Embrace the Journey: Reinvent Yourself

At the Peace Center 

Confession. I like being pampered, waited on and catered to. Why? I have more time to exercise my brain, read, do Duolingo or puzzles. I call it “Therapy”. I am unashamedly spoiled and I love it! To be honest, Donnie likes “spoiling” me. He told me recently that it suits him. We have a nice fit! He gives and I take!

He had to have knee replacement surgery this summer. The upheaval in roles challenged both of us. Stressful only begins to describe how we felt. It's tough doing things that are hard. He would do as much as possible then say, “I’m done. I’ve got to sit down and put ice on my knee.”

Since I’ve been working on being more independent, I can say, ”No worries, I’ve got this!” “This” could be any of the many tasks he typically does around the house from dishes to laundry or tending to Sootie the cat. Mowing the big yard had to wait.

Embrace Your Destiny: Friends Have Your Back!

Sister Penni invites me most years to a Marketing Executives' Conference or MEC. This group includes around 30 members and spouses with many of the same people coming each year. Penni invites me. I returned mid September from Detroit. My first encounter with the group was in Sedona, Arizona, I had only recently been diagnosed with MS. My walking was jerky but I was excited to join her.  Over the years I've met some truly awesome people and look forward to catching up on their lives. Some have retired and no longer come regularly. New members join with spouses.

I've made lots of friends among both members and spouses. When I go, it feels like they envelop me with their welcoming spirit. They do everything possible to make sure I move places safely. One really neat thing to discover is that there are spouses who are interested in doing hot yoga with me. Matt and I have found Bikram studios in Oklahoma City, Portland and now in Detroit.

Having a yoga buddy in strange places is really good for me. New studios are fun but also a bit daunting to figure out. First of all, getting there is an issue. Luckily this one was in Midtown Detroit and fairly close to the meeting site.

Me and Matt

Matt had my back on the first trip over to Bikram Midtown. I was fumbling around with the Uber app I had used all of one time when Matt joined me. We had agreed to meet at 5:30 am to make the early class. Immediately, Matt took charge of the Uber transport. We got to practice yoga two times. That totally exceeded my expectations.

We stayed at the Marriott Rennasiance. It was huge. After we got back and cleaned up, I had planned to go with the other spouse guests for a walking tour. I either missed the connection time or the meet up place. I was just about to strike out alone when John showed up in the same elevator with me. 

John and I at the Detroit Lions Stadium

John, another spouse friend, had my back the rest of our free time. My legs were fatigued from the hot yoga, but willing to walk. He let me hold on to his arm and made sure I didn't fall. We walked over to the sporting stadiums and got selfies. It was farther than I wanted to walk back so John suggested we take the trolly. The walk to the trolly pick up was doable. The trolly ride itself was a nice experience.

During bus rides and other free time, I took advantage of reconnecting with old friends who go way back to Sedona. I asked Erwin Furukawa an Executive member if he remembered anything about me twelve years ago. I was fishing for any observations about changes in movement, speech, or mental acuity. He offered right off that my speech is much improved from what he remembered early on. He noted that I speak more fluently and get thoughts articulated more quickly now. This opportunity to see people over time allows me to validate the things I'm doing as being worthwhile.

Another new friend and spouse shared with me that she has recently been diagnosed with the Relapsing Remitting form of MS. She was doing awesome. I would never have guessed she has MS. She told me the symptoms that got her to the doctor was that the top of her head was numb, for a couple of months. She mentioned another symptom too, but the numbness in the head was different. She told me she is taking the other oral drug and is doing well on that.

It was during the tour of the Ford Museum on the second day that Penni got called back to Boston to handle an emergency situation. She literally left mid tour. With the busy schedule, her absence didn't register. Well, middle of the night it hit me! Penni isn't here to help me get my boarding pass and transportation back to the airport! I'm on my own to get back home. The only way I got any more sleep was to take some deep breaths and convince myself that my MEC friends would have my back. 

Sure enough, the next morning, Irene the Chair of the Conference took care of all my worries. She asked her Assistant Marie to help me. American Airlines had sent my boarding pass to my email. Marie showed me how to take a photo of the boarding pass and save to my Apple Wallet. I was so relieved!

Evening dinner and games

I certainly missed Penni being with me through the whole trip and especially the last night. My enjoyment of all the activities however, was not impacted. I felt included and cared for. My trip home was uneventful too. I must admit that it took about a week to recover. I loved going to Detroit and learning about how it became great. My total experience was awesome. I continue to remind myself that there are wonderful people who want to be helpful. All I have to do is accept graciously.

  

Embrace Your Destiny: Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Physical Therapy

My prize has always been walking. When I could no longer walk with ease without falling, that's when I had to find out what was wrong. First thing my neurologist had me doing after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis was to see a physical therapist. That was fourteen years ago. At that time, my right ankle seemed to be frozen. My joints were creaky and out of alignment. My balance was really bad. Walking on grass was out of the question. 

Embrace Your Destiny:: Stretch Your Limits

Here I am in Puerto Morelos, Mexico on the long awaited Yoga Retreat. Our studio teacher and owner Adi Westerman and  Janet Horn former teacher and studio owner in Shelby, NC, put together this retreat at the end of last year. It proved to be a wonderful mix of people: city and rural, experienced and novice yogis, and of course age and interests. The glue that bonded us all together was a love of yoga with a healthy respect and admiration for our teachers. The location in the warmth of Mexico and at Casa Om where we stayed also contributed to the fun experience.  

Embrace Your Destiny: Little Bit by Little Bit

Change happens little bit by little bit. It's easy to get discouraged with what seems to be lack of progress, with anything we do. Spasticity slows me down doing anything. For example, I have noticed very slow improvement in my piano playing. I've been taking lessons and practicing everyday for three and a half years. Practice is the key for me.  Everyday and over a L...O...N.NNNNNG period of time, I can finally see some small, but significant changes. I see the same thing in hot yoga practice, speaking at Toastmasters, walking, and building strength.