The weekend arrives

The excitement of the day was getting Gladys and going out for pizza, her absolute favorite food. We tried a restaurant in our neighborhood I'd be wanting to try for ages...Firehouse. They have a wood oven for the pizza and a wood-fired rotissiere for the chicken (my food of choice). One of the cooks is someone who knows Federico, so she comped up a lovely pizza margherita as a starter. Gladys devoured more pizza than I thought possible for a 9 year old. It was all delicious -- I loved the argula salad, and I'm not easily wowed by salads. I definitely did not follow the anti-inflammatory diet today. I ate some pizza, a decaf with cream, and some of the dessert...an orange currant cake.

We talked about what we are going to plant in the garden. Rather I asked Gladys what she wanted to plant, and she listed off a long list of plants -- she wants a butterfly and hummingbird garden, plus a cherry tree, watermelons, melons, potatos, tomatos, zinnias, roses, sunflowers, tulips, daisies...She also told me she wanted to grow water in the garden....Other things on the wish list include: dog, birds, parrots, trampoline, slide, a little sister or brother, a puddle...gosh.

Another day

It's pretty cool to notice daily leaps in my healing. I feel like since starting PT and going to the gym each day I'm moving more quickly, with less pain/stiffness...more normal me. Today was way better than yesterday. Even co-workers noticed and commented.

I went to the gym and pushed myself to do level 10 and even 11 on the elliptical, in fits and spurts. I did my PT, which are still hard to do. Then I headed to accupuncture....

I'm really grateful for my body's remarkable capacity to heal. It's almost been 2 months since the surgery.

I've learned so much about my body and about healing.

22 random things about me

1. If I weren't Catholic, I'd be a Jew. I went through a Jewish phase as a kid that lasted a few years.

2. I learned to swim when I was 5 years old and haven't stopped since.

3. I once guarded Pete Seeger's guitar.

4. I loved going to Catholic school.

5. I don't know how to dive.

6. I had my first real boyfriend when I was 24.

7. I have never tried any illegal substances and have zero interest in being around people who use them.

8. I've had 4 proposals of marriage.

9. One of my favorite songs as a kid was "Brick House" by the Commodores.

10. I love bellydancing. Love to do it. Love to watch it.

11. If I could live anywhere in the world, I think it would be Paris.

12. If I could be a millionaire I would travel all over the place and then settle down somewhere warm.

13. I want to publish a book before I die.

14. I've run 4 marathons.

15. I've traveled to every country in Central America. Every single little country.

16. I speak 3 languages.

17. I can swearing fluently in 2 of them.

18. I always wanted a big brother growing up.

19. I've self-identified as a feminist since high school.

20. I do not understand people of color who vote Republican. Do not get it.

21. If I could date any celebrity, it would be Viggo Mortensen.

22. I will not color my gray hair.

Yeah!

So today I had a great workout....30 minutes at level 8-9 on the elliptical trainer, weights (upper body and then my PT), closing out with 10 minutes of laps (breaststroke). I loved being in the pool....I only looked longingly at the jacuzzi.

I faced down feeling slow and weak, worrying what people think, whatever. I pushed myself to sweat, gingerly walk to the pool and just move. Just do it.

I know that exercise is going to help me heal quicker, and I need to start getting my cardio fitness back too.

Ana is pushing me to walk a 5K, and I'm contemplating it. It is a goal, and I've always been very motivated by concrete goals. Stay tuned.

Happy Anniversary

My parents celebrate 52 years of marriage today. Amazing. They are on a cruise right now....so I'm toasting them in absentia. Hats off to a very remarkable couple. You model the stick-to-it-ness that I aspire to....Lots of love and respect.

Music of the heart

Researchers at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, showed for the first time that positive emotions aroused by joyful music have a favorable effect on the endothelium.

"We believe that the brain plays a pivotal role in vascular health," lead author Dr Michael Miller said. "High cholesterol and high blood pressure are very important, but some individuals lacking these risk factors develop significant heart disease, and that may be partly related to their response to stress."

If music can evoke positive emotions to counteract negative stresses of everyday life, it could have a very important influence on vascular health, he said. "It should be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle, just as we might incorporate other healthy habits."

How cool that something so fun and easy is good for you. My playlists as stress-relieving medicine. Crank up your favorite song on the stereo. FYI, this new playlist has a real diverse mix from all over the planet, so explore. A few of the songs were recommendations from a NYT blog of music people listen to when they need inspiration and hope. Most are just selections of my favorite groups...

Here is the citation if you want to see the research for yourself:

Marlene Busko. Music, like laughter, benefits heart health . theheart.org. [Clinical Conditions > Clinical cardiology > Clinical cardiology]; Nov 14, 2008. Accessed at http://www.theheart.org/article/921307.do on Jan 13, 2009

Weekend wrapping up

So we had a fairly quiet weekend. Here are few things I accomplished. Most stuff I haven't done since the surgery.

-worked in the garden and planted up one of my pots with some winter-interest plants from Garden Fever. Yeah!!! Strolled around to inspect the plants. You can see the tiny garlic coming up. Very exciting. We are going to have a lot of garlic.

-went to church and saw our new temporary priest-helper. He is very cute. I don't think this is a sin. I hope not. God was the one who made him so cute. Maybe it is because I'm so used to seeing old men as priests that to see some young hunky Latino guy is a shock.

-brought flowers for the Virgen de Guadalupe to thank her for the successful surgery and healing.

-went to the gym for the first time in ages and did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. It was not too bad, considering.

-made a fantastic chicken soup with veggies and orzo. Fantastic is Federico's assessment. It is pretty darn good. Took some soup over to Amanda's with one of my blooming paperwhites.

-went to library to get very funny quirky HBO comedy "Flight of the Conchords"....loved it. One of my staff comedy picks.

-did moxa on my foot, did my PT exercises (can we said a bitch?), put ice on my ankle, which is a bit swollen.

All in all, it was so wonderful to return to my routine, even though I'm not back to full strength, as they say. I appreciate the ability to walk and use my body. It is humbling and hard not to be able to walk at my normal speed (which I always thought was not terribly fast, but now I consider to be lightening-like). You have to resist the urge to look backward when you are recovering from surgery. It only brings frustration and disappointment. Not useful emotions.