With all the schlepping I am doing lately, I figured it would be nice to get at least some kind of credit for it. So I donned Tom’s cast-off first-generation Fitbit. It’s great to get that little party on your wrist when you’ve taken 10,000 steps in a day. In the past couple weeks, I’ve been … read more Fitbit cheats
Category: Refraction
How a wave changes direction. Life changes, creating change and recovery from change
Target achieved
It took five months. But today I achieved my target weight. I’m finally at a “normal” weight, instead of “overweight,” for my height, according to the standards of the Body Mass Index. I’ve lost 25 pounds since March 1. That’s an average of about a pound a week, which is the pace at which weight-loss … read more Target achieved
The homecoming
Tom got to come home today – and boy, was he ready. He’s now marked “independent” on getting in and out of bed and chair, showering and going to the toilet, and running around in his wheelchair. He has progressed so fast that I can’t keep up, and his therapists are truly impressed. He can … read more The homecoming
No reply
If I called and wanted to give you money, wouldn’t you call me back? It’s a “sales lead.” It means, Here’s a customer who wants to spend money with your business. Well-run businesses follow up promptly. Lately, I’ve had a run of small businesses that don’t get back to me. Makes me crazy. Nail Taxi: I’ve made three … read more No reply
Listening to her voice
I seldom watch political speeches. I watched her speech because it was an historic moment: the acceptance speech of the first woman to be nominated for U.S. President by a major political party. I also watched it because wanted to understand why people don’t like Hillary Clinton. In the first five minutes, I was afraid that she had … read more Listening to her voice
Think through these things thoroughly
Thelma saw thistles in the thick thatch. Thelma thought Martha threw a booth into Lake Athens. They saw father put the lather on the smooth leather. Those speech therapy authors should be thrashed. Because they can’t write worth a thit. Quoted above are a few of the sentences that Tom had to say as part of … read more Think through these things thoroughly
After the fall
Mr. Benson is Tom’s roommate in rehab. He’s about Tom’s age, and like Tom he is tall and handsome. His eyes seem very sad. He has beautiful long eyelashes. He doesn’t smile – maybe he can’t. Three strokes and a subsequent seizure left him without much ability to speak. When he presses the call button for a … read more After the fall
First steps
Tom took his first steps today. I mean that he walked. He hoisted himself up off the bed, using a walker. The two assistants hovered, advised and guided, but the balance, coordination and movement were all Tom’s. The attending neurologist and team of six residents happened to be making the rounds, so they watched. Tom barely … read more First steps
Room with a view
Once in awhile, life does you a favor, and you are never sure why. Today they moved Tom to a new hospital room. He’s off all the monitors, and they needed the bed with monitors for someone with more urgent needs. The new room is in the non-acute part of the neuro floor. When I … read more Room with a view
Lucky twins
Tom and I are dissimilar in many ways. He’s calm, I’m hyper; he’s a math guy, I’m a word girl. In the past couple years, though, we’ve had medical procedures in common. Two years ago, we both had surgery for early-onset cataracts. He had his done first, which gave me the courage to get mine … read more Lucky twins