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What is coming next

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I want to start blogging more again. Maybe I can try for once a week. I realized today I have been blogging almost ten years. It takes some form of dedication or insanity to continue that long. One of the hardest parts for me is finding people I connect really well with and then they are gone. Maybe their blogging experience is only temporary. Sometimes bloggers pass away. That component is harder for me then finding things to write about.

This past week has been difficult/emotional in different ways. The job search has lead to several dead ends. I was selected for the lucrative job I took the proctored exam for. However, I am sitting in limbo. It’s been over a month since I applied. When I reached out, I was sent a form letter stating that I am in a pool of applicants and if/when they need me they will reach out. My test results will be on file for two years and if I don’t hear anything by then I am welcome to reapply. But I am looking for a job now.

A friend told me over the weekend that she knows someone who works for the job I am waiting on. She said for the first 6 months they had to work 3rd shift until there was an opening in 1st shift. I am not willing to work 3rd shift, been there done that and don’t ever want to do that again. I would be willing to work those hours once in a while but not often. I AM, however, willing to work day shift (early morning is fine), 2nd shift, weekends, and holidays. I don’t want to work a regular Monday through Friday 9 to 5 job either. I just don’t think it would be possible for me at where I am in my life right now.

As of this last week, I am now the successor guardian for my brother Matt. However, I am not going to do everything the same way my mom did. I am not going to cater to his every whim. This is going to be an adjustment period for all of us and I am going to be pulling off the band-aid. At first I felt a tremendous amount of guilt for doing things my way, the way I think will be the best for Matt. But I had to remind myself that I have taken on the responsibility to be responsible for my brother for the rest of his life or mine. I never signed up for this. I don’t want to have a brother with a disability. But I was willing to take it on even though it was not in my best interest. There are going to be a lot of things I have to learn.

This past week my mom had her neuropsychological evaluation we waited 5 months for. We will be getting the results this week. My brother Luke went with my mom and I to the appointment which lasted 4 hours. We had around an hour to talk to the doctor about our concerns without our mom in the room. I think we were listened to and adequately described the situation. The last few months my mom’s dementia has gotten worse and she reached a new level of raw unfiltered obsessiveness and self-focus. I think she may have more than one personality disorder on top of whatever dementia she is facing. Spending time with my mom is very difficult. I have to limit it to once a week for my own mental health. I had horrible nightmares the evening of her appointment.

This is why I can’t look for a 9 to 5 job. I have several appointments during the month during the day for my mom, daughter, and will for my brother Matt as well. Also, I would like to continue volunteering for several organizations during work hours. My husband and I just finished facilitating an 8 week family class through NAMI this week. We had the opportunity to guide ten other people who are new to mental health struggles with family members. It was great to use my experiences to help other people. We had such a great group and I am sad to see the class is over.

Every week I am looking forward to several opportunities to de-stress. This week I am planning on going to trivia night with friends. The first time we did it, we won second place. This will be the second time. After taking two months off to teach the class, I had to take a hiatus from stand up comedy. I will be doing stand up comedy this week. This weekend my son’s band will be playing so I am looking forward to going with friends and family to watch them perform.

I am also planning on finishing the third edition of my memoir this week. Last year I was planning on ending it but so much more has happened to write about. I feel like I finally found a good place to stop the story. My plan is to have it completely finished by April 11, which would’ve been my grandma’s 100th birthday. Even though she has passed many many years ago, I want to celebrate her day and the life she has given to me. Without her influence in my life, I don’t know where I would be.

Other than that, my husband and kids are doing well. It’s great they are all in a good place right now. I feel like I am at a crossroads of sort. It is a very uncertain and anxious time, yet on the other side of the same coin is a sense of anticipation and excitement for what is to come next. I might take some classes and go a whole different career route. Who knows at this point? I think I should have a lot of answers this week.

