It's Always Saturday

Last Saturday while attending a beading class at Nordic Gypsy one of the ladies mentioned that "today is Saturday." A woman sitting next to me, said that "it's always Saturday." This statement definitely caught my attention as Clint and I frequently make that very statement.

"Time flies" is another frequently repeated comment by the majority of people. I remember that during my working days I never had enough time to accomplish my tasks. Working parents find themselves rushing from work, to school events, or home to prepare dinner before overseeing homework, or heading out for an evening with the children for a game or dance recital. There was never enough time in a day, or weekend, or month. Always busy, always doing, always tired, or possibly dreaming of the day when the children are on their own and you finally have control of your time. I'm sure I had those thought once in awhile.

Well...believe it or not, time also flies during the golden years, too. The week begins with church attendance on Sunday and then the weekdays all tend to run together one after the other until there are some days when I'm not sure what day it is. Thank goodness for my I-Pod. Of course we are busy each day with the necessary chores, cooking, cleaning, a nap here and there, and of course our very favorite task, visiting the Mayo Brothers Clinic. (What would they do without us? )Keeping up with the family via Facebook, writing emails, reading, volunteering, gardening all tend to fill the rapidly passing days and then it's Saturday again. Wasn't it Saturday yesterday? Where did the weekdays go? Why, they simply flew by. As I stated previously, "It's always Saturday."

"No Fat?"

Absolutely "no fat." None! Nada! This is what I recently heard from the surgeon who will be performing my gall bladder surgery in September. Yicks! When I heard this all I could think of what doesn't have fat these days? Well, obviously fruits and vegetables, but what else?

Let's back up a short time to when I ended up in St. Marys ER with severe chest pain, etc. The first thought of doctors, Clint and me, too, was heart attack. No heart attack! The pain was caused by a gall bladder attack. Seems my gall bladder is full of nasty stones and sludge - yup, sludge. The gall bladder is a small, pearshaped organ in the abdomen. Its job is to store and release bile, a fluid made by the liver. Bile helps break down FATS in the food you eat. If one eats too much fat, stones and sludge form & the gall bladder isn't very happy and passes this message rather harshly via an attack. If you've ever had an attack, you will do anything to avoid another one, ie. few or no fats.

So here I am attempting to eat no fats at least until my surgery. This change in my diet has actually been good as I'm more aware of what I eat (it only took me almost 70 years ~ what can I say?). I'm reading labels more intently, including foods like eggbeaters, more grains, chicken and fish, no burgers or steaks (darn), and lots of fruits & vegetables. The only sweet I've found without fat is sherbet and it does satisfy me. By the way, I've lost over 30 pounds although some of the loss occured after my knee surgery in May. Am I Smiling? But of course! Who wouldn't when their clothing size changes? (see my Goodwill story :})

So the moral of this story is to eat a healthy diet of good foods; less fat and sugar so that you can possibly avoid a gall bladder attack and surgery. Plus, your heart will be healthy, and your knees will last longer due to the fact they aren't being worn out by attempting to support a ton of fat.

Forgiveness

Our local newspaper business section has a weekly column written by Harvery Mackay which I find interesting. He began his column today with the following: "Clara Barton was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and was its president until 1904. A remarkable woman, she made it a rule never to hold resentment against anyone. "

"Once a friend reminded her of a cruel thing that had been done to Barton some years previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident.

Her friend asked her "don't you remember the wrong that was done to you?" "No Clara answered calmly. I distinctly remember forgetting that."

I love her response. All of us at one time of another have experienced a bad comment, hurtful gossip, or mayby even something more serious, but to waste time being angry and unforgiving harms us more than trying to forgive and possibly forget. Think of the time wasted in the negatuve world when a wonderfully positive world is out there waiting for us.

A couple of quote worth stating:

"For every minute you remain angry, you give up 60 seconds of peace of mind."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude. Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shopping with Moi

As the majority of my friends and family are aware, I'm an adoring and dedicated fan of on-line shopping. More specifically QVC and HSN....love those sites especially when I find a great bargain without shipping - makes me smile all day. :} :} :} And then there is Ebay which is also on my list of favorite shopping sites. I'm not a fan of casino gambling, but for some reason I feel like I'm gambling when bidding on Ebay and playing the game of outbidding someone else for that coveted item. You know..waiting until the very last moment and sneaking in that last, HIGH bid!!! Love it!!! Imagine the frustration of the one losing to your very, high and sometime really stupid bid. That item better be worth all this anxiety and the adrenalin rush that pushed my blood pressure out of sight. Almost like winning the Power Ball........well not quite......

Yesterday I visited my absolutely favorite store in the whole wide Sharon's world - GOODWILL! What a place!! What prices!! Treasures are lerking in every corner, shelf and rack waiting to be found if one is a very focused and a dedicated bargain hunter. Also helps to be a snoop. Being an experience shopping snoop, I hunt for only the very best which means "new stuff." You know, items with the tags in place. Well, I hit the mother lode yesterday; new red silk slacks, beautiful white slacks from Talbots, new pink wrinkle resistant long sleeve blouse from Talbots, new orange "crinkly" blouse from Pleats Collection, new nighty, and a new cotton sweater from Target. What did I pay for all my wonderful finds? Well, because yesterday was Senior Citizen Day, I received an additional 25% off (getting old is good for something) so my final expenditure was $27.69. Not bad for 2 hours of scouring for bargains. Love that store!!!

And now I have a blog, too.

Well, here goes although I'm not sure where to begin with this blogstuff. I guess one is supposed to write whatever comes to mind so here goes. You may ask why on earth are you writing a blog and I would respond, "it seemed like a good idea at the time" with the time being earlier today.
Actually, I have been following my grandaughter Danielle's blog and totally enjoying her thoughts as she is preparing to begin her junior year in Montpillier, France. What is she studying? Well, French, of course! Danielle began her blog during the periood when she was packing (at least a thousand times) in preparation for her travels. Currently she is in Italy, my favorite European country, so I'm eager to read her next posting about her adventures thus far.

Clint and I traveled to 8 European countries in 2001. Although we enjoyed each country and city, my favorite was Venice, Italy. Beautiful, romantic, great food and drink, lovely music - what's not to like. Well actually there was a somewhat embarrassing moment. We were on a tour with a gondola ride included. Clint and I along with another couple were in the lead gondola...the one with the singer. We ladies were prepared for a very romantical scene with our fellows as we were guided through the Venitian Canals. And then the gentleman began to plan the accordian and sing a beautiful Italian aria. I'm not sure what the fellows were drinking, but as soon as the singer began his song, they BOTH started giggling quietly at first as we ladies poked them in the side. As the music became louder, they laughed louder and louder. At the time I was ready to throw Clint in the canal. Needless to say, the romantic moment was lost in laughter and embarrassment. As I look back on this scene, I have to admit the singer was a bit dorky, and we now laugh together as we remember that moment.