A little over a year ago, I found my happy place. When I'm getting a massage or at a spa party and someone says to go to my happy place, I go to someplace unusual and uncommon to most happy places. And recently, I find myself going there more and more. I've had lots of stress in my life as of late and I feel I almost need that happy place every day now. When most people day dream of their happy place, they envision oceans, beaches, cool breezes, solitude, but not me. When someone tells me to go to my happy place I envision crowds, smells of baked goods and desserts and the sound of ragtime music. As I make my way down the street I hear laughter of kids squealing with delight (or screaming their heads off depending on the time of day). I hear people talking about their game plan of how to tackle the day. As I continue strolling, I turn to the right to the Market House where I smell freshly ground coffee and the sounds of the early morning. Old fashioned telephones are situated in the market house to enjoy the old time conversations of party lines. Conversations of no importance tie up the party lines and it brings giggles to the people eavesdropping. I make my way through the line, conversing with the people around me, who are at first, total strangers but within minutes become friends on the journey. The smell of the coffee is getting stronger now. I'm now the next person in line and order my medium coffee with a touch of room for cream and Splenda. I saunter over to the condiment counter and doctor up the coffee. Sounds of main street music, bells and horns of the main street vehicles and the clippity clop of the horse drawn cars waft in as I get lost in stirring my coffee. I make my way out to the umbrella patio tables and chairs. Shade is plenty in this little hidden treasure. The fruit cart hides the area away from the hustle and bustle. The caffeinated beverages warms my throat all the way down to my toes. I close my eyes and enjoy every sound, smell and taste of this place. All of a sudden I hear an out of tune piano playing up in the second story window. A woman is giving a piano lesson. Then in another window, a man starts yelling because his shower is too cold and we get to hear his morning routine of gargling and singing in the shower. There is a dentist drilling on a patient in another window. It's fun to hear the soundtracks play in those second story windows. Time slowly passes by with each sip of my coffee as I watch people rush to the many lands offered to each guest. I am totally and completely content with people watching. I smile knowing all the fun that awaits once the coffee cup is empty. I pack my coffee receipt away. I remind myself to remember and save the coffee receipt, as I get free refills all day.
Anytime I want to relive my morning ritual in this happy place, I can do so. And I'm off to be the kid at heart that I always know is waiting to escape. I've been blessed to be able to be at my happy place twice in 12 months and I hope, one day soon, I'll get to go back. But for now, I can relive the memories when I freshly brew my own cup of coffee and sip the warm yummy beverage from my favorite Snow White mug, play the Main Street music on my iPod, and go to my happy place-The Coffee Spot on Main Street, USA in Disneyland, Anaheim, California.
I hope you all have a happy place that you can go to when things get stressful. Take time away from all the madness in your life. Find little memories and mementos to remind you and you can travel to your happy place anytime you want. I hope you all can go visit you happy places sometime soon, in person, but in the meantime, have fun creating your happy place and visiting your place often.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Battle of Endo
Yes, the title sounds like an episode from Star Wars. Unfortunately, there aren't cute little Ewoks running around in this battle. As some of you may know (and some of you may not know) last July, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. It's actually a very common disease in women and the symptoms vary with each person. One of the main symptoms is infertility. So, I've been coming to terms with not being able to have kids (physically). Some days are better than others. I guess today isn't really a good day, since I actually want to blog about it. There are definitely other options that we're looking at and adoption is top on the list. Fertility doctors and in vitro procedures are too expensive for a pastor and secretary's pocketbook and with my prognosis, it might not really be worth the try, pain and heartache to do those procedures.
But the main reason I'm even blogging about this is for many of you to know about this disease. As of now, there is no cure. None. But there are ways of healing and ways of keeping some of the symptoms at bay. Symptoms run from moodiness, PMS-like symptoms (but sometimes about 10 times worse), infertility, digestive problems, headaches, anxiety, lower back pain, fatigue, depression, hypoglycemia, and many other symptoms linked with our reproductive organs. Also, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is more common in women with endometriosis, as well as, Hypothyroidism, Fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. We don't know how a woman gets Endometriosis, although it could very well be genetic.
