how on earth have I not written since may? do I start where I left off? or do I start where I am and reference back? and why have I not written for so long?
to begin with, it seems that I don't find myself writing during the summer months like I did during the colder months.
it could also be that since the middle of may, I have had a series of mishaps... started with injuring my knee. then a breast biopsy. then a carpel tunnel flare up. then rolling my foot and cracking a bone. all on top of fibromyalgia flares thanks to the warm/hot weather. I have been in either a splint, a soft cast, using a cane or crutches since mid may. I am getting very very very tired of this added pain and inconvenience.
the good news is that this summer has also been filled with lots of fun, rest and adventures.
let me start with memorial day weekend. and then move to the end of school. summer camp. teaching summer camp. trip to Alaska. friend visit. home. summer camp. home. home. teaching summer camp and topped off with a few days at the beach. and finish with how this summer fits into my theory of simple living for a rich life.
like many of my friends, I had a very best friend all the way through high school. not to say that I didn't have many super good friends as well. but, this gal and I hit it off the first week of high school and are still good friends. i was able to connect with her via facebook a number of years ago. and have continued our friendship from many years ago. i was invited to her wedding over memorial day weekend. like many of us, she was getting married for the second time. i hadn't been able to go to her first wedding and was determined to make it to this one. from a small mountain town in California to Houston Texas! this was the first time i had a weekend without my son since i adopted him, nearly 7 years ago. i was so excited about having a weekend solo, traveling to a city i had never been before, meeting her fiancé and spending time with my friend of nearly 40 years. the weekend couldn't have been better. my mom and son took me to the airport early Saturday morning. i managed to get myself through the airport hobbling with a brace on my knee. realized i hadn't flown in a long time...
security procedures had changed quite a bit! thank goodness i had easy shoes to take on and off, and had packed my cpap machine in a small carry on bag. what an ordeal. finally got to the gate, where an attendant looked at me and asked if i might want a wheelchair at the other end to take me to my ride. oh my goodness, why didn't i think of that!!! here i was with a torn meniscus, bursitis of the knee and fibromyalgia and i didn't think of asking for help. not me, miss independent. well, i must say having a wheelchair at the other end ready to take me to my ride was a blessing. i was from now on going to ask for that assistance.
whether you speak of the spoon theory, or simply you just have x amount of energy and you want to use it wisely... a wheelchair is a blessing. i found my ride and drove to her house. we screamed in delight, seeing each other after 25+ years. realizing that we may have changed a bit physically, grown intellectually, and blossomed emotionally, but really were just the same as we were years ago. same laugh, same facial expressions, same energy. it was so wonderful.
well, without going into extreme detail, i can say that this was one of the most beautiful weddings ever. they got married in front of their fireplace in their living room. and had their reception in their backyard. a collaboration of friends created every detail of this celebration, from the amazing food, to the beautiful tables, to the twinkling lights. what a celebration of love, friendship and life. other than the obvious thrill it was for me to reunite with my best friend from high school, the emotion of hope filled the air, that yes, even in your fifties you can find your soul mate who will travel the next chapter of your journey with you. i am so thrilled for the two of them!!
next chapter for me was to get home, do as much physical therapy as i could to get my pain levels under control. as well as finish out my son's first grade year of school. during this last week of school, the big decision of where he should attend next year was on the table. realizing that he needed special services specifically for the ptsd/anxiety he deals with from the first year of life with his birth mother. there were options, yes options. in this little town, the special ed department is amazing. it wasn't until the day before school ended that we decided that he would go to the school in the next town so that he could attend special ed for half of the day, and immersion the other half of the day. he would be bussed from our front door! and it was clearly the best choice for him. the downside is that we both had made friends at this school and now were faced with having to start all over.
shortly after i returned from Houston, i had my normal follow up mammogram. and darn it all, it had an abnormality... nothing new for me. i have had 2 biopsy surgeries and 3 aspirations, but this one really scared me. first time on the left side. first time i couldn't feel the lump. first time a new technique was going to be done. a stereotactic biopsy. thankfully i was able to schedule it while my son was in summer camp the following week. dang, this was not how i wanted to start my summer vacation.
every time i have had an abnormality, i have taken an inventory of my life. what was i doing, what did i want to do differently, how could i simplify. what i learned from this round was there really wasn't anything i would change. imagine that!! i really love my life. what an amazing gift to receive from this "bad news". i knew that if the results came back "cancer" i would fight like hell! and beat it!! i knew that i could put in place a care team for myself and my son. i knew it was going to be ok. and it was. no cancer.
whew! the next chapter of the summer was to teach my most favorite group of girls; sewing, baking and cake decorating. but before we could leave on this adventure, i had to pack for this week and 10 days of traveling afterwards, clean my house so friends could enjoy it while we were gone and organize doggie care for the duration. these projects took an amazing amount of energy. by the time we actually left i was already exhausted, but i was thrilled my house was clean! we were packed! and i had my dog sitter lined up. after 5 days of teaching... i drove back up to the mountains to drop off our dog. six hours of driving in the hot sun... but alone with the music on was a mixed blessing. now all i had to do was to wake up at 5am to start our vacation adventure.
how does this all fit in to 'simple living'? i realized that during the school year, i am very thrifty. we live where there isn't a lot of places to spend money. the local yarn/book store gets most of my shopping!! as well as the thrift store. by having a very lean budget we are able to live on quite little, and that allows me to save some for travel during the summer. simple living for 9 months for a very rich 3 months of vacation, that suits me very well!! and has started a new way of looking at my budget for me. i don't mind being thrifty in order to have adventures! it really sums up what i was going after by moving up here. simple living isn't about depriving yourself. but being mindful of how you spend your money, with whom you spend your money with and why you are spending it. we eat at home for the majority of our meals. we go out very rarely for meals. i tend to like what i make better than most restaurants. and it makes going out very special. we don't have any fast food joints in our town. so when i treat my son to fast food, two towns away, it is a huge treat. same with coffee.... the closest starbucks is two towns away. and pete's is miles and miles away. years ago i thought i couldn't go a day without my "coffee". what i realized is that i was spending a ton of money on a hot drink i could make from home for pennies.
nobody cares up here if you are wearing a hundred dollar pair of sweats, or 14k gold earrings, or $100 sneakers. i can wear my $5 pair of sweats, a tee shirt from the thrift store and earrings that i make, and fit in just fine. do you have any idea how much money that saves each month??? let's talk about cars!! the best car up here is an old suv, 4 wheel drive. you don't want a new one because you are likely going to run into a deer, tree branches, snowpiles, or something within the first winter up here. during the spring and summer, your car has sap, pine needles, dirt and dust on it. and who cares???? so that cks off food, clothing and transportation. and saves a ton of money!!
to be continued....
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