Tune-In-Tuesday: August 27, 2019

I think I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but since it’s been bothering me again this past week, I’m writing about it again. Of all things, my shoulder has been causing me problems. Mostly, I talk about my walking on here, but alas, it’s my shoulder this time. The reason I’m writing about it here is because I think it might have something to do with the dystonia. I could be completely wrong (after all, I’m not an M.D. – ha!), but it’s my left shoulder (the left side of my body is where the dystonia is), and it’s on the side that I have the battery inserted for the deep brain stimulation system (which carries with it wires). Anyway, it aches. It’s not a stabbing pain. It might not be the dystonia at all though. I broke my collar bone when I was born. Yes – when I was born. I was literally born broken 😉 (There’s a metaphor in there somewhere!). I asked my parents once which side I broke, and they couldn’t remember, but they think it was my left side. (There are no pictures of me in a sling or anything, so did this even happen?!?!) So, maybe it’s arthritis? I could have messed it up doing yoga. I could have messed it up just being myself. 😉 My dilemma is this: I don’t want to go to the doctor about it when I already have a planned physical at the end of September. So, instead of doing the responsible thing and going to the doctor, I’m writing about it here. 😊 The weird thing is, it doesn’t hurt every day - which kind of leads me to believe that it is due to either dystonia or arthritis – neither of which my primary care doctor can really do anything about, so I’ll stop complaining and just wait until I see him in September. (It took me 323 words to complain about that!). Interestingly enough, my shoulder is NOT hurting today, but it was yesterday.

Another thing that I’ve mentioned on here before, but that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the yips. A guy I go to church with asked me a while ago if I had ever heard of the yips. I had, but didn’t really know what it was, so he explained. It’s really in reference to golfing (which I know NOTHING about. My favorite golfing is putt-putt 😊), but the concept can be related to anything really. The definition of yips according to the dictionary is “a state of extreme nervousness that causes a golfer to miss an easy putt.” I also got this definition of the yips from Wikipedia: “The yips is the loss of fine motor skills in athletes. The condition occurs suddenly and without apparent explanation, usually in mature athletes with years of experience. It is poorly understood and has no known treatment or therapy.” So, in my case I relate it to walking fine and then “feeling” someone staring at me (whether they really are or it’s just a figment of my imagination) and instantly having issues walking again. Dystonia is definitely physical, but I definitely have “yips” moments.

I found this quote on the Internet and I love it:

To put a Christian spin on it: I am so, so very grateful for everything that God has, is and will see me through - half of which I probably have no idea He's saved me from! So, I'm sorry I've been complaining in this post. I feel like this was a bummer blog entry, but I’m really not in a bummer mood. The last week has been pretty good. I didn’t fall. I didn’t have any massive issues. So, please don’t get the idea that I’m all depressed over here because I am not! It’s just that sometimes I have to write about the “bummer” things so that I have a record of them. God’s been good, is good and continues to be good to me every single day. His mercies are new every morning and at the end of every day, I look back on what He’s seen me through during the day and I am so very thankful.

As always…God’s Got This!

Tune-In-Tuesday: August 20, 2019

It's been a good week! I relish the days that walking comes easier and this past week, walking has been easier. I savor those days and try to remember them on the days where walking is really, really hard.

I do have to tell a rather funny story that happened this past Sunday. I was taking my time (as I do ALL the time - ha!) getting into church. I was walking by myself and though it wasn't without issue, I was doing well. A fellow church-goer came up beside me and we started talking. By this time it was just a couple minutes before 9:30am church time, or in my case (and the gentleman I was walking and talking with) 15 minutes before Sunday School time. So we're walking and talking and there's no one behind us in the walkway until there were! I could hear people behind me, so I stopped and turned around (because I can't fluidly do that at the same time without losing my balance.) I don't know where all these people came from but it felt like 50 people were behind us! So, I immediately hopped out of the way and told everyone behind me just to pass me. I greeted a lot of people that morning as they passed me. :) And it's just another example of how slow I walk. But I walk. My gait's different, but I walk. I can't do things automatically, but I walk. Sometimes I fall (not this last week!), but I get back up. I am blessed. Yes, most certainly blessed.

I found a few sayings on Facebook that friends of mine shared and I thought I'd share them here as well.
This one hit me deep:

I'm still praying for a miracle - that I'll be able to walk without issue, but God's ways are not always my ways and maybe He's trying to teach me something in the waiting for a miracle. So, yeah, this one stopped me in my tracks.

This next one just made me laugh and also comforted me at the same time:

Thank you, God for factoring in my stupidity!! :)

No matter what, God is good. No matter what, God's Got This!

Tune-In-Tuesday: August 13, 2019

This past week has been good. Walking was easier and I’m thankful. Then yesterday and today came and I’m back to struggling a little more – oh well! Sometimes there is no rhythm or reason. It is what it is.

Most, if not all of you that read this blog, know that my dad is a pastor. I hope he doesn’t get mad at me for talking about him in this post, but he had a sermon this past Sunday that I’m still chewing on. The title was “The Remedy for Anxiety” based on Luke 12:22-34. It was really, really good and I’m not just saying that because he’s my dad. I promise! I felt so at peace after hearing it because God’s Got This! I was trying to just pick one or two verses to post here from the Luke passage but they are all SO GOOD. So, I’m going to have to include ALL of them:

“[Jesus] said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. (23) For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. (24) Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! (25) And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (26) If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? (27) Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (28) But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! (29) And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. (30) For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. (31) Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (32) Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. (34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

My dad’s the pastor, not me, so if you’d like to hear his sermon from Sunday you can listen to it here: The Remedy For Anxiety 
I promise, it’s worth the listen. I was overwhelmed with God’s peace after hearing it, so I want to share it with you.