So, what is it? Ok, I'm going to get a tad graphic here, but it's my daily life and it's something I deal with all the time, so it's just what I live with on a daily basis. Basically, the lining that a woman sheds each month (which is normal for all women) but for women with Endometriosis, the lining ends up going through her system and that lining adheres to other organs in the body, causing lesions, pain and sometimes ruining the reproductive organs. The Dr. that performed my surgery (which determined my diagnosis) found this lining even in my hip, as well as my ovaries and uterus.
Ok, what can be done? Well, there are lots of artificial and sometimes harmful ways to alleviate the pain. One type is a hormone shot that was actually created for men with prostate cancer. Um. No thank you. There are types of surgeries that can be done, but some women go through life having many surgeries in their lifetime. I'm learning a lot about diet and herbal supplements, massage, acupuncture, that can possibly benefit in the healing of symptoms of this disease. There are a lot of foods I should and shouldn't eat to help with a lot of my symptoms. And while it's hard to do, it can become a matter of quality of life vs. a miserable daily life.
Did you know that it is estimated that over 70 million women suffer from Endometriosis. It is more common than breast cancer or AIDS and despite the amount of women who have this disease, not many people know about it and there is still no cure. On one of the more popular sites (www.endo-resolved.com) dedicated to Endometriosis, it says "Endometriosis is serious. It is affecting millions of women around the world. It is not simply disrupting women’s lives, it can be devastating for most women. It affects her health, her quality of life, her possibilities of having children, her income earning potential, her emotional well-being, her relationships, her sex life, her economics if she lives in a country where she has to pay for treatment, her social life; in essence it affects her entire life." I also have a friend, Melissa, in New Zealand who has a blog full of information and hope for women who suffer from Endometriosis. Check out her blog: www.cureendometriosis.com
So, it's a lot to take in. It's a lot of information. It's sometimes too much for me to digest on some days. And it's also important to shout it from the roof tops to make people aware that this is out there. You never know, it might help someone in the long run that you know about this disease.
Remember to be kind to one another and live life to the fullest. Don't take each other for granted and live in every moment!
But the main reason I'm even blogging about this is for many of you to know about this disease. As of now, there is no cure. None. But there are ways of healing and ways of keeping some of the symptoms at bay. Symptoms run from moodiness, PMS-like symptoms (but sometimes about 10 times worse), infertility, digestive problems, headaches, anxiety, lower back pain, fatigue, depression, hypoglycemia, and many other symptoms linked with our reproductive organs. Also, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is more common in women with endometriosis, as well as, Hypothyroidism, Fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. We don't know how a woman gets Endometriosis, although it could very well be genetic.
So, what is it? Ok, I'm going to get a tad graphic here, but it's my daily life and it's something I deal with all the time, so it's just what I live with on a daily basis. Basically, the lining that a woman sheds each month (which is normal for all women) but for women with Endometriosis, the lining ends up going through her system and that lining adheres to other organs in the body, causing lesions, pain and sometimes ruining the reproductive organs. The Dr. that performed my surgery (which determined my diagnosis) found this lining even in my hip, as well as my ovaries and uterus.
Ok, what can be done? Well, there are lots of artificial and sometimes harmful ways to alleviate the pain. One type is a hormone shot that was actually created for men with prostate cancer. Um. No thank you. There are types of surgeries that can be done, but some women go through life having many surgeries in their lifetime. I'm learning a lot about diet and herbal supplements, massage, acupuncture, that can possibly benefit in the healing of symptoms of this disease. There are a lot of foods I should and shouldn't eat to help with a lot of my symptoms. And while it's hard to do, it can become a matter of quality of life vs. a miserable daily life.
Did you know that it is estimated that over 70 million women suffer from Endometriosis. It is more common than breast cancer or AIDS and despite the amount of women who have this disease, not many people know about it and there is still no cure. On one of the more popular sites (www.endo-resolved.com) dedicated to Endometriosis, it says "Endometriosis is serious. It is affecting millions of women around the world. It is not simply disrupting women’s lives, it can be devastating for most women. It affects her health, her quality of life, her possibilities of having children, her income earning potential, her emotional well-being, her relationships, her sex life, her economics if she lives in a country where she has to pay for treatment, her social life; in essence it affects her entire life." I also have a friend, Melissa, in New Zealand who has a blog full of information and hope for women who suffer from Endometriosis. Check out her blog: www.cureendometriosis.com
So, it's a lot to take in. It's a lot of information. It's sometimes too much for me to digest on some days. And it's also important to shout it from the roof tops to make people aware that this is out there. You never know, it might help someone in the long run that you know about this disease.
