21st Century Living
Lighten up Mondays
I started the month by providing some good, clean adult humor. Here’s another to end the month:
Two IRS agents were traveling through a rural area when their car broke down. They walked to a nearby mansion and knocked on the door. A beautiful widow answered and said they were welcome to spend the night while her hired hands worked on the car.
Months later one of the agents received a package of legal documents. After surveying the contents, he quickly called the other agent.
“When we were up in the country,” the first agent asked, “did you slip away in the night and go to the widow’s bedroom?”
“Yes,” the second agent admitted.
“Did you use my name?”
“Why, yes, but how’d you find out?”
“She died and left me her estate.”
Cup-gate
I’d like to shift the focus from footballs and their degree of inflation, to “indecent” gestures that draw fines. In particular, let’s look at the actions of running back, Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks. This beast of a Seahawks player has been fined twice this season – so far – for “grabbing his crotch” after making touchdowns. Interesting.
The NFL is so hell-bent on harassing Marshawn, that in addition to fining him for not talking to the media in the manner expected of him, they’ve taken to harassing him for adjusting his cup in public.
Wait a minute, Irene. What he did was obscene. He touched his crotchal area and moved it up and down.
Teamwork: playing nice together
As a child, do you remember being admonished to “play nice together” with your siblings or friends? Or perhaps you’re a grandparent who has encouraged your grandchildren to behave better with others by using that same phrase. I like it, and I think playing nice together needs to be a part of our daily life strategy. Read the rest of this entry »
Why I Volunteer For Research, Part II
This 2nd part in Ann Hedreen’s series about being an Alzheimer’s research subject will both make you cringe – ugh, lumbar puncture – and will make you proud to know that someone such as Ms. Hedreen exists in this oftentimes self-centered world in which we live. As someone whose father died from Alzheimer’s complications, I am most appreciative of her efforts. Although monetary donations are greatly needed, for me I find it far easier to open my wallet than to offer my spine for research. Not only did Ann offer her spine, she did it more than once.
by Ann Hedreen
Continued from last week…
Although being a control subject in Alzheimer’s research studies involves plenty of memory tests, there are neurological tests too. I was tickled with feathers, tapped on the elbows and knees, peered at with a penlight in my eyes. And there were psychological questions: On a scale of one to ten, do you usually feel life is worth living?
I was weighed and measured. I gave blood. I peed in a cup. My family tree was drawn, with special attention to anything that might be relevant: Grandma Cere’s Parkinson’s disease; Great Aunt Eine’s Alzheimer’s disease, which started in her seventies. I was approved for a lumbar puncture, more commonly known as a spinal tap, and a week later, I came back and curled up in a ball while two tablespoons of fluid were extracted from my spine with a long quivery needle: two…
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Throw a victory party, not a pity party, for yourself
Start the new year by celebrating your successes | Health | The Seattle Times. Dr. Tony Hacker’s article in the January 18, 2015 Seattle Times newspaper mirrors my thoughts: celebrate even the smallest of victories in your life.
Some of us feel our lives should be characterized by humility rather than pride. Sounds admirable but can lead to self-deprecation and result in drawing more attention to ourselves than not. One of the ways in which we practice this brand of humility is by being critical of ourselves when we don’t measure up to our great expectations. “…(I)f we set our standards too high we never feel that what we do is good enough.” What an unfair bar we set for ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »
Lighten up Mondays
As a professional photographer, Judy takes a lot of pride in her pictures. She brings her portfolio with her wherever she goes to show her work and to drum up more business.
On one occasion, Judy was a dinner guest at the house of one of her husband’s co-workers.
“Wow,” said her host that evening, “these are really nice pictures, you must have a great camera.”
Fuming mad at the implication that her whole talent came from her camera, Judy waited until the end of the meal and then thanked her host.
“Thank you, Sandra, for a delicious meal, you must have great pots.”
A Friday good feeling
My husband and I purchase our wine at grocery stores where we can earn Fuel Points. We also purchase our wine 6 bottles at a time so we can get a 10% discount on our wine.
Today I purchased gas at a local Shell station and received a 60 cents per gallon discount for a $1.99 per gallon price. That’s the first time I’ve purchased gas under $2.00 in quite some time. (The going rate locally is between $2.59 and $2.79.)
It’s great finding a way in which to save money that is both pleasurable and profitable.
And that’s my Friday good feeling.
