Lady with the Cane.com

Once someone very near and dear to me stated that I have an "agenda". I found that very complimentary. That meant I had purpose. Right? That was my perspective, anyway. Actually this was a stab at my need to have a plan instead of living n the moment and "going with the flow". That life style is quite attractive but not always conceivable. Especially for a person living with MS. Every day is a day littered with "agendas", right down to planning a simple activity around the proximity of the nearest bathroom. Explaining this to other people is oft more trouble than worth. But, yes, I do have an "agenda". And it usually works for me. In fact, swaying from my said daily plan can bring undesirable consequences.  So...welcome to my favorite morning routine... The first thing I do after scuffing off to the bathroom, is pour a cool glass of water to relish "thoughtfully" as advised by The Girl with MS, Caroline Craven   ( http://www.girlwithms.

Once someone very near and dear to me stated that I have an "agenda". I found that very complimentary. That meant I had purpose. Right? That was my perspective, anyway. Actually this was a stab at my need to have a plan instead of living n the moment and "going with the flow". That life style is quite attractive but not always conceivable. Especially for a person living with MS. Every day is a day littered with "agendas", right down to planning a simple activity around the proximity of the nearest bathroom. Explaining this to other people is oft more trouble than worth. But, yes, I do have an "agenda". And it usually works for me. In fact, swaying from my said daily plan can bring undesirable consequences.  So...welcome to my favorite morning routine... The first thing I do after scuffing off to the bathroom, is pour a cool glass of water to relish "thoughtfully" as advised by The Girl with MS, Caroline Craven   ( http://www.g

It rarely happens, but I have heard that lightening oddly strikes twice everyone and then. We beat ourselves up over missed opportunities and poor decisions, and to no avail. It is pointless to  clutter up our already messed up lives with regrets, yet it is a common human affliction. I have spent the last week pounding on myself. Unfortunately the bruising is more than literal with the reality of two nasty falls in two days. Not only should I have had a stitch, or two, or even three, on my forehead, my upper arm resembles that of  a domestic violence victim. All because I lost my balance and crashed into a stone wall on my back porch. As head wounds are like to do, I bled on and off for a day and cannot find a comfortable sleeping position that avoids all contact of said wounds. But it is getting better.  That was Saturday's fall. On Sunday I found myself prone on the kitchen floor after turning too quickly, I guess, and landing on my knee. Ouch. I say "I guess" h

One very important thing I have discovered living with MS is the importance of staying "in touch" with the MonSter. Whether that means participating in clinical trials, joining a support group, collecting a blog list to follow, or reading about the experience of others...that's up to you. The purpose is to not give in to the feelings of despair. This emotional dip is to be expected and it isn't going to occur in a singular sense. It is ongoing an difficult to shake. Even if you do not actually "meet" the blogger, the author, or the guest speaker, the point is to connect with another individual who knows where you are in life. Sometimes we just need to vent. That venting is only beneficial if the conversation is relative. There is nothing satisfying about being on the receiving end of a list of well-meant yet meaning less accolades. How can anyone now how you feel without really "knowing" how you feel? This is the very reason that I actively search

One very important thing I have discovered living with MS is the importance of staying "in touch" with the MonSter. Whether that means participating in clinical trials, joining a support group, collecting a blog list to follow, or reading about the experience of others...that's up to you. The purpose is to not give in to the feelings of despair. This emotional dip is to be expected and it isn't going to occur in a singular sense. It is ongoing an difficult to shake. Even if you do not actually "meet" the blogger, the author, or the guest speaker, the point is to connect with another individual who knows where you are in life. Sometimes we just need to vent. That venting is only beneficial if the conversation is relative. There is nothing satisfying about being on the receiving end of a list of well-meant yet meaning less accolades. How can anyone now how you feel without really "knowing" how you feel? This is the very reason that I activel

Wednesday I wrote a few thing things I miss in my daily life because of my MS. I miss my job as a teacher, yes, but there are many other voids in my life compliments of the MonSter.  I fear that I might have sounded whiny and that was not, is not, my goal. It got the attention of few readers, though, and for that I am thankful. MS March Madness is fast approaching. That means that I will be blogging for thirty days in the month of March in order to draw attention to the injustices of this disease. But it's not just a whine fest. (There might be WINE involved, though.) Each year I encourage readers to join in the discussion and this year is no exception. During the month of March (or any time, really) I urge you to participate in my personal campaign by posting comments here or contacting me in other ways.  My e-mail is LisaAnnetteMcCombs@yahoo.com and I am on Face Book.  See? There is no excuse for not being part of my pitch to battle the MonSter by contributing suggestions and ide

Wednesday I wrote a few thing things I miss in my daily life because of my MS. I miss my job as a teacher, yes, but there are many other voids in my life compliments of the MonSter.  I fear that I might have sounded whiny and that was not, is not, my goal. It got the attention of few readers, though, and for that I am thankful. MS March Madness is fast approaching. That means that I will be blogging for thirty days in the month of March in order to draw attention to the injustices of this disease. But it's not just a whine fest. (There might be WINE involved, though.) Each year I encourage readers to join in the discussion and this year is no exception. During the month of March (or any time, really) I urge you to participate in my personal campaign by posting comments here or contacting me in other ways.  My e-mail is LisaAnnetteMcCombs@yahoo.com and I am on Face Book.  See? There is no excuse for not being part of my pitch to battle the MonSter by contributing suggestio

Owning an incurable and/or chronic disease requires a lot of sacrifices. Of course, this ownership is not of free choice, so it ultimately up to the owner how she (Sorry about the gender discrimination. I am just speaking fro myself.) will manage the these inconvenient circumstances. The biggest sacrifice I have made as a result of "owning" MS is my unplanned retirement. Now, don't get me wrong. It was probably (no, definitely) a good idea to retire when I did, but I miss it every day.  I MISS... ... the smell of the school. I retired from an older building where the janitors still cleaned with Murphy's Oil Soap and some classrooms still had honest-to-goodness chalk boards so the chalk dust odor was still evident. (And probably hazardous, but that was the least of my worries. I discovered dust free chalk many years ago.) My classroom windows were huge and wood framed, and I could actually open them when I wanted fresh air. The floor's gleaming wood finish allowed

Owning an incurable and/or chronic disease requires a lot of sacrifices. Of course, this ownership is not of free choice, so it ultimately up to the owner how she (Sorry about the gender discrimination. I am just speaking fro myself.) will manage the these inconvenient circumstances. The biggest sacrifice I have made as a result of "owning" MS is my unplanned retirement. Now, don't get me wrong. It was probably (no, definitely) a good idea to retire when I did, but I miss it every day.  I MISS... ... the smell of the school. I retired from an older building where the janitors still cleaned with Murphy's Oil Soap and some classrooms still had honest-to-goodness chalk boards so the chalk dust odor was still evident. (And probably hazardous, but that was the least of my worries. I discovered dust free chalk many years ago.) My classroom windows were huge and wood framed, and I could actually open them when I wanted fresh air. The floor's gleaming wood finish

    I have never like purple, of any shade. Until now. Lilacs and lavenders have become my go-to hues. My bathroom is encased in lavenders and sage greens. My kitchen was transformed into a Parisian inspired wine room of every grape infused color from the California wine country of  hills of Temeculah to the Italian vineyards of Tuscany. I infuse lavender essential oils throughout the main floor of my home to instill calm and feelings of good will. I even tried my hand at growing lavender plants last spring. No luck with the outside plants, but my indoor pots overflowed with lavender for several weeks. With any luck my next exterior harvest will take over the front lawn to serve as my gardening attempt for 2018. Not wildly enthusiastic at the art of green thumb activity, my hope is that lavender growing will be as tranquil as the plant it represents. During my holiday binge watching of Gray's Anatomy, I noticed something extremely appealing in an episode when Izzie was hospitalized