Rock Steady Boxing

When Doug found out in June that he had tremor dominant Parkinson’s, I asked him what he thought about going to physical therapy. He had gone three years ago, and they had given him some exercise to do at home, but nobody had really updated those since then. He thought it made sense to try someone else and found a physical therapist close to his work. They were very impressed with all that he could do and even questioned if he really had Parkinson’s. Since he had been down that road before, he didn’t worry about going to another doctor to be tested again and instead focused on the exercises they gave him.

At the end of his six weeks, the physical therapist not only gave Doug exercises to continue to do at home, but information about Rock Steady Boxing as well. We had actually heard about it before from Cora as she had worked as an intern in a gym in Fishers that offered it there to Parkinson’s patients. We read more about the physical benefits of the classes and thought it sounded like a great idea. Doug found a facility close to his work that he could go to twice a week when he was staying with Meg.

Doug started the classes this week and absolutely loved them. They had stations that focused on balance, strengthening, and boxing skills. He found them challenging and rewarding. He was amazed how open everyone was about their own Parkinson’s diagnosis. They asked him about the medications he had tried and his own symptoms. I was thrilled that Doug found a place that suited his needs so well.  As an added bonus, Dr. Aich was able to give us a form that allowed us to turn the class fees into our HSA. That made Doug feel even better about taking the class. Parkinsons was definitely not a journey that we had planned to go on, but one that I think that we have championed as well as possible so far. 

So Many Memories Can Be Found in a Picture

This picture showed up in my memories today and it instantly made me smile.  Cal called this the "good old days" which used to annoy Meg since she wasn't born yet, but now she finds it funny.  I look at this picture from over twenty-five years later and see so much in the photo - Doug trying to keep his eyes open, me trying to smile while keeping the boys focused on the photographer, Brett going along with having his picture taken, but preferring to be anywhere else, and Cal having the time of his life from all of the attention.  

This photo not only captures that moment, but our life during that time period.  It amazes me how many memories flood back from one single picture - our home with only two boys in it, the two of them constantly together, playing, talking and watching their favorite shows, their enthusiasm for life, me worrying just like most young parents, Doug's job at Group Dekko, and so much more happening during those years.  Cal may call them the good old days, but for me it only got better from there.  

A Fun Visit with Meg

Meg arrived yesterday and we had a great weekend with her.  We went shopping, worked on crafts and even celebrated October Fest at Infinite Aleworks.  Although they did not have the stein holding contest as promised, the food was good, the costumes were great and the singer was excellent.  It also gave Meg a chance to catch up with her Uncle Phil since neither one of us had seen him since August.  The conversation was interesting as always centering mostly on which guy in Saved by the Bell was the most attractive.  That was an easy one for both Meg and I since we each had talked about how much we liked Mark Paul-Gosselaar many times over the years.  

While Meg was there, we also made time to sort through all of the clothing, jewelry and purses that Grandma Jane had sent back with me.  We found so many treasurers and held onto a few pieces that we liked.  Meg modeled Grandma's shirt for her and Grandma was glad to hear that she would be able to wear it to work. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend with Meg, and both Doug and I enjoyed having her in Ocala.  

Infinitely Better

Being a wife and mother is the best part of my life, and I wouldn't change that for anything even when times get tough.  Our family means the world to me, and I am so glad that my children know that no matter what they do or where they go, I will always love them.  I also appreciate every day just how close all of us are even though we live miles apart.  

 

I don't normally send these social media posts to my children, but this one touched my heart and I wanted them to read it. I was glad to see all of them respond with a heart emoji right away.  None of my children are perfect, but neither are Doug or I.  Each one of us, however, fits perfectly into our family and that's what is most important to me.  