BEWARE of this Craigslist scam
I’ve used Craigslist once. I announced a garage sale from which all proceeds would be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. I felt safe advertising the sale because a) it was only scheduled for six hours on a Saturday; and b) several friends and supporters were on site throughout the entire sale so I wasn’t alone. (And of course all items were outside and there was no access to the inside of our house.) The garage sale was a huge success but I haven’t used Craigslist since.
I’m sure many of you have either listed something for sale or purchased an item that was for sale on Craigslist and were very pleased: the money exchanged hands and both parties benefited from the online service.
That was not the case for an acquaintance of mine who was recently set up for a scam but was smart enough to realize that if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, it’s probably a rat. (Bad analogy, but you get my point.) Read the rest of this entry »
Why I Volunteer for Research, Part I
In this particular instance, the thought of being a human guinea pig feels very, very comforting. Being able to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s that goes beyond monetary contributions sets up a legacy for many as a result of Ms. Hedreen’s extraordinary efforts. Ann Hedreen’s book is available on Amazon and at most retailers.
by Ann Hedreen
Here are two of the many things that scare me: having to change a tire all by myself (because I’ve never done it) and camping in bear country (because I have). Here are two of the few things that don’t scare me: taking pop quizzes and getting poked with needles. These slim categories of fearlessness make me a natural volunteer for Alzheimer’s research.
My mother grew up in Montana and nothing much scared her. She not only changed tires, she put chains on tires by herself, tying them together with shoelaces if they didn’t fit right, lying under the car in a snow storm. As for camping, after a twenty-year hiatus, she decided to try it again—solo, with four children in tow. We didn’t see any bears. The worst thing that happened was that we forgot spoons for our cereal. The best thing was being with Mom…
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Lighten up Mondays
An elderly man and his wife decided to separate. 
Before being allowed to do so legally, the family court insisted they undergo some marriage counseling to see if their union could be saved.
The therapist did her best but to no avail. The old folks were absolutely determined to go through with the separation leading to a divorce.
Finally, in desperation, the therapist said to the husband, “But you’re ninety-five and your wife is ninety-three. You’ve been married for seventy-two years! Why do you want to separate now?”
To which the wife replied, “We haven’t been able to stand each other for the last forty-six years. We thought we should wait until all the children died before we split up.”
If Alzheimer’s disease isn’t a secret, then why are we whispering?
Alzheimers Research Funding Lags Other Diseases- Dementia – AARP. The January/February 2015 AARP Bulletin focuses on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in America. The cover contains photos of fifteen celebrities who died from the disease. Some of those spotlighted may surprise you because their cause of death was not broadcast to the media.
What a shame.
It’s a shame that the stigma attached to the disease still manages to relegate Alzheimer’s to the closet. Cancer used to be that closeted disease – so much so that many years ago people shied away from even mentioning the word, preferring to call it “The Big C.” Before Alzheimer’s disease, cancer was the whispered disease but now the populous embraces each and every body part afflicted, even those considered of a private nature: breast, ovary, prostate, rectum. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ll write what I damn well please
Where has freedom of the press, and freedom of speech gone?
Must we concern ourselves with offending every element of society – friendly or adverse – with the words we choose to express ourselves? to express our views? Whether political or religious views; whether mundane topics such as fashion or dining; are we supposed to produce euphemistic journalism so as to avoid ruffling the feathers of another person’s beliefs or opinions?
That’s not my plan.
Read the rest of this entry »
Lighten up Mondays
I’m starting the first Monday of the New Year with some clean, adult humor:
“Doctor, I’m losing my sex urge,” complained Ruth at her annual checkup.
“Mrs. Hampton, that’s understandable at eighty-four,” said the doctor, “but tell me, when did you first start noticing this?”
“Last night,” she answered, “and then again this morning.”
“Aha,” said the doctor. “Your problem isn’t a diminished sex drive, it’s that you’re not getting enough sex. You should be having relations at least fifteen times a month.”
Thanking him and heading home, the old woman couldn’t wait to report the doctor’s prescription to her husband. “Guess what, Honey? The doctor says I need it fifteen times a month!”
Her husband put down his newspaper and replied, “That’s just great, Sweetie. Put me down for five.”
