Count Your Many Blessings

This was one of those weeks that if you didn't remind yourself how fortunate you are you wouldn't be able to get up and face the world.

The World: My insurance company didn't approve the MRI on my knee until it was too late, so I won't have it until next week. I hate that insurance companies can have so much say about your medical care. Could I have avoided a biopsy and a half dozen other exams if they had approved the MRI last year? We'll never know.
Blessing: I've never had an MRI, but with the way I feel about closed in spaces, I'm pretty sure I don't want one. Putting that off for a week isn't that bad.

The World: I'm not allowed to jog the killer trail. I really want to conquer that silly thing.
Blessing: The arthritis meds and brace work well enough to jog flat surfaces and I can jog those easier than the hilly killer trail. I feel pretty good about my progress. (I'm fairly certain that I'm not supposed to be doing that either, but I'm a rebel. I guess that's another blessing...I don't know why I like being a rebel. Woo...I wonder what other rebelious and wild living I'll come up with next.)

The World: This week has been super busy at both schools. I had 5 students add into my high school class. I've had teachers and offices request workshops in addition to my normal duties. I've been exhausted every night this week.
Blessing: One reason I've been so busy is because word has gotten out that I am good at explaining math. That's a pretty good complement. (How big a nerd do you have to be to think that is a pretty good complement?)

The World: I have almost no clothes that fit. Every day I try on at least three outfits before deciding if I can get by with wearing what I end up wearing. I look pretty goofy most of the time. I'm not trying to lose weight any more, but I am still trying to get in shape, so it's not a good idea to go out and get a new wardrobe until I know what size I will be when I'm in shape. Besides, I can only afford one or two things a paycheck.
Blessing: It's way better not being able to wear things for fear that they will fall off than because you can't button them. I've been on both sides of that fence. I am wearing the smallest size jeans that I own. They fit, but I only have one pair of pants that size. I met my goal.

The World: I have to cut back with Marcella to twice a month. I just can't afford a personal trainer (That still sounds more extravagent than it really is.) She is really pushing me into doing things that I didn't know I was capable of. While she is encouraging, she also sees places that I need to improve. (This week she discovered how weak my arms are. I had to explain that I don't jog with my arms, that's why they haven't improved much.) Without her insight, I know that I wouldn't have met my goals. Other than the jogging, I never come away from my own workouts at the gym feeling sore. I just can't push myself as hard on my own.
Blessing: I am at my goal size. Meeting with Marcella twice a month is probably enough to continue to progress. Besides, my arms, my butt and my abs are really sore from yesterday's work out with Marcella. (Did you read that Marcella? Your goal was met. In our country, we say "Uncle" when we want someone to quit hurting us. Do they say "tio" in yours? :) I'm kidding.) I can cut back on sore body parts to twice a month instead of four times a month. I'm hoping that Marcella is really serious about jogging together so we can still see each other. She's kind of fun. I want to see her sweat for a change. (Of course, if we're jogging she can't possibly sweat MORE than I do, so I STILL will be more disgusting than her.)

World: I had to go to work every day this week without my person, Michele. She had an accident in the kitchen and received 2nd degree burns on her face and chest and will be out of work for at least 2 weeks. I call her my person because she txts every night before bed just to say, "Ny Ny." At 5am Christmas morning, she txt'd to tell me she had no mayo for a recipee. By 5:45am (after driving all over town looking for an open place with her brand of mayo-I had to settle on another brand) I was on her porch with the most appreciated Christmas present that I gave that year, a jar of mayo. She keeps me laughing and going eveyday at work, but she wasn't there. Who do you go to when you're sad because your person is hurting? No one makes me feel better like she does. Feel better Michele.
Blessing: We still are txting daily even though she won't let me see her in person until she feels like she has healed enough to be seen. She likened it to me not wanting to be naked in front of doctors. (I miss her so much that I almost volunteered to be naked when I visited just so that she would let me see her. Almost is the operative word here.) The blessing also is that I have a person. I spent 5 years not having a person when my friend Vickie passed. That was an empty 5 years. Having a person completes you.

World: My husband is getting up after I get to work and is usually in bed when I get home right now. He's sleeping 10 to 12 hours a night. I've been really tired this week. On Friday, it took real self-control not to pick the mattress up and dump him out on the floor on my way out the door. (I've been working out. I can do it!)
Blessing: We still have one child living at home and my husband is picking up my slack in the evenings with Chrissie. (I do the morning getting her off to school.) He takes off from work when anyone needs a doctor appt. He doesn't cook or clean much, but he's a good helpmate. He never complains. I am blessed to have so much support.

All in all I am pretty blessed. I am pretty healthy even with the issues and getting older...at least I'm getting older. I don't have many friends because I'm not that outgoing, but the ones that I have are pretty amazing. I have a supportive family. I love what I do for a living. It's pretty cool being exhausted from doing too much of what you love. How blessed are you?