The Klutz Factor Revisited

At the end of January, I posted a blog entitled “The Klutz Factor” in which I explored the family tendency to do all things Klutz.  I then went on through the rest of the winter “walking” most carefully across ice and snow ever fearful of the big slip and slide crash.  The snow and ice gradually melted and disappeared (knock on wood), so what did I do after making it through an entire winter without a fall?  I tripped and fell in my own living room.  Good grief.  I feel compelled at this point to offer a sincere thank you to the Elgin Beaverdam ambulance crew and volunteers as well as to our wonderful Corry Memorial Hospital staff, both of whom were beyond excellent in their care.  (It was not quite a case of “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” – but nevertheless – it was more than a little scary.  However – it was not so scary that I won’t try to find it funny and to make fun of myself.)

It had been a rather dreary day and I had decided to take advantage of the quiet evening ahead to don my jammies early. I was padding around the house, thinking about supper, when a sudden and unexpected burst of energy appeared out of nowhere and I thought I should put it to good use and clear out the overloaded junk drawer in my living room.  This drawer is full of out-of-date appliance manuals, etc. Some of you may be able to identify with that.  Anyway --I began to sort and had a few piles going when I turned around and tripped over a footstool or maybe --- my own feet. Now get this – for at least twelve feet I did the “Oh no, don’t fall and break a hip dance”.  In spite of all my maneuvering, I ended up on the floor, slamming my left temple against a doorjamb on my way down. (I also broke a fingernail that I had been trying to save for several weeks and am currently sporting an impressive "shiner".)  

So anyway … there I was – lying on the floor, baffled but alert, and, as soon as I thought of it, I immediately checked my new knees to make sure they were still in place. I wondered how hard you have to hit your head to lose consciousness. Ouch!  I gradually realized that my head was actually dented and that it was beginning to swell at a most alarming rate.  All I could picture was Sloth on The Goonies. Remember that movie? Although experiencing a bit of blurry vision, a touch of nausea and a lot of terror, I, of course, had to get dressed in “real” clothes before I called the paramedics. I must confess that I struggled with trying to find an ambulance phone number before I had a “duh” moment and got a grip on the situation. I am a little stunned to realize that it took me a while to remember the whole “911 thing”. I am blaming that on the head injury. Must mention here that my daughter was appalled that I took time to get dressed and all that, but seriously – would you go to the hospital in a thermal shirt, baggy sweat pants and a frumpy bathrobe if you could help it?  Remember – I had fallen, but I did manage to get up. In a similar situation -- do women not shave their legs while in labor if there is time between contractions?  Seriously.  I think I did well to have the presence of thought not to drive myself to the hospital.  Give me some credit.

When recounting all of this to my daughter in the Emergency Room, she mentioned that it would have been quite something to have had a camera running at the time of the fall.  I think I said that such a video might  have been worthy of going viral on YouTube as the “Crazy Dancing Nana”.  She then said that I definitely should write about this experience in my blog.  (I told you before that my family has a tendency to laugh at each other when we fall.)

I am sure that the irony of this "inside fall" at the end of winter is not lost on you.  The lovely person who scanned my brain at CMH commiserated with me and said that, "...fear of falling takes on a whole new meaning after age 50".  She was so nice to me. Everyone was nice to me....so very nice.... Thanks again....  FYI ...it may take a few days for eyes to blacken after such a fall and they have a huge selection of "shades" at the local Rite Aid.  Must say that they are nice there too -- even when you look a bit like a gargoyle.  

Wonders of the World

I am so confused. When "looking up" the seven wonders of the world to make sure that I remembered them all, I couldn't even find the list that I knew  -- that I grew up knowing. I was positive that Niagara Falls was on that list and I could not find it anywhere. Actually there are several lists now - the Ancient wonders of the world, the Industrial wonders of the world, and the Man-made wonders are just three of them. Several countries, not to be outdone, have their own lists and I don't blame them. To be sure -- the world is full of wonders.  All this got me to thinking.  If a country can make up its own list, what's to stop a state or a city or a village... or me?   Nothing.

So naturally -- I am working on my own list, my own wonders ... and there will probably more than seven. If you think about it, I bet you have your own wonders too.  I want to tell you about two of mine.  They are not in any special order.

• My granddaughter plays the harmonica.  She is four.  When she plays, she closes her eyes and her little face becomes all dark eyelashes.  She plays softly -- the music - hauntingly beautiful.  From where does this come? When she finishes her "song", she opens her eyes and smiles. It's wondrous.  
• My grandson has a green belt in Karate.  He is eight. He is so serious about his Karate that I have to fight back tears when I watch him practice, his face so serious, his movements so deliberate --  a leggy, little boy yet to grow into his hands, his feet,... his ears. In his careful practice, you get a hint of the man he is to be.  It's wondrous.

