Joel put me on to www.first-world-problems.com where people can complain in ways that only 1st worlders can. 2 examples: "It really irritates me when the turn signal of the car in front of me is out of sync with the music from my ipod." or "I went to the bathroom and forgot to take my iphone with me". One from today: "when I had my Swedish massage today my makeup got totally messed up".
So here's my first world problem: I love my house, but it takes so much upkeep I can't travel as much as I want to. Every corner is renovated and decorated (mostly). Every nook and cranny is filled with wonderful things that up to now have been worth keeping; pictures from the last 100 years, china from 4 generations, 3 boxes of hymnals in case I ever teach Church Music History again....and oh so much more.
I find myself wondering: if I moved into a 600 square foot condo, what would be worth keeping? If I packed everything else away in a storage space, what would I miss? anything? everything?
If I gave up my front lawn and my extra kitchen in the basement, where would my grandchildren play when they come over? If I go from 4 bedrooms to 2 bedrooms, where do my families sleep when they come? If they only come every year or two, is it worth it? If I give up this space, would they ever come?
Do I become one of those old ladies that can't be bribed to leave all their stuff? Or do I become one of those old ladies that is so busy jetting off to one country or another that I no longer have time, room or inclination to open my heart and home to others, including my family?
These are my first world problems, or at the very least my first world questions.
Showing posts with label personal health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal health. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Old Lady Feet
No kidding, I'm trying to deal with turning 60 and how it's not really a big deal, 60 is just a number, I'm a young 59, I have a future and a hope, right? right?
My feet have outed me. I went for a walk in downtown Seattle in March and ended up with horrible pain in both legs for weeks. Tried the meds - nothing. Tried physio - bingo. Huge rangy cyclist mountain climber from NZ named Craig worked me over good. Second visit Craig taped up my feet tight and said "try that!". It was awesome. So he sent me to the orthotics guy (Jeremy). That's orthotics spelled "orth60tics".
No joke, I'm limping in to Jeremy's office wearing the only shoes I have that fit around all the tape, which of course look like orthopedic shoes. He has an orthopedic student from the university, a sweet young thing in her 20s who seems to never have seen a foot before. So he reads out my chart to her "Mrs. Shinness is 59, almost 60, with leg pain very typical for her age." Great start. Then he gives her the tour of every corner of each of my feet top and bottom telling her all the things that are wrong due to stress and aging. While it is interesting for me to hear all the details, all I can hear him say is "OLD LADY FEET, OLD LADY FEET, OLD LADY FEET, and right here we see MORE OLD LADY FEET". AGHHHHH!!!!
Now it is weeks later, I have the pricey orthotic inserts in my shoes, I'm finished physio, and I can walk without pain. I still have to find shoes that can hold these inserts that don't look like old lady shoes. I did learn that feet problems are highly related to your family members' feet, and I put together that my mom's feet problems started right when she was my age. She never followed up because she wanted to be young and not an old lady, but within a handful of years she lost her mobility.
Lesson learned. I still have a future and a hope (I do, right?) but in that future, I'll be wearing orthotics!
My feet have outed me. I went for a walk in downtown Seattle in March and ended up with horrible pain in both legs for weeks. Tried the meds - nothing. Tried physio - bingo. Huge rangy cyclist mountain climber from NZ named Craig worked me over good. Second visit Craig taped up my feet tight and said "try that!". It was awesome. So he sent me to the orthotics guy (Jeremy). That's orthotics spelled "orth60tics".
No joke, I'm limping in to Jeremy's office wearing the only shoes I have that fit around all the tape, which of course look like orthopedic shoes. He has an orthopedic student from the university, a sweet young thing in her 20s who seems to never have seen a foot before. So he reads out my chart to her "Mrs. Shinness is 59, almost 60, with leg pain very typical for her age." Great start. Then he gives her the tour of every corner of each of my feet top and bottom telling her all the things that are wrong due to stress and aging. While it is interesting for me to hear all the details, all I can hear him say is "OLD LADY FEET, OLD LADY FEET, OLD LADY FEET, and right here we see MORE OLD LADY FEET". AGHHHHH!!!!
Now it is weeks later, I have the pricey orthotic inserts in my shoes, I'm finished physio, and I can walk without pain. I still have to find shoes that can hold these inserts that don't look like old lady shoes. I did learn that feet problems are highly related to your family members' feet, and I put together that my mom's feet problems started right when she was my age. She never followed up because she wanted to be young and not an old lady, but within a handful of years she lost her mobility.
Lesson learned. I still have a future and a hope (I do, right?) but in that future, I'll be wearing orthotics!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Just me blowing my nose again
So I'm into the 60 project thus far like this: I've changed to a less stressful job, I'm sleeping and eating well, I'm losing weight again, I'm walking fairly regularly and being nicer to my husband. I'm basically a candidate for sainthood. Did I mention that I'm taking my vitamins? I am. And calcium too.
And yet..... The ghastly head cold that leveled me in December and January IS BACK! with a VENGEANCE!
Now I'm not naming names, but I work with healthy adults and no children except for 2 little blue-eyed blondies of excellent heritage that look something like this:
You can see my problem here :). As some old crusty Canadian said, "Life is tough and then you die".
And yet..... The ghastly head cold that leveled me in December and January IS BACK! with a VENGEANCE!
Now I'm not naming names, but I work with healthy adults and no children except for 2 little blue-eyed blondies of excellent heritage that look something like this:
You can see my problem here :). As some old crusty Canadian said, "Life is tough and then you die".
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