Wednesday, April 15, 2015

A Medley of Thoughts

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, and also today's A-Z Challenge post for the letter M. You'll find that by scrolling down to #8. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, and then go say hi to your neighbor.

Please do not link here if you have not answered the questions. I understand the desire, but this space is reserved on Wednesdays for the Hodgepodge only.  Thanks for understanding! 



1. Speaking of April 15...what's the most 'taxing' thing you've done recently?

Hmmm...most things I find taxing around here have to do with actual taxes, so there's that. Also, we're selling a house and the whole process is a little bit taxing. Maybe even more than a little. 

2. When did you last take a taxi somewhere and where was that somewhere?

I'm trying to remember. Every now and then we grab a cab to get from point A to point B in the city, but I don't think we've needed to do that in a while. We try to walk everywhere. We did take a taxi in Portugal last summer, and that might be the last time I was in a cab. 

3. What's something you can do today that you couldn't do a year ago?

Call myself a mother-in-law! 

photo credit: Chris Isham 

4. How often is chicken (in some form or fashion) on your menu at home? Which of the following would you most like to see on your table tonight....a chicken salad sandwich, your mom's fried chicken, a Chick-fil-A meal, Cracker Barrel's chicken n' dumplings, a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings, or 'hold the chicken, I'm a vegetarian'...?

We had chicken last night. I typically have a salad topped with grilled, roasted, or barbecued chicken at least one night a week, and then also have it fixed some other way at least once or twice more. I like chicken and you can change it up with so many different flavors and preparation styles.  

Of the chickens listed I'd choose Chick-fil-A. We don't have Chick-fil-A in our neck of the woods, so it's a pretty rare treat. 

5. What was your favorite television program when you were a kid? What characters do you remember the most?

Define kid. I'm not sure I can choose just one, but some of my favorites growing up were The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Here Come the Brides, The Partridge Family, My Three Sons, The Brady Bunch, and The Mod Squad.

I loved Mary Tyler Moore. I wanted a cool apartment and my own theme song.  

6. What was the last piece of 'art' you made?

Lots of diy-ing happened here in December. Daughter1 and I spent more than a few hours working together on some of the detail that made her wedding day feel personal. I haven't done a whole lot of 'crafting' since then, since we've been busy preparing for a move. 

7. What frustrates you most about the Internet?

Probably pop up advertising and videos that refuse to load. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Once again using this random space today for my A-Z Challenge post....

M is for The Change

Can't really have change as my theme without talking about The change. 

Yes with a capital The. Like death and taxes, it's unavoidable. At least I think it's unavoidable. If there's a way to avoid it nobody told me. 

I'd excuse the men here, but you have to live with us, so you might want to read to the end-ha! 

In my experience, this is not a change you can really prepare for. It's a bit like being hit by a mack truck and surviving to tell the tale. You regroup, take inventory of what still works, and make allowances for what doesn't. You carry on, a little wobbly at first, but recover your footing eventually. 

You don't expect your footing to be perfect either. 
Good enough is suddenly pretty good. 

I remember feeling just a little bit crazy. Hubs will attest to this-ha! I told my Dr. I wasn't myself...that something was wrong, but I could not articulate precisely what that something was. And my doctor bless him, didn't call me crazy. 

But y'all I was a little crazy. 

Maybe not crazy, but definitely not rational. I felt like I was in a perpetual fog. Like my blood was no longer racing through my veins, but instead was crawling through at a snail's pace. My memory has always been sharp as a tack, and suddenly I couldn't remember my own name. 

I gained weight literally overnight and my eyesight went from 20/20 to can't-see-the-fine-print-or-the-big-print either. I won't bore you with the rest like all the less than positive changes to my hair, skin, and more but trust me it's akin to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 

It all feels quite rude, which I think is the hardest part about the whole thing. You're going along feeling confident, energetic and really good about hitting some sort of stride in your 40's. You know yourself or at least feel like you do, and BAM! in a literal  flash you seem to be falling apart. You wonder who is this person? 

