Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Art Imitating Life

I'm a fan of great shows, where writers write without abandon.  Hard hitting shows that depict human emotion as it really happens.  Not like an "after school" special or anything exaggerated like "reality" t.v..  I'm hooked on "The Big C" right now.   The show airs on Showtime and depicts the plethora of human emotions in all it's stages, as a woman, Laura Linney, discovers and deals with a cancer diagnosis.  I've cried at least twice through each show, and not because it's sad, but because of the way I empathize with it.

When you have nothing to lose except life itself, you somehow discover a freedom, a real freedom to embrace everything good, mysterious, and exciting, while simultaneously giving negative vibes the middle finger.  You no longer tolerate b.s. and tend to live life a little fuller, talk a little more direct, and live a little harder.  I've always loved laughing, but even more so now.  I don't have the time or energy to waste on negative crap.  I cry enough as it is.  Probably a minimum of once a week.  Add the fact that I can't even drink a glass of wine (because of diabetes), which is what I used to love doing.  Facing life completely sober sucks pretty bad sometimes.

I'll be a part of several weddings in the near future, both as a participant and as an onlooker.  I'll describe the feelings about that another time, but out of all the sadness and loneliness, a realization birthed.  A feeling of gratitude that I could see all of my lovely friends and family (at least the ones I care about) celebrate great moments in their lives.  My life was spared so that I could be present.  No brain damage, and no other severe infirmities that would make life more difficult.

I spent the last week editing photos for two weddings.  I smiled through every crop, every contrast adjustment, every subject positioning.  I relived the moments as I filtered through each photo.  Each photo reminded me that the art work known as my life wasn't finished.  That there are several aspects of life that need to be edited, cropped, positioned.  I trust that God knows what he's doing.  I reflect on the last 10 to 20 years and see where edits have been made and I know I'm better for them.  Growing pains are never easy or simple, but with the right support, people, and resources, you survive.  I have something to live for, and sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going.  The ONLY thing.  The days of adjustments aren't quite over and the sadness can be a huge burden, but I make it one day at a time.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

COFFFFFEEEE...YOWZA!

So.  I'm off the wagon folks. buzzzzz

Drinking coffee is similar to being on a roller coaster.  I used to drink triple shot iced mochas in 1998 while working night & graveyard shifts and eventually cut back because of heart palpitations (self-diagnosed, lol). 

Over the course of time I became a "1-2 cups of regular black coffee a day" kind of gal .



Around 2005 they opened up a Starbucks in our hospital, INSIDE!  What the heck?  So I started with the Americano and progressed to the Red Eye, the Black Eye (often misheard as "the black guy"), and finally The Concussion -3 shots of espresso added to a Tall Coffee (as if regular Starbucks coffee wasn't already super caffeinated).




I hadn't had coffee for about 1 1/2 years.

(Date of accident) 12/2008 - 5/2010


Caffeine was just a nuisance to drink during recovery & rehab and in the end I had just detoxed from it completely.  But I tell you, in the hospital I neeeeeded it.  I was awoken every 2 hours to be turned, awoken up once for a bath around 6, and once again for early meds.  Argh!  There's no rest in a hospital.  And did I mention random wake ups at 5 a.m. to get blood drawn?  Getting stuck with a needle while half awake is not right.





Currently I start work at about 6 a.m., meaning I wake up @ around 4 a.m.  I need at least 45 min. to get dressed, into my wheelchair, and washed up.  Then it takes about an hour to get to work. (early, RIGHT?? THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!)  Slowly but surely I started drinking Cafe again.




I went from "no caffeine"
     to "decaf"
          to "half & half"
               to Starbucks Via packs EXTRA BOLD
                    lol.


I'm still too cheap to buy coffee from     premium coffee shops




I have to say that the Starbucks Via coffee packets offer a fresh ground coffee flavor and taste delicious.



Dark & Strong, yes!


Ahhhhhh...delicious and yes I had a full cup this morning...YoWzA!!!!
 
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