The more I get into this, the more I recommend making such a list.  Maybe it is always the small moments that we need to remember in order to capture the bigger memories that develop into our own Personal wonders of the world. We do so need to remember.  It would be such a shame to lose all of this that becomes part of the wonder of our lives.            

Rewards...

It's interesting to listen to people talk about how they reward themselves for goals that they have accomplished, for jobs well done or -- for just surviving a tough day or a difficult situation.  Often the rewards are food and drink related like a glass of wine or snow-day brownies warm from the oven, or... vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting served with hot chocolate. Sometimes retail therapy is mentioned -- either hands-on shopping or online. Both seem to work. The day spa is also popular as are basic manicures and pedicures. Yet -- too often there is guilt involved in the reward process -- like we don't deserve a little treat now and then -- and this guilt comes up in the conversation as well. Seriously... this tendency for feeling bad when we didn't do anything wrong is not a good thing. Where is it coming from?

Why shouldn't people reward themselves a little bit for doing the hard job well or for putting one foot in front of the other on a particularly difficult day? I think there may be too much a tendency to be self-critical these days. I don't know where exactly to cast the blame and maybe if I did that would help.  For example -- I know that I am not alone in sometimes feeling guilty about what I am eating or not eating - so much so that some days I don't enjoy eating at all. Stupid.  I know people who worry often about if their family is suffering because they need to spend a little extra time at work...or because they took a little time for themselves to regroup.  Some have even told me that they sometimes suffer and worry because they couldn't provide a this or a that for their spouse or child(ren).  We are tough on ourselves for sure.  Where does this all come from?

Oh, how I wish I had an answer to that question. It's time to take stock.  We need to give ourselves a break at some point. This is a fast-paced world we live in. We need to find comfort in our own lives and our own families and friends -- in our community.  We need to acknowledge to ourselves that working hard and trying counts. We need to see the positive and to make at least a mental list of the things we are doing right. We need to relax a bit and enjoy this gift of life as we work our way through. Seriously -- we need to take pride in ourselves when we do well.

Does anyone out there hear me?  Agree?  If so, relax, take a bubble bath or a long walk... and maybe even have a slice of pizza (personally I prefer Augie's) or -- take a Sunday afternoon nap. You are worth it. The world will not fall into pieces. Trust me -- I know this from experience. 

The Graying of America...

Those of us who were born between 1946 and 1964 are called Baby Boomers.   We have accomplished social change on several levels and in several areas of American life.  We have, on the lighter side, survived the peasant blouse and bell bottoms and have made jeans acceptable even for weddings. Our generation has made some outstanding movies, and has contributed positively to the world of music, and electronics.  Although Boomers may not be able to take credit for GPS, Post-it notes, microwave popcorn or luggage with wheels, our generation has brought a great number of things into being. What would our lives be without Tupperware or the imitations thereof?  Think of the positive contributions of cat litter, cable TV, the Zamboni, the crash test dummy, and the airsickness bag, not to mention Buffalo Wings, WD-40 or the lint roller. The list could go on and on....

On a more serious note -- we continue to make major contributions to the economic stability of our country because we have the money power of being the largest population group in our wonderful country -- or close to it. We have given birth to, have taken care of and, in some cases, are still taking care of Gen X and Gen Y while at the same time caring for our parents. What a job! Some call us the "Sandwich" generation because of this. No wonder our hair is turning white...or graying. 

Might as well face it, Boomers, we are literally the "Graying of America"...at least those of us are who have come to terms with our gray or white hair. It's not so awful.  Think of it this way.  We are in good company. When we band together, we are an impressive "gray wave". Seriously -- a close look at our generation speaks pretty well for us -- you just have to ignore a few things...but then -- every generation makes mistakes.  Just think -- Gen X and Gen Y are going to have to own up to being responsible for reality TV. There is that.

It's the little things...and more...

I was out and about today and found that three days in a row of blue sky and a bit of sunshine boost the morale of almost everyone. This is not surprising, but what I noticed even more were the smiles -- affirmations that people had made it through a difficult winter and are still standing. Entire faces smiled - including eyes.  You don't always see that.  Everywhere my errands took me -- people were smiling for no apparent reason -- people were literally walking around, shopping, chopping the remnants of winter ice, shoveling, holding doors for others, pumping gas, speaking to strangers -- all while smiling.  It wasn't total lunacy; it was lovely. I have talked to people about this kind of thing before and this morning was no different.  I chatted with several smiling people as I moved through my morning. You already know what I found, but maybe it is worth repeating...maybe it is important to remember and  to think about sometimes - like now as the season begins to change.

It is more than just the passing of a long, hard winter. It is more than the little things that often make a difference in life. It is more than those first signs of Spring -- a little sunshine, a warm breeze, the song of a bird  -- it is what those little things call to mind:

• a hint of new life...
• a suggestion of the process of beginning again... a fresh start...
• a reminder to us on some level that it is never too late to become who and what we always wanted to be...

