Missing the Party...Again

     In the fall of 1984 I packed my things, left home, and moved into a college dorm.  I fell in love with college life.  I loved living in the dorm...there was always someone around if you didn't want to be alone, no matter what time of day.  I was lucky enough to make some friends who lived in the dorm next to mine.  As soon as there was an opening, I moved into that dorm...Schmidt Hall.

     I spent all four years of college living in that dorm.  I thought of moving into other dorms, but Schmidt was my home away from home.  I never even really considered living off campus like many other college students.  I was content in the dorm.  When I got up early on Sunday morning, I had someone to watch wrestling with downstairs in the lobby.  If I was bored, there was always someone doing something crazy like rearranging the lobby furniture into an architectural model.  I went on a canoe trip with my dorm-mates.  That's where I learned that you can brush your teeth and rinse with beer.  I wouldn't advise that, but when you take more beer than water on an overnight canoe trip, you have to do something.  I went with a group of dorm friends to King's Island to celebrate when one of our group turned 21.  That same friend just recently turned 50.

     Some of those dorm friends have been part of my life on a  regular basis since those days. I have reconnected with many more of them through Facebook.  We have been together in sickness and health, marriages and divorces.  We have been together through the birth of our children.  One of Delainey's most prized possessions, her blanket we call Mrs. Hannon, came from one of those friends...it was a roundabout connection through Schmidt, but the connection was there.  We have watched our children grow and have seen a second generation attend (and graduate from) Ball State, although none have lived in Schmidt.

     Why on earth would I be talking about my college dorm friends  today?  Well, many of them are gathering today for the Annual Race Party.  The excuse for the party is the Indy 500, although it really is a side show.  There is no cable or satellite tv, so watching the race  is sketchy at best.  After the race, there will be a rubber duck race or two in the river behind the hosts house.  There will be lots of laughter, catching up, and reminiscing about our college days. Children will be playing, canoes and kayaks will be out, people will be eating and drinking and being merry.

     And I won't be there.  Again. I now live 4 hours from the party.  Jim has to work.  And this month has been crazy busy with so many things going on between school, church, and 4H activities.  So, I will wait to see pictures and updates about the party on Facebook.  I will be there in spirit, but not in body.  I will start planning today to make it to the party next year and hope that life doesn't get so busy that once again I will miss the party.

Part of Getting Older?

     My body is hurting.  I have been having massive pains in my shoulder that are causing numbness in my arm and hand.  My other hand/wrist is aching from carpel tunnel.  My hips ache in the mornings.  My hair is still falling out and I have hot flashes.  I am tired.  And my weight, well, let's just say that it isn't pretty right now.  I have been told that this is all just part of getting old.  I refuse to age this way!

     After a week of pain, Jim called his chiropractor for me.  The doctor did an exam.  There was no trigger for any of my aches and pains, just a gradual building of stress in my body. I haven't been eating right at all....fast food, chocolate, and my weakness, coke have been part of my diet for a while again.  Meal planning has gone out the window.  I have never been a big exercise person, but I at least would go for walks.  Now I come home and collapse on the couch.  I took vitamins and supplements for a while, but I would forget so often that I just gave up the whole process.

     The doctor and I talked.  Until my shoulder is better, I will be seeing him twice a week (hopefully only 2 or three weeks since my insurance doesn't see chiropractic care as important).  I have some stretches to do for my shoulder to help ease the pain, along with Biofreeze, ice. and naproxin.  Exercise needs to become a daily part of my life.  I need to think about the foods that go into my body.  And  I need to research what supplements I should take to make sure that my body stops hurting and starts healing.

     For me, it's all about getting balance back into my life.  I am not going to be someone who blames everything on getting old.  Yes, things change in our bodies as we age, but we can make those changes positive ones.  I am going to greet fifty with a plan in place for exercising and filling my body with the right things for a change.  I plan on being fifty and fabulous!  Now excuse me while I go put some Biofreeze on my shoulder!

Balance 2015

     My word for 2014 keeps finding me.  It just won't let me go.  I was shopping with the family and saw a bracelet that says balance.  I bought it.  A friend gave me a bracelet with water from Mt Everest and mud from the Dead Sea in separate beads...the highest and lowest points on earth.  It is to remind me to stay humble and and hopeful...to stay balanced.

     About a year ago, several things happened that threw me off balance and I am not sure that I have ever fully regained that balance that I was working toward.  It didn't seem right to reuse my word last January, but in hindsight, I was not done with the journey to a more balanced life.  So I am reclaiming the word balance for 2015.  Some day, I will be ready to simplify life, but not right now.  Right now, it's back to finding my balance.

     Balance...finding the right mix of work and home, finding time for me, finding time for Jim and I, finding family time, finding time for God and increasing my faith, finding my path to healthy eating and exercise (I really hate the E word), finding the balance of giving and saving.  

     This is my journey for the rest of 2015.  It all starts with baby steps, wobbly little baby steps that slowly but surely become more balanced as the year goes on.