Riding with the changes

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I have been feeling uninspired as of late. I feel bored; which I guess isn’t too bad because it is a step above feeling melancholy. There is no immediate crisis, but change is in the air. I can’t tell if it’s good or bad or just is.

The past several days have been very summer like. It has been easy to convince myself that fall is way off into the future somewhere even though the calendar says otherwise.

Uncertainty and change are all around us. Who will our next president be? What kind of changes will that bring?

There have been some big changes in the business we are running and there is uncertainty which road to take. We are waiting in anticipation to see if our finances will change. If not, what kind of changes will that bring? My husband wrestles with wanting to retire and wanting to keep working indefinitely.

I have entered a new decade and my health has been changing.

My son and his girlfriend got new jobs. My son-in-law and daughter might be moving across the country for work for 6 months. I think it’s an exciting opportunity, but I will really miss them. They could be leaving within the month or not.

My parents are experiencing a great deterioration of their health. This has been problematic in many ways. I realized recently that my relationship with my parents has been very destructive and toxic. I sacrificed my young years, my best years, trying to help them because they needed me so much. I was more of their parent then they were ever mine. Looking back, I wish I cut ties with them decades ago. But I didn’t, and now I will never be set free. I will never have the relationship with them that I would’ve wanted.

My mom has been having memory issues, but refuses to admit anything is wrong. I’ve been seeing my mom in her raw form which is very difficult to see. She no longer disguises her extreme favoritism towards my disabled brother. She insists that the world needs to change around Matt instead of helping Matt adapt to the world he lives in which has been a huge disservice. She has placed her favoritism towards Matt over the safety of her children and grandchildren. Nothing is wrong with Matt or her, the problem is the rest of the world. Yet she seeks attention for being a martyr for taking care of my dad and Matt. It’s painful for me when others talk about their fond memories with their aging parents when the only thing I have to bring to the table is shame. There is a lot of uncertainty what will happen with my parents and brother in the near future.

Then there is Arabella. She is having side effects from her medication which have been hard for her to deal with. A couple weeks back I had to take her to the ER because of it. The doctor made a mistake and it ended up being a traumatic experience for both of us. Being on her medication has been a lifesaver, but not an optimal long term solution. Just keeping someone alive is different from being fully alive. Although a lot of troubling negative behaviors are gone, she is just a shell of the person she used to be. She used to be outgoing and fun loving. Now she spends her free time in isolation in her room watching TV. Her friends are gone. Her social interaction is limited to family and work. Her ex moved on and that has been hard for her. No one ever mentions how recovery is a lonely road.

Things have even changed on the blogosphere. Some of my favorite bloggers have fallen off the face of the earth. That feels like losing a friend. I have no intentions of leaving, although I know I’ve been too much of a stranger as of late. What is the purpose? Some days feel meaningless and it’s really hard to find motivation in that mind frame. I’m trying to just ride with the changes, although I’ve never been particularly good at that.

What’s going on

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So here we are again. It seems like the gratitude posts have fallen by the wayside. I want to keep on blogging but at times it seems hard because I really don’t have anything cheerful or positive to say. Well hey, if nothing else, maybe I can make you feel better about your own life.

Where did we leave off? My son had another birthday, 23. It was a great night, his birthday. We had a fire, we had too much to drink, even Paul played a game of football in the backyard with the boys and he didn’t get hurt. But after that, things kind of just fell apart. That seems to be the pattern lately, falling apart and putting the pieces back together again but somewhat askew.

I told Paul that Father’s Day would be hard. I mean, it always is because Paul never had a father and my father is kind of a douche. But I said this year would be especially hard because our daughter is in jail. Mother’s Day was hard, I tried to prepare him but nothing really could. It was a hard day. Paul had a meltdown and the day was pretty much wrecked. Now Paul doesn’t get depressed very often but when he does it is unbearable. Somehow when that happens with me it is commonplace, but Paul was always a positive guy. At least he was when I met him.