It takes some time to figure it all out and you need to be kind to yourself while you do, because you will figure it out. You won't stay stuck in the fog forever, although there are still  foggy days now and then. You will still occasionally want to open the freezer and climb in for a minute to cool off, but the intensity of it all subsides. I know some women take hormones, but I wasn't a candidate for those so needed to find other ways of  regaining my equilibrium. 

Diet and exercise. 

Yup. Two things I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to in my 20's and 30's suddenly took center stage. I reached my late 40's never needing to think about my weight. And exercise? Blech. Swimming and hiking were wonderful in a natural setting, but I wasn't a gym rat. I liked being outdoors, and if exercise naturally fit with that, then okay. Otherwise, blech!

Hello new habits. 

It's taken me a while to find what works for me, and I imagine everyone's different. No gimmicks or tricks, just a healthy diet with less sugar, little or no processed foods, and a regular early morning appointment with my boot camp peeps. 

It really is true what 'they' say...you're never too old to learn something new. 
Change sometimes forces you to recognize that. 





29 comments:

  1. Happy Wednesday! Thanks for hosting...I looove this link up! And I also love all the beautiful wedding pictures you share!

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  2. Thanks for the Hodgepodge again, Joyce! So you've probably lived in a cool apartment or two. Did you ever get your own theme song? LOL Beautiful wedding photo. But now with a move, I'm wondering if you ever have any down time. :-)

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  3. Joyce... you and I were on the same radar when it comes to TV shows. My fave, by far, was Here Comes The Brides! I had the BIGGEST crush on Bobby Sherman. I had a poster of him over my bed. On the other end of the spectrum, you are dead on when it comes to THE Change. Nothing is the same when it happens and the weight gain stinks. The only good thing about it is I can save $ on tampons. Enjoy your week!

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  4. Videos that refuse to load are so frustrating!

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  5. i have a feeling you will get lots of responses from all us ladies about "the change." We all have it in common, yet we all have different ways of going through it. I was fortunate to "change" without extreme issues. I stayed away from hormone treatments, etc. I got my share of hot flashes but was able to joke about it. I also found eating/exercising more important than ever. It seems to speed up the aging in general. BUT... I try to think of the positive - no more carrying around supplies, no more "oops!" - no more monthly crankiest (and realizing the day after "oh THAT's why!!" lol

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  6. Thank you for another fun Hodgepodge! Oh....The change. Mine was surgically induced in my mid-40s, so I did not have to go through all of that. Black Cohosh worked for me, and is natural. I started out on a hormone supplement, but it caused some problems with my breasts so I went off of that fast (after non-cancerous surgery). Glad you are finding a way to deal. My sisters are going through it and I'm so happy I didn't have to!

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  7. Taxes does seem the most logical answer for #1, but lucky for me my husband handles all that mess. Good luck with your house on the market!

    Farin

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  8. How funny! I say funny I guess because I never had to go through "the change." I had a complete hysterectomy in my early 30's, started on hormone therapy for a few years and never experienced any of the dreaded issues. But, skin, hair and weight gain all are a part of aging I do believe and thankfully I've always had some fairly good habits, diet wise, and haven't blown up like a balloon just yet. Great post!

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  9. Mary Tyler Moore's theme song is great and yes she was cool! Thanks for the heads up about the change. I'm not there yet but know hormones can make you feel a bit crazy ;) They are powerful!
    Congratulations on finding the perfect spot for your next home. How exciting!

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  10. Delightful story of change... like Terri mine was surgically introduced and I didn't have all the consequences. My daughter is currently beginning to feel some of this, and she is way too young! ;-)

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  11. Everytime I think I'm beginning to go through 'the change', my monthly cycle rears her ugly head, again, and my clock gets reset. UGH! Of course, I'm not rushing it. One thing you will love about living in SC is access to Chick Fil-A...best sweet tea around! :)

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  12. Brady Bunch and The Partidge Family were very high on my list. I always wanted an apartment like Mary's when she lived next door to Rhoda.

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  13. It sounds like you like the sound of "mother-in-law":) . I know I do.

    So, I had a few hot flashes a few years ago, my foggy mind comes and goes, weight gain has been happening since my 30's, and I've always been just a little prone to crazy, but I keep thinking I should be going through The Change. I'm 49. I guess I'll know when it REALLY happens?

