I used to have lots of sleep problems. Sleep was something that I dreaded instead of looked upon as the fun sport of the retirement years. My pattern of sleep consisted of many random periods of total wakefulness. A night of rest was broken down into cat naps and I was up and at 'em before 6AM. That has changed. Since we moved into our condo, my sleep pattern has improved and I swear it has to do with the drapes that hang in our bedroom. It was the first night here that we discovered a fatal flaw in the design plan of our new home. It didn't take very long to realize that our neighbors were as loud as they had promised they would be when we introduced ourselves. Our bedroom window is located very close to their patio fence. Additionally, we have a slider that opens up onto our patio. Double-whammy! After trying various noise abatement tricks, I found a brand of drapes that are recommended by the American Sleep Association. Hung them up after paying a small fortune for them, and Bingo! peace, quiet and temperature control, all in one. We dream a whole bunch now and of course, after all that, the neighbors sold and we now have THE loveliest, quietest people in the world living next door.
But, like any other old broad, I still wake up early and force myself back to sleep. I have a few techniques that work for me and the latest, well, it's highly practical to say the least. Instead of counting sheep, I count other more useful things.
I count the ways in which my life might change a few months out from my surgery. I'm not going to look for unrealistic things, just simple ones that I have a hunch I will enjoy. No, my time with my grandchildren has not been impacted by my weight issues. We've done playgrounds, hikes, Italy and so much more and now that they're older, we do creative things, make art. So, I'm not one who will say that I'm choosing Bariatric surgery so that I can play with the kids. My life has been great and hopefully, it will always be but.......there is a list that I use to help me return to la-la-land.......
How Will I Love ME? Let me count the ways. That's the way it begins.
I will be able to take baths. I displace too much water nowadays so it isn't fun. It gets cold.
I'm going to buy myself wonderful bath products from Sativia. I might even get one of those racks that goes across the tub. Throw in a bath pillow. If you need me, you know where I'll be and if you call, I will be able to wrap a bath towel totally around my body as I answer.
I'm going to enjoy afternoon tea, more that I ever have before. Caffeine is a no-no for a while, at least through this Winter. I'm already stocking up on my supply of herbals and I'm worth a trip to Teavana. In fact, there probably is a sale on right now. Yipee!
I can clean out a few closets and drawers. I already make mental lists of the things that I know (er, hope) won't fit and can be sold at my favorite consignment shop, Whimsy's in Harwichport. Good way to get some "new" things in a smaller size with the profits. Smaller sizes. What a dream.
Leggings. You are on the list, girlfriends. With less bulk up top, I might be able to have clothes hang lower, tops that cover my ugly knees which I am sure, won't get any prettier. ArtCloth tops will be my first indulgence.
Tennis anyone? Well, maybe Pickle Ball. I will love myself on a tennis court again. It's been thirty years since I swung a racket and I'm determined to do it again. My friend Carole has promised to teach me that new game and maybe one of our courts here can be converted and we can start a whole team at Cranberry Knoll this Summer.
Bike riding. Have you seen the new bike path? It's amazing! All I need now is a Schwinn. Maybe turquoise? With a big, cushion, maybe gelled? I can't wait to get on the road. There's a new bike shop in South Yarmouth, just waiting for me.
And last, but not least, I envision food. Yes, food! A good, healthy relationship with it. Before we ended our workshop sessions, Suzanne made us promise that we would buy GOOD food. We're going to be eating so much less, so get the best we can. I love this idea. We're already good food purveyors. Now, I have a perfect justification for shopping at Whole Foods. I'll be honoring a promise. Thank you Suzanne!!
So, it's a short list. Nothing outrageous. Good stuff that I should have been doing a long time ago anyway. Basically, my analysis of these things tells me that the plan is simply to take better care of ME, to love mySELF and to honor the gifts. How hard can that be? Stay tuned.
But, like any other old broad, I still wake up early and force myself back to sleep. I have a few techniques that work for me and the latest, well, it's highly practical to say the least. Instead of counting sheep, I count other more useful things.
I count the ways in which my life might change a few months out from my surgery. I'm not going to look for unrealistic things, just simple ones that I have a hunch I will enjoy. No, my time with my grandchildren has not been impacted by my weight issues. We've done playgrounds, hikes, Italy and so much more and now that they're older, we do creative things, make art. So, I'm not one who will say that I'm choosing Bariatric surgery so that I can play with the kids. My life has been great and hopefully, it will always be but.......there is a list that I use to help me return to la-la-land.......
How Will I Love ME? Let me count the ways. That's the way it begins.
I will be able to take baths. I displace too much water nowadays so it isn't fun. It gets cold.
I'm going to buy myself wonderful bath products from Sativia. I might even get one of those racks that goes across the tub. Throw in a bath pillow. If you need me, you know where I'll be and if you call, I will be able to wrap a bath towel totally around my body as I answer.
I'm going to enjoy afternoon tea, more that I ever have before. Caffeine is a no-no for a while, at least through this Winter. I'm already stocking up on my supply of herbals and I'm worth a trip to Teavana. In fact, there probably is a sale on right now. Yipee!
I can clean out a few closets and drawers. I already make mental lists of the things that I know (er, hope) won't fit and can be sold at my favorite consignment shop, Whimsy's in Harwichport. Good way to get some "new" things in a smaller size with the profits. Smaller sizes. What a dream.
Leggings. You are on the list, girlfriends. With less bulk up top, I might be able to have clothes hang lower, tops that cover my ugly knees which I am sure, won't get any prettier. ArtCloth tops will be my first indulgence.
Tennis anyone? Well, maybe Pickle Ball. I will love myself on a tennis court again. It's been thirty years since I swung a racket and I'm determined to do it again. My friend Carole has promised to teach me that new game and maybe one of our courts here can be converted and we can start a whole team at Cranberry Knoll this Summer.
Bike riding. Have you seen the new bike path? It's amazing! All I need now is a Schwinn. Maybe turquoise? With a big, cushion, maybe gelled? I can't wait to get on the road. There's a new bike shop in South Yarmouth, just waiting for me.
And last, but not least, I envision food. Yes, food! A good, healthy relationship with it. Before we ended our workshop sessions, Suzanne made us promise that we would buy GOOD food. We're going to be eating so much less, so get the best we can. I love this idea. We're already good food purveyors. Now, I have a perfect justification for shopping at Whole Foods. I'll be honoring a promise. Thank you Suzanne!!
So, it's a short list. Nothing outrageous. Good stuff that I should have been doing a long time ago anyway. Basically, my analysis of these things tells me that the plan is simply to take better care of ME, to love mySELF and to honor the gifts. How hard can that be? Stay tuned.
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