Everyday has been a struggle. It seems like things are moving forward with Arabella’s case and she might be released from jail soon and moving back home. I have a lot of anxiety about both, her being in jail and her moving back home.

Alex has been trying to cheer me up. Let’s go to the zoo, let’s go to the amusement park, let’s go get ice cream. I think he is like what Paul once was, fun loving. But at times, that gets old. Life is always a party but sometimes I long for solitude and quiet. Other times I want to play therapist for all his friends. He is trying hard to cheer up both me and his girlfriend and I can’t help but seeing the dynamic passed down through the generations.

I don’t always like his friends hanging out but I feel a sense of safety when they are here. Not too long ago Alex went out with a group of friends for a friend’s birthday. While they were out, a middle aged man grabbed his girlfriend cupping her buttocks within his hands. The man was out with his wife and another couple. After the man grabbed Lexi, he quickly left the bar. Next thing you know, my son and a dozen of his friends followed out in the parking lot. Alex yelled at the man and hit him across the face while the man tried to fight him. The police were called. Although I think my son did the right thing standing up for his girlfriend, I worried that if something happened to him I could not handle another kid in jail.

Angel has been trying hard to make sure I am okay as well. We had a girl’s night out swimming suit shopping and going out to eat which was a lot of fun. We also went to a theatrical production at a theater so small it only had 25 seats and you had to walk across the stage if you had to go to the bathroom. I am happy at least one of my daughter’s is doing well.

I got my hair cut and ended up buying some conditioner that colors your hair ever so slightly. Sometimes I get sick of my 40% gray. I think it worked pretty well to cover my gray. So well that when I was at a memorial service a girl asked me if I was going to have a baby in front of several other people. I was absolutely mortified. When I told her no she almost started crying then yelled at her dad for telling her I was pregnant. You see, I have a youthful face. And now with a lot of the gray out of my hair I look pregnant. Wonderful, just wonderful. The guy apologized to me. Then afterwards he sent my husband a text saying his wife and daughter were angry with him. Paul said it was okay that we were both laughing about it. For the record, he might have been laughing but I was not.

Then I was mad at Paul. He was just trying to save the guy’s feelings. Well what about my feelings?? Sometimes you just can’t win. I have been feeling somewhat better though. The doctor thinks I have fibromyalgia which could explain some of the problems I was having with the tremors. Remember me, I used to be a marathon runner. Up until arthritis and fibromyalgia anyway. Now when the weather turns I feel as much pain as when I used to run long long distances. I never thought this would happen to me.

Other than that, I had a little visit over to my parents. They are holding it together somehow for now. My dad hasn’t recovered fully from his surgery and it appears my mom is slowly slipping into dementia. She asked me if I babysat for someone I didn’t even know. When I replied I did not, she said that was strange because she babysat for them along with a couple of her younger sisters. It’s hard when your parents not only struggle with their mental health but their physical health as well.

Ah, sometimes I think hell can’t be much worse than the suffering we experience on earth. But hey, I will try to be more positive. The other day I went to an estate sale and found a huge high quality floor rug. Beautiful, simply beautiful. They just put it out as I was walking up and I grabbed it right away. Never mind they were selling all of their mother’s earthly possessions to try to cover the costs of assisted living. So I didn’t even haggle over the price…like I would anyway.