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  14. Pop-up ads on the Internet -- definitely a bother! Hope your house sells SOON! That is a wearisome thing.

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  15. I agree that selling a house can be extremely taxing. Gorgeous wedding photo. Beautiful setting. I really enjoy chicken a lot. We also like pork chops. I'm afraid I stopped going to Chick-fil-A when they didn't support gay couples. I did enjoy their chicken prior to that. I loved the shows you listed only I was a senior by the time some of those came out. I did watch them only I wasn't a kid anymore. I seldom see pop ups anymore. No gimmicks or tricks for me either. I felt that if our ancestor's lived through the "Change" without medications so can I.......

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  16. Enjoyed reading your M word post......the thing is: Nobody can tell you when you can expect it all to end....although it does get better, as in the hot flashes don't come quite as often and you don't fell like taking off to places where no one knows your name or where you are....but getting back to normal just doesn't happen......this all started while I was in my 40s and here I am past medicare age and some of the symptoms are still with me.......sorry if you didn't want to hear that....
    Mama Bear

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    1. My husband likes to ask when it will end-ha! I tell him I don't think it really does, it just becomes manageable : )

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  17. Hi Joyce,
    I really appreciated you sharing about the fog...the hot flashes...the M word. It is refreshing to know that someone else has battled some of the same things I have already started to battle every once in awhile.
    I love the wedding photos. :-)
    Carla

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  18. I, for one, am ready to be through this whole Change thing. I wish the end was an exact science.
    I get to call myself Grammy -- something I couldn't do a year ago. :D
    I pretty much loved all those TV shows you mentioned. Did you know there is a statue of Mary tossing her hat into the air in downtown Minneapolis?

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  19. Indeed! There isn't anything more annoying than pop-ups. I don't seem to have any now but my dad put on a program where i don't get any so hopefully it'll stay like that.
    Are you staying in your town or moving somewhere else ? Last time I moved, it was 400 miles where i was from. That was just too far in my opinion. I hope you have a great day!

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  20. I'm with you on the internet thing. Remeber when you used a dial up modem and thought you were on the cutting edge? We have been spoiled. SWMBO came through her surgery fine.She is resting on the couch with her leg elevated and an iced water thing-a-majig on her knee. Thank you for your visit to my blog and your prayers and good thoughts on SWMBO's behalf.

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  21. Like your hodgepodge idea but think I'll work through the A-Z challenge first lol

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  22. Joyce, You are not alone with the Menopause. I have been dealing with it for over 5 yrs now and I am in my early 40's. As far as forgetting things I have had to adjust to that for the last 21 yrs due to a car accident but the rest I can relate to.

    I also didn't take hormones and I still have occasional hot flashes but I can't stand when I get cold flashes. I know that sounds weird but usually my house stays at 63-66 degs because of the hot flashes and here lately I have been bundled up like an Eskimo without the air on. I will be so glad when I balance out.

    I too never paid much attention to diet and exercise but since October I have lost 25lbs by watching my fat. Starting Next Thursday I am going to be joining some sort of Aerobics or Yoga class. I will do post on those later. Best of luck and look forward to seeing what you have in store for us next week.

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  23. Ahhh, THE Change. Ugh. I like to think my transition into this change has been easy enough but truthfully, I'm in denial. That extra 5-7 pounds that magically appeared without so much as any diet change or the random sweating on my head?! What's up with that?! I'm still not convinced the dry scalp is NOT somehow related to it either. What does the dermatologist know anyway? Then there's the 'other stuff' too .... If you know what I mean. I mean, honestly, why do WE have to do the birthing and get the whole change thing too?! Well, you got me started.... ha.

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  24. I loved Mary's apartment too. Remember her "M" on the wall? I had a "V" just like it that I loved so much :-)

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  25. M. Oh, M...why does it have to change EVERYTHING?

    I can totally identify. Except I haven't managed to get exercise worked into my lifestyle. Lots of false starts but haven't managed to make it over the adjustment hump on that. I have a feeling once I do it will get better...

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  26. I love your part about M....Oh how I felt I was losing my mind until I read your sheer honesty and think now, I;m Okay. There will be good days and bad days but at least I am still alive and breathing. Thank you for keeping it real!

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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