Top Ten Thankfuls: Three

I'm back, finally, with the third in this series.  I'm not sure where time goes, but, it goes somewhere; hiding in a very good spot as I cannot manage to find it these days.  

It seemed as though The B's were settling into a somewhat ho-hum late summer/early fall with not much to do other than the usual.  

Then, lo and behold, a minor mishap befell Mr. B about ten days ago; he slipped while attempting to climb up a muddy bank at a State Park in Indiana.  

How?  Well, we were in Indiana for a family reunion and, one day, took off on an excursion with my cousin, his wife and their kids plus my uncle and aunt.  We went tubing!  Yes, it was a lot of fun, until someone got hurt and ended up in a cone.  Whoops.  Sorry, it wasn't our dog Lucy this time,it was Mr. B.  Right.  A SLING.  He ended up in a sling.  

Bottom line; he broke his upper right arm.  The specialist thinks his rotator cuff is ok, but, we won't know until they can do an MRI, which won't be for some weeks yet.  In the meantime, he has to keep his arm totally isolated and will be in the sling for at least a month, if not six weeks, in order for the break to mend. Oh, did I mention that he's RIGHT-handed?  Sigh.  Thankfully, though, it's not Tax Busy Season and, other than a few minor things, we've been able to manage fine with me doing just about everything that he can't do right now.  And, as time passes, he's able to help a bit (even running our stik-vac in the am for me is a HUGE help, I'm finding).

Anyway, as I've gone through these days, I have found myself thinking over and over about the subject of this post's thankful:

I Am Thankful For My Health

Although I'm fast approaching 50, I am in good health, pretty decent shape, at a more than acceptable weight, and, as I'm finding, I am strong.  Of course, some of this is due to my habits, habits I developed beginning in my mid twenties and continuing on to the present.  I eat fairly well, I stopped smoking eight years ago (and even when I was still smoking, I'd call it "occasional" or "social").  I do imbibe in alcohol but do my best to keep an eye on how much I consume and consider it pretty much my only vice (if you don't consider bubble gum a vice).  I am very disciplined about exercising and don't look too bad for my age if I do say so.  Of course, I realize I have to keep at it/step it up, which I routinely do; but this, also, must be balanced with a dose of "what the heck" from time to time.  

All of this I can control, however.  What I am REALLY thankful for are my genes as I seem to have been blessed with overall good health, as in, lifetime (to date).  I am rarely sick, and when I am, it's typically some sort of allergy thing.  In fact, my allergies, which I only developed after moving to NC in 2004, are about the only thing really "wrong" with me, if you don't count extreme myopia and having had several root canals/crowns. And, I guess I don't count these things since they are both easily corrected and, in the case of my teeth, were totally preventable in the first place (my teeth aren't bad, I just had a lazy period that lasted seven years where, for reasons unknown even to me, I stopped going to the dentist).  Anyway, my teeth are not fundamentally damaged.  My eyes, well, I'd love to have vision correction surgery but I'm told my retinas are too thin.  So, I wear contact lenses.  No biggie.

Anything that ever goes wrong with me never lasts long.  I've never been laid up for days and days; certainly never weeks and weeks.  I don't have any ongoing chronic issues.  I have no food allergies, I don't get migraines, heck, I hardly even get a headache (now that my heavy duty drinking days are behind me).  

Even more fundamental.  I am not blind or deaf, nor am I mute.  I have use of all of my limbs and extremities.  I don't have heart problems, back trouble, an easily upset stomach, or issues with my kidneys or bowels.  I don't have shortness of breath.  I can tolerate heat and cold if need be.  My skin's in pretty good shape, as is my hair.  Oh, and maybe the most important thing, I'm fairly confident my mind's ok!  Yeah, maybe I forget stuff from time to time; then again, maybe I forget it on purpose.

As I age, I realize more and more how lucky I am.  Yes, I know; I cannot say with any certainty that I WON'T have some issue later on down the line, but, I think I have a pretty firm foundation so hopefully there won't be too much crumbling.

The minor things that trouble me; the aforementioned eyesight, occasional expensive trip to the dentist, seasonal allergies; plus leg cramps from time to time, the usual creakiness and aches in joints every once in awhile and symptoms resulting from menopause, are PEANUTS compared to what I've seen others go through.

I'm thankful, thankful, thankful.  Yes, I am.

Mrs. B