That’s about it around here…

Gratitude week 148

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  1. I’m grateful for Ashley’s family letting the blogging community know of her passing. I feel a lot of sadness over her loss. I feel thankful her family provided us with closure and let us know how much comfort blogging provided her in her life. There have been many times over the years bloggers have just disappeared and just left us guessing in worry.
  2. Our friends had their annual Halloween party over the weekend. We also had our annual sailing banquet which we also dressed up for. It was pleasant to visit with friends we don’t see often. I also love to dress in costume. That was probably my favorite part of being involved with community theater, dressing up and being someone else for awhile. Although someone did ask me if I was dressed up as a pregnant porn star. Definitely not the look I was going for. Paul and I dressed up in vintage 70’s disco outfits.
  3. My husband started his month long detox diet. I’m grateful he takes his health seriously.
  4. My son-in-law came back home yesterday after spending two weeks out of state for work.
  5. I finished painting my future office.
  6. We will be renting a dumpster this week to pull out the carpeting and get rid of junk.
  7. I had a good session with my therapist.
  8. Paul and I did some volunteer work. I enjoy helping other people and getting out of my own problems for awhile.
  9. I have been sleeping pretty good lately.
  10. We had a game night with Will and Arabella. We had a really good visit.

Gratitude tomorrow…

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Yesterday I found out one of my blogging friends passed away after a long battle with depression. I wish I could’ve done something to help her. A couple weeks back I noticed her blogging patterns were off. She posted one day like normal and then she just disappeared. She no longer liked or commented on my posts either. A week went by, then another week. I was really getting worried. What if something happened to her? I decided to do a little poking around. I had her name and a general location so I started scouring the obituaries. Nothing…

For awhile I had a sense of false hope. Maybe she was in the hospital and couldn’t update her blog. Maybe she got in a car accident. Maybe she was taking a break on the beach of some nice resort. Maybe she was sick with a fever. The nagging voice in my head said maybe she was dead. Nope, couldn’t be that because I didn’t find an obituary. Maybe, maybe, maybe…until one day I saw a post from her family with her obituary.

Did she know the last time she posted it would be her last? She never said good-bye.

It hurts. Even though we never met in person, I felt like she was a good friend. On a hard day, she often would write an encouraging comment. I just can’t believe it. She was an inspiration to many, especially those struggling with mental health issues. Maybe some day I will go back and re-read some of the things she wrote but as of now I just can’t. Good bye Ashley, you will be greatly missed.

Gratitude week 125

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  1. I had my doctor appointment I waited 4 months for and got the answers I was looking for. The doctor said I have osteoarthritis which explains the joint pain I’ve been having. I’m not excited about having arthritis, but I am grateful to finally have some answers.
  2. I’ve been blogging for seven years now.
  3. Mom and I bought flowers last time we got together. We created some lovely planters for the patio. I also bought some cilantro and strawberry plants.
  4. Thunderstorms. We rarely have thunderstorms over the winter. I didn’t realize how much I missed the patter of falling rain and hearing distant thunder.
  5. A clean mattress pad and sheets.
  6. Arabella started moving into her apartment over the weekend.
  7. We had an open house over the weekend for our seasonal business and had a nice turnout.
  8. My son’s good friend/roommate turned 21 over the weekend. I always worry when the young folks turn 21 because of the heavy drinking involved. He safely survived the weekend.
  9. Arabella turned her location back on for me without me asking her to.
  10. I watched my best friend’s son play baseball near our house. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support her family.

Gratitude week 123

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  1. Mother’s Day; I was able to spend most of the day with my mom and all my children and their significant others. Angel made me a lemon cake and bought me a book. Alex brought me flowers and cheesecake. Arabella got me my favorite jelly beans. We played some games and had a bonfire. Paul made some ribs.
  2. I’m grateful for my husband who did most of the cooking and cleaning on Mother’s Day.
  3. Spring finally arrived in Wisconsin. It’s the start of my favorite time of year!
  4. I turned the heat off and took the quilt off my bed.
  5. I uncovered the pool today for the season.
  6. I had a really good therapy session.
  7. Paul had his annual physical and it went well.
  8. I finished the classic East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It was a remarkable book…there might be a post about it this week…
  9. Mom and I are going to the spa this week…can’t wait for that.
  10. Sailing season is starting…we’re planning on taking the boat across the bay this week to its summer home.
  11. I had another weekend of rummage sales. The big finds were a light blue floral area rug for $22, several snarky t-shirts, several albums specifically one with pipe organ music, colored exterior flood lights, candles and large candle holder, a beach scene picture, and some books. I bought some items for Angel’s house and Arabella’s apartment. I met some of my neighbors.
  12. This is worth a special mention. At a rummage sale I found a book of questions. I was specifically looking for an item like that for my blog to have more topics to write about when things get slow. I can’t believe I found an obscure item I was looking for at a random rummage sale. The best part is I paid 50 cents for it.

