Monday, May 31, 2010

Overdoin' It

To borrow brilliant lyrics from The Cure : 'I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's gray, and Wednesday too. Thursday, I don't care about you. It's Friday. I'm in love . . . ' And that pretty much sums up my week. Sorry I left y'all hangin' with nothing but a story of losing my pants to tide you over this holiday weekend. Good news. I did manage to keep my pants up ~ most of the weekend anyways.

Once Jason returned from Indy the week just sort of flew by. It was the boys' last week of school and excitement reigned supreme at the Spindler abode. I reference The Cure above, not just because I think an early CCSVI diagnosis may actually cure MS - possibly even wipe it from existence, BUT because Friday of this past week began a new for me. I'm startin' to LOVE stuff again. Please let me explain . . .

Only the locals will appreciate my next referenced quote. And for that I am sorry, but it must be said. I open the door Friday morning to a gush of heat against my happily air conditioned, well-rested body. The first thing that comes to mind is, "It's hot, Don!" Ha! Remember that one? You know literary times is hard when you begin quoting local car dealership commercials. Anyways, it was hot! But checking to see that pants were still on, good and snug, I stepped outside with Gooch and stood while he did his business. Why not sit and relax? 'Cause I felt like standing.

The past 10 years, if nothing else, I've learned to conserve what little energy I'd been given, if any at all. My dad and mom's work ethic had always been more, welllll, ummm, aggressive, let's call it. The first there, no breaks, and the last to leave even after clean-up. I remember my dad not even pausing during a task to wipe sweat from his brow. And did you know it's more efficient to carry two five gallon buckets of water at a time, than to make two trips with just one? Ahhhh, I miss those days. Anybody's barn need cleaning?

So I should have been all resting up for my big day Friday. And especially with it being sooo scorching hot outside. Guess what? I feel like I been resting for 10 years. So I try and catch up on some laundry. A task, keep in mind, that because of the heat from the dryer, usually wipes me out. Not so today. Thank you, Jesus!

And guess what else? Goochie's gotta go out again? No problem. And this time Abe accompanies us. Great. "Mom, you wanna watch me play basketball?" he so sweetly inquired, surely expecting the usual brush off answer. Usually I returrn with, "Honey, it's too hot right now," or "I can watch from inside," or "How about later, sweetie?" Not this time, sportsfans. Momma came to play! I wish you all could have seen his face when I answered, "No! I don't wanna watch son. I wanna play!" Huh? "Pass it here," I said.

I dribbled, whilst I talked some smack. "Did you know I got to play a little varsity ball my sophomre year? Yeh, I traveled with the sectional team. Pretty big stuff back then," I bragged. A little more dribbling. A couple, even thru the leg! "And I walked on to the college team my freshman year at USI." A jog right, square up and a slightly modified jump shot to follow . . . (modified in that only my heels left the ground). Guess what? B~R~I~C~K

My follow thru was just as fluent and beautiful as it had been say in 1994, however, wow, there was still much work to be done. But it had hit the backboard and rim before the concrete. Considering the heat and my lack of proper basketball attire, i.e. Nike high-tops, I think I did pretty well. Sure I hadn't played since college. Sure my depth perception is still lacking. But shame on all y'all when it comes time for lessons on defense and blocking out for rebounds.

So we played around a bit. Both of us need no help in the talking department. I sank a few. He sank a few. And he got bored. Can you believe that? What a breakthrough! And he gets bored. Oh well, where did Gooch go? Crazed pit bull on the loose! Hardly, if you ever come across him he'll either kiss (lick) your feet off or fall asleep on ya. Lazy boy was sleepin' in the shade under the trampoline. Hmmmmm, now there's somethin' else I wanna conquer.

But inside lunch needed made and more laundry done. Maybe I should rest. So Jason gets home to take Abe and not even knowing about our little scrimmage outside he warns, "Babe, you ought to take it easy." But he follows with a kiss and thanks me for tackling the laundry. Yay, me! So should I go out and brush up on my shot before I've got to be ready to leave for the end of the year parties at school? Silly, right? Right.

