Go to the Water

Hang on tight, you are about to enter a blast from the past.   For some reason, books from my childhood are resurfacing. I wasn't much of a reader, but I loved detective books especially the ones that came in a series. I realize now, because I had such a vivid imagination and also a daydreamer, I became who I was reading about. I was living the dream right along with the character.                                                            I remember this so clearly; it was like it was yesterday. The library was within walking distance of the school, so we were able to go there regularly. It was a sweet get away from our school day. The library was run very efficiently by an English woman with a very thick accent. I can still remember the excitement when the book I had ordered was there for pick-up. Mrs. D would use a rubber stamp with the date on it as a reminder of when the book was due back. I could only dream of what it must have felt like to change the date on that stamp. Not

While we were looking at pictures of the Hoover Dam, I had an interesting discussion with a special little 7-year-old. I told her the Dam was man-made in the thirties. She turned to me with intensity and said, "a woman could have done it". She went on to explain with great conviction, that at one time men believed that women couldn't do what they do, but they can. Two contestants on "The Amazing Race" are firefighters. They met while going to the Firefighter academy. They were two of the three women chosen from over one hundred applicants in that group to become firefighters. One of the women has 3 daughters. One of her little girls said to her, "Boys can be firefighters too".  For some reason in an off-gender occupation, we say things like, women firefighters or male nurse. I remember one of my students sharing that his patient had commented he was a "male nurse". He seemed annoyed and he said to her, "I am male, and I am a nurse, so I

One day at the gym, I was part of a conversation about age-appropriate clothes and wearing what you want. One lady said she bought some shorts. She went on to say that she wasn't sure at her age if she should wear them. It is a 55+ group of people and everyone agreed that if your clothes were comfortable, and you liked them, wear what you want.  I love all of the glitz and glam that is trending right now. As I watch the performers on my reality shows, I am in awe of how beautiful and comfortable they are with their look.  When I see an oversized woman wearing exactly what some super model would wear, I admire her confidence.  The black women pull it off the best. They embrace their look, and they are just stunning. As an oversize woman, I can't imagine wearing something that clings to my body like that. I realize that underneath my clothing everyone is aware there are rolls, I just like to think a little slack in clothing keeps it my secret.    The new look is for pants to be g

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a specific mental health diagnosis. PTSD is triggered by a single traumatic event, or threat of severe trauma, such as death, serious injury, or sexual violence. It can also result from witnessing trauma. Symptoms include frequent re-experiencing of the trauma through memories, nightmares and flashbacks. Operational Stress Injury (OSI) is a result of a series of traumas or stressful events over an extended period of time. It is not caused by a single event. Much like PTST but may include other diagnosis such as acute stress disorder, anxiety or depressive disorders. OSI is a non-medical term used to describe clusters of symptoms. It can develop following a traumatic event, combat, grief or loss, high stress situations or from operational fatigue. It is a psychological injury that may include anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse and more. People with OSI suffer from a broad range of mental disorders that are debilitating, causing distress a

Let's face it, some of our biggest disappointments have come when our expectations haven't been met. Sometimes our disappointment comes from the expectation we put on ourselves and we couldn't meet it. Or we may have expected something from others, and they didn't deliver. Probably because they were unaware of what we wanted or perhaps our expectations of them were to high or weren't in their plan.  I have mixed thoughts when it comes to expectations. In one sense I think you have to have expectations of yourself to be successful. Whereas I don't think you should pressure yourself to be something, just to meet others' expectations of you. For me, my expectation for myself is,  I do what I can. I try to do the right thing and to the best of my ability.    I do have expectations that need adjusting to fit into today's world. I expect that people will go to work and work as hard as they can to do the best job they can. They are getting paid and that is my e

I was recently part of a conversation about personality types. It was clear to me that I only knew traits about Type A personality and that information was very limited. As I searched to find out more, I became quite intrigued. I was able to place people I knew in every type, and I learned more about my own personality. I felt that making a post about the 4 personality types may be just as fascinating and informative for others as it was for me.   I think the personality type that gets the most attention is Type A. The Type A people already know their Type and they are fine with it. Even though it is probably the most criticized personality type, they continue to be a proud Type A. A  Type A personality is described as a high achiever, competitive and often impatient. They seem to have a sense of urgency about them and are prone to stress. They can manipulate their environment to direct the outcome. Type As want control and will take over a situation.  Type B personality is described a

As I age my social activity seems to consist of funerals, milestone birthdays and anniversaries. I often have a bleak social calendar, and therefore I get excited about an invitation to a birthday or anniversary party. I have always enjoyed the anticipation and planning of going to a celebration. Even thinking about what I am going to wear takes considerable thought.      I recently attended a "90th" birthday celebration for my uncle. It was a grand afternoon where the community came out in droves to share cake with the birthday boy. Judging from the size of the crowd, he was well known and thought of fondly by so many people. My uncle stood there and greeted everyone as we all had our few seconds to wish him a "Happy Birthday".   I love creative ways of celebrating birthdays. This post is a stroll down memory lane for me, since I have celebrated many a birthday and anniversary in my time.   When Dad turned 80, we wanted to celebrate him, but his health wasn't t

Some people are good at reciting a quote that sums up a situation. We all know those people that will say, "my mom always said" or "like my dad would say". Others, like me, have basically nothing. I do have a few favorites sayings, and then there are others that would never cross my lips. I put some thought into sayings, and this is what I came up with.   Let's start with  "It's not my job" . Throughout my entire career, if there was a spill, I cleaned it up. If there were paper towels all over, I picked them up. As I neared retirement, I sadly started to get comments like, "why are you doing that, it's not your job". Since when did being a good helpful human being, not become my job? What is wrong with helping others? Many people that clean at the Hospital are immigrants. Although, they may be professors, teachers, nurses, doctors, whatever in their own country, they are willing to clean in Canada. They needed a job, and no job was b