Life lately

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I started having bad dreams again, nothing too terrifying. Last night it was the wild animals. I spotted a bear in the distance that wanted to get inside of my house. Then there were the dogs. They snarled and clawed outside my door if I tried to lock them out. It was horrifying to let them in, but if I did they ran through my house then were gone.

Sometimes I feel memories clawing through my mind. Memories I want to repress, but the more I do the more they nag me swirling endlessly awaiting connection. Incomplete memories, a camera, the fish tank upstairs that I don’t remember being upstairs, other things…

My therapist asked if remembering would change the way I feel about myself. I said it could go one of two ways. I could be more bitter than I already am. Or I can think I survived more than I thought I could with a certain courageousness.

My therapist asked if it would change how I felt about my parents. I said I didn’t think so. I will always view my mother as weak. She always seemed to protect the wrong people. My dad, I don’t even think all my children would even attend his funeral. He never made an impact on anyone’s life. Oh, I stand corrected. He never made a POSITIVE impact on anyone’s life. At this point, what would it matter?

I did learn something new about my dad. When my brother Luke called he told me about some things my dad did to him that I didn’t know. But the new details weren’t upsetting as much as my brother calling me to vent. You see, Luke is the strong one. Most times I think he is stronger than me. He rarely calls to vent. He said that time wasn’t healing his wounds, instead they are oozing and festering. I feel sad he can’t escape the pain anymore than I can.

Then Arabella came to visit for a few days. She lost her job. She is never to work on time and has a tendency to not get along with her managers. It is hard not to get wrapped up in my worry for her.

Then my mom came over. She didn’t sleep well the night before and emotionally was a big mess. I can’t help but feel some of it is her own fault. She has had several therapists tell her if she doesn’t like her life, she should change it. They tell her she should leave my dad, but in the end she always leaves the therapists who tell her that. My brother Luke said if my dad dies my mom will either wake up and realize she was in a bad relationship all along or she will immediately find someone else just like him.

I think about that a lot lately, my parents dying. My mom is in a really bad head space right now. It wears on me. Then I am worried about my daughter and my own aging. My doctor appointment is less than two weeks away. My therapist said I should focus more on my wisdom and insight versus the aging process. She is right. I might not have all the cards I want in my hand, but it would be smart to play my strong suit.

My therapist also said I have an extraordinary amount of stability for everything I have been through. I sometimes wonder…shouldn’t I be crazier? I found her words to be very encouraging. Yet I have to be careful. Last week I read the whole childhood portion of my book. I thought to myself, what a bit pile of shit. I got into a ferocious mood. I have to take writing and reading in small doses. I can’t do it when I am under a lot of stress. Writing has been healing for me. But it also can be the sword that cuts open my wounds if I am not careful. Having nightmares and a hard week with family is a good time to back off a bit.

I have not be happy lately. I feel as if I have been neglecting this blog. I am going to try to write more even if I don’t have anything to say.

