25 January 2017

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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"The cure for anything is salt water-tears, sweat, or the sea." (Isak Dinesan) Would you agree? Of the three, which has 'cured' you most recently? 

Tears are a big part of my life lately, but I don’t know that they’ve cured anything other than maybe a financial deficit for a tissue company.

What's something you can't eat without salt? Do you normally salt your food a lot, a little, or not at all? 

Well, technically, I can eat *anything* without salt, but I don’t want my food to be salt-less. Some things scream for it, like popcorn and tomato sandwiches.  Considering that the diastolic part of my blood pressure has regularly been over 100 mmHg over the last week, I should not be using salt at all. But, I use it anyway. Some foods only need a little bit, others I probably go overboard on.

Sands of time, bury your head in the sand, built on sand, or draw a line in the sand...which sandy phrase could best be applied to something in your life right now? 

“Sands of time”, I guess, would be the most appropriate for me right now. I have been feeling my mortality something fierce lately, especially since the cataract diagnosis. I know cataracts aren’t fatal, that’s not it.  But, they can very clearly end the life that I had planned for myself.

A favorite book, movie, or song with an island setting or theme?

I don’t know if it is my favorite or not for this theme, but the first thing that came to my mind (and the only one that I can think of at the moment) was “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys.

Yesterday-did you run your day or did it run you? How so?

The days are always running me at this point. There is just so much that we need to get done in the “have to” category and not much time for any of the “want to” category. But, that is just how it must be right now. We’re busier during retirement than we ever were before retirement.  Hopefully, this will pass.

Bermuda. Image source: Pixabay
You're on an island holiday. Will I most likely find you parked in a beach chair, shopping in town, on the back of a jet ski, or snorkeling off the back of a catamaran?

Well, you might find me on a jet ski. I think it looks exciting, but since I do not know how to swim and have a very healthy fear of the water (since nearly drowning as a kid) that keeps me out of the water and alive, I probably wouldn’t do it even if given the opportunity. The same goes for snorkeling, but I think it would be a blast to be able to do underwater photography.  Our dentist back home in Anderson, South Carolina, did underwater photography along with nature photography.  I have not been able to find any examples of the great underwater photography that he had in his dental office years ago, but here is a link to his current photo gallery: Mark Hoyle Photography



What do you think we humans most take for granted?

I think that we take life for granted. Most folks just assume that they will wake up tomorrow and that just isn’t a sure thing for any of us. We put off apologizing or forgiving until tomorrow. We put off calling a loved one or visiting a loved one until tomorrow.  We put off taking that picture for the future grand-babies until tomorrow.

One of these days, there is going to be no tomorrow. These things that we put off until tomorrow will not get done if we keep putting them off until tomorrow.  We need to forget that tomorrow is even a possibility and do all of these “tomorrow” things now.  All we have is NOW.

Insert your own random thought here. 

There is a line from a song in the movie Hotel Transylvania that has been my earworm for probably a week now.  I can’t escape it.  The line is: “Where has the time gone, girl?”    I sure would love to know the answer to that one.  It seems time is going by at break-neck speed right now and, at this rate, the clock is going to break before I do my “one big thing”, the thing that makes my life one that was worth living.  You know, the thing that makes people say, “Yeah, that is why she was put here. No one else could have done that, not the way that she did it.  It has “Suzanne” written all over it.”

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20 comments:

  1. I too am surprised at how busy life is in this empty nest season. For some reason I imagined I'd be looking for things to do, but I'm mostly trying to find time for a nap : ) I do hope you are able to get the cataracts taken care of and maintain your vision. Take care.

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    1. I remember several years back asking a friend what I would do with my time once the kids were grown and gone because being a mama was all I'd ever known (since I was 20 years old). Things were mentioned like volunteering and other things that I can't remember right now. I'm wondering, at this point, how they ever fit that in. I can't even find time to breathe! A nap is good, too. :)

      Thank you. Things will work out for my eyes one way or the other. I plan to see the Blue Ridge Parkway at least one last time before I become daisy fertilizer, so my eyes are going to have to be okay. :)

      Have a blessed week!

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  2. I also think it's very easy to take life for granted.