Caring for our elders
9 Reasons why it‘s important to care for our elders – by Sai Santosh K.
The attached article from the Kindness Blog immediately caught my attention. Please take the time to click on the above link to discover nine easy ways to help an elder in your community. Whether that person is a family member, or a perfect stranger, the basic truth remains the same. As an advocate for the elderly I can’t help but encourage all of us to practice respect for those older than ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to the year 2015!
If you’re like me, you’re wondering how another year has slipped by so quickly. I’m sure there were a few of the 52 weeks that seemed to slog by, but all in all we can now look back and marvel at what we accomplished, or what others accomplished in our stead, during the past 365 days.
An accomplishment with which I’m happy is having authored this blog for the past three and a half years. I’ve provided this blog for you, but I’ve also provided it for me because I truly enjoy having the opportunity to share my experiences and my viewpoints; I hope in the process that I have encouraged, helped, and entertained you. From the start of Baby Boomers and More in 2011 to the end of 2014, I posted 520 articles. I’d be a very happy blogger if the quality of those articles surpassed the quantity because if I’m just talking into thin air without benefit to others, its hardly worth the space my blog occupies.
Here are links to the five most visited articles in the year 2014 based on WordPress statistics:
Read the rest of this entry »
Do you believe in magic?
My December 29, 2012 Horoscope:
Today is a 7. Now’s perfect to start a new writing project; no need to wait until next year. Put down your thoughts without worrying about form, one word at a time.
Prior to 12/29/2012 I would have stood by my belief that Horoscopes are merely faulty predictions by faulty people provided to those of us who are humored by such baseless declarations of personalized present and future outcomes.
But that personalized declaration for Irene on a day in late December 2012 was right on the money.
The backstory: During the summer of 2012 I made the decision to write a novel that focuses on the lives of caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other dementia. The focus would be split with equal attention spent on the person with the disease. My book’s mission: to put a personal face on those every day people (that’s you and me) thrust onto the memory-removing disease journey. Once I made the decision to write a book, I set January 1, 2013 as the start date for my project.
That start date was moved up based on the extremely accurate Horoscope (see above) for this wannabe author whose birthday fell under the sign of the bull: Taurus.
I obeyed the directive and sat at my computer that very day and managed to write page after page of content. Wow! I’m writing a novel! It was quite exhilarating being able to spew page after page of fictional story line based on experiences I had with my father, my sister-in-law, and the many people with whom I became acquainted during my years of work with vulnerable adults.
I finished the “final” version of my manuscript earlier this month and set the timeline for next steps: starting January 1, 2015 I will actively seek representation for my novel. Oddly enough, that seems to jive with today’s Horoscope (2 years after the first timely Horoscope) if you force a few of the jigsaw puzzle pieces to fit what’s currently going on in my life.
My December 29, 2014 Horoscope:
Today is a 6. Hide away somewhere peaceful and you can get some productive thinking in. Inspire intuitive leaps. Creative work pays well now. Don’t squander an enticing opportunity. Meditate on it, and your choice comes to you. Nurture your physical health with exercise, good food and rest.
I guess I may as well get to it based on previous personal declarations that brought me to this stage of my writing career. Seriously, why wait when I can do it now?
If you’re interested in how this all pans out for me, I hope you’ll Follow my blog for updates. If you’re already a Follower, stay tuned for more predictions and/or fabulous outcomes.
Lighten up Mondays
My husband and I purchased an old home in Northern New York State from two elderly sisters. Winter was fast approaching and the season’s first snow came early; I was very concerned about the house’s lack of proper insulation.
“If they could live here all those years, so can we,” my husband confidently declared.
On New Years Eve the temperature plunged to below zero and we woke up to find the interior walls covered with frost.
My husband called the sisters to ask how they had kept warm all those years they lived in in the home. After a rather brief conversation he hung up.
“For the past 30 years,” he muttered, “they’ve gone to Florida for the winter.”
My wish for you: joy in good measure
It’s always a pleasure putting my thoughts and words out there to those who follow me and to those who, by happenstance, land on my site. Either way, I’m grateful for your attention.
Some of you are anticipating a joyous Holiday experience.
Others are biding their time wishing the season would quickly pass them by, especially now that they are constantly bombarded by good vibes that they believe have no chance of alighting on them.
If joy is your portion this season, please share your delight with those who are lacking – either directly, or through your projected good wishes and thoughts. I strongly believe that positive energy has a way of catching up with those depleted souls in need of a boost.
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. – Albert Schweitzer
I have some light to spare, do you?
