Wake-up Call

Have you ever felt like the deck is stacked against you? That’s a little like how I feel right now. It seems every time I try to make positive changes in my life, instead of making forward progress, I slide further backwards.

Just as I was geared up and ready to begin my exercise program, I injured my shoulder. I tried to pick up something heavy and “pop” it went. I guess that makes an even stronger case for exercise; if I had kept my muscles strong and healthy, they would protect my joints from injury. My body’s giving me a major wake-up call; “Time to get in gear and make a plan for life, girl.”

After the initial pain, I began trying to stretch it gently, and that seemed to help some. My Mom had me take some ibuprofen, but I really prefer not to take any kind of pain relievers (or any kind of medicine, for that matter). My doctor referred me to my orthopedic doctor who has a major backlog and can’t get me in for several weeks. In the meantime, I am continuing to do stretching exercises and try not to use that arm to lift anything heavy.

And I don’t plan to stay sidelined for long. The physical therapy department has measured me for a new walker (I grew too tall for my other one), and as soon as I get it I can begin a walking regime. There is a beautiful park near our house that has a mile-long concrete walking trail that we are going to start walking on. Mom says it will be good for her as well. We are also going to get one of those portable stair steppers that will strengthen the muscles in my legs.

On a lighter note, I am doing very well in my home school classes. Did I tell you what I’m studying? I am taking Economics, Environmental Science, Creative Writing and French. I know, bet you think those are pretty “dry” subjects. I find them all very interesting, but I’m still not very good at French. I know the alphabet, numbers up to 30, colors, seasons, weather expressions, months and days of the week, as well as some simple conversation such as “Hi, how are you?” and responses to conversations. I also know how to order food if I were ever to visit France! I haven’t mastered the art of speaking the French language without my southern accent. Makes for an interesting combination!! There is a French Braille code, but our French is brailed in the American version with accent marks.

In Economics, I have been doing some case studies on entrepreneurs such as Michael Dell and Bill Gates. These men were born in 1965 and 1955, respectively, and are some of the richest men in the world. Neither of these men started out rich. Michael Dell started out selling PC’s from his dorm room in college, and Bill Gates began his computer software career in High School when he and some friends created a computer program to analyze and graph traffic data. Gates and friends marketed the program to city governments, and brought in $20,000 before officials realized they were dealing with students! Microsoft is the rest of the story!

Because of my studies in Environmental Science, I am seeing the world plight in a different way. It seems so easy to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world and put blinders on to keep from realizing the truth about the way most of the world’s populations are forced to live. And I never truly realized what horrific things we are doing to our planet, and then wondering why we have global warming. I think taking this course in High School will give me a good base for my college courses. I hope to later go into law; preferably Environmental Law.

And in Creative Writing I get to read (which I love to do), not only the great works of Leon Uris and George Orwell, but diverse writings of Chang-rae Lee and Maia Szalavitz, who is a former television producer turned writer. I also get to spread my wings in writing assignment essays and poems. I like to write in the genre now labeled “urban fantasy”, which covers the supernatural from vampires to werewolves to witches, and like to inject an undertone of romance. Before taking this course, I had written some fan-fiction based on the Harry Potter stories and some of Kim Harrison’s characters. Writing without vision can be a hindrance, since I cannot describe the colors and scenery as well as people with vision.

Since I started home schooling late in the year, I will probably have to continue my classes into the summer in order to finish with full credits, but I am determined to do just that. I think if I progress at the pace I have been, I will finish in time to take a couple of weeks off to visit my friend in Nevada before I start a new year in August.

I’ll be keeping you up to date on everything going on in my life. Join me next time, and until then, stay safe, healthy and happy!