So I get ready for these big farewell parties at school. Jason comes to get me and drops me at the door. I walk in. No cane. My Asa was honored earlier in the day with 'A-B' Honor Roll for the fourth semester in a row. WAY TO GO, BIG MAN! For some reason or another I had thought that was what we were going in to see. Alas, I missed it but did get to see a cool slide show of their year. And many other parents have told me how very excited he'd been. By the way, anybody get that on video?

So then I had to leave the third grade send-off festivities to make it to the kindergarten ice cream party. Where's that room again? My sense of direction has always been bad, even pre-neurological disorder. So little ole me waddles the entire school. I take the scenic route to Abe's room. The long way. And why not? Maybe I had wanted to. I had time to spare. Or had I? I reach his room astonished at how the school had grown since I attended. (And yes, they really had built on. I'm not that out of shape). Guess what? Half the kiddos were already gone and even clean-up was over. Grrrrrrrrr!

He had been so worried I wouldn't be able to be there. "It's a long walk," he had warned me earlier. And, huh?! He'd had no idea just how long it truly had been. Bless his heart, he had even told me if I could makje it there without him that he would help me back to the truck. He ran to greet me with a hug, just as Asa had done, but letting go of me I was met with eyes welling of disappointment.

What a loser! I hadn't set foot in that school all year but maybe once for a school play. I had not participated alongside their teachers or been active in their classrooms or anything as my mom used to do. And here was my teeny, tiny window of opportunity to begin redeeming myself as a better more active mom and I miss yet again. Asa's awards. Abel's ice cream. I'm sure I was fouled, ref. I need to go back to the free throw line.

Abel near tears "cause he loves school and his friends," he says, and misses them already. And Asa literally in tears because his favorite teacher in the whole wide world is being forced to retire due to schools merging, we exit the building, ladies and gentlemen. The parent pick-up line being long and endless, all four of us decide to make the trek to the parking lot instead of waiting it out under the awning. And . . . I made it! Barely, but I did. No cane. And yes, pants still up. So at least Jason had left this ordeal proud of me. 1 out of 4. Gotta start somewhere.

So usually I couldn't have done that. And on the rare occasion that I tried something like that, I would have been paying for it for days. Remember the school play I had mentioned earlier? Much less walking, yet I was dead for days following. So did I go home to die? Nope. Folded some laundry while Jason went back to work and the boys tried to out do each other with their pitiful stories. Sniff, sniff. One is gonna miss his girlfriend most of all. And the other may never, ever get to see his teacher again - ever! Poor guy. What up with that? These can't be my kids. There's time for more girlfriends in the summer, Abe! And Asa, I know where Mrs. Deig lives, sweetie. This is little ole Mt. Vernon afterall. Wonder what she'd charge to homeschool?

Unable, even with offering to school them at some basketball, to cheer them up I made plans to party on. Another great quote opportunity: "Party on, Wayne." "Party on, Garth." Mike Myers and Dana Carvey rocked it out in 'Wayne's World'. So Asa wanted his Granny and after two hours of tears, I wanted a break. Off we were. I remember Jason looking over to me in astonishment that I was still awake, let alone mobile. "Where to little lady?" Hacienda for my favorite cold beverage - a strawberry daquiri! Well, maybe two. And even after a chicken chimichanga, I devoured an entire dessert on my own. Me - 1. Rocky Mountain Mudslide - 0.

Belly full after a day like I had? Should have knocked me out, right? Wrong. Wonder if that old putt-putt place my mom and dad used to take us to is still open? Surely not. Jason and I had been to it a couple times when we were dating and it was starting to get old even then. Yeh, that's been a couple years or so back, I guess. So now it'd probably be a used car lot. Or worse yet be standing in ruins as only a reminder of what once was. Tragic. But not so! Turned the corner and there she was. Midget Links.

Same working draw bridge. Same windmill. And everything with a new coat of paint. Somebody'd been really treatin' her nice. The paved walk was a little more treacherous than I had remembered. And the old shade trees, still there to do their jobs, may have been to blame for some of the greens shifting a bit. But all in all, a wonderful experience. $6 per person and play as long as you want. That's unheard of. Back in the day that would have been like telling my dad he could have all he could eat for only $6. I'm just saying - they'd have had to take my club away.

