11/9/14. The post where I remember to slow down and appreciate my life.

11/9/14: the sleep night started off badly Friday night, with a serious coughing fit that got me out of bed for about 45 minutes.  Once that was over, though, I was able to sleep pretty well.  The best part? I slept lying down.  It felt quite luxurious.  Of course, I woke up in the morning completely congested again, but it was worth it.  

On Saturday, I had to miss an event I enjoy every year - my friend's holiday cookie exchange party.  All week long, I had hoped this would clear up in time, but by Friday night it was obvious I wouldn't be up to making cookies.  Nor would anyone want to eat cookies I'd made in this condition.  I guess this year I will have to be responsible for my own holiday cookies. While I hated missing the party, I felt much better after having a lazy morning.  I've had several reminders over the last few weeks to slow down a little.  Maybe I'm actually starting to pay attention.  

It was back to work Saturday afternoon, for an evening concert in my patient, long-suffering husband's music series.  As is usually the case for these concerts, we had a house guest afterward.  A singer from Estonia.  His English, while tentative, was certainly better than our Estonian, and we communicated pretty well.  We offered him a glass of wine or a cocktail, and he informed us he'd never had a cocktail.  That was the wrong answer in this household.  We spent the next two hours making him various concoctions while we snacked and chatted.  We learned that he was a professor at a university with six children and four grandchildren.  We also learned that he had been a member of the national go-kart team many years ago when Estonia was part of the USSR.  (I was not aware that countries had national go-kart teams.  I'll have to check out the World Wide Web and see if the U.S. has one. And if so, whether it's too late for me to join.)  And that he had never seen a grape tomato before.  We had put out a spread of charcuterie and cheeses, all of which he enjoyed, but he spied the container of grape tomatoes on the counter behind us and asked if he could try one.  Of course, we were happy to oblige, and he was fascinated by them.  

He had a very early flight this morning to his next U.S. concert location, so we sent him on his way with a recipe for his new favorite cocktail, and probably a massive headache.  It was a great joy to speak with him and learn about his life, and also a great reminder of all the things I take for granted.  Like a fully stocked bar and a grocery store five minutes away where I can buy just about anything a person could ever want or need.  I will think twice next time before I throw away half a container of grape tomatoes because they are "past their prime."

Today was another fairly quiet day, consisting of church, a few errands, and some college football recorded from yesterday.  I slept much better, although I was still too congested to sing in choir.  This meant I got to hear the choir, which was a real treat.  It sounded absolutely beautiful, certainly much better than it would have sounded with me croaking along with them.  I'm doing my best to get some rest and shake this infection this weekend, because there is a lot of life going on over the coming week and I want to enjoy it.  

I am looking forward to getting a new stimulator program on Tuesday, because I am officially over this one.  This is the most my foot has hurt since the implant surgery, and I suspect that without a change soon, it will only get worse.  I feel extremely grateful to have the stimulator in my tool kit.  Even more grateful than I am for grape tomatoes.