The Date Book Returns

When I was teaching, I started using a date book.  It helped me tremendously.  I was able to keep track of our crazy schedule at home plus everything that was going on at school.  After I retired, I put away the date book and only kept track of our schedule on my phone.  It worked well for a long time, but this fall I noticed that my to-do lists were getting very long and I wasn't able to keep up with everything that we had going on in our lives.  I was completely overwhelmed trying to remember all that we had to do - doctor's appointments, medicine refills, CCW meetings, trips to the Midwest, household chores and more.  The Post-it notes just weren't working anymore and my anxiety in trying to keep up was growing out of control.

One day after talking to Doug about how I was feeling, it dawned on me.  I needed a date book.  I don't know why I hadn't thought about it earlier.  If it worked well a decade ago there was no reason that it wouldn't now.  I found one on Amazon that was the perfect size and today I started filling out everything that I needed to do in October.  I instantly felt better realizing that it wasn't my to-do list that was upsetting me.  It was trying to remember it all that was keeping me up at nights.  I am positive that the date book will not only help me to stay organized but reduce the stress in my life as well.  

Creatures in the Night

On Friday night, Doug and I stopped at a Hilton Garden Inn in Tennessee a little bit before midnight central time.  I had researched the hotels in the area and although the one we picked was under construction, it still had very good reviews.  We were both exhausted when we checked in and went straight to our room.  When I opened the door, I noticed the room smelled very musty.  I wasn't completely surprised as we had had moisture and humidity problems every time we stayed somewhere in Tennessee.  I found the thermostat and saw that the batteries were dead.  Thinking that I could still get the air conditioner to turn on manually, I walked toward the unit.  Running out from under the bed was the largest cockroach that I had ever seen.  I instantly grabbed my luggage and headed toward the door apologizing to Doug for leaving, but there was no way I was going to stay in a musty, smelly room with cockroaches.  He agreed immediately. The front desk clerk was shocked to hear about the roach and apologized profusely while she found us a new room on a different floor.  The second room definitely needed some upgrading, but it didn't smell and was free of cock roaches.  

After Doug and I left Saturday morning, I decided to contact Hilton to let them know about the cockroaches and to also tell them that I would have expected more than just a room change.  If it had been earlier in the night, we actually would have cancelled our reservation and switched hotels. I explained all of this to the customer service representative, and they promised me that we would hear from the hotel within three days.

Since today was the third day and I had heard nothing, I contacted Hilton again.  The representative said that I should have received an email, but since I hadn't, they read it to me.  The hotel replied that they had switched us rooms, had an exterminator come out within two days and would do better in the future.  The email actually made me more frustrated than I had been when I saw the roach.  I wasn't looking for much, but a free breakfast or a 10% discount would have been nice.  Customer service gave me a corporate phone number to call and thankfully the woman who answered took my concern seriously, instantly apologized and offered us 20,000 points which would go a long way toward another room.  I couldn't believe it.  I hadn't been pushing for compensation and really just wanted someone to listen to me.  I ended the phone call knowing that I had not only been heard but appreciated as well.  

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It Feels Great to Talk About It

I have spent a lot of time going to therapy these past two years to help with the stress of the past five.  There have been countless life changing events that have occured, and it has felt great to have someone to talk to about them.  It is also nice that I have had the same therapist every session, so I haven't had to reexplain myself or go over the same situation multiple times with different people.   I decided in August that I wanted to change my appointments to every three or four weeks instead of twice a month. When I made that change, I almost considered stopping therapy all together, but in the end, I am very glad that I didn't.  I have found that although I have learned to cope with stress a lot better than I did before, life continues to throw difficult challenges in our path, and I am not ready to face all of them on my own yet. 

The other benefit from going to therapy is that I have been able to talk with her about situations from my past that pop up in my mind from time to time.  I don't dwell on them but would love to get rid of the memories altogether.  Mostly, I would just like to stop blaming myself for things that I did not do.  I have a habit of thinking that everything in life that goes wrong is my fault even when I could have done nothing to stop the situation. Hopefully, I can learn to let those feeling go and move forward.  Guilt is a terrible emotion when you let it control your life.  I have learned why I always feel guilty, now it is time to stop the irrational feeling and look forward to a happy future.