Jewish Musings, Tuesday, June 18

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[louise]

We talked a lot recently about aging and how we respond to it. I find now that when something happens to me – a new ache or pain – my fear is that it is the beginning of the next thing. I tripped some time last month and seemingly injured my hamstring. I didn’t fall. The pain was very sharp so I suspected it was nerve pain. Did I actually hurt myself or was this the beginning of some new debilitating thing? When I tripped again a few weeks later in the same way I re-injured myself. I was more struck by fear than pain. It was a tremendous relief when a month or so later I found a black and blue mark behind my knee the size of my hand. It was probably higher initially and if I didn’t live alone it would surely have been seen by my partner. Anyway, I was relieved because a bruise is (at least generally) something you recover from! I am very pleased to say that after about a month I was able to return to my strength training today.

As I may have mentioned I’m spending a week at the end of July at “adult sleepaway camp”. It is a program being offered at that yoga retreat I like to go to (despite having caught covid there). There will be hiking, archery, crafts, and kayaking on offer in addition to the yoga. I haven’t done any yoga in a while and my body very much needs some stretching. I have 6 weeks until the trip. My plan is to get back into regular strength training but to also fit in some yoga stretches several times a week. This will get me into better shape and I will be better able to really enjoy my vacation. I’m also continuing to be gung ho with my food plan. I feel a major hedge against the fear is taking the best care of myself I can.

We come back to variations of this topic pretty often – please take this opportunity to say what you are doing for yourself or what your aspirations (or fears) are in this area.

Btw I sometimes have a kind of tongue in cheek (but not really) reaction to the golden rule that came up yesterday - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (or whatever version you prefer) assumes that you would treat your own self well! (not alwats the case!)

[gazelle18]

Louise, your upcoming vacation sounds like fun!
I mentioned a few days ago that I have been suffering with chronic tendinitis in my hip. Like Louise, this has brought on fear that it will never really heal, and that this is my new normal. It’s been quite frustrating, and to me it is symbolic of growing old. Another reminder of my getting older is that DH has now officially retired. It’s a new , somewhat scary, chapter.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: Getting older is not for sissies; it can really stink sometimes!!

I think I told you that I was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. I will be seeing my PCP via tele-med on Thursday to discuss treatment, and my endocrinologist soon for the same thing. I hope they will work together to find a good path for me for the future.

This has made me realize how lucky I was to not hurt myself worse when I had my bad falls a few years ago. Yes, I am in pain and have to use a walker (a cane on stairs), and get very tired easily, but it could have been so much worse. Thank God I didn't break any bones or tear any muscles/ligaments/etc.

How do I feel about getting older? I've been thinking about this since we discussed it. I am constantly reminded that I am getting older, but I try to keep my spirits up as well as move around as much as I can. These help a lot.

DH is having hip surgery in July, and I will be trying to persuade him to go to a rehab center for a week or so; wish me luck!! I called BC/BS this morning, and it is practically all covered, YAY!!

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[hollygail]

Wait a sec; things aren't bad enough that you have to remind me that they can get worse?

Seriously, though, I'm getting more and more concerned about DH and his health. I'm a "shower in the morning" kind of person; he's a "take a bath" kind. One day, he couldn't maneuver getting out of the tub. I kept my cool. He started freaking out. (a good reason for a partner to keep her cool, wouldn't you say?) Eventually, he gave me permission to call 9-1-1. They sent some firemen(!) who were delightful! VERY respectful. That's what hit me first. There were 4 of them (why 4? Who knows. I'd have thought two were enough...) They got him out of the tub gently and efficiently (I was downstairs; I didn't think they needed supervision...) But over the last several days, it seems to me his behavior has changed significantly too. I'm used to hearing him call my name when I wouldn't have thought it necessary. But he's had more difficulty managing personal things... A little while ago (on his way into the shower) he said something about getting dressed and that he didn't have any clean underwear. I kept my mouth shut, walked him into the bedroom, opened the drawer where I'd told him I'd put his clean underwear and he said something like "Oh right! I forgot all about that!" which I suppose is fine. His semi-annual (or is it annual?) medical check-up is next week and I'm thinking of going with him again to update his attending (the one I really liked in March) with the updates I've been noticing.

As for myself, I still behave like I'm 40ish. If I fall, I just get up and go on my way. (No, I haven't been falling down; it was just a way of getting my point across.) Sometimes I think about getting a black and blue bruise (I have bruised relatively easily in my life) but that's about as far as it's gone (and frankly, I remember wondering about black and blue marks when I was in my 40s too). But I sure understand the phenomenon!

[peachymom1]

I have to remind myself of what I can control (or at least affect) and what I can't. My hair and skin show that I'm aging, and though I'm too darn lazy (and apathetic) to color my hair or wear makeup every day, I do wear moisturizer and sunscreen, and I put makeup on to go to shul or for a special occasion. I can work on my weight, my eating, my balance, my strength and flexibility, and I do. I'm careful going up or down stairs, and I avoid them when possible, because I have some pain in my knees. I do PT exercises to help with that too, for strength and flexibility in the quads and hamstrings. I'm sure the other early-morning gym-goers think I'm nuts to take the elevator to the second floor to do my cardio, but my leg muscles aren't warmed up enough yet for me to feel comfortable taking the stairs. I see nutty behavior at the gym myself, so maybe it's a prerequisite. :+)

I really hope I can stay active as long as possible. My FIL is 90 and has no health issues at all, nor does he take any meds. I attribute it to the fact that he's been physically active all his life, always working in jobs where he was standing or moving, and in his leisure time, riding horses. He doesn't have horses anymore, but he rides his bicycle every day, mows his lawn and goes out dancing and singing karaoke on the weekends. The social aspect is just as important as the physical, IMO.

I also hope I can keep a positive attitude toward life, and continue to care about others and their feelings and their lives. As long as I can stay engaged with the world, I feel like I can find the courage to face whatever unknowns come up. Lee's right - aging isn't for sissies, and I'll take all the help I can get!