A Stroke

of genius? of luck?  No, unfortunately, a real one (funny that a word that usually indicates something good also stands for something really bad).  My mom had a stroke on December 15th, and it's been rough going since.  But, I think there has been progress, and she just got sent to rehab so hopefully I will have good news to report.

Unfortunately, I might not be posting as much as usual, but I hope you will stick with me because I will be striving for even better quality content this year.  Events like this do make one step back and think about the what-ifs and wants in life.  It's easy to say that one wants health, wealth, and happiness, but what does that really mean?!  Well, here are my definitions and goals for 2014 (no more resolutions, they don't last):

Health:  a silver lining to my stay with Mom in ICU was that I lost probably 5 to 10 pounds (don't really know, haven't had a chance to weigh myself, but my pants are loose!).  I feel better, and I feel as though my eating habits are returning to a good place for me (I was eating way too big portions of my husband's very tasty but rich food).  That's the good news; the bad is that I have not been getting any exercise.  I hope to address that as soon as I get back on some type of work/visitation/take care of Phyllis schedule.  I'm realizing how important it is that I figure out how to keep myself in good shape because I'm not going to be of any use to Mom if I don't (you hear this advice, but it takes a while to really sink in).

Wealth:  Money is a great thing to have, and I hope to figure out ways to become enhance my financial wealth of course, but although trite, money can't buy experiences and time.  I'm so fortunate to be wealthy with friends and colleagues who are allowing me the luxury of being able to spend time with Mom and to ensure that she's got the best patient advocate she can have and that she's getting what she needs to make the best recovery possible.  I really want 2014 to be about spending quality time and effort in making happy memories, it's really all we have.

Happiness:  I haven't been able to crochet during this time -- I really don't want to do it at the hospital and have it associated with this terrible experience because I love to crochet so much.  But I keep having great ideas pop into my head, which I jot down to think about later.  I think once I know that Mom is truly on the mend, I'll be able to get back to my creative endeavors.  This experience, though, has gotten me thinking about what activities truly make me happy and which ones should move further down my priority list.  Over the next several months I anticipate having to face these cold, hard questions, but I believe if I keep in mind another trite message -- you only live once (at least in this consciousness) -- I'll be able to figure out what I should be doing with my time and what will need to wait.

So, I hope all my readers have had a healthy, wealthy and happy start to 2014 and that it all continues throughout the year!  I hope to be blogging more frequently again soon.  Thank you for your thoughts and well wishes.