January 26--I Prefer Swimming

You can't cling to the side your whole life. One lesson every parent needs to teach a child is, "If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim." 
--Jeannette Walls

    My dad taught me to swim at Whipples Dam State Park in the boondocks of Pennsylvania. Swimming is a skill every child should learn. I really enjoy watching the little-kid swim lessons going on at the YMCA when I am lap-swimming. 

    But I suspect Ms. Walls was talking about more than actual swimming skills. We can't hang on to safety forever... At some point we have to let go, get out into the world, and explore, experiment and adventure. We can see the drive in an infant as he gradually learns to roll over, hold the head up, crawl, stand, toddle and run. Our whole reason for being here is to "let go of the side." One is never too old to do that. There are considerably more "life preservers" out there than we can imagine. 

        Leta

January 25--Insurance Rules

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them. 
--Louisa May Alcott

    This morning I feel like chatting about the medical profession and death. Fun, huh!??!

    I am on my second pass through the book "At Peace: Choosing a Good Death after a Long Life." It is about too many medical procedures, tests, drugs, etc being pushed on folks over 65, and how to resist being "over-medicalized" when the situation does not warrant aggressive treatment which may even be more harmful than the original diagnosis. 

    My obgyn doctor who delivered my sons retired, so on Monday I had my regular well-woman checkup with a brand new doctor. I arrived early so that I could complete their paperwork prior to my appointment time, and I did that. Then I sat in the waiting room for 27 more minutes while even women who came in after me were taken back to their appointments. My name was finally called. The nurse took my blood pressure and had me sign a form acknowledging that Medicare might not cover the visit and agreeing that I would pay the bill if not. You know--paperwork and money stuff are first and foremost to cover all applicable asses. Then I waited another 20 minutes in the lovely paper outfit until the doctor arrived. She acknowledged my previous doctor's retirement, then asked if I had any problems. "No, I'm good," I replied. Then she proceeded to talk me into a colonoscopy ("I'm not doing that"), Cologuard (at home colon test... "no, thanks") and a bone density test. To that one I replied, "I would not take any of the osteoporosis medicines, and besides I'm a yoga teacher, and I have rock-solid bones." She was in the room fewer than ten minutes. She did the Pap test, and I guess that's all I was there for anyway. She left the encounter knowing almost nothing about me, but all the insurance t's were crossed and i's dotted. I'm sure the new doc felt that it was a perfectly wonderful visit. I have no delusions that my frustrating experience was unusual. 

    As I age, I am seeing with alarming frequency that the more people "doctor," the worse off they become. I highly recommend Dr. Harrington's book for consideration of alternative choices. 

        Leta 

January 24--Opportunities

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: I'm with you kid, let's go. 
--Maya Angelou

    I'm ready. There are several opportunities waiting. One is a trip to Colorado to see the family--that one was postponed due to nasty weather. I am also waiting to hear if a trip to England and Wales in October is going to have sufficient sign-ups to happen. Lastly, I have "thrown my hat into the ring" on an opportunity to expand my online MELT teaching. Happenings to look forward to are especially important to me in the winter months when I don't have golf to entertain me, and I tend to be a hermit. 

    Ms. Angelou's quote speaks to me of thriving rather than merely surviving. It seems that aging and/or illness tends to move us into survival mode, but thankfully, I'm not there yet!

    Let's go!

        Leta

Sun's up, off we go!

January 23--Verb or Adjective?

For us there is only the trying.  --T. S. Eliot

    Does he mean trying as a verb, as in trying to do, be or have? 

    Or does Eliot mean trying as an adjective, as in all we get are trying experiences? 

    It's Monday. let's try not to have a trying day!

        Leta

Golf... no matter how hard I try,
it is usually trying!

January 22--Living in Hope

The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.  --Barbara Kingsolver

    I grew up with a mother who loved to travel and a generous father willing to fund the trips. My dad refused to fly. He said often, "You don't die till your number is up, and I don't want to be up there when the pilot's number is up." So I got to go on the trips with my mom, and that planted in me a lifelong hope for more travel. I've been to a lot of places on our magnificent Mother Earth. Probably the most fun has been pursuing my every-MLB-stadium quest, enabling me to "run down the hallways" of 28 cities with two to go (Astros and Rangers). 

    I've had some folks suggest over the years that certain destinations or travel plans could be dangerous. My two replies are 1) it is bad business to kill tourists, and 2) I lead a charmed life, especially when traveling. 

    This year's hopes for travel include Florida, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Colorado, England, Wales, and maybe more. 
    Two of my favorite words: ROAD TRIP!

        Leta

Golfing in CO with my sons...
The biggest "hope" I live inside.

January 21--I Don't Think Patience Is One of My Virtues

Between the wish and the thing the world is waiting.  --Cormac McCarthy

    I am feeling a lot of melancholy. We were supposed to go to Colorado this weekend to have a belated Christmas with the whole family, but weather and road conditions along the route eliminated that prospect. My "wish" is to have more time with my new grandson and "the thing" is not happening. So in the midst of all this waiting, I've had to just move on with life. Maybe things will change, maybe not. At least in a couple months, traveling weather won't be an issue. It is a challenge for me to stay in the "NOW" and both live life and wait...

        Leta

January 20--What Makes Us Human?

Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.  --Sigmund Freud

    I agree! Love and work take us to all sorts of places in one human life. Fading quickly are the days when one stays with one profession or company for a whole lifetime of work. Already my sons in their early 30s have had a variety of work experiences. Companies generally don't offer the security they once did, so younger folks have to create their own by being inventive and flexible. I see this as a good thing!

    Love... we would not exist or be human without it. The heart is the center of our physical, emotional and spiritual life, and its very essence is love. It behooves us to nurture our hearts and expand our capacity for loving, starting with ourselves. From Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis: "Being honest with ourselves about ourselves is to love ourselves unconditionally, to love ourselves fiercely." The foundation of love for others is self-love. 

    Enjoy your Friday!

        Leta

I'm most anxious to get back to "work" 😉😉