Friday Roundup

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain.

Vivian Greene

Well, Friday has rolled around again.  Hope you all had a great week.  I did.  Yesterday at the Center they had a Valentine's Party replete with a wedding (a play, of course), red tablecloths, flowers, and the most delicious cupcake I ever ate.  Yes, it was a wee bit late, but seniors have just not been making it in due to the weather so they waited for a warmer day.

I not only had a chance to leave the house and see my friends, but also had good news on the financial front. The temperature is warm, and the snow is melting.  I have an early appointment with the nutritionist today, and the office is situated where it is senseless for me to take a bus.  I would have to pick up the bus in front of my house, take it one long block, get off and transfer to what I call the 'slowest bus in Brooklyn', and take that 4 short blocks.  Not worth it.  If I am going to stand in the rain and get wet waiting for a bus, I might as well get wet while walking.  At least with each step I will be closer to my destination...and it is not cold out. 

I was talking about my new doctor with a peer at the Center yesterday.  She has chosen the same one, but hasn't met him yet.  I really, really liked him.  And, I love the nurses and receptionists.  They are so friendly and all of them were smiling, unlike the permanent frowns of those in my last doctor's office.  A few kind words and a smile and can do a lot to make one feel comfortable when they are feeling a little anxious. And, I WAS feeling anxious on my first appointment.  I didn't know what to expect.  I was so used to be treated like a number that I didn't know how to react when I was treated like a person.  So, I began to talk their ears off.  I talked about anything that came to mind, and they responded.  What a difference!

So, it has finally been a week of achievements.  My pension is supposedly on its way, and we've learned why hubby's retroactive has not come through and are working on it.  I had volunteered to be his 'payee', but after researching all the responsibilities it would entail, we both decided that he would get a letter from his doctor as suggested by the woman at the social security office.  Hopefully, that will do the trick, and even though it seems that it will take a bit longer, it may not.  He is picking up his letter today and will bring it in on Monday.  Had I been his payee, we would have had to go to the bank and open a new account, then provide them with the information, etc....more running around.  I do hope this works.  But, for the life of me, I don't understand it.  They already direct deposit his monthly checks into his account.  So, why make us get a second account for monies that are his to begin with.  It's just plain mean to make a sick man run around like this.

So, not much on the agenda this weekend.  Tomorrow I will probably stay in.  I want to start digging the spring things out.  I don't care that they are predicting more snow on Wednesday.  Spring will be here soon enough.  (Nothing like positive thinking.)  On Sunday I hope to go to Church, pick up a few items at the supermarket, and go home and prepare for the week.  

So, in closing I would like to say...

Smile. Today would be a wonderful day not to take life so seriously. Today may end up the way you prefer - and it may not. Happiness is not about being a winner - it's about being gentle with life - being gentle with yourself. Let life be a dance, and choose the kind of dance you want for today - perhaps a gentle loving dance. 

 Jonathan Lockwood Huie