Sensitivity

I want something to eat.  That was the title of a post I made on May 8, 2015.  As I went back and looked at it, I realized how insensitive that was.  It was about a cat, a beloved pet to be sure, but a very spoiled, sick cat who is very sure she can ask for choices in food until she gets what she wants.  She does not go hungry, unless I cannot figure out her choices.  Or unless the infection in her mouth becomes bad enough that she no longer eats, and we have to go to the veterinarian to get another injection, and then she starts eating again.

Today, as I was hearing about the devastation in Nepal from the earthquakes, aftershocks, and aftermath http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/13/asia/nepal-second-earthquake-ripley/index.html, I realized that my post about Sake and her eating problems was very insensitive.  There are people in Nepal who do not have food, who do not know where their next meal will come from, and do not have a safe place to stay for the night or the next day.

I cannot imagine this fragility in lifestyle.  It is beyond me.  I have made a donation to the Breedlove Dehydration Plant http://www.breedlove.org/ in support of their efforts to provide food for people in Nepal.

I hope you do something to help the people in Nepal, too.

Peace is a Choice

We can choose peace you know.  It is up to each and everyone of us how we choose, and what we choose.  We can choose the angry retort or rebuke, the mild disagreement, or the gentle deflection.  We can choose to turn the other cheek, or to take up arms. We can choose the angry fist or the proffered handshake.  We can choose civil disobedience that is non-violent, or we can choose a riotous destructive display of civil disobedience.

We make these choices every day of our lives, in our daily interactions with family, friends, co-workers, business associates and strangers.  Most of us do not think about the fact we are making a choice, but we are.  Every single interaction is a choice. 

And the reality is, the choices that reflect peace make our day and our lives much easier. There is less fallout for choosing peace than there is for choosing anger and contention.  That is part of the problem with peace: the ripples that radiate from our peaceful choices are small and do not attract attention.  The ripples that radiate from our angry and violent reactions are so large that they do attract attention, and usually require a response.  A peaceful choice can easily go unnoticed.  An angry one usually cannot.

So as 2014 comes to a close, and 2015 begins, what is your choice?

Don't Ever Say Never

Last fall, I had to go to my primary care physician for the first time in many, many years, probably 5 or more.   When they asked me about my other medical activities, I told them just my yearly physical with the gynecologist, who worked with my PCP to get an authorization for a colonoscopy some few years ago.  The nurse practitioner said not to say anything, because I would jinx myself, and she was right. 

I have been to the doctor more times total in the past year, than I have been in the last 37 that I have lived in Lubbock.  Wow!  It is an aging thing. It is like taking your car in for a tune up and the mechanic finds a plethora of other things wrong with the car.  And, some of my doctor visits are to keep the insurance company happy, instead of letting my provider manage my care!

So, last June, when I was in New England for a family reunion, one of my nieces asked about opportunities to go to the beach in Lubbock. Of course, those are limited unless you travel some distance.  She asked about pools, and I acknowledged there are public and private pools people can use, but I am not much for chlorinated pools.

Well, I came back to Lubbock and started physical therapy. The physical therapist decided to try something different than what we did the first time.  We did pool therapy. It was amazing to me what a positive result I had from this exercise!  So, when the insurance visits ended, I decided to join the Covenant Life Styles Center http://www.covenanthealth.org/Our-Services/LifeStyle-Centre.aspx. 

So, although I do not really like a chlorinated (or brominated) pool, I am willing to use it if it helps my health, and keep me from needing surgery for my back/sciatica problem.