Welcoming light from a neighbor’s living room
Have you ever struggled to fall asleep or stay asleep? At some point during that struggle, did you say to yourself (yourself being the only person awake at the time) Screw it! I may as well get out of bed and start my day.
There are far too many of those late night and early morning day-starters for me to recount in this article – the most recent being Monday, December 22nd when my day started at 3:30 a.m. My “best” record occurred a few years ago when I never managed to fall asleep so in that instance my day started the previous day. Read the rest of this entry »
Lighten up Mondays
Darren remembers accompanying his father out shopping in the toy department of a large retail store.
Dad said, “What a marvelous train set. I’ll buy it.”
The girl behind the counter looked pleased and said, “Great, I’m sure your son will really enjoy it.”
Dad replied with a glint in his eye, “Maybe you’re right, in that case, I’ll take two.”
Viral construction cranes or vibrant human activity?
Guest: As Seattle grows, will the community and character stay? | Opinion | The Seattle Times. by Taso G. Lagos
Here we go again: I’ve linked another article about neighbors and community. I’m not making this stuff up, folks; I’m not the only person out there who appears to be hyper-focused on neighborly kinship. When I posted my article, The importance of good neighbors, I had been experiencing a comforting sense of neighborliness resultant from how attentive my neighbors have been to me after a recent household accident in which I injured my back and right hip. Their outpouring of support wasn’t surprising to me at all – my neighbors are what I consider super neighbors – but their support clicked with me in such a way that I had to boast about them; so I did. Read the rest of this entry »
As relationships move online, neighbors become more vital
Lately, it seems everywhere I look I read articles about the importance of neighborhood connections. In the past few days I wrote two articles specifically addressing that concept: The importance of good neighbors, and Positive community activism.
The attached article above, written by Froma Harrop, compares today’s community with that which existed in the movie It’s a wonderful life, an annual Holiday classic. George Bailey’s bank customers and neighbors were people with whom he had a connection, “of varying incomes, education, and ethnicity. Each of them was an individual, not just a useful provider of a good or service.” Ms. Harrop goes on to say that the middle ring of society – as existed in George Bailey’s life – has been weakened over the years. Her article outlines her belief that social media and e-commerce are responsible for that societal change.
Here’s an article excerpt that further explains the phenomenon:
Marc Dunkelman writes of the fading town-based model of society in his book, “The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community.” The middle ring, he says, was “where communities of people with different skills and interests, disparate concerns and values, collaborated with their neighbors in the pursuit of the common good.”
Those middle relationships are what bind us together.
That’s what I want, and thankfully, that is what I have with the households in my neighborhood where that connection exists. Eva and Ian across the street, Irma and Larry next door to the south, Simone and Gareth, our New Zealand next-door neighbors to the north, and Patty and Bob just around the corner, all represent my middle ring of people who collaborate for the common good.
If you live on the outside of that ring, I encourage you to make your way into the center, and bring your other neighbors with you.
(all images courtesy of Pixabay)
Positive community activism
Seattle Profile – Volunteering and Civic Life in America.
The Seattle Times newspaper posted an article touting Seattle’s stellar volunteer rate for 2013:
34% of Seattle area residents volunteer ranking Seattle 4th among the 51 largest volunteer locations. After researching that article, I found the attached report detailing my area’s community service activities. You can locate your State and city in the report to discern the degree of your community’s civic life.
This report shines a light on content that I recently provided in two articles posted to this blog: Restless in retirement? You don’t have to be, and The importance of good neighbors.
38.7 percent of Washington State’s Baby Boomer population volunteered in 2013, ranking my state’s volunteering Baby Boomers 6th out of 51. See? You’ll be in good company when you turn your retirement restlessness into service for others.
64.9 percent of Washington State residents participate in “informal volunteer activities” defined as doing favors for neighbors. Wow, that’s a lot of people getting to know their neighbors and “having their backs.”
You don’t have to give up all of your free time to help others.
I’ve heard people say time and again that they can’t spare another 40 hours a week to become a volunteer. Who asked you to?
There are countless volunteer opportunities that only require a couple hours a week. My best friend volunteers as a companion to a disabled person who needs transportation assistance to shop and/or to attend doctor appointments. A fellow Bar Method exerciser volunteers once a week at a local food bank to provide much needed sustenance to those in her community. Wow, such a small commitment of time that provides a service for which others cannot do without.
