In our final Soul Matters group, we spoke about delight and how it consisted of an element of surprise.
And yes, I was pleasantly surprised. A prickly pear cactus, in my own backyard. Kathy got them for me from her neighbor. It was such a delight to come around the corner and see this. I spontaneously uttered, “Oh my!” And there are three or four more plants around it getting ready to bloom.
I spent a good part of today weeding. Day after a rain — perfect. Caleb, a friend from church, is coming soon to spread mulch in all the sparse areas, so I wanted to make sure that the weeds were as under control as possible.
The chipmunk spray was ineffective. They are laughing at me.
Another chunk of the day was spent on India trip planning. I think it is coming together. I have yet to receive any input from the travel agent. I’ve just been booking things on my own. I think I may end up using him just for the internal connections between major stops.
Tomorrow I’m going to look at airfares. I felt really tired when I saw that the flight from Delhi to Panama would take 43 hours. Traveling is definitely not for sissies.
I’ve also been working on my Christmas card. I’m coming closer to a final design. I need one more tool. It’s in the mail. It’s hard for me not to show it to someone. I’m like a 5-year-old: “Look what I made!” I want them to be a surprise. Well, I did show it to Dan. He nodded his approval.
I was surprised to see that I haven’t written anything since April 29. That’s not because things haven’t been happening…more like too many things. And, I have discovered, although I may have said this before, I like writing, but it doesn’t bring me the same experience of joy as calligraphy, or Zentangle, or gardening. It’s so much easier to spend time on those things. But I always feel better when I’m finished with a blog entry, so I’ll shoot for that.
Yes, heart disease…who knew for sure. Well, I can’t say I was completely shocked, given my family history, but I was hoping that my lifestyle saved me. It hasn’t completely. The diagnostic workup showed a 70% blockage at the left anterior descending (LAD). This is one of the most common spots for blockage. My sister, Michele, had 100% blockage in just that spot at the age of 55. So, at 70, I’ve kept the disease at bay. However, this is a good case of “you can run, but you can’t hide.” My EKG also showed left ventricular hypertrophy, which could have been from a heart attack. My blood work is also showing heart failure.
There is a lot of good news here. All of my biomarkers are in the “slightly bad” range. Another positive is that this is reversible. I will begin Zetia, which takes the culpable cholesterol particles out with the poop; niacin, which blocks the enzyme responsible for making cholesterol in the liver; and Arteriosil, a new supplement that heals the endothelial lining of the vessels. The damage to the vessels is caused by the tiny cholesterol particles that penetrate the lining, build up in that lining, and cause the vessel to narrow.
I’ve been fortunate to have made the acquaintance of Dr. Tara Dall, a lipidologist, who lives in Delafield. Turns out she has an international reputation and is one of Peter Attia’s teachers. Peter Attia is a doctor/athlete/driven individual who has an excellent podcast called The Drive, which was the title of his book. I’ve seen him interviewed by Andrew Huberman and Rich Roll. Attia is a voice that is pushing the medical community to move forward with more specific, personalized cholesterol monitoring.
I was lucky to have had genetic testing to find this anomaly. And my primary physician didn’t know about any of the new information available on diagnosing and treating elevated cholesterol. So, all in all, I feel lucky.
So, what else has been going on…the garden. I have been having so much fun out there. I had no idea how much joy I would experience in a garden. It always seemed like work. No more. As Casey Stengel said, “It’s only work if you’d rather be doing something else.”
I do believe that this is the first year that this flower has bloomed. I have been more diligent about feeding the plants. Surprise…it makes a difference. The Morning Glory to the right is just about to bloom. I thought I lost it to some disease that causes the leaves to look like lace. I was told that once it had this disease, it would always have it. This year may be an exception. Stay tuned.
I’ve been blessed to have Mayra to help. She moved 50 ferns in one day!!
I attended Pride Parade with my siblings recently. I was encouraged by the show of support, especially by Kohl’s. There were hundreds of people marching with them. It was a lovely day.
The last one is Kathy; she’s not in drag.
And Hombrecito came out too.
Last weekend I went to the very best little-kid-birthday party ever. It was for Cordelia and Ava. Sara hired a traveling petting zoo. What a hoot! I learned that goats, sheep, cows and other grazers have triangular pupils to improve their peripheral vision. I just had a general impression that they looked weird. I was so judgmental.
https://youtu.be/cbFC1Jagyaw
https://youtu.be/wR4OGo5j6_Q
Plans for India are coming along. Very loosely, I will arrive in Mumbai the first part of December. I will meet Ash, my calligraphy teacher, and spend some time at the Art Village outside of Mumbai.
I would then like to spend time in two other states: Kerala to the north of Mumbai and Goa to the south. It is in Kerala where I see myself on a river boat, lounging in my sari. Goa is a resort/beach town. I don’t know much else about it, other than it is a good spot to visit. From Goa, I would like to take a train to meet the Women’s Expedition in Delhi. I have booked the expedition for December 21 through January 1.
Not sure yet how much of this will be alone and how much with Terrie Silverman. I’m waiting to hear from Chaitanya in response to this loose itinerary.
I’ve started working on my Christmas card. I can’t post it because I don’t want anyone to see it before they receive it.
