So, here we sit again evacuated from our home for the second year in a row for a hurricane named "Sandy". Now, mind you this is a different house at a different location compared to last year. But, water is water, and it doesn't really matter where it is coming from, and when you are talking about the Atlantic Ocean, there is an unlimited supply.
It is funny though, that last year, I took with me so much more stuff. My priorities seem different somehow. Or maybe it is that we were lucky last time, and I am just a gambler this year. Maybe. This is a big one they say. A "hybrid" storm that is. Never heard of one of those, but I am always willing to learn something new, except I would rather not live it in order to learn it.
So, today I am satisfied with just surviving in one piece hoping there is some sort of semblance of a home to go home to. Dear Lord, please keep us all safe, grant us your mercy as mother nature cannot and give us the strength to somehow make it through with out too much loss. In this case, deja vu would be a good thing.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston passed away to day at the age of 48. She was a popular music and movie star during my younger years. In fact, she had her baby in 1993 in the hospital where I worked at the time. I remember that all employees were forbidden to even go on the same floor of the hospital if they had no business there. Rumor had it that some were fired when they tried to get a glimpse of her. Her baby was named Bobbie Christina after her father, Bobbie Brown. Whitney certainly was a star in her day, having come from humble beginnings after being born in Newark, NJ.
The point of this blog is that it has always bothered me that a celebrity has to die before anything good is ever said about them. In recent years, Whitney had been on tabloid covers with reports of drug and alcohol problems and stints in rehab. She had had some horrible concert attempts in Australia, where it was reported that she sang so badly that concert goers walked out and asked for their money back. But, it seems that recently, she had just filmed a movie and was preparing somewhat of a comeback.
Imagine if all the things that are being said right now after her death were actually said to her face while she was alive, would this outcome have been different? She is being praised and complimented, and they are scrambling to prepare a memorial for her at the Grammy Show tomorrow. But in recent years, there have been very few good things said about her. Now, they say she was one of the greatest singers in history. Too bad she can't hear them say that now.
This moment in time is all we are guaranteed. Make a point of saying the positive things that mean so much to people while they are still alive, because if you wait, you may lose that chance forever. And forever is a very long time.
The point of this blog is that it has always bothered me that a celebrity has to die before anything good is ever said about them. In recent years, Whitney had been on tabloid covers with reports of drug and alcohol problems and stints in rehab. She had had some horrible concert attempts in Australia, where it was reported that she sang so badly that concert goers walked out and asked for their money back. But, it seems that recently, she had just filmed a movie and was preparing somewhat of a comeback.
Imagine if all the things that are being said right now after her death were actually said to her face while she was alive, would this outcome have been different? She is being praised and complimented, and they are scrambling to prepare a memorial for her at the Grammy Show tomorrow. But in recent years, there have been very few good things said about her. Now, they say she was one of the greatest singers in history. Too bad she can't hear them say that now.
This moment in time is all we are guaranteed. Make a point of saying the positive things that mean so much to people while they are still alive, because if you wait, you may lose that chance forever. And forever is a very long time.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Just in Case You Asked
For those who know me and for those I have yet to meet, I am often asked just what it is that I do for a living. Clearly, I am not old enough to retire, but yet I am young enough to work. If only that were true. I would give anything to be able to continue to work at my chosen profession as a registered nurse, but I cannot. You see, in 1997 I became ill with what was somewhat of a mysterious illness at that point in time. It took a couple of years to diagnose after multiple consults with all kinds of doctors. But finally, the accurate diagnosis came. By any means, it was not good news, and especially not for someone in the prime of their life. I was given the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Fibromyalgia.
At the age of 37, that is not a diagnosis you want to hear. This is the case especially, because at that time, little was known about the disease process. Most people, including many medical personnel had never even heard of it. I must admit, that Fibromyalgia was a new word for me even as a nurse of nearly 16 years. Unfortunately, over time I would come to know exactly what it was and what it meant to have such a diagnosis.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a collection of symptoms that manifests itself in multiple ways. So as not to bore you to tears, it is basically overwhelming fatigue with symptoms like the flu that feel like they just never went away. Anyone who has ever had the flu knows what that is like. In the other instance, Fibromyalgia is overwhelming pain in most of the body that never will ever go away as long as one shall live. Like I said, not good news.
