Month: May 2019

Map

Last week, during our morning routine, we heard this song that reminds my Mom of driving to Oklahoma with my Dad just after they got married so he could report to the base because he was still in the army. I asked my Mom what route they took. She told me that she didn’t know and she told me that my Dad knew the way. He would consult the map in the rest stop/welcome center wall on the way. When she told me this, I had a clear recollection of my Dad doing just that on our way to Texas when I was young.

I have Onstar in my car and I use it for navigational purposes when going places that I am not familiar with. Sean makes fun of me. He will ask me if I am in 2012 and will use his phone to get directions. Because I have MS, I got Onstar in my car for free for a number of years, I think it was like five. People would ask me how I got that when they would drive with me and I would tell them that you just have to not be able to walk.

I’m rarely in my car these days but if my Mom and I don’t know where we’re going, we use it. I thought of how archaic maps are now. I don’t know if they still have them on the wall at welcome centers but I have that clear memory of my Dad checking the route on our way to Texas.

I was 13 the last time we went to Texas. I kept asking my Dad how much longer and at a gas station a few states from Michigan, he bought me an atlas. I was able to check the signs and find out exactly where we were! I had a great time and would report to the car that we only had about two more inches (with a show of my thumb and index finger) to go in whatever state we were in.

I like thinking about my Dad looking at the map on our way. It’s a completely archaic memory and not even relevant now but I appreciated that I remembered it and it is clear in my mind.

“18 and Graduated” OR “Who Are You?!”

With four older brothers, I would hear them ask my Dad if they could get or do a lot of crazy things! It usually had to do with getting a tattoo. My Dad would respond by telling them that they could when they are, “18 and graduated.”

I have a vivid memory of me being awake one morning when my Mom was leaving for work. I sat in my Dad‘s chair at the Head of the table as my Mom stood in the living room and asked what I was doing today. It was sometime after my graduation but I can’t pinpoint the exact day because my Dad had a triple bypass the Monday after my graduation ceremony.

At that time, having your cartilage pierced was beyond cool! I told my Mom that that was what I was going to do and she just looked at me and said, “No you’re not!” I remember looking right into her eye and saying, “Yes, I am!“. She thought for a moment and realized that I was already, “18 and graduated” and she just said, “Oh!” and left.

So, I don’t have any tattoos but that was my one rebellious act after graduation. It took six months before I could sleep on the left side of my head. I have received compliments about it over the years and I appreciate it because it shows my age. Both of my ears are triple pierced and I haven’t worn earrings in SO many years! I think I figured out about 10 years ago that one of my second holes may have closed.

I don’t wear any earrings in my ears aside from that earring in my cartilage. I don’t have enough hand control anymore to put them properly into my ears. Now that my hair is short, I never wear my hair back in a ponytail so it covers my ears and my cartilage piercing isn’t very noticeable.

Sean helps me get into my bed in the night if he is home. He just picks me up from my motorized chair after I situate it parallel to my bed against the window. Thursday night he laid on my bed as I was trying to get my chair parallel to my bed. I was looking down and I used my left hand to tuck my hair behind my ear on my left side.

He incredulously asked me if I had my cartilage pierced! I touched my ear and told him, “Yeah. I’ve had it all of your life!“ Sean was just realizing this Thursday! I know he doesn’t notice a whole lot of things most times but I thought it was strange that something I’ve had his entire life, he didn’t even notice! He stood up and got closer and touched the earring and told me it looked really cool!

He told me that I should get my ears pierced all the way up. I looked at my Mom and kind of laughed and told him that I have three holes in each ear. His mouth dropped open as he asked me, “Who are you?! My Mom and I laughed really hard as Sean got me into bed.

A Lifetime Ago

A couple days ago, my Mom and I were in my kitchen as she washed some dishes after breakfast and we spoke of Sean and I eating at Logan‘s Roadhouse. That was Sean‘s favorite place! That was back when I used to work. We would go there sometimes twice a month (on paydays of course!). That was back when I used to be able to drive. My Mom asked me if it seemed, “Like a lifetime ago” and I am emphatically agreed that it did! It’s really sad if I think about it too long!

So, yesterday, I got an email from Men’s Wearhouse saying that Sean‘s suit arrived there and we just needed to come in for a final fitting. I called him after school and told him that it works out perfectly. We would go to Men’s Wearhouse for the final fitting of the suit and then we could go to B Dub’s because it was “Boneless Wing Thursday“ and we would pick up a carry out order and that’s what we would eat for dinner.

In spite of the fact it was raining, I needed to accompany my son for this fitting. I popped some pain meds before we left and I hoped we wouldn’t be out of the house very long. Everything went very well at the fitting and they steamed the suit before we left.

On our ride home after we picked up the B Dub’s, this song just started to play:

He told me that this song reminds him of the Olympics. It was back when he would watch the woman’s gymnastic team with me. I think he had to be about 10 when they first won the gold. I remember that I asked our server at Logan’s to turn the Olympics on but they said some guys at another table wanted to watch the Tigers game instead. I remember that Sean and J talked about how un-American it was to NOT watch the Olympics and the fact that they only come on every four years!

When we got to our house, we sat in our driveway and finished our order of cheese sticks before he unloaded the food and his suit (on two separate trips) into the house. As he was putting my wheelchair together before he would get me out of the car, this song started to play:

I have a vivid memory of this song playing when I l was driving with Sean to my Mom‘s house. In spite of the rain, I still wear my sunglasses anytime I am outside. The light is too much for my eyes! I was grateful that I had them on because so many memories flooded back to me of back to a time when I could still drive and control my body a lot more. I begin to cry as I sat in the passenger’s side of the car waiting for Sean to get my manual wheelchair together so he could transfer me from the car. With my dark sunglasses on, he couldn’t tell that I was so sad, crying, and thinking about a time when I was more able and now, it seems like a lifetime ago.

Tune #16 Inspired by GMFB

I didn’t feel well this morning as I turned the TV on to GMFB. I was barely coherent when I heard the breakfast table talking about the Miami Dolphins drafting Christian Wilkins and how he jumped on the commissioner. Nate was talking about it and Kyle said it was like, The “Funky Cold Medina!” I chuckled to myself but it couldn’t really have a reaction because I was so tired.

I was seven years old when that song came out in 1989 and I remember hearing it at my parents’ house from my oldest brother, Ray, playing it. That is a completely inappropriate song! I haven’t even seen all of the video yet but I decided to put the clean version on here.

May 2019 Faves

I thought I would post James Blunt songs but I have been watching The Longest Rideevery day for about a week now and every time I hear the country music, it makes me think of Barwis and all of my Barwis trainers with fondness so I thought to add a few of my faves from the soundtrack to my May Faves: