The simple things

7/28/07 Saturday
It’s a clear hazy morning with the sounds of the drilling rig drifting clearly in from a mile away. It’s one of those atmospheres where sounds travel well and we can sometimes hear the voices of the rig operators. The hazy part is my mind as I work to clear the cobwebs and remnants of a night long of dreams. They were the clear detailed dreams that are like reading a book. Strange conglomerations of bits and pieces of my life along with weird glues like interdimensional travel holding the fragments together. So I woke up tired. We are fixin to take our morning walk so be back in a bit.

As we walked Cherie told me I was talking in my sleep all night long, usually short phrases like “Thank you” and stuff. It was a restless night for sure. This morning I had to take one of the pain pills that I have been so carefully rationing, for they are running out. I only take them when the pain is real bad. When I called the VA about getting an appointment to get the prescription refilled they told me that I had missed an appointment in May. “Didn’t you receive the letter” I was asked when I told the lady I didn’t even know I had an appointment. She confirmed my address and said she sent the letter. Not only did we not get a letter but we also didn’t get the automated phone call that usually comes. What I did get was a letter informing me that I had missed a May appointment with the VA doctor I had in Toledo. I laughed about it then but now suspect that there is a computer glitch that routed the appointment to Toledo, perhaps still listing that as my primary care facility.

This morning we will head into Midland to pick up our food from the Angel Food ministry where we get about seventy five bucks worth of food for twenty five dollars. We’ll stop at I-Hop for breakfast first. Cherie isn’t feeling real good so this will give her a break. It is so nice to be able to afford something simple like buying breakfast or a hamburger. Someone once noted how our lives made him aware of how blessed he was for the things that he had taken for granted. Things like being able to taste and smell, things like hot water and air conditioning. Being poor does bring out an appreciation for these simple things and has taught us to be grateful and content with what we have. For me just waking up is a blessing. Being alive is a gift given me when I least deserved it. How much I wish to share that, to transfer this outlook for I know understanding or learning to view life this way will enrich others lives. Will open eyes to see how what they regard as important pales to the true blessings of the simple things of life.
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Just got back in. Picked up the food and then headed over to Walfart where I traded in the printer cartridges Janie dropped off for the correct ones we need for the new printer they gave us. Then we hit I-Hop but they were packed. After waiting for coffee we waited for silverware and creamer which we still hadn’t got by the time the waiter came to take our order. “What’ll you have?” he asked. “I think we’ll go to McDonalds” I replied. He said “I don’t blame you” acknowledging things were backed up badly. So we left. McAlister’s was close so I opted for that and it was a good choice. We enjoyed the meal and it was a lot healthier than what we would have gotten at I-Hop.

My back pain is way up there. Just took another of the pain pills. I’m not sure what, if anything, I did to it though I did lift the old kitchen countertop yesterday. Plus the right leg is hard to operate so it’s a physically tough day so far. I’ve been trying hard to cheer Cherie up but with only a little luck. She’s having a tough time lately.

There is a lot to do so I need to get going.
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It’s 3:30 now. Cherie has gone to Janie’s where they will spend some time doing laundry and girl stuff. I called Janie yesterday and asked if she could do something like this with her because I recognized that Cherie needed to be around someone other than me all the time. I hoped she would find a friend at the first church of Stanton but that never happened though Karla (I hope I got the name right) did reach out. Cherie was so worried about the things I wrote about first church and figured she would be judged for it to pursue that potential friendship. I must accept the blame for that but if you read this Karla, drop Cherie an E mail, would you? She’s not responsible for what I do.

It’s being a hard day on me physically. I just took my third pain pill. The control of my right side is seriously affected so my limp is pretty bad and I have to be careful so I won’t fall. Been working on getting the old kitchen cabinets set up in the garage but a rain storm just rolled in forcing me to stop because it was blowing into the garage and I had to close the doors. Once I get lights hooked up, and perhaps a fan for ventilation, I’ll be able to work in there with the doors closed. This will give me time to get the Sony laptop prepared to give to Chuck and Lillian. Have to replace two of the keys that had fallen out. Not sure how to do that but I’m pretty good at figuring that kind of stuff out as evidenced by my repairing the Cannon printer.
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The day is done for me. I got the cabinets set up and made the stool to set our water bottle on. Still have to stain and finish it and hope to get to that tomorrow. I never did get to staining and finishing the cabinets in the kitchen as I wanted. Nor did I finish sanding and putting a second coat of finish on the drawers and doors to the new kitchen cabinets. . Actually never even got to it. Stayed busy all day, just didn’t get to it.

Here is something Wally read at Sunday school last week, or maybe two weeks ago, that describes a typical day for me.

Diagnosed with AAADD
Recently, I was Diagnosed with AAADD - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

1) The car isn't washed
2) The bills aren't paid
3) There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
4) The flowers don't have enough water,
5) There is still only 1 check in my check book,
6) I can't find the remote,
7) I can't find my glasses,
8) And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

Cherie called to let me know she will be going to dinner with Janie. “It’s a girl thing” she said, kinda in explanation because she feels she must justify everything. I am glad to hear it and it is what I had hoped for. Thanks Janie. You’re a sweetheart.