Gratitude week 117

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  1. I am grateful for the friendships I’ve made on WP. It means so much to me to be a part of a supportive community as I tell my story and to share the joys and struggles along with other people all around the world as I hear your stories.
  2. Today when I woke up, the sun was shining for the first time in a week. It still is cold out with no foreseeable end in sight…but for now the rain and snow ended.
  3. We’ve had a couple of fires inside this week to stay warm. I guess that’s one thing I’m grateful for with the cold weather. I miss having fires inside in the summer.
  4. My tattoo is healing nicely.
  5. My best friend and I went out to eat for the first time this calendar year. I’m grateful to have a best friend who always checks in on me.
  6. I went out to eat with my brother Matt for his birthday. A couple weeks back I found a record for him at the antique store of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. My brother was obsessed with that movie when we were kids, so I was excited to find it for him.
  7. My husband made his famous homemade pizza and we had Arabella and Will over for supper and Mahjong.
  8. Paul and I had a date night on Friday night. We went out for sushi and had tickets to see a comedian. We did a lot of laughing, probably too much laughing because things were going too good. After the show, we walked back to my car. The winds were whipping rather fiercely and the snow was falling. We got back to my car and noticed I had a flat tire. We also found out that I do not have a spare tire. Seriously?? Why? Was it because I let my guard down and was having too much fun??
  9. Thank God I have a good sense of humor.
  10. While we were at the sushi restaurant, I saw something on TV about a store that sells records and realized we were only a block away. So…since we went out to eat really early as not to miss the show, we had some extra time…I ended up buying three new records; Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Prince’s Purple Rain, and Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity.
  11. Last night Angel and our employee James (the only one who still works for our previous business and who does some work for us now) came over for beer sampling, pizza, and to watch the Bucks game. James is the only employee who worked for us that we are still in touch with. He is pretty much an honorary family member now.
  12. Angel’s fiancé Dan came home very early this morning after spending a couple weeks out of state for work.
  13. It was nice to have a really busy week so I could forget how miserable the weather is. Spring is coming, I know it is…

The old normal, part 6

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Before COVID, I spent a lot of time at the gym. I don’t even have a gym membership anymore. How things have changed.

Back in the day, I used to go to the gym three times a week for at least an hour. In the summer, I would run the streets. I did countless marathons, a half Iron, and a 50k. When I first started blogging I wrote about training for my first marathon after reading a marathon training book written by a blogger. At the time I thought I could run a marathon and I could write on a blog, and I did. I even have running in the title of my blog. Over time this blog has morphed into something more than that.

I always thought I would be a runner. I didn’t often see a lot of older runners competing in races, but when I did I thought to myself that will be me someday. Running helped me burn off a lot of my anxiety and stress. I worried a lot about becoming injured because I didn’t think I would be sane without running. I know I have posted before if I couldn’t run someone would need to check on me because I would not be okay.

Then the world changed. When COVID hit my gym closed and all the races I was planning on running got cancelled. Not long after that, I had a 10 day bout of colitis that knocked me off my feet. A month later it was hard for me just to put the laundry from the washer into the dryer. I thought I would never be able to run again. I was able to but I lost most of what was left of my endurance. Then I started to experience joint pain which made it all but impossible to run without being in pain.

I’m not sure what is wrong. It could be a number of things or it could be nothing at all. I have an appointment scheduled with a specialist in May. My doctor thought the joint pain could be related to colitis. I recently read stress and trauma can cause inflammation like I have. Or maybe I overused my joints by all my long distance running. I also saw it could be a symptom of perimenopause. Or maybe I’m getting arthritis like some of my other relatives did. I started noticing bumps on the knuckles of my fingers. But until I see the doctor I’m just guessing.

I started doing low impact workouts but I find them to be frustrating because it doesn’t feel as if I am doing anything. I had to take a step back because I just couldn’t do it anymore. I miss running, I really do but I don’t feel like I will not be okay without it anymore. I don’t need to beat the hell out of my body anymore. But I don’t want to do nothing either. I’ve gained some weight. But is it realistic to think I’ll always be able to keep a youthful figure as I age?

Sometimes now I run into people from my running days. I’ve been asked what race I am training for. It’s hard to admit I am much more of a walker now. For 15 years I identified as a runner. Now it’s just another area of my life I don’t know who I am anymore. But one thing I can say for sure, I can live without running. I am okay. I never thought I would be saying that. Now it’s time for something new. I’m just not sure what that is yet.