    Blessings~

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  3. Your answer to what we take for granted is so spot on. Out of the blue came my Mum's cancer diagnosis and within a few months she was gone. So many questions I didn't ask, so many special events to come where she would be absent, cherish those you love today and every day and make the most of every moment.

    I'm so sorry to hear about your cataracts. My Mum was legally blind and to see her unable to do the things she had loved for so many years - read, knit, shop independently - was so difficult.

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    1. Thank you.

      I am so very sorry for the loss of your mother. Cancer is a horribly cruel sickness. :( I am also sorry that your mama had vision problems, too, and could no longer do the things she enjoyed doing. That is very sad. I have heard of people that were blind knitting, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they can do it and be sure of what they are doing. I would love to know how to do that.

      Thank you for sharing about your mama. I hope that you have a blessed week.

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  4. I hope you can get help for the cataracts. Our sight is so precious. I agreed with your statement about life. We seem to think we'll always have tomorrow.

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    1. Thank you. Whatever is meant to be will happen. Heavenly Father is in control. I just have to let Him work the way He wants to, even if I don't understand it. It will be okay, whatever happens.

      It seems to me sometimes that tomorrow is the great thief of today, because the thought of it allows us to put things off. We lose so many opportunities by putting things off to tomorrow.

      Have a blessed week. :)

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  5. I have a fear of the water because of an incident when I was younger, so I would be sitting in my chair on the beach. I chose the song Kokomo, also. We or at least I do, take life for granted. Enjoy your day!

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    1. I'm so sorry that you had an upsetting water experience in your childhood, too! I wonder what we could do to get that water fear out of our systems?

      Have a blessed week. :)

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  6. I agree that we definitely take life for granted and I think we notice that more as we get older.

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    1. I think that feeling our own mortality makes it more and more evident to us. However, it doesn't always prompt us to correct the situation and that is unfortunate.

      Have a blessed week. :)

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  7. Suzanne, first of all please accept my apologies for not leaving a comment on your blog sooner. These days, due to eye problems, I spend very little time on the computer. I treasure the nice comments you've left on my blog.

    So many of your answers, today, resonated with the way I've been feeling, lately. Time is passing too quickly. I'm constantly aware of how short my time (and my husband, Ed's) could be growing. I do think people take life for granted, as well.

    Since I last commented over here, I've discovered that a cataract is not causing my vision problem in my left eye, as originally thought, but instead a sty that's turned into a cyst underneath my eyelid. Instead of cataract surgery, I'll be having the meibomian cyst removed, under anesthesia. Doc says the cataracts aren't ready for removal, yet. Whatever it takes, I'm ready to be able to see again!
    Take care and enjoy the rest of your week,
    Kathy (Reflections)

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    1. You're fine, Kathy. Nothing to apologize for at all. I appreciate your comments whenever you're able to make them and I definitely understand needing to protect your eyes. :)

      I am glad that you are going to be able to get this cyst removed and with anesthesia. I had lumps under my eyelids as a child and the word that you used for them seems like the word my ophthalmologist used way back then. They had talked about removing them, but unless it is part of what I've blocked out of my childhood, the surgery was never done. All I know is they aren't there now. :) I hope that this surgery will go well for you. That whole turning your eyelid inside out didn't sound particularly fun and I am glad that you'll get to be asleep for this. I remember seeing people when I was younger that could turn their eyelids inside out, but I never could bring myself to even try. I am praying for your vision to be much improved and for the cataracts to go away on their own, too!

      Have a blessed week. :)

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  8. Mr BCs diagnosis came before we were able to travel all the places we want to go, that is a disappointement. We are going to try to travel within the US when he is feeling better.

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    1. I am so sorry that health challenges have caused a change of plans. That is the story of our lives, too. Somehow we have to get to a point of adapting and accepting our new normals, but it isn't easy. Do you ever just want to drive about 90mph and scream your head off because life just isn't going the way you expected it to? I know I do!

      You're in my prayers and I hope that you'll get to go to all of the US places that are on your list.

      Have a blessed week. :)

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  9. I always enjoy learning more about you. I hope things get better for you soon.

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    1. Thank you, Ellen. Things will get better eventually. There's no way to go but up from here. :)

      Have a blessed week!

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  10. I wonder if he did underwater tooth x-rays.

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    1. I bet that would have been an interesting adventure. :)

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