KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!

I am continually amazed by the sad stories people relate to others who are either about to give birth or about to have surgery. Usually the birthing stories contain graphic descriptions of long painful labour and near death. This morning the lab technician advised John to be very careful post surgery because he could die of a blood clot. Her mother suffered this fate and another client at the clinic died after knee surgery.

At pre-surgery appointments we are advised about the risks and the signs to look for in the days following surgery. Please don't add to our stress level by sharing your traumatic stories with us!

Regret nothing!

I was sitting in the Doctor's office this morning, browsing through a copy of MORE, Canada's magazine celebrating women over 40. The featured article was a list of 50 things to do for your 50th. I decided to interpret it as "50 things to do after 50". The first 45 things on the list were interesting but it was No. 46 that rang a bell for me!

"Forget about composing a bucket list and instead draw up a fuck-it list: things I will no longer worry about or bow down to..."

And, finally, No.50 : Be like Piaf: "Regret nothing"! 

A place in time

Everything has its place in time.

Earlier transitions are easier.

When we're finished with crawling through life,

we stand up and walk.

When we're bored with childhood,

we morph into angry, questioning teens.

As adults, we tackle the challenges

of adulthood and parenting.

Later in life, white haired and tired,

transitions become more daunting.

After accumulating memories and connections,

it's time to leave the nest again.

Is there enough future in our lives

to create a new home?

Home again...prematurely?

It was a beautiful drive home yesterday after spending 4 1/2 months away. The sun was shining and the roads were clear. The snow had melted and our driveway was clear.

Marg, our wonderful nieghbour, had watered the plants, prepared the house for real estate viewings, ensured that the pipes didn't freeze and picked up our mail daily...and what a pile of mail awaited us!

After wading through the mail, I decided to check the telephone messages. There were three messages from the Orthopedic Surgeon's office in North Vancouver wanting to schedule John's second knee surgery!! They had our Vancouver cell phone number and my sister's Burnaby telephone number but they had called Salmon Arm!! Now we have to wait until Monday to find out if our return home was premature. Maybe we'll be driving back to Vancouver next week!!

A sun dance

A sun dance on the balcony

as the clouds lift

leaving behind 

snow capped mountains