Aging, Growing Older.... Is it really a bummer!
Funny how age slips up on you without you realizing it. You're young, agile, running from sunup to sundown, staying up all night, involved in everything and then one day you realize those days are gone forever.
This last two years have been an eye opener for me .... several surgeries, a mild stroke, my back caving in on me and suddenly how quick my life has changed. After my retirement from my long time FDA job in 2006, I thought I had found my dream (no more govie job; time to pursue my art and run my photography studio and do all those things I had only dreamed about for the last 30 years.
But health issues can certainly change plans. First eye surgery to save my sight (a very successful surgery I might add - big kudos to the Baptist Eye Center and Dr. Zocchi). Then major abdominal surgery followed by a mild stroke. Finally, my spine degenerating on me requiring me to sell out my share of my photography studio because even walking became so difficult.
But amazingly so, life is still worth living. I've fully recovered from my stroke and become really involved in the Pine Bluff Art League (PBAL) and made some wonderful new friends there who share my passion for art and photography. I may not be able to walk 20 yards, but I can sit and paint on my computer or at my art table, and I now have time to study my photography and the old master's art work. Check out the PBAL's web site at www.pinebluffartleague.org for our most recent doings. A more fun group of men and women you can't find anywhere.
Currently, I'm also working on my Certified Professional Photographers certification and studying through lessons on the Impressionist painters from Monet to Van Gogh. I've found this great supplier for life long learning studies (learning just for the sake of learning) which I am loving. Check it out at: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/teach12.aspx?ai=44096
My handicapped parking sticker, cane and occasionally my mom's old wheelchair allow me to keep out and about. I'm really finding out what businesses are "handicapped" friendly. I love businesses who have those great electric carts to shop with. I've gotten very good driving those little things and haven't ran into anyone yet! Walmart, Sams, Hanks Fine Furniture (in NLR) all are handicapped friendly and easy places to shop. I'm not too happy right now with Barnes and Noble for taking out most of their nice reading chairs - it makes it so hard for me to shop there now despite my great love of books.
All my days now are full and pretty interesting. Today I took my 83 year old mother-in-law to LR for a stress test. After dropping her off at the clinic door, then parking my van and walking up the hill with my cane, by the time I got in the elevator, panting heavily, the technician going up with us offered to get me, not my MIL a wheelchair - bet she thought I was the patient.
After my 4 hour wait for her test to be completed, we met my daughter in NLR for lunch. I had the best salad and enchilado soup I have ever tasted at Applebees. Then home to White Hall to get ready and go to my water therapy class at Trinity Village in Pine Bluff where I do believe I'm the youngest one in my class. We had a big group of 15 in our class today, 14 ladies and one man (he loved it with all that attention from the ladies). We do our swimming and exercise class in the pool (it feels so good!) and then head for the hot tub - a wonderful way to relax...we all love that tub and we have a mutual pact between all of us (no one, not no one, looks at the others bootie when they are getting in and out of the tub)!
