Several days at home doing what I feel like doing and what I enjoy, I forget the time. And now my clocks seem to have a mind of their own. One is an hour behind. Another has stopped at 9:00.
I am beginning the weekend at home again because I don't want to go out in the rain. If the sun shines on Saturday, I will venture out to buy ink for my printer.
As we age, time becomes more and more important and I hate to waste it.
In order to better use my time, I am staying away from social media except for a few minutes each day when I check Facebook. Sitting at the computer is bad for my back, so I try to get up and move around every 20 - 30 minutes to loosen up my muscles. Sometimes I think I have to spend more time on keeping my body working properly than on anything else. Certain prescriptions, supplements, staying on a healthy diet, and deep breathing and meditation. Preparing good meals, cooking from scratch, and avoiding processed food is very time-consuming.
I found that soup made with cabbage, fennel, and potatoes is good for the stomach, so I made a batch. It tastes good as well as being good for you. Fennel seeds are also good for digestion. I read that restaurants in France offer them after meals. I haven't had red meat in weeks because it is an inflammatory food. Prime rib is one of my favorite dishes. Changing my diet is a challenge, but I am up to it.
YouTube has become my classroom. Videos on every kind of health issue are there to see. I listen to Podcasts about functional health care and realize that even medical doctors are saying our western medicine has huge limitations.
Now that I am in the senior age group, my primary care doctor and others think that my aches and pains, the health issues that I face, are to be expected "at my age." I recently had a procedure that required anesthesia. When I was in recovery, I asked a nurse, "How did I do?" She didn't look up from the paperwork she was doing. "You did well for someone your age." What does that mean? Did I almost die? Did something bad happen but they managed to save me?
When the hair grays, we are placed into a box that says "Old and unimportant." My brother is over 90 years old. My father and my sister lived to be almost 90. I plan to be around for at least that long.
I have found that the only way to stay well and keep strong is to learn as much as possible about the health care system, about my own health, and what my symptoms indicate. So, I now have a functional care doctor who is also an M.D. I also see a chiropractor who helps me with pain.
If all the different types of health care were under one roof, worked together so they could combine their knowledge to treat the whole patient, it would be so much easier to maintain our quality of life as we get older. Recently I heard a doctor on a Podcast say that aging should be treated as a disease, and the medical profession should stop throwing prescription medicines at every symptom and begin to look for ways to help us heal, end our pain, and increase our bodies immune systems.
My priorities now are healing and strengthening my body. This takes too much of my time, valuable time that I could use for things I enjoy, but it is necessary. Taking pills is not the answer.
I am grateful that I have the capability to research and learn about subjects that are important to me. I can talk intelligently to doctors about my health, and I am not patronized when I am assertive enough to make them listen.
We have just so much time on this earth, and I want to use it in ways that make the world a bit better if I can. I must be healthy to do that, so I will continue to take care of my body, the mind that helps me take care of that body and helps me do what I can for others.
Song by Jim Croce
Lyrics
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes away...
