It was just right and WONDERFUL!


Thanksgiving
thanks·giv·ing noun \thaŋ(k)s-ˈgi-viŋ also ˈthaŋ(k)s-ˌ\
NOUN:
An act of giving thanks; an expression of gratitude, especially to God: a hymn of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day
(First Known Use of THANKSGIVING 1533)

Whether you give thanks publicly on a social network, among friends and family, or privately, don't forget YOUR HEALTH. Even if you have a condition, the body is working for you. Never forget that. I was thinking just this morning how my body every day tries its very best to flush all the toxins out of my body. With every pill I take, every scan with its contrast, my body is fighting for ME! We at least have to meet half way, for example, and drink enough to flush that gunk out of our system. Our physical body alone is amazing, constantly working, revitalizing itself each and every day. It is something we think about if we are forced to, let's say if symptoms erupt, or we're strapped to a gurney. So, this Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones and friends, be grateful for what's inside. Your insides are important. OK, it's corny, but come on... It's true you, know it. So many of us put it to the side or completely ignore it. Like putting off appointments or ignoring symptoms. Be aware of your body. Be grateful.
{I'm thankful for a body that doesn't fail me and keeps going even though it's been a crazy, sometimes difficult ride. It's always held up to the task. I may not be where I want to be but I can be thankful that I can get there one day.}

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sit back and enjoy the moment for what it is! Capture it for yourself. Don't let the camera do all the work. Soak it in. Gobble, Gobble. 

To my vegan/vegetarian friends:

Munch, Munch.


Video to share:
If you have not seen the story out of one special Target store demonstrating gratitude, check THIS out! It actually starts with a shopper and happened in one special Target -- to be specific. Enjoy. It will warm your heart.

*Remember, I waltzed with the help of my hot physical therapist, from my gurney to a chair in with my hospital gown UNTIED (not on purpose!). That's as close to any "action" as I'm getting right now. I'm leaving it to the experts, someone with some "game," or a nicer backside than mine. The story is here to read, if you are so inclined. Comment on your own embarrassing hospital story. Only fair after reading mine! HA! HA! ;)


©The Healing Redhead


*Both are Facebook friends of mine.


Images provided by: craftily-ever-after.blogspot.com; luxefinds.com; notsalmon.com