Second Chances and Reflections on Life in Lockdown
June 7, 2021
Psycho-oncology: A Future Therapist’s Perspective
July 27, 2021
My favorite part of summer is early morning. From 5 to 6:30 a.m., before that fireball in the sky begins its daily scorching as it clears the horizon.
For nearly two glorious hours, the air is refreshingly cool here in Colorado and the birds are at their chirpiest. Sheer bliss. Then, the hair dryer, also known as the dry summer wind, flips on and I begin thinking in sound bytes. This phenomenon only happens during the blazing days of summer, so I thought this month I would share my confessions and interpretations of mid-life and daily life in snippets.
Yes. All this stuff really happened.
I recently received a spam email with this subject line: Learn to stay focused on what’s important!
Interpretation: What’s important is me staying focused by not spending any time opening your annoying email.
Curious Dream: I am living on the top floor of a treehouse. There are glass ceilings in my bedroom, which makes for interesting nature-watching, but somehow a baby bear climbs a tree and finds its way into my room. I spend my dream chasing the bear out of my room because I’m afraid if it stays too long it will try to come back as an adult.
Interpretation: Don’t feed the bears!
Confession: My first car was a baby blue 1978 Dodge Monaco with an electrical problem so severe that whenever it rained the car would stop running. At a stoplight or even on the highway. Thankfully, each time it happened I managed to steer the car to the side of the road, waited 30 minutes, then it would start.
“Or” Confessions:
Grease or Saturday Night Fever? Saturday Night Fever
Blended or on the rocks? Rocks
Cat or Dog? Dog
Coke or Pepsi? Coke (well actually, caffeine-free Diet Coke)
Ralph or Potsie? Potsie
Jon or Ponch? Ponch
Coffee or tea? Both will do just fine (caffeine-free, of course)
Spring or summer? Spring
Wine or beer? Wine
Red, white, or blue? Blue
Netflix or network TV? Netflix
Confession: The NextDoor app is priceless entertainment cuz neighbors actually post stuff I only think about. Such as, “People drive way too fast in the Highlands Ranch Ace Hardware parking lot and need to slow down,” or “Here’s a photo of a bull snake that was in my driveway having a bunny rabbit for dinner.” Of course I had to look, and yes it was gross.
Rene and I recently spent a long weekend in central Nebraska to visit family and meet the babies in our family born during the pandemic. Thanks to high humidity and crops, Nebraska has black bugs the size of gnats that resemble floaters in my eyes, so I was swatting all weekend. About half the time there were actually bugs flying around my head.
Interpretation: Cataract surgery in my right eye is not far away.
Creepy Dream: I am walking toward a room with a fiery red glow dancing on the walls and a queen-size bed in the center of the room. I think I am in the bed, and I hear clunking noises as I enter the room. Cans of soup are dropping on the floor from under the bed and rolling across the floor. Thankfully, Rene wakes me up because I am whimpering.
Interpretation: This one’s a stumper.
Observation: A few weeks ago, Rene and I were strolling through Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree when he jokingly asked, “Can we go to Apocolyptics?” I stopped and stared at him, then exclaimed, “Oh, you mean Anthropologie?” Life with Rene is never dull.
Confession: I recently started following Rex Smith on Facebook, where he often shares his Rexcipes. He starred in the Broadway production of Grease and had a hit single in 1979 titled You Take My Breath Away. Why did I admire him? He had unbelievable hair.
Below are other rock stars whose hair I admired during the hair-metal days of the late 1980s and early ‘90s:
The Nelson Brothers (Ricky Nelson’s twin sons, Matthew and Gunnar). No one seemed to care what their music sounded like.
Christian rock band, Stryper. Who in their right mind ever thought bumble bee-colored spandex outfits would be appealing?
Poison. Okay, I’m done.
Confession: Completing all 16 rounds of chemo was one of the toughest accomplishments of my life. It was the only time I ever thought about quitting anything.
Wacky Dream: Our neighbors who live across Marcy Gulch behind the back of our house are having a watch party for the Denver Broncos football team. Their guests are hanging out in their backyard, which we can see from our deck. Oversized stuffed pandas dressed in Denver Broncos gear are hanging from the ceiling of a pergola in their backyard. That night, after all the guests leave, wild animals that live in Marcy Gulch drag the left-over hanging pandas into our backyard to make it look like we stole them.
Interpretation: It’s a set-up!
Confession: Thanks to middle age, I’m transitioning to the person who gets to hear all the stuff people want to say to those who annoy them but are unwilling to say, but it feels good for them to tell me. Huh what?
Before I go, a couple years ago I was interviewed for an independent film by Darla Rae titled Courageous Warriors: Beauty from the Ashes. The documentary explores the obstacles faced by women and men who battle breast cancer. COPE is featured, as are several other organizations founded by women who are featured in the film. On the evening of July 21, supporters of the project will be hosting a fundraiser concert in Denver, with proceeds supporting future marketing efforts and distribution costs for the film. Apparently the entertainment, Premium Diesel, is quite a popular country band. If you would like to attend the concert with Rene and me to support the project, please see below for more info or order tickets at http://tinyurl.com/courageousconcert
