Hi Karen As others have said keep your mind busy. That was brought home to me this weekend, my ex-husband (yes, we are still good friends) came over to visit for a while on their trip from Oregon. He was looking over my garden, and asking about tomato plants. Well, my nickname in this Spring is Tomato Lady, so I was describing different tomatoes and he started laughing. So I asked him what the joke was when he explained he found it very funny but as I could no longer handle the horses and continue in the breeding program we had begun, I was now breeding tomatoes and doing genetics an entirely other direction. Well, it keeps my mind busy, I paid for all of my gardening improvements every year with what I sell, and im learning a lot. What more can you ask for?
Pay attention to how you feel, because you will be the best judge of what you need to do. When you are feeling good, keeping busy at what ever, meeting with friends or family, savor the moment. Then when you're down you just have to reach into your brain and bring that memory of the pleasure you were having and savor it all over again. I have and I'm still very fortunate that I have not had a lot of medical problems other than an ongoing wound in the groin area that is now beginning to look as if it will close after six years. I live by the philosophy that I have to respect my body which includes using minimal drugs of any kind, keeping my weight stable, making sure that my attendants take good care of my skin since I am totally unable to do any of that, and trying to become knowledgeable about what options are available to me and creative in obtaining my goals. Im sure that in the future I will slow down, but at 71 and 19 years post injury I still love to play crack the whip with my grandchildren in a parking lot. When I don't feel this way I guess it will be time to go. But I have a new granddaughter that I need to hang around for about another 10 years, and that way she will remember me J. Hang in there, you have not said where you live-or I just missed that-you could check out what social and recreational opportunities are in the community for you. I volunteer in a school and as do others on this list which is in great help to the teacher and help to oneself. Keep busy busy busy, and it will help with pain and lethargy. Joan C4 complete October 1990