Like I said earlier, my week has been pretty good. I did injure myself though. My first thought after doing it was, “You didn’t even fall!” 😉 I injured myself working out – haha! Someone (who shall remain nameless) was at my house on Friday and asked if they could sit on my stationary bike. I said yes, but in the process of sitting on it, they adjusted the seat. So, when I went to workout on Saturday, I forgot that the seat had been moved and I ended up slamming my knee into the console and man, did it hurt! It bled too. But, I’m OK! It still hurts, but it’s getting better!

I think that’s it for this week. I’m blessed no matter what and I know without a shadow of a doubt that, God’s Got This!

Tune-In-Tuesday: August 6, 2019

UPDATE: 8/7/19 How could I forget this?! Oh my goodness. I had to update this post first thing this morning because I didn't make mention of THE most important thing that happened last week. God brought it to my mind this morning. Last Wednesday night instead of our usual service at church we had one of praying and anointing based off James 5:14: "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." All those who were weak and heavy burdened could come. Whether spiritually, emotionally or physically sick, we could come and be prayed for and anointed with oil. THAT'S why I've walked so much better this week. Lord, please forgive me for forgetting this last night when I initially wrote this post. It's all about Jesus, ya'll. He's the reason I walk. He's the reason I can find joy even when walking isn't great. God's Got This!
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ORIGINAL: 8/6/19 The past week has been pretty good. I’m walking better - yay! I didn’t change anything (medicine or electricity). I’m just walking better. Of course, I have moments where walking is difficult but overall, walking has been a bit easier and I’m so very grateful for that.

Before I write a blog post, I ask God to let me know what I should blog about (and to recall things that happened throughout the week). Some weeks I have a lot to update on and the words just come to me. Other weeks, there’s not a lot to update on or stories to tell and I look at a blank screen wondering what I should write about. If you follow the blog, you know I always come up with something to write about, but some weeks are harder than others. This past week was one of those weeks that was pretty good, and I don’t have a lot to write about. But if you ask God what you should write about, you should be ready for Him to answer 😉. Take for instance tonight. As I was walking out of work, I noticed that there was a car parked in one of the very front spots in the parking lot. It was an Uber waiting on someone. At the very moment I noticed the Uber, I stumbled a little, but I caught myself and I didn’t fall. Then all the sudden I noticed the Uber driver had leaped out of his car and was walking towards me. He asked if he could help me with anything. He might have thought I was the one who had called an Uber, but no matter the circumstances, he still asked if there was anything he could do for me. There wasn’t anything he could help me with as I was within steps of my own car and my walking had gotten better. Sometimes tripping just loosens me up – it’s a weird phenomenon. There are times I just walk better after tripping. I have NO explanation for it. Anyway, whether the Uber guy thought he was driving me or not, I still thought it sweet that he made sure I was OK. However, the moral of the story is, don’t ask God to give you stories to fill your blog posts unless you’re ready to trip over your own two feet to get the story. 😊

Speaking of feet, another weird phenomenon: I have these shoes that I love. They aren’t very supportive, but they stay on my feet, I like them and can walk in them. I’m wearing them now, as a matter of fact! The insole of the right footed shoe came out the other day and I noticed that my foot was sticking to the shoe. All the while I was losing my footing and slipping on the insole of my left shoe. I decided to rip out that insole and voila, I no longer feel like I’m losing my grip or slipping in that shoe. Go figure.

I’ve been going through weird bouts of not being able to sleep through the night. It doesn’t happen every night but there are nights that I will wake up at 1:30am or 2:00am and be wide awake. So much so that one night this past week, I got up, made all my lunches for the week, watched a documentary, and emptied the dishwasher. I woke up last night around 3am and by 3:50, I decided that I’d go ahead and get my workout done for the day. I did that, then got a shower all by 5:30am. I decided to see if I could sleep a little bit more before I went to work. I managed to “rest”, but didn’t fall completely asleep. My foot kept me awake because it was spasming. That was probably a result of me exercising without taking medication first. Symptoms get worse with repetitive motions as in riding a stationary bike (like I did). Lesson learned: don’t get up that early to work out (or take medication before so as not to have spasms afterwards) – haha.

I’ll end with some randomness for your day/night: If you know me at all, you know that I love television. I work in television. 😉 I was re-watching (for probably the millionth time) episodes of Code Black which was a TV drama that aired on CBS a few years ago. It struck me that in all the scenes where the patient has just had brain surgery (one was for a shunt replacement and one was for deep brain stimulation – and now you know why I liked the show so much!), they wrap the patient’s forehead in gauze. Um, that’s not at all what happens after those surgeries. Yeah, I know they must get their point across that the patient just had brain surgery, so they’re taking liberties, but that’s not even the part of the head/brain where the surgeries take place! I’m just saying… 😊

And with that, I’ll close this post. Have a wonderful week and know that in ALL things, God’s Got This!