Thank about it: if you spent two or three less hours a week watching television, or two or three less hours working on home projects, or two or three less hours sitting at the computer (point taken), you’ll still have oodles of free time left after spending a fraction of your week focused on someone else.
Wow, when put that way, volunteering sure sounds easy, doesn’t it? And here’s a resource that will help direct you to volunteering and other worthwhile community involvement: Sixty and Me.
(All images courtesy of Pixabay)
The importance of good neighbors
I love the fact that my husband and I have a wonderfully supportive group of neighbors in my rural Redmond, Washington location. The houses in my neighborhood are quite spread out, but within the three adjacent houses to ours reside extraordinary people who, if asked, would certainly give the shirt off their backs.
We watch out for each other. If one of us hasn’t been visible for awhile, we check to make sure all is well on the other side of the fence.
If one of us grows an over abundance of flowers in the spring and summer, we e-mail each other and invite one and all to come over to pick them so as to liven up their own homes.
When a medical issue comes up of which we become aware, there’s always an offer of transportation, or meals, or “what do you need?” extended from the four households.
I think there’s far too much seclusion in society where we fail to even know by appearance who our neighbors are. Forget even being aware of their names or their family situation; we don’t even know what they look like. It’s no wonder we read news stories where a neighbor was found deceased in their house days or weeks after the fact because no one noticed they hadn’t been visible as of late. Isn’t that a horrible statement about society, that someone could pass from this life without anyone noticing?
My neighbors and I are lucky; we care about each other and because we care about each other we watch out for each other. We’re not “besties” – we don’t get together for backyard BBQs and dinners every weekend – but we’re tuned into each other because we realize the importance of community in a world where some day, that may be the only thing upon which we can rely.
If you make New Years resolutions, how about committing yourself to meeting two or three of your neighbors before the end of 2015. I mean, how hard could that be? If you’re in a multi-unit building, start up a conversation with the person picking up their mail, or instead of feeling awkward during that elevator ride to your respective floors, strike up a conversation that may expand your immediate community from “me, myself, and I” to “you and me.”
The phrase, “I’ve got your back” is a motto that we should follow. Among other things, it means:
- I’m going to watch out for you and be a second set of eyes for you;
- I will look out for your best interests;
- I will stick up for you.
I don’t know about you, but it feels pretty darn good knowing that someone else cares enough to do that for me.
Lighten up Mondays
To: All Employees
From: Management
Subject: Office conduct during the Holiday season
Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (The Federal Revelry Office & Leisure Industry Council):
- Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is strongly discouraged;
- Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredibly high long-distance bill);
- Work requests are not to be filed under “Bah Humbug”‘
- Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house;
- All fruitcake is to be eaten before July 25th;
- Eggnog will not be dispensed in vending machines this year.
In spite of all the above, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday.
Restless in retirement? You don’t have to be.
A guy who made city’s unused toilet paper a precious gift | Local News | The Seattle Times.
Those of us working the 9 to 5 work day drudgery can’t imagine having any difficulty filling our days with whatever the heck we want to do once once we’ve walked off our career path and onto the retirement treadmill. To be sure, the first several months – perhaps even the first couple years – we’ll readily manage the forty free hours a week now available to us post-employment.
But what about the point in time when we wake up in the morning, complete our morning rituals, sit in our easy chair and find ourselves thinking, “Now what?” Those of us who barely have enough time in the day to organize our thoughts can’t imagine ever being restless, but chances are, each and every one of us will be well-acquainted with that feeling at some point in our retirement future.
So what’s a person to do? Go back to the grind just so we have something to do that removes the boredom from our lives? Hell no. What we can do, however, is take on a project that satisfies our need to be useful and productive, but also satisfies the needs of those hidden citizens in our community whose needs far outweigh their means.
That’s what Leon Delong did when he got restless. He became aware of a pattern of waste that was going on in office buildings all over the city of Seattle: at night, janitorial crews replaced partial rolls of toilet paper with full rolls so that the nether regions of the next day’s workforce would have plenty of the stuff to take care of their toileting needs. Perfectly good partial rolls went unused – and worse – were thrown away. Thanks to the Toilet Paper Guy, however, these perfectly usable rolls were donated to food banks all over the greater Seattle area.