Aside from the obvious toll illnesses such as these take on a human life in the physical aspects, what they do to the human spirit is much more damaging. Due to the fact that it is very difficult to get a diagnosis due to the complexity and involvement of the entire human body, it has no known cause. There isn't a whole lot of effective treatment, either. Often, one is told they are just plain crazy because there is no single test, x-ray, CT Scan, MRI, Ultrasound or blood test that these illnesses will ever show up on. So, a doctor must make a diagnosis based on symptoms and the testimony of the patient. In other words, they just have to listen to you and believe what you are saying. Imagine that.
Personally, I can't ever imagine that anyone in their right mind or in a crazy one for that matter, would ever want to have anything to do with these illnesses. Of course, they are all quite quick to say that none of these things will ever kill you, at least physically anyway. But, they forget that there is much more to a living, breathing person than just the physical body. You see, illnesses like these do kill. It just takes a little longer. Moment by moment, day by day, year after year a piece of you dies. It is like being in a constant state of grief as you watch your career disappear, your finances crumble, your friends and family give up and abandon you while you suffer one day after the next. Part of the problem is that when you have these illnesses, you still look okay on the outside. So, they say, "how could you be so sick if you look so good"? My answer to that is, "turn me inside out then".
So, there you have it. As time goes on, more and more people all over the world are receiving these diagnosis. CFS and Fibromyalgia have been proven to be as disabling as severe rheumatoid arthritis. Inability to work, poverty and prejudice combined makes for a not so great life. I often hear, "Well, have a positive attitude. It will make all the difference". Really??? Walk one day in my shoes, and see if you still say that.
At the age of 37, that is not a diagnosis you want to hear. This is the case especially, because at that time, little was known about the disease process. Most people, including many medical personnel had never even heard of it. I must admit, that Fibromyalgia was a new word for me even as a nurse of nearly 16 years. Unfortunately, over time I would come to know exactly what it was and what it meant to have such a diagnosis.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a collection of symptoms that manifests itself in multiple ways. So as not to bore you to tears, it is basically overwhelming fatigue with symptoms like the flu that feel like they just never went away. Anyone who has ever had the flu knows what that is like. In the other instance, Fibromyalgia is overwhelming pain in most of the body that never will ever go away as long as one shall live. Like I said, not good news.
Aside from the obvious toll illnesses such as these take on a human life in the physical aspects, what they do to the human spirit is much more damaging. Due to the fact that it is very difficult to get a diagnosis due to the complexity and involvement of the entire human body, it has no known cause. There isn't a whole lot of effective treatment, either. Often, one is told they are just plain crazy because there is no single test, x-ray, CT Scan, MRI, Ultrasound or blood test that these illnesses will ever show up on. So, a doctor must make a diagnosis based on symptoms and the testimony of the patient. In other words, they just have to listen to you and believe what you are saying. Imagine that.
Personally, I can't ever imagine that anyone in their right mind or in a crazy one for that matter, would ever want to have anything to do with these illnesses. Of course, they are all quite quick to say that none of these things will ever kill you, at least physically anyway. But, they forget that there is much more to a living, breathing person than just the physical body. You see, illnesses like these do kill. It just takes a little longer. Moment by moment, day by day, year after year a piece of you dies. It is like being in a constant state of grief as you watch your career disappear, your finances crumble, your friends and family give up and abandon you while you suffer one day after the next. Part of the problem is that when you have these illnesses, you still look okay on the outside. So, they say, "how could you be so sick if you look so good"? My answer to that is, "turn me inside out then".
So, there you have it. As time goes on, more and more people all over the world are receiving these diagnosis. CFS and Fibromyalgia have been proven to be as disabling as severe rheumatoid arthritis. Inability to work, poverty and prejudice combined makes for a not so great life. I often hear, "Well, have a positive attitude. It will make all the difference". Really??? Walk one day in my shoes, and see if you still say that.
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