Thursday, December 29, 2011

Things to Do While Convalescing

  • Read an essay by Susan Straight on California Patios, titled Sun Boss--Inventing the Patio.  This is from her series for KCET, found *here*
  • Read the series of papers given to me by the hospital, a collection of helpful and inane pages (including one on how to prevent the spread of disease, which includes the timely tip to "wash hands for at least 20 seconds")
  • Talk on the phone to friends, my parents and my brothers and sisters.
  • Sleep.
  • Write back answers to sweet, touching, kind and caring emails.
  • Moan.
  • Read poems from the website Poetry Daily (a sample)
  • Grimace when I forget and roll onto my left side, where they performed a "wide excision" and took out a hunk of my leg (or at least it feels like they did).
  • Be grateful that I didn't have cancer in my lymph node.
  • Sleep.
  • Talk to the nurse on the phone as she calls to check up on her surgery outpatient.
  • Finally enjoy my first real meal: a pot of homemade chicken soup, cooked up by my husband.
  • Lay in bed.
  • Realize that I can't think clearly, and that my mouth feels like cotton.
  • Read the news online, as I can't concentrate on anything other than short blurbs.
  • Stare at the bumps in the ceiling.
  • Look outside at the beautiful day and wished I felt well enough to sit outside.
  • Try not to sit (it hurts).
  • Admire the way the clutter on the nightstand can be stacked to include glasses of ginger ale & water, pretzel bread brought back from Ohio, cell phone, regular phone, books, clock and eyeglasses.
  • Count my many, many blessings.
  • Sleep.
  • And remember that--
"The mind wants this: a door in the wall,
         an open field, a narrow path
         through the woods, an open field" 

4 comments:

Andrea said...

You are on my mind and in my prayers. I wish I was close enough to visit and relieve some of your boredom. Of course I'd have to bring at least 3 or 4 kids with me who would surely break something in your house and make other mischief. But at least that would provide some excitement, right? Love you and wishing you some peace of mind in this crazy time.

Judy said...

That looks like a pretty good list to me! Even in your convalescence, you are accomplishing much--just not the same kind of tasks that you usually have. Don't forget to add "blogging" to that list.

gina said...

Why do I not see a word about dark chocolate on this list? Something is amiss...

Donna Smith said...

I will add you to my prayers for a speedy recovery. You know, there aren't many times when looking at the bumps in the ceiling gets to be on a list of things to do. Those bumps must be feeling pretty special!