An Invincible Summer - A Woman's Journey

On the prompting of my blogging friend  Pixie , who said the right thing at the right time, I went in for a consultation for Cochlear Implants. I was shocked at how much my hearing has degraded in the last two years.  The Boy Scout, on the other hand, was not shocked at all. I remember telling him early on that he would tire of being with someone with hearing loss. It can be annoying, cause all kinds of miscommunication, people can feel unheard and there are times where I require help to make sure nothing is missed. He, of course, laughed at my prediction. In truth, I could not have picked a more patient partner when it comes to this particular issue but I know it wears on him at times. The result of the test:  Severe to profound across the board.  That was a surprise but what surprised me most was that I, yes little ole me, have been a candidate of Cochlear for quite some time. My mistake was waiting for my trusted professional to tell me so. Why in the world d...

Meet Gary. He’s one of the more senior members of our neighborhood community. He’s been on this street for a very long time. Completely full of houses now, Gary, as a young man, used to break wild horses in the area where the newer homes currently sit. Moving kind of slow, Gary still reaches out to chat a bit or show off his once beautiful yard. He has been caring for his also elderly wife Elaine, who has mild dementia and in poor health. He does not complain, quite the opposite, he speaks so lovingly of his wife of more than 60 years.  Recently Elaine suffered a heart attack and Gary has been spending a lot of time at the hospital. Our neighborhood got together to help Gary and Elaine a little. They did a yard clean up. Boy Scout headed it up by honing his newly acquired skills of pruning, having just finished his mid term in the course he is taking. He cleaned up all the roses and then tackled the Japanese maple tree. He filled all the neighborhood yard cans that were each genero...

“ What do you do when you’re down Winnie?” I ask. Looking at me with her loving smile, she replies, “Oh, I’m glad you ask. My friends and I were just discussing that. Each of them had a little something to add but we all agreed that music almost always does the trick. I forget that sometimes. I get in the dumps and seem to want to stay there a while.” “What kind of music do you like?”, I ask, curious what 85 year olds listen to. Is she like me and still loves the music from her high school years? Elvis was just getting started but the Kingston Trio were popular in 1957.  Rock and Roll was in its infancy. Tequila, the song, was big but my Winnie, she’s a gin girl so…. She replies that she loves praise music, which I should have known, but other music too. One of her grandsons is a very talented musician and she likes his music. “Do you have a lot of CD’s?” I ask. With a twinkle in her eye, she waves off pesky old cd’s and tells me she gets most of her music from Google Play or Spoti...

I’ve introduced you to my sweet friend Winnie a while back. She’s the most interesting person in almost any room. She’s 85, a practicing life long catholic who is still on fire, a feminist (a catholic feminist, a rare bird indeed), and loving friend. We don’t talk surface.  She is my favorite walking partner but we have not been walking much because of the rain and frigid cold. The local mall offers walkers the chance to exercise inside before the stores open and Winnie and I decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed.  Many people were there and, while not exactly warm, it was comfortable.  After a short car ride, we walk in the big main doors and start our way around. We got about 50 feet from the door and Winnie stops and turns to me with a beautiful smile and says, “So, what’s on your heart today?” That’s where we started and we never stopped. We spoke of gratitude, marriage, children and heartbreak. She doesn’t just try to offer advice. She also shares her st...

I read articles/books of  remaking myself, finding new dreams and taking control of my destiny. I hear about stories of finding passion, harnessing my creativity and networking to my advantage. Then I am reminded that, for the most part, those prompts, those motivational speeches, those challenges for meaningful change are not directed at me. Just a short time ago, just a blink of an eye ago, I was the proper audience. In marketing terms, "the target demographic". Since then, I slipped without knowing it. There was a tectonic shift that I failed to notice. The advantage of youth is gone. There are days when it shocks me. All I really need is a good face lift and a new set of ears so that the woman I see in the mirror accurately reflects the woman that lives in my heart. No, no, I have no intention of getting a facelift. Even if I had money I wouldn't do that. I just fully understand why so many women do. It certainly is a kind of investment in ones future earning ability,...