When you read the above, did you think, Big deal, it’s just toilet paper; it’s not like the food bank customers were offered a filet mignon to take home to their families. Hold onto that thought for a moment and think back to an incident where you scrambled for some sort of “cleaning implement” to finalize your stay on the commode. As the above article’s writer, Danny Westneat, stated, “I know it’s just TP. But as someone who once substituted coffee filters in an emergency, I can attest: It’s like gold when you don’t have it.”
When you become restless in your retirement years, who will you become?
- The Perfectly Usable But Discarded Produce Lady?
- The Overstocked Slightly Irregular Chartreuse & Hot Pink Striped Bedsheets Guy?
- The Unsellable Dented Canned Good Lady?
- The Super-sized Box of Costco Bandaids Person?
- The You Fill in the Blank Guy?
The possibilities are endless because there is no shortage of need in your community. Visit a food bank or homeless shelter and ask them what is their greatest need; the product that is most in demand. Then go about defining a way to meet that need. Come on, you have all the time in the world to do so and still have plenty of time to enjoy your own leisurely retirement activities.
“So take it from the Toilet Paper Guy. Life is like a toilet-paper roll. What you do with what you’ve got left is up to you.”
Fine tune your “boogie” for your later years
Please Santa, let me be the smiling lady that gets up and dances.
Are you preparing right now to never lose your boogie, no matter your age? I am. The attached article is a delightful story of how music affects the elderly – whether cognitively impaired or not.
The Alive Inside program proved how beneficial music therapy is to those whose world has diminished and whose communication and connection with others has been cut off. Regardless of the music’s era, regardless of the generation listening to it, everyone can harken back to long-ago memories just by listening to familiar tunes that meant something to us then, and that mean something to us now.
Retaining ones essence and ones individuality goes far towards announcing to the world, “I’m still here; I’ve still got it; I’m still vital.” As expressed in the article I’ve shared from a fellow blogger, I hope I will indeed be the smiling lady that gets up and dances, and I hope you’ll join me on the dance floor.
Lighten up Mondays
I wanted our street to have the prettiest Christmas decorations in the neighborhood so I strung colored balls from house to house, all the way down the block. I did all the wiring myself.
If you’d like further information, just drive down Moorpark Street in North Hollywood. We’re the third pile of ashes from the corner.
A doctor’s time vs a patient’s time: which is more valuable?
You call the clinic to make an appointment: “Your appointment is at 11:30 a.m. but you need to check in early at 11:15.” I always obey and I always arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Yesterday I was ushered into the exam room a wee bit early, 11:20 a.m., but I didn’t mind waiting in that room for the start of my 11:30 appointment. At 11:35 I heard my doctor enter the room next to mine and greet her patient. “Huh,” I said to no one in particular.
She concluded that appointment at 11:50, then I heard her make two consecutive telephone calls in the “Staff Only” portion of the area. “Huh!” I said again, this time with emphasis.
At 11:55, she started yet another call. I slapped my knee, and because I was in my street clothes, I walked out of the exam room, entered the “Staff Only” area and stood in front of her. She concluded her call and walked with me into the exam room. “Sorry, I had to make a few calls.”
“I’m just wondering, do the schedulers overbook the appointments? My appointment was for a half hour ago.”
I honestly don’t think doctors are aware of the appointment times, they merely walk down the hallway going to the next room in the chronological order in which the medical assistant places the files. My doctor apologized and stated she was not aware that she was so far behind. She explained that some patients need a little more talking-time so she tries to accommodate their need.
And I get that, because sometimes I need a bit more talking-time, just as I did yesterday. So what can be done?
There seems to be only one solution over which I have control.
From now on, I will not arrive 15 minutes early for my appointment. Even if my doctor runs late, at least I won’t be spending as much time at the front-end of the appointment as I will no doubt spend at the middle and back-end of it.
Lighten up Mondays
It’s December 1st – how did that happen? Whether we’re ready or not, the Holiday season is upon us. My humorous December Mondays will be focused on the season because it’s the only weeks in the year I’m able to do so.
First of all, a post-Thanksgiving joke:
Thanksgiving is an emotional time. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they see only once a year, and then discover once a year is way too often.
I remember a Christmas years ago when my son was a young kid. I bought him an army tank. It cost about a hundred dollars, a lot of money in those days – and now as well. It was the kind of tank you could actually get inside and ride.
Instead, my son played in the box it came in.
It taught me a valuable lesson. The next year he got a box, and I got a hundred dollars’ worth of scotch.
Living: the ultimate team sport 