Soul Runnings

So, I had an appointment with my nurse practitioner this morning.  She told me she got the results of the x-ray. They were negative for any signs of infection.  But, it showed that the alveoli sacs were slightly collapsed.  I asked her what that meant. She says she sees that in patients who have had surgery and have been on bed rest, or are sedentary. "Excuse me", I said, feeling quite offended. "I exercise daily. I walk at least two miles a day. I do not have a car, so I walk and take the bus. I've been working hard on improving my health the last few years, so this is extremely frustrating." "Oh", she said. "Well, it is very good that you are exercising. It might also be due to pneumonia." She prescribed yet another course of Prednisone. Arrrgg!  But she also prescribed another inhaler.  This one is more preventative, instead of the rescue inhaler I currently use.  I am two use it twice daily. I left feeling a bit deflated. Like the...

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind "Blow, blow, thou winter wind  Thou art not so unkind  As man's ingratitude;  Thy tooth is not so keen,  Because thou art not seen,  Although thy breath be rude.  Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:  Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:  Then heigh-ho, the holly!  This life is most jolly.  Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,  That does not bite so nigh  As benefits forgot:  Though thou the waters warp,  Thy sting is not so sharp  As a friend remembered not.  Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:  Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:  Then heigh-ho, the holly!  This life is most jolly." . Taken from Act II, Scene 7 in As You Like It by William Shakespeare  My daughter and I discovered by accident how to make Baby Gracie laugh out loud.  I got out a book...

I love riding the Max! I am on the Orange Line heading to Portland Meadows to meet my daughter, son-in-law and Baby Gracie. We're going to watch a few horse races before heading to their home in Vancouver. Today was my first time catching the Max from the downtown Milwaukie transit center. We just crossed over the Willamette River on the Tillicum Bridge. It is a quiet, mild day here in Portland. Very few people are out. I am feeling quite calm, peaceful and happy to be alive! I am feeling like I am taking a train ride through the memories of my life. Looking out the window, I see the Cheerful Tortoise. One of my favorite hangouts in college. It reminded me of my college days at Portland State University. Speaking of PSU, one of the choir members of a group I accompany was chatting with me last week. We were talking about grandchildren and retirement. She told me that one of the most wonderful discoveries she made when she turned 65, was that senior citizens c...

I do believe I'm catching the Christmas spirit! I am waiting for the bus near SE Belmont. Heading out to visit my son and his girlfriend. Not sure if I'll see them Christmas day, so I come bearing gifts. I stopped and had a lovely pumpkin tofu curry with brown rice at ImJai Thai for dinner. Gluten free vegan seems to be agreeing with me. http://www.imjaithai.com I did cough a bit last night. But I seem to have things under control today. My nurse practitioner had said to use my inhaler "as needed". I was afraid to overuse it. But I did a bit of research today. And it seems it is quite acceptable to use it every four hours for acute episodes. I had a puff every four hours along with hot tea with lemon and fresh minced ginger root. Feeling quite chipper, I am! On top of that, I was thrilled to discover Peacock Lane is open! I am enjoy watching many merry people walk by. Quite a few families with young children. And just now, a group of young people dressed as...

Today is Day 180 of my daily weighted hula hooping experiment. Time moves on whether you are doing anything or not. I am proud of myself for sticking with it! Here is my Day 1 Video: And here is today's video. Six months later! Now if I could only get rid of this cough. Sigh. I'm sticking with my no meat, no wheat, no sugar, no dairy diet. Today is day 3. I am finding it not difficult. After all, I've had plenty of experience eliminating various food substances from my diet. In addition to my dietary changes, I'm using an inhaler, taking Allegra and using a saline nose spray. I think I'm going to have vegetarian pho for dinner. My energy level is higher than usual. My head feels pretty clear. But the cough persists. And I have a sniffly nose. But...I can walk several miles a day. I can hoop every morning. I am alive. I have a family I love, even when they annoy me. I have wonderful students, many who have become like family. I have work. I hav...

I feel like I have been reborn! It must be the L-Lysine! Combined with eating no meat, dairy, wheat or sugar yesterday. And not eating right before bed. My face is less poofy! I have very little pain. The cough is still there but, less so.  Plus Baby Gracie slept through the night - from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.! My daughter was ecstatic to get a full night's sleep. She got up and fed her from 6 a.m. until about 6:30 a.m. My daughter was exhausted. I told her to go lay back down and I would stay up with Gracie if she did not want to go back to sleep.  My daughter breathed a heavy sigh of relief and lay Gracie gently in her crib.  But as soon as my daughter left the room, Gracie started to fuss. I remembered a Youtube video I saw recently. A woman showed her aunt putting her baby to sleep with light facial massage in just a few minutes. I've given Gracie baby massage before. And stretches.  But the light facial massage intrigued me. Back in the day, I ...

I believe in fate. There I was. Having lunch. Suddenly my phone rang. It was the father of two of my students. I rarely get phone calls these days, other than family members. Parents of students usually text or email. I was tempted to let it go to voicemail, so I could enjoy my lunch. But then I realized it was Wednesday. His kids usually had a lesson with me on Wednesday. Maybe he forgot that I had a homeless concert that I was playing, and wouldn't be teaching. So I answered. I was right. He couldn't recall if there was a lesson today. I reminded him that I was not teaching because I was playing the piano with my friends of Portland Chamber Music. We play music for several homeless meals over the holidays. Tonight was Portland Rescue Mission. One of my favorite gigs. He then asked me when their next lesson was. I told him I needed to do so serious work on my health, so I was going to take the next few weeks off. We would resume lessons after the New Year. He sai...