It’s Monday morning, and I want to start the week off with color, especially as half of the country is mired in rain and wind instead of the usual fires and drought. While our leaders feed their egos, our fellow Americans are losing their homes, savings, and wells. I promised to be a place of safety and affirmation, and I’m sticking to it.

Today is a pretty big medical day for me. I’m seeing Amy, my primary care nurse practitioner, a week after my cancer scare; hopefully, I can put that behind me.

Usually, I go to the doctor alone, but Maria comes when she thinks it’s important. She’s coming today. She doesn’t like me driving when distracted.

The rest of the afternoon will be taken up making a cast for a new orthotic brace for m ever flattening left foot, the demon behind my callouses, and the resulting ulceration and stubborn wound.

Not an especially dignified medical issue, but life makes its own choices. This morning, Amy will be giving me my regular check-up and exam. Tomorrow, I go to have my regular foo checkup, all is looking well, but I often can’t really tell.

My brace will cost $1 500; my insurance will cover most of it. If this works, I can resume my walks around the farm and the town. This is not a site about my getting older or my health care,  but about my life, and I suppose aging and the health care equation are a part of that.

As promised, I share almost everything, that, to me, is what makes the blog different from most other blogs. For me, life is about learning, adapting and moving forward – always. I do not speak poorly of my life or lament my getting older.

Every chapter is a new chapter and a new opportunity. Getting older, like life itself, is a serious string of gifts and challenges. Grace is how I deal with it.

Sometimes, I think I’m having trouble keeping up with my body. But then I take some deep breaths and get on with it. Shame on anyone who tells their children or grandchildren not to get old.

 

 

I’m forever marveling at the opportunities and complexities of aging. I understand that at age 75, I’m entering a new dimension, a new chapter of my life. Maria (bless her) and I talk about this often; we don’t run and hide from it. I am at ease now about Maria taking good care of herself if I move along first. She is strong, brave, and very creative.

Getting old is a kind of chess for me. My body makes a move; I make a move. I’m told my body will one day betray me, but so far I’m nothing but grateful for my body hanging in there with me, despite two chronic diseases. I see that Covid was a real punch to me and a kind of setback. I think it is finally going away.

I am certain now that the vaccine and boosters saved my life.

She will take good care of herself. I’ve even arranged for the blogs to be merged into one if and when I die.

I don’t expect to die any time soon; I’m learning to take good care of myself, listen to my doctors and be active, focused, and ambitious about my work. Maria and I are having a wonderful life together; I’m always surprised and delighted by what I can do and what we can do together.

Discovering good music from the Caffe Lena Streaming TV has brought the music we love in life and right into our living rooms.  This is a godsend in January.

When Spring comes, I look forward to going there in person.

In the meantime, I’m focused on getting my brace into place and concentrating on staying healthy, engaged, and active. The cancer scare reminded me to be grateful for what I have, not what I lost.

Sometimes, the healthcare stuff gets me low, which is neither unexpected nor constant.  I’m in a contemplative mood now; I have to resent the way I look at things in my life; I’ve learned that facing mortality openly with a good and positive heart prolongs life; it doesn’t shorten it.

I have a good life. I mean to have a good life, and I have something to say about how that does.

 

After the medical stuff, I’ll teach a meditation class on the Mansion on Friday; the Flu epidemic is over. Thursday, I hope to get to Bishop Gibbons to see how Sue Silverstein’s revolution is going.

Thanks for supporting Baby J. From the messages I’m getting, a number of you are planning to send clothes to this female infant who needs every kind of baby clothes. Her size is 24 months (yes, that is a size for infants)). The child belongs to a former Bishop Maginn student who I know and wrote about.

Baby J needs sleepers, socks, coats, dresses, mittens, hats, boots, sweatsuits, onesies, and sweaters. Used clothes that are clean and in good shape are welcome, and so are new ones. Sue Silverstein has asked that the clothes be sent directly to her at Sue Silverstein,  Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, N.Y., 12304.

Sue will bring them to the mother.

Several people have asked if they could send money directly to me or Sue me.  I think it isn’t necessary for money to go to me at this point, I expect Sue will be flooded with clothes within a day or two, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s money.

Sending Sue money is problematic.

She will need to follow school protocol and send the money to the Catholic Diocese. And she will also have to go out and buy clothes. I know how busy Sue is, and I know she’d do it. I’d also like to spare her that paperwork and additional work. Sue never says no to anything, but I see how hard she is working and it sometimes scares me.

As it stands, the clothes will go directly to her, and she will get them quickly over to the mother. Thanks for your support and understanding. Remember: 24 months is a size. Thank you, thank you.

I see that people love buying baby clothes. If there is a problem, I’ll happily offer to buy the clothes myself – I’ve done it hundreds of times – but I’m hoping and thinking it won’t be necessary to do that. As always, I am grateful to the Army Of Good. It is good.

I’ll be blogging when I can.