Gratitude Friday | An Update

by Elouise

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What a week! Up and down, but on the whole, more up than down. Chiefly because of little things that kept interrupting me, reminding me there’s way more to life than health issues.

Best of all, Mother Nature reasserted her right to start showing Winter the back door! One day the ground was covered with frozen snow. The next, we were in the 50s with a warm rain that washed away almost all the snow, and left celandine and early crocus already in bloom.

Every morning this week, even after we were in single digits during the night, I could hear songbirds announcing their territorial nesting rights. Along with woodpeckers, they flocked to the feeders in our back yard to feast on suet and practice their threat gestures toward each other.

A friend stopped by for an unexpected visit that warmed my heart. I also talked on the phone with several family members and another friend. All of it heartwarming, encouraging and helpful.

I began listening again to an audio version of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. It makes time fly by when I’m walking around our house, up and down the stairs, getting my daily exercise despite the cold outside. I’m coming near the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I hear connections with George MacDonald’s earlier phantasy writing for children and for adults. Such fun!

One evening D was out at a meeting, and I wanted something wonderful to watch. By happy coincidence, there it was—a rerun of an early Call the Midwife episode. Just what I needed to remind me of the value of human connections, faith and persistence. Not because everything is perfect in the end, but because human bonds of kindness matter, as does doing the right thing even when it’s costly.

One evening Smudge baited me into a little hide and seek game. That means he or I hide while the other seeks, leading to wild chases up and down the stairs as I indulge his addiction to adrenalin rushes! As always, I ended up laughing so hard I couldn’t maintain my key strategy—stealthy hiding and stealthy stalking. He just cracks me up!

Another evening I felt despondent about everything in the whole wide world. So I sat down and wrote out the way I’m approaching my health issues right now. It helped me figure out what I need to say to my heart doctor when I see him in just over a week. Three things are super-important for me.

  • I want a second opinion, given the nature of my heart issues.
  • I’m comfortable and willing to use a combination of nontraditional remedies (as I have for over 40 years now), along with the smallest doses possible of prescription medications.
  • I’m not willing to give up nontraditional approaches, some of which already offer proven health benefits needed for my body, including my heart.

That isn’t everything on my mind, but it’s my starting point. It was a relief to put it into words, along with several questions I have for my doctor.

Thanks for all your visits and encouraging comments! I may be a died-in-the-wool introvert, but I do love to hear from my friends.

So here are two bloggy-style Valentine Hearts from me to each of you. One to keep, and one to pass along to a friend.♥♥

Elouise♥

© Elouise Renich Fraser, 18 February 2016
Photo from telegraph.com.uk; early crocus at Kew Gardens, London