Choosing Health, Wealth and Happiness
The unthinkable happened this week, Mother Fran took her last breath and left this earth. She left behind 1 of her 2 sisters, 8 of her 9 children, fifteen grandchildren and twenty seven great-grandchildren. She joins her parents in heaven along with her husband, sister, son and daughter-in-law. She died quietely in the car on the way to the beach. She played cards the night before (I bet she won) and walked to the car under her own power. Mother Fran died on her own terms.
Remember back in February when everyone advised each other to stay at home, wear a mask, wash your hands to avoid spreading the virus? I don’t know about where you live but things here had improved quite a bit and the number of daily cases was quite low.
In New York State, the numbers are rising again and I don’t hear the same concern from people. We are hitting over 5000 new cases per day across the state – up from around 1000 in August.
You don’t need a crystal ball to see what is going to happen in the coming weeks with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. I am no fortune teller but I absolutely expect a big spike and a lot of unhappy post holiday isolations and quarantines.
Back in February and early March, Mother Fran was in the hospital with cardiac issues. I wrote about it in a post titled “It Takes 9”. Currently Mother Fran is at the lake and my sister (Child #7) is living with her. The rest of us have been taking turns staying with them to help out. Mom is 93 and has always taken good care of her health. Between those stays at the hospital and COVID19, it has been a difficult year. Even though her mind remains sharp and she can physically get around, she now needs 24 hour care. I am blessed to have a large family that loves her with a fierce tenderness that can’t really be explained. I can’t fathom how some people do this on their own.
Usually we have a big theme party on July 4th that includes whatever family members are around and some good friends that are part of our extended family. I think it started with a Mexican party many years ago when my sister had a bunch of Sauza Tequila stuff from the restaurant. In years past, we have celebrated Christmas, Easter, Casino Night, the Super Bowl, Hawaiian Night and the Sixties all on the Fourth of July. We have hunted for Easter eggs, exchanged Christmas stockings and tied dyed t-shirts. There is usually a food theme that requires planning, games to be played and we have even busted open a few pinata’s over the years. In case you couldn’t tell, the Fourth of July is a big deal in my family.
My sisters and I have been updating each other on the phone and by text of how we have been spending our time while social distancing! This post was inspired by those conversations! Thanks to Mother Fran, our family bond is strong!
I like to keep myself relatively busy. I wake up most days by 6:00am and am ready to greet the day. Once I drink my tea, take my quiet time, eat some breakfast and walk the dog; I’m ready to get cracking! I’m not good at just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Between Covid19, daily rain storms, and not working at the nursing home; I have way too much time on my hands.
The last month and a half has been a little crazy. Do you agree? It is like we have moved to a new country where the language and the customs are very different from our own. If you watch “The Flash“, it is like we have vibed to Earth 10, where all the people we know from Earth 1 are here, they have the same name, but they aren’t the same person. They cover their face with masks, wash their hands incessantly and stand 6 feet apart from everyone. They do not touch others nor spend time with people. Even my blog posts are different, with titles like “A Report From The Field” and “My World Got Crazy” and “These Are Not Normal Times”. These don’t sound like the pursuit of health, wealth and happiness.
My parents had nine kids that are spread out over the East Coast. Mother Fran is the glue that holds us together. We don’t always talk on the phone or see each other often but we all share one thing in common. We all love Mother Fran like crazy. It is funny because she is not overly warm or affectionate. She didn’t spoil any of her kids and doesn’t give lavish presents. She is not a doting mother or grandmother. Somehow she and Papa Jack raised nine kids who all adore her. How did they do it?
Mother Fran has always been a bit of a health nut and has enjoyed good health into her 90’s. She likes to keep active both physically and mentally. Since February, she has visited the emergency room twice and been admitted to the hospital twice. This time period has been a whirlwind for my family and it isn’t over by far. We have decided to continue to provide 24 hour care for her at home as she isn’t out of the woods and should not be alone.
As I right this, I am wrapping up week 2 of my 2020 month long semi-retirement. I recently wrote about how week 1 went in this post. In week 2, we have been settling in to a nice routine. I wake up early (as usual) and take my quiet time and then I write for a bit. After walking the dog, we eat breakfast and Mother Fran and I play some Canasta. It has been a beautiful week with temperatures in the 80’s. I feel bad that my sister, Child #3 was here just before us and had lousy weather.
Vacation is finally here! My honey and I spent Day One driving south, to leave the snow and cold behind for a month. This is our third extended trip away from home in the last three years. It is such an amazing way to rejuvenate and relax. Life is pretty good in My Little Blue Kayak. On our first day, we drove about seven hours through Upstate, New York, Northern PA, MD and landed at Child #2 and her husbands house in Northern VA. They are on an extended vacation of their own so we didn’t even get to see them. Somewhere in PA the snow disappeared and it was a sunny day.
I am not a homeowner, nor do I own any property. My one attempt at owning my own home ended in disaster and although it took a long time, I have finally stopped beating myself up for that really BIG mistake! I thought I would never buy again and that renting was the way to go. Owning your own home is a lot of work that as a renter I don’t need to worry about. I don’t need to mow the lawn, trim the trees, or edge the sidewalk. I am not responsible for fixing the appliances, deciding what project to tackle next, or hiring the contractor. I don’t have to pay the property taxes, school taxes or to fix whatever needs fixing.
All of that is true, so WHY do I enjoy looking at houses for sale online? I enjoy looking at the pictures, reading the descriptions and calculating if it is affordable. I like doing drive bye’s, checking out the view and popping in on Open Houses. It is a bit of a time waster for me AND I really enjoy it!
