simple pleasures -- people, work, nature, food

Yesterday and today were definitely much better days. Yesterday after seeing an acupuncturist and napping, I went to work for a couple of hours for the first time since before the chemo. While I didn't feel completely well, it was engaging and fun and good to feel useful (I was teaching Elizabeth, our Program Assistant, how to use Constant Contact, as we worked together on getting notices out for a couple of upcoming events).

I was tired and feeling sick after that, but walked the block from my office to my stepdaughter Sarah's place. I hadn't seen her much at all since my diagnosis, and she was very loving and supportive. I rested and hung out with her for a while, and eventually felt better enough to go with her to Special Olympics swim practice, also for the first time since before my diagnosis. (I've been helping coach the team, and swimming with the faster swimmers, for much of the past two seasons -- it's one of the things that got me working out more, because I couldn't keep up with them). It was good to see everyone, and to swim a little -- I took it a lot easier than usual and hung out with Sarah in the warm pool part of the time, helping her practice her turns. My stomach still felt weird, particularly while doing flip - turns: it felt like it was loose on its internal moorings! After swimming I felt better than I'd felt all day. 

I had a dream last night about a truck being left to idle for two days and running out of gas. In the dream, the truck belonged to a man who has done a lot of work for us - everything from fine carpentry and gorgeous tile work, to mending fences and hanging pictures. Bill is in treatment for a throat tumor, which I found out shortly before my own diagnosis, and hadn't been in contact with him since. I took the dream as a sign to reach out to him, which I did today, and it felt good. This illness is helping me focus on the most important things, like taking more time for relationships that I normally take for granted. 

Don and I talked and did some work and planning, I talked to my brother, shopped online for a hammock to hang under my meditation tree, and I napped. Then Don & I took a lovely walk -- it was 72 degrees here, the first really warm day in a while (WINDOWS OPEN!!). I checked in with my oncology nurse and made one more medication change, visited with an old friend I hardly ever see who stopped by, and went OUT TO DINNER with Don & Sam! Don and I often split a meal, and did so tonight -- and I was still hungry and ordered another side dish!!  Ah, the simple pleasures of eating.