I'm sure Jason had heard it all before but I'd get to a hole and tell him what the trick was. Or tell him dad would cuss at that hole. 19 holes and I only played, what? Six, maybe? Jason says half. Whatever, baby. Thx. Perhaps had I not had such an eventful day prior to this outing I'd have been okay. Perhaps had I not drank two daquiris. Or finished an entire family sized dessert alone. Who knows? I can't wait to bring the boys back with us and find out.

After a little rest and some air conditioning . . . I was up and at it again. My hobble was becoming more prominent, but as a wise friend told me, it may take a little time to get my strength up. Wise words from a wise friend. I mean she's my friend, right? So right away you know she's smart. She'd mentioned rehab and stuff and improvements taking time. And I know all this stuff. I used to be an athlete. Want me to talk some smack?

Seriously though, my ankle was hurt playing volleyball one year. It killed me to sit out. I remember my coach not putting me back in right away. She even went so far as to take it easy on me in practice. (Miss you, Coach Redman!) She said she was being cautious and wanted to save me until I was really needed. Whatever! I just wanted to play!

And although my friend and coach were right. I'm still just wanting to play. What if this all goes away again tomorrow? Will I have wasted time on the bench? "Well, we're ahead by 6 Angie, so we don't need to put you in yet." So what? I still want in! 10 years people. 10 years. I've missed enough. But yes, if this is gonna be a lasting thing, I may need some rehab. I prolly do, but you gotta understand, people, this is rough on me as I've been there many times before. Please tell me not all rehab is the same, is it?

I've learned the easiest, simplest most effective way to fold laundry next to 80 year old stroke patients. And struggled to prop myself against kitchen counters to learn how to best operate both electric and manual can openers. And bathing techniques, I'll spare you the details. I don't wanna go back to this people! I wanna go back even further to try-outs for USI. I want to run into the trainer's office and get rehab there. Like here's how to strengthen that leg back up, freshman. Do that ten times, no make that twenty times a day. Give me any lip and we'll make it 50! Again, with the work ethic! I know.

Seriously though. Bottom line. I wanna do as much as I can as soon as I can. What if this quits on me? I mean I haven't even technically been treated for something I technically haven't even been diagnosed with having. Confused? Me too. A placebo effect, then? On what? I had nothing done. I just wanna enjoy this while it lasts. I'm loving this ride, people, and everything on it.

So Saturday I'll surely pay, right? Wrong. Up and feeling good again. Praise God! We check on the boys but end up leaving them again to shop for an end of the school year, let's kick-off summer right, celebratory type of honor roll reward/gift or something. After standing an hour in 90 + degrees and test driving two very awesome cars we walked every aisle of Toys'R'Us and found absolutely nothing. Bummer. Home, and rest? No. Home and cleaning.

Sunday. Church. And home again, to clean. Then church again for their Memorial Roll. My Dad and Unc are on there. I still get emotional. Had a good cry on the way home listening to our song. 'There's Tear In My Beer' - huh - gets me everytime. I've gotta teach my fellers to do the two step. Then rest, right? You're supposed to rest on Sunday. Nope. We were off to a late show. 'Iron Man 2' starring Sam Rockwell. Huh? Well, Robert Downey Jr. was in it too. I've always liked Robert Downey Jr. since way back in his John Hughes days. But this Sam character?! Where in the world did he come from. And why my sudden fascination with him?

I dunno. I'll post more on that after my follow-up appointment with his look alike this week. I gotta get off here people. I got a Challenger to go test drive! V'room, v'room!

2 comments:

  1. Can you please send me your FB look-up info or email address? I have a couple of questions re liberation I would like to ask you. Just so you know I was reading your entry today with tears streaming down my face of happiness. I think our stories sound quite parallell although I am a few steps behind you. Can't wait to test the summer in a couple of months.
    Thanks so much. GinaMassingill@gmail.com

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  2. I emailed ya. Can't wait to hear back from you.

    ReplyDelete