Something to Ponder in Everyday Ramblings

On Thursday I had back-to-back appointments with my Primary Care Physician and my Cardiologist with a little break in between. I took this on the break on our big pedestrian and public transit bridge over the river. As you can see it was a gorgeous day. I feel for all of you who have been snowbound or dealing with wildfires near or far. We just came out of a dark tunnel of cold wet days, so this one clear bright day was a gift.

We are back to cold gloom now. Why is it when one goes to the doctor these days there is always homework. This morning, I went back down for a blood draw. I also had to call the pharmacy and next week I need to schedule an endoscopy. They were all telling me not to worry I won’t get an appointment for 6 months to a year. And he, my doctor, says go ahead and schedule a colonoscopy at the same time. Oh joy. I guess they do this. Scope one from both ends.

But the good news is that I am fine. My cardiologist who was wearing black jeans and told me he rides a Vespa to the office was quite pleased with how I am doing.

I survived my first week back into the full swing of things. Four League meetings that morphed into 3 ½ with extra things to do. Of course. I am going to be quite busy this winter and spring. Next week is just as intense.

There is a dental appointment in there as well as three meetings, one of which I have a whole heck of a lot of reading to do for beforehand. The dental appointments are routine. I don’t have anything going on with this last implant until the spring.

Chemo was a little bumpy for my niece to start with, but they got her stable and were able to continue the treatment. Her last infusion is in early March. We will see how it goes and if she needs me to help with the basics. She is finally going to be completely moved into her place near the hospital by the end of next week.

I have a path set out in my mind for the next year and a half with the League of Women Voters. There are all these hoops I need to jump through and things to learn but I am clear I will not renew my term on the board after next year. I just want to be the bookkeeper. I am good at that. Let somebody else make the decisions and plan strategy and all that. It is just plain too much.

Mrs. Sherlock has been completely consumed with her move. She may surface again next week. I miss her a lot and I know she misses me because she told me so.

Walt put a poem of mine at the end of his latest newsletter. I have received an unusual amount of positive feedback on this particular poem. When I was coming back from the doctor’s appointments I walked by the house of one of the guys in my group. He was out raking leaves and when I stopped to chat, he asked, “Did you write that poem?” I was like, you mean the one at the end of the newsletter. He said he liked it very much.

This is meaningful to me as this fellow is an unusually gifted artist. We then carried on having a conversation about how as an artist, one never knows how the work we produce is going to be taken up.

This came up in class on Friday when I read this poem to my students…

Serenity
Charles Bertram Johnson 1918

The storms that break and sweep about my feet,
The winds that blow and tear, the rains that fall,
Shall not the courage of my soul appall;
I shall be conqueror, tho’ sore defeat
O’erwhelm the outbound keels of all my fleet
Of dreams; tho’ not one tattered sail, but all
Go down mid sea; with heart serene, I’ll greet
The worst or best, the stronger for the squall.

My soul is set amid the storms of life,—
The hurricanes of passion crash and break
And tides of heathen hate sweep o’er our land;
But calm amid the flying ruins of strife,
Or in the leaping flames around the stake
With pierced hands—my faith serene,—I stand!

To think that a Black teacher in the segregated south could write this poem that would engender heartfelt discussion among a group of old white women on the other side of the country over 100 years later from our living rooms on electronic devices… We talked about how Faith can be as much in human kindness as in a Christian God. A reminder to keep our equilibrium and not be reactive and to honor those that managed this before us.

Something to ponder.