First Sunrise of 2012: Resolutions and other things

Not a fantastic sunrise, but it is mine, and I was up for it.

My Cardinal is outside calling my name again.  Yesterday Bill and I looked up the call on the link, All About Birds. If you go to the link at the end of this blog you can scroll down to Northern Cardinal and hear him sing. Lovely last call is his morning mantra!
 
It has been frustrating trying to get a picture of all the birds in the bare trees but they are there.  It is fun to get up in the morning and check the backyard for activity. I just heard the Canadian Geese flying over and if we are up to it later I would like to walk to the lake and see if we can find any of them.  They should be gone, but it is going to be 46 degrees today.  Warm by January standards in Upstate New York. 

A friend emailed last night that she was so glad to see my blog because she had not heard from me is awhile.  I appreciated that this blog is meaningful to others and it encourages me to keep going.  There are days when I would rather just stay in bed and pout. I guess that's okay now that Santa has come and gone for another year. I have almost a full year to get my attitude adjusted again.

We made it through the holiday ordeal mostly.  The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was hardest.  Families reconnect, or disconnect, and that can be happy and sad at the same time. For Bill and I it was both.

Arthritis pain attacked me this week and when I returned from exercising in the pool at the club we belong to, Bill was just finishing his physical therapy. My hips were screeching with joint pain and my leg muscles and low back were talking back as well.  The therapist said to me that we were in this Long Term Care for the long haul, and that meant I had to get stronger as well.  I am surely trying, but my body has been attacked by the very strong steroids that helped me.  I may need to go back to rehab inpatient and find a respite location for Bill.  That does not sound fun.

Overload hit me hard and I started to cry, again.  The therapist would not leave without a hug.  We talked awhile longer and when he saw that it was not going to do it, he gave me a huge bear hug.  That really helped.  He held me until I finished crying and went on to his own life.

I read many years ago that for good mental health people need three bear hugs and three belly laughs a day.  I guess that will be my New Year's Resolution ,although I hear people aren't making them much anymore.  I guess they figure, why set themselves up for disappointment.  If I picked weight loss, or daily time away, or cheerful all the time, I would fail.  I think my goal is attainable...three bear hugs and three belly laughs. Each day.

I'm not saying that it won't take work. It will. But with good friends and family, and people who care, I think it may happen.  And that in turn will also affect Bill in a positive way. So I guess my New Years Resolution falls in the category, Taking Care of Yourself.

Please do the same for yourselves. And welcome to a new year, where we get second chances to do things right, to make mistakes and forgive ourselves and others, and keep on keepin' on.  BIG BEAR HUG TO YOU ALL.  That's one!

Don't forget to check out the Cardinal call below.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse_tax/13/