Thin Slices of Joy

Anonymous

Beautiful!

gardengypsy

Divine~ You inspire me. I have the basement to organize and clean.

We just signed a contract to buy a new house. It's in the mountains. Big slice of joy. Trying to let not let those "what if I get sick again?" thoughts intrude.

Serenity~ I love dogs and cats and chickens and horses. But this year, it's been the birds. I connected to them while recovering from treatment, when there was nothing I can do but look out the window. The Orioles are here and the baby Robins have flown from their nests.

Anonymous

GG - Congrats on the new house! That's very exciting. I still have negative thoughts, too. That's why I started this thread. They haven't gone away entirely, but they don't weigh me down as much. Last night when I was taking my meds, I noticed how good the water tasted and felt as I drank it. This is the example in the article from my original post. It's become automatic.

The other idea that has been helping is following the Stockdale Paradox. I'm trying to find ways to improve my health.

http://www.egoscue.com/blog/item/132-stockdale-paradox-egoscue

Anonymous

Need a laugh?

magiclight

Serenity - I saw that show and agree it was a kick. Demitri Martin has an original take on what is funny. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous

magic - I like his kind of humor!

KB - I love cute baby animals! Any pics?

I saw this and now understand why I prefer reds.

Anonymous

KB - No rush! I don't want the mom stressed.

GG - Have you been able to try Classical Stretch? I just finished one and feel more flexible. Some of the movements seem to incorporate nerve flossing. I still do the sciatic nerve flossing separately.

I made up a very conservative schedule to taper down my Lyrica dosage over a couple of months. I still have a little toe numbness, but I can sit with no problems. I just have to remember to take breaks to stretch.

Anonymous

Wow! They're adorable! I've never seen this breed before. Thanks for sharing!

magiclight

KB: so cute. Yes, it is amazing how so many different creatures bring comfort to us when we are in the middle of treatment and beyond.

gardengypsy

KB~ It does not get any cuter!

Serenity~ I have been busy in the house this weekend and did not pay attention to my body at all. I will get back to my stretching routine tomorrow.

My neuropathy has been terrible throughout the past week.

I want to try Classical Stretch soon!

.

Anonymous

GG - Do you take vitamin B12? I started 1000 mcg during Taxol and haven't stopped. B12 depletion is a side effect of chemo treatments, but a deficiency is still possible in a normal diet. I will continue to take it while I have any numbness.

These are very good puppies.

magiclight

Garden and Serenity -- I had been recording Classical Stretch and now you remind me to start up again and actually do the stretches.

magiclight

I just noticed the lone pup in the left side of the photo - a potential hermit? Is s/he on time out? Already read that book?

Anonymous

Probably already read the book. I feel bad I don't have that book. I've never read to my pup. Bad pup management.

My pup is a princess. When I exercise, I move her doggie bed out of the way by standing it up on its edge. Last night my daughter set it back down, but I noticed my pup was sitting next to it staring at my daughter. The doggie bed was upside down. After my daughter flipped it over, the princess observed it was good and climbed on top.

Anonymous

I don't have a cat, but I think my pup purrs. Close enough?

The Healing Power of the Cat Purr

BY REBECCA OCONNELL

Good news for cat lovers! Snuggling up to your furry companion can actually be good for you. Because their purr vibrations are in the 20 to 140 Hz range, they can have therapeutic effects. Designer Gemma Busquets compiled all the benefits in this fun infographic.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/63725/healing-power...

Edited: can't get a legible copy of the infographic. Follow the link.

Anonymous

Here's a simple nerve flossing for the arms/chest/shoulder. Hold arms out with one hand palm down and other hand palm up. Face the hand that's palm down. Turn head towards the other hand while rotating your palms. Repeat for 30 secs/1 min. The video has more details and other techniques, but he can be chatty.

Anonymous

magic - I did another Classical Stretch. I picked one from Saturday focusing on strengthening the spine.

DivineMrsM

Wow, Serenity, that arm chest flossing is simple and works out the kinks!

Anonymous

Divine - Nerve flossing works! I actually used this technique while waiting for radiation treatments. The techs were pleased to see me exercising during my wait (right outside the treatment room, not the main waiting area). Even did wall sits.

gardengypsy

I love the nerve gliding techniques. I now need to discipline myself to do them regularly.

Serenity: What form of B12 do you take?

Anonymous

GG - I like the sublingual form. I recommend not being inverted while waiting for it to dissolve. Found out it burns a little.

Amazing story. RIP "Roger Moore"

Anonymous

I can't wait! Whole family plans on going when it opens! My movie snack is peanut M&Ms, because um, protein.

Love this poster. That's Robin Wright (Claire Underwood/Princess Buttercup)on the left.

gardengypsy

Serenity~ Does the sublingual absorb more efficiently?

Wonder Woman will be fabulous!

Anonymous

I think the sublingual is absorbed better. Can't remember where I read it though.

I bought our Wonder Woman tickets last night. We can pick out our seats ahead of time, so we can be sure we sit together. It's gotten really good reviews. Robin Wright said she had to train with about 150 women to become Amazon warriors. Cool!

Anonymous

Love how happy this dog is. While I never have given her birthday cake, I will save some of the juice when rendering duck fat. Then I'll add a little to her food. No singing though.

Anonymous

Good story.

Surprise for a Mother Who Helped Her Paralyzed Son in Every Class

Judy O'Connor had no idea a surprise awaited her when she pushed her son, who uses a wheelchair, onto a stage at the commencement at Chapman University on Saturday.

As she stepped back to let her son, Marty, have his moment — he was receiving his M.B.A. — a dean kept her on stage. It was then announced that she had been awarded an honorary M.B.A. degree. An emotional Ms. O'Connor blew a kiss, and the crowd was on its feet.

"I was totally blown away," Ms. O'Connor, a retired elementary schoolteacher, said on Wednesday. "I had no idea what was happening."

"Then I heard my name on the loud speaker," she said. "It was a total surprise."

Ms. O'Connor, who has a business degree from Notre Dame, has been by her son's side, literally, throughout every one of his classes at Chapman, a Los Angeles-area private school. She took all of his notes and typed for him when necessary, Ms. O'Connor said. But their collaboration extended to their home as well.

"We spent a lot of late-night hours together," she said. While Mr. O'Connor has assistive technology, Ms. O'Connor created his study guides and organized his notes.

Mr. O'Connor, a quadriplegic, was injured in 2012, when he fell down a flight of stairs while working at the packaging industry firm TricorBraun in Southern California. Before that, he was an athlete, snowboarding and playing volleyball at his alma mater, the University of Colorado, Boulder.

As for the surprise, "he got the ball rolling about three months ago," Ms. O'Connor said, while he was meeting with the university president Daniele Struppa.

More: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/25/us/mom-quadr...

Anonymous

Me.

Anonymous

Weight is down 3 lbs since I saw my kinesiologist! Would like to lose those last 5 lbs.

My chronic pain is now intermittent! Toe numbness slowly diminishing.

Now that it's warmer, I've been ending my shower on cold. Brisk, but exhilarating!

Sushi tasted especially good today.

ScotBird

Serenity that's fantastic news, soon I'm sure you'll get to be completely free of pain, you certainlydeserve to be free of pain with your slices of joy you share so generously every day. I don't post often but I always catch up with your thread, it reminds me to find the joy in every day. X

Anonymous

Thanks, ScotBird! I'm sure now that my sciatic pain will be gone completely. I was certain it was permanent when I started this thread. Keep finding those little joys!