The Quest for a Sunnier Disposition

                    Some things are just The Pits. Take open heart surgery, for instance.  Praise God that there are surgeons with that talent and skill! “ Praises be!” that a major anomaly can be removed so it doesn’t kill you on the spot. All that – Amen, indeed.  But, if you have a delicate nature and a substantial fear and loathing for pain, the recovery process is The Pits.
                      All the rib bones connected to the breast bone, connected to the spine, connected to the hip bone, connected to the thigh bone – all them bones, them bones have to reposition themselves into their normal configuration.  They move and click and shift. I feel it and hear it.
                     Muscles I did not know I had and tissue that connects all “them bones, them bones” must heal, also. And that’s painful, when you move around very much. So, add in some street drugs worth about $20 a pop, and you’ve got a zombie trying to act normal.
                               Doing more than 1 thing at a time can be a stretch – such as walking and breathing.  I guess that’s the scariest thing – the breathing part.  The heart is in control of all that oxygen stuff and how it pumps through the body and coordinates with the lungs. It is a little ole fist-sized muscle in charge of the world. If it gets stressed out, I know it.  Understanding that makes you happy to buy a dust pan with a tall handle so you don’t  bend over and become subject to gravity pulling on heart, lungs, chest. Whoda-thunk-it.
                         Walking across our back yard and the neighbor’s back yard to visit with them prior to their vacation was a “goal.” I made it over, and I also made it back home. You have to think about that.  I made it out, but can I make it back? The distance is about 1 block.
                              I’ve lost weight, primarily fluid, but nothing really tastes that great, not even a Diet Coke, which I have not had since surgery. And all that fluid that drained from my body has left me in need of extra bones in my arms. Now, that is the Pits.

                    Speaking of Pits, the cherries are in!  Marvin and I harvested cherries on two afternoons.  They were perfectly ripe and the birds had not gotten to them, as they did last year.  I bought a cherry pitter but you still have to touch each one, so I just pit them by hand.  I’ve made 1 cherry pie and will probably make another, then freeze the rest of the cooked down cherries for later.

                          Keeping my perspective, I must recall the philosophy found in Mary Engelbreit’s whimsical drawings: Life is just a “chair of bowlies.”  She has another saying, also repeated by Cher to Nicholas Cage in “Moonstruck,” – “Snap out of it!”
                                   I’m gradually getting my “better attitude” in gear, switching from whiney pants to “big girl panties.”  I’m taking double my “chill-pill” on the recommendation of my doctor and my husband! There is nothing more aggravating, though, than being placated when you feel like shit.

                                 With tasks for the day to include laundry, pitting cherries, and enjoying a gorgeous day sitting on the deck and taking a stroll down the way, I’ll move forward in quest of a sunnier disposition.