Remember to be kind to one another and live life to the fullest. Don't take each other for granted and live in every moment!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Life in an ABBA song
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
Some of you are too young to know or care about the Swedish Pop Group, ABBA. Some of you danced to the remixes of Dancing Queen and Lay All Your Love On Me (Erasure and Tribute cds) in college and some of you danced in the living room to their 8 Tracks. Ya, I said it! 8-Tracks!!! When I hear an ABBA song, memories flood my brain. I am instantly happy. I sing along. Happy. I secretly dance while vacuuming, as I have my iPod running the entire ABBA box set. Contentment. Who would have thought cleaning the house would be this much fun?
There are songs about happiness and love and heart-break and sadness; fun, memories, friendships, dreams, and all the good stuff that a song can possibly contain. One of my favorite movies of all time is Muriel's Wedding. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! It's about a young girl, who saw herself as nothing, was told she was nothing and believed it, but through a friend, some gumption and her ABBA songs, she found out who she was (through thick and thin). "Mamma Mia", the musical, has been out since 1999 and as we've seen in the musical (and recently in film), life can truly be told in an ABBA song. Some people may say that life should be more than just a song, but even the most simple songs have so many intricacies. The words, the melody, the harmonies, the bridge, the intro, the instruments all weaving together to produce a sense of happiness in the soul.
"Standing calmly at the crossroad, no desire to run.
There's no hurry anymore, when all is said and done."
So, (if you're an ABBA fan) what ABBA song tells a story in your life? Break out the old LPs, or cds, iTunes library, or if you're a die hard, pull out the 8 track and find your favorite ABBA song. Play it. Play it Again. Sing at the top of your lungs. Smile and be happy that something as simple as a song from a 70's pop group can flood your mind of memories and you can find life again in an ABBA song! I've always related to "Thank you for the music". My life is in this song and I turn around and thank ABBA for all the music they sang and wrote. I will always be a fan and always see my life in an ABBA song.
"I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore
If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before
But I have a talent, a wonderful thing
'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing
I'm so grateful and proud
All I want is to sing it out loud
So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me"
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
Some of you are too young to know or care about the Swedish Pop Group, ABBA. Some of you danced to the remixes of Dancing Queen and Lay All Your Love On Me (Erasure and Tribute cds) in college and some of you danced in the living room to their 8 Tracks. Ya, I said it! 8-Tracks!!! When I hear an ABBA song, memories flood my brain. I am instantly happy. I sing along. Happy. I secretly dance while vacuuming, as I have my iPod running the entire ABBA box set. Contentment. Who would have thought cleaning the house would be this much fun?
There are songs about happiness and love and heart-break and sadness; fun, memories, friendships, dreams, and all the good stuff that a song can possibly contain. One of my favorite movies of all time is Muriel's Wedding. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! It's about a young girl, who saw herself as nothing, was told she was nothing and believed it, but through a friend, some gumption and her ABBA songs, she found out who she was (through thick and thin). "Mamma Mia", the musical, has been out since 1999 and as we've seen in the musical (and recently in film), life can truly be told in an ABBA song. Some people may say that life should be more than just a song, but even the most simple songs have so many intricacies. The words, the melody, the harmonies, the bridge, the intro, the instruments all weaving together to produce a sense of happiness in the soul.
"Standing calmly at the crossroad, no desire to run.
There's no hurry anymore, when all is said and done."
So, (if you're an ABBA fan) what ABBA song tells a story in your life? Break out the old LPs, or cds, iTunes library, or if you're a die hard, pull out the 8 track and find your favorite ABBA song. Play it. Play it Again. Sing at the top of your lungs. Smile and be happy that something as simple as a song from a 70's pop group can flood your mind of memories and you can find life again in an ABBA song! I've always related to "Thank you for the music". My life is in this song and I turn around and thank ABBA for all the music they sang and wrote. I will always be a fan and always see my life in an ABBA song.
"I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore
If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before
But I have a talent, a wonderful thing
'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing
I'm so grateful and proud
All I want is to sing it out loud
So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)