Blog Trolling

from Lexi Eddings...

I'm a fan of blogs. Even though I am on Twitter & FB, I love the longer format available on a blog. It's hard to really communicate in 140 characters or in the photo/vid/meme rich environment on social networks. So I'm on the lookout for blogs about things that interest me.

Like travel.

I happened across a blog by a guy who was taking a 113 day round the World Cruise. Each day, he shared his observations and doings, both on the ship and on some breathtaking excursions. He and his wife were very fit--a day when they only walked 5 miles was a slow day for them--so they often took off on adventures that involved lots of activity. I was fascinated. It was almost like taking the trip myself. I binge-read his whole voyage!

I totally agreed with him about grumpy travelers who visit other places expecting everything to be just like home. I cringed with him over people who didn't respect the sacred spaces of other cultures or behaved like stereotypical "ugly Americans." And I share his disgust with tourists who haggle over a dollar on some handmade trinket when they've spent thousands of dollars to get to that exotic market in the first place.

But he left a bad taste in my mouth a time or two.  He made a few snide comments about fellow travelers who didn't walk fast enough on the promenade deck for his taste. Then there was snarky observation about walking behind an overweight woman whose bottom jiggled in white yoga pants "like a pair of 'possoms fighting in a bag." (Ok, I'll give him points for a clever visual, but it's still a comment worthy of a mean girl.)

The worst post was about the day he was frustrated because too many people with disabilities were allowed on an excursion and their mobility issues slowed him & his wife down.

Really?

Before NSIP reared its ugly head in my life, I used to walk the treadmill at a snappy 3.5 miles per hour without breaking a sweat. Now with my lung condition, 2.0 is my steady pace--2.5 on a good day but only for a few minutes at a time. But even if I could only do 1 mile an hour, I'd still try to do it.

As long as I possibly can.

So to the World Cruise Blogger, I say: Life belongs to everyone who's still breathing. I intend to continue to travel and have as many adventures as my health and wallet allows. I try not to inconvenience others, but for pity's sake, have a little compassion! If you have to wait a little longer because of me or someone like me, take that moment to thank God that you are healthy and fit right now.

And pray that you never become the one who slows someone else down.

Let Your Light Shine!

from Lexi Eddings...

The days are getting shorter. It's still dark when my body tells me it's time to get up and evenings fall so quickly, I'm sometimes ready for bed by eight.

Clearly, my body clock is kind of whacked out by the change of seasons. I don't think I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I'm generally a cheerful person. But everyone can use a little pick-me-up sometimes.

Here are a few things I do to improve my mood:

Exercise--30 minutes on the treadmill and I'm bursting with a self-righteous glow!

Take vitamin D--Our bodies will make their own D if we get enough sunlight, but if you live north of Atlanta, the sun doesn't get high enough in the sky during the winter months for ultraviolet rays to penetrate the atmosphere. You can get D from canned tuna, fortified cereals and milk, but I don't usually eat those, so I take a supplement. Vitamin D is added to both my calcium pill and multi-vitamin.

Seek the sun--The DH and I have a short cruise to Mexico/Belize & Honduras planned for January. Not only will we get a chance to naturally beef up our Vitamin D reserves, anticipating the trip is a guaranteed mood lifter! If you can be flexible with your travel plans, a last minute cruise is often a great deal too.

Help someone else--When my kids were young we delivered meals-on-wheels one day a week. They always finished the route with grateful hearts. When you get your mind off yourself, your problems tend to shrink. In my book, The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club, my little group of stealthy do-gooders realize that they always get more than they give.

 So how about you? How do you lift your spirits when you're down?    

S

Truth or Myth

from Lexi Eddings...

It's been six years since I learned I have a chronic lung condition. When I was first diagnosed, I didn't know what to expect, but the things I read online scared me. Mostly, the take-away was that this disease would shave years, if not decades, from my life. I decided to stop doing Google searches.

Instead of fretting about what may come, I focused on what I could do each day. I started walking on a treadmill. My docs and I experimented with different types of meds to control the fibrotic growth in my lungs. I have a circle of family and friends who pray for me regularly. I wake each morning and tell myself, "NSIP isn't going to kill me today."

My journey has produced a few things that surprised me:

• MYTH: When people see me with Herkimer, my portable oxygen concentrator, they assume I was, or  am, a smoker.

• TRUTH: I've never smoked. I was a vocal major in college. It's death to a singing voice. My doctor doesn't know what caused my NSIP, but smoking wasn't a factor. However, when I walk past a group of teenagers who are smoking away, I have been known to slow down a little to let them get a good look at Herkimer, and hear his rhythmic click-and-whoosh. Then I say, "Just keep puffing, kids." and let them draw their own conclusions.

• MYTH: Nothing in my environment needs to change to accommodate my condition.

• TRUTH: Carpets, even tight, flat weaves, are evil. When I'm pushing Herkimer in his rolling cart, I really appreciate hard surface floors. During our 2014 home remodel, our contractor went the extra mile and made sure all the transitions from one room to the next had no raised thresholds. I bless the man's name every day. 

• MYTH: I can still do the things I love.

• TRUTH: Sometimes. For a couple of years, my cough was so persistent, I couldn't sing. When I opened my mouth, I had no idea what would come out. Matching pitch was a crap shoot. Now, things seem to have settled enough for my voice to come back...somewhat. It'll never be what it once was, but I can sing well enough to "make a joyful noise!" Sadly, I still can't ballroom dance with my husband.

• MYTH: My lung condition is chronic and degenerative. Like Beethoven's deafness, I will be "never better, always worse."

• TRUTH: Boy, I hope that's a myth. I have to believe it is. I've seen dips of decline and surges of improvement in my lung function over the past six years. Even my most recent tests at Mayo Clinic bear out this clinical self-evaluation: I am better than I was, say, at the beginning of 2014. While I still need Herkimer to walk a mile or two on the treadmill, I can now move around my home with the stately grace of a three-toed sloth without him! I can even do simple tasks like cooking or laundry while maintaining good O2 sats. That may not sound like much to you, but believe me, I'm tickled to pieces!

As I continue through this part of my life, I'm sure there will be more surprises--some good, some not--but that's the way life is. We can only live it one day at a time. 

And today is a good day.

***

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matthew 6:34

Reserved Parking

Since I use supplemental O2 when I'm active, I'm eligible for a handicapped parking sticker.

I fought against getting one for months.

If I had one of those things hanging from my rear view mirror, it would mean admitting that I'm not normal, that the ordinary act of going to the store is much more of a production number for me. I didn't want to think of myself as disabled.

Still don't.

I guess I was too prideful to admit I'd be helped by having easier access to shops and places of business.

But then I started thinking about how much a handicap placard would help my family. My Dear Husband doesn't qualify for a sign, but he's had one knee surgery and may need more. He wouldn't say no to a shorter jaunt into wherever we're going.

We often travel with my parents who, though they are both still active, really appreciate snagging a close parking space.

So, I swallowed my pride and went to the DMV. It wasn't hard to get two hanging signs. They were even free. And because the fact that I use O2 is pretty obvious, I didn't even have to have a letter from my doctor.

Now when I pull into one of those blue-labeled spaces, I try not to think of it as handicapped parking. I prefer to think of it as "reserved!" Everywhere I go, I get bumped to the head of the line. It's not that I demand it, or feel in any way entitled. People just seem to want to go out of their way to be kind.

I have decided to let them.

Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive. Most of the time, that's true. I'd much rather be the one in a position to give.

But at the same time, I feel blessed by the kindness of a society that makes allowances for people with mobility issues.

It just took me a while to acquire enough grace and humility to accept it.