Then along with the suggestion of all this is the smile factor...it is so important to remember the ability of a smile to communicate with others.  A smile is so simple really... simple, but powerful. When you bring a smile with you, it reaches out to others; it changes the whole atmosphere around you...for the better. We are responsible for the energy we bring into a room, a store, -- into the world around us in general in our every day encounters. It's not so hard to include a smile. It's such a little thing really..but more.  

Out of the mouths of babes....

I will confess.  Since my grandkids will rat me out anyway (probably already have), I might as well get "in front of it".  Here's the situation.  My daughter and son-in-law went away for a long weekend, and I moved into their home to stay with my just turned 8 grandson, my just turned 4 granddaughter, their dog -- the lovely Luna, and their two cats - who shall remain nameless at at this point in time.  Picture my situation for a moment...one Nana, two kids, three pets. Obviously it was the perfect opportunity for a "staycation".

I was in "Nana alert mode" - had been for days -- in a bit of a state of nervous anticipation of our time together.  Nothing bad was going to happen to any of them on my watch and nothing did.  We managed well -- lots of fun, lots of laughter, extra books at bed time, etc. -- and a bit too much of  "The Song That Never Ends".  (I need to remember to talk to my son-in-law about teaching them that song.) They are fun kids and they think almost anything I do is funny...so sweet really. Bless their hearts.

Okay  -- now for the confession....     I, Nana, am the one who:

• allowed the kids to have Klondike bars for breakfast -- more than once.
• allowed the kids to have Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for supper -- once.
• fed the dog from the table -- more than once.
• broke the glass casserole dish -- once.
• spilled the beverage at the Dairy Queen -- all over all the winter coats -- once.
• almost let the kids wear the clothes they had slept in to school because I got temporarily confused about the time change -- once.
• allowed one child to have pink lemonade with pizza -- once.
• allowed seconds on root beer so as to come out even with the grilled cheese and fries -- once.
• drove the kids to school in the clothes I had slept in -- more than once.

So -- I confess.  Although I did not totally enforce the healthy choices of the family eating policy and was a bit flexible in bed time routine rules, we laughed a lot and spent a great deal of time making fun memories.   I, for one, had a great time.  I think the kids did too, but -- I also think that they did find the change in routine sometimes a bit bothersome.  After the episode where I spilled my beverage all over myself and their coats, I did hear my grandson say softly to his sister, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger..." Her response to him was to lean toward him and sigh as only she can.   That says it all.   These children make my heart smile.  

"..., can Spring be far behind...?"

You are not alone.  Almost the entire country is sick of being cold.  Some of us have just had a little bit more of the cold and winter weather than others. A case in point is the police department of a town in Tennessee that has issued an arrest warrant for Elsa.  Seriously.  How funny is that?  

Yep -- I love to see how people keep their sense of humor in winter. I admire them. Those who don't head to warmer climes (if they can find any) and brave the cold to paint flowers on their snow banks or to ski and ice skate to and from work while smiling are remarkable.  They make me smile even if they are a bit too much for me to handle sometimes. You see -- I have had enough of winter -- I have now become so grumpy off and on that I can barely stand myself.  I laughed when I heard this guy on TV tell his friends in Southern California that he was sick of their postings on social media about how concerned they were about those of us in colder, more wintry climes. He told them to stop posting pictures of their smiling tanned faces. I understand him.  Last week I found myself standing in front of my bathroom mirror actually debating whether I could take off my silk long underwear long enough to shower. This is true. It happened. There are days when I pad around my house with my warmest bathrobe on top of my clothes and hope that no one comes to the door.  I sleep in fleece sheets -- not flannel -- fleece -- deep pile fleece.  I now think it is time for shorts and tee shirts if it gets into the 30's. Come on -- I know I am not alone in this.  I talk to people. I talk to people I have never seen before about "stuff" like this and also about heating bills and wind chill factors. Those of us who dare to venture out in bad weather always talk to one another...it is a bonding between those who suffer from cabin fever. We are kindred souls. We are desperate for a bit of green.  We are done with what my son calls the "snirt" (snow + dirt) and have endured the "snowpocalyptic times" (self-explanatory).

Yes -- it is time for Spring to arrive.  I am actually eating out of my freezer instead of talking about doing so and, now and again I find myself spending time watching the ice form inside my windows and wondering how much damage it will do to my woodwork when it thaws. I listen to my house groan and think about things like frozen pipes and the weight of the snow and ice on my roof.  Now here's a plus -- sort of.  I did not run out of fire wood this year.  Reason? The caps on my chimneys are frozen shut.  I have been unable to have any fires.  I am trying to look for the positives...honest.  It's now March -- Spring is just around the corner.  Right?