December 30--2025 in Review (Part 2)

Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be. 
--Abraham Lincoln

    Today’s post includes the good things from this year, and there were so many.
    For six weeks, friend and travel bud Lanie and I enjoyed Australia, New Zealand and Bali. It truly was the “trip of a lifetime.” We had a blast, saw so much, met so many great folks. Even with being together so intensely for six weeks, we still like each other and travel together, though we have decided on a limit of two weeks maximum for any future trips! (If you’d like to see/read the highlights of that trip, see the 2025 blog posts from Feb 24 through April 3.)
    Other 2025 travels included two trips to Ohio to hang with my niece. One included our annual week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland; the other was over Thanksgiving which we celebrated with most of my brother Arlie’s family. We visited our younger son in Colorado and found a great Airbnb apartment which we hope to reserve on future visits.
    Our older son and two grandsons came to Wichita in June. This son had not been home since 2017, so it was quite a treat. We did fun stuff with them, like the Zoo, and we were able to babysit several times while our son visited friends or played golf. My son and I had a couple of excellent conversations that cleared our relationship of some ongoing angst.
    The positive side of the move to Minnesota is that our son and d-i-l bought a log cabin on five wooded acres with a river running next to it. It is one of the finest places that two boys could be raised. My son is loving his role as stay-at-home dad. He is already into a multitude of projects and home improvements. I am super-grateful for video chats that enable us to stay in touch. (I lived in MN for two years during grad school, and I have no desire to return there from November to March!) We did enjoy two visits there in August and October. It is a beautiful area, with Lake Superior stealing the show.
    Being the sports nut that I am, it was exciting for my favorite NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to win the NBA championship. The Cubs made the playoffs for the first time in several years, extending my beloved baseball season into October.
    Speaking of October, I turned 70 and celebrated with a great party at a local bar. Turning 60 was difficult for me, but 70… I’m just glad to be here still! I have outlived both my mother and my Grammie, so 70 is a big milestone for me.
    Two things have kept me (relatively) sane during these many months of treatment and recovery–swimming and painting. I was able to swim when I could do little else, so I felt like I was able to accomplish something. I reached my goal of 100 miles for the 28th year in a row, even though I had two months of no swimming. Painting is a spiritual practice for me–tapping into the Creative Mind. My two favorites for the year are the painting I did for my niece’s spare bedroom (where I sleep when I visit her) and the painting of Barney I did for my husband for Christmas. I am enjoying thinking of myself as an artist!

             

    Finally, I achieved my goal of getting back to pickleball. I’m not at 100%, stamina being the lingering issue, but I can play several times a week. Back in April that seemed like it would never happen.

    Tomorrow, thoughts on healing.

        Leta