40 Minutes Later

I took Nelson for his second therapy session. He’s made some progress in regaining range of motion. He’s worked diligently on his exercises. I would expect no less from him!

As soon as we got there I checked again that it was really okay to walk through the building. The receptionist assured me. I was walking through two separate workout/therapy areas and down two different halls. I found Nelson’s CD player and popped in a peppy CD and donned my headphones. I felt sort of conspicuous and downright weird, but I pushed through and got in a 40 minute workout. It felt good!

The ability to just go ahead and do this comes from some thinking I’ve been doing this week. At one point I was feeling sort of overwhelmed by my life. It wasn’t a good feeling. I started to sense a pity party coming on. My house was a mess, dirty dishes overflowed the sink, the recyclables were taking over my kitchen. I got to work and my desk was a horrible mess of “stuff” I hadn’t filed or pitched. I cried out to God in my discouragement and the very clear message I got was: So do something about it. And so I did. The misery was my choice, my own making. So I started making better choices. Dishes are done every night, no matter how tired I am. Trash is no longer is in control of kitchen.

And I’m eating SO much better. Beth bought a gift for me: a salad shaker. It’s a cool gizmo where I put the dressing in the lid and then when I’m ready to eat I push on the lid and it then dispenses, so my salad stays fresh and I still only have one container in my lunchbox. So it’s been salad every day for lunch. And I’m drinking water again. It’s amazing how that one little thing makes me feel so much better.

Since today was Beth’s birthday we offered to take her out to dinner. Some friends from work took her out to an early movie. They went to see Chicken Little. Crack me up!!!! She’s 22 and that’s what she wanted to see. When we asked her what she wanted for dinner she said pancakes. And not just any pancakes: Bob Evans pancakes. So that’s where we went for dinner. I decided to try the salmon: excellent choice, even if do say so myself!

Choices. Making good ones has made this a better week for me. They may not seem large in the grand scheme of life where debates over war, life and death loom large. But this is my life, right where I live.

I’ve been noticing lately that there have been a lot more people taking time to be thankful in their writing. I found this while reading this week: “Theologian Henri Nouwen says in his book Return of the Prodigal Son that gratitude is more than a mere ‘thank you.’ It is a discipline to be practiced each day in a conscious way.”

So, since I’m working on becoming more disciplined, here is a list of some things I’m thankful for (in no particular order):
-I’m thankful that I have a husband who loves me, even at my most unloviliest.
-I’m thankful that we have a comfortable house to live in.
-I’m thankful for my job…where I work, that I work, that I work with and for some great people.
-I’m thankful for two incredible daughters.
-I’m thankful for the friends and encouragers I have found through this experience!