I haven't blogged since June 16, the 44th anniversary of "Sidetracked Home Executives." A lot has happened since then and it has taken me this long to write to you.
On May 4, Terry, my wonderful husband, was diagnosed with Dementia and it turned my world up-side-down. My wonderful adult children have been there for me, sometimes in the middle of the night, because I couldn't sleep. I had advice from my kind and loving neighbor whose mother has dementia. Reading up on it was a big mistake! The literature described the emotions Terry could experience: anger, rage, depression, sadness, confusion, fear and the list went on-and-on. To this day he hasn't suffered any of these negative emotions. I, on the other hand, served every one of them. The info also told me what was going to happen to him. Not something a person with a vivid imagination should read.
There's a scene in the movie, "Something's Gotta Give," where Diane Keaton totally depicts my emotional state that lasted far longer than I wanted.
As a writer of happy, positive ideas, I could no longer find any. My sense of humor ran away and hid. I didn't have a happy idea worth sharing with you. It would have been phony, so the best thing I could do was stay away from my computer until I healed.
One month later, I was still feeling crappy and I thought it was because of Terry. Another month went by and I was dragging myself around the house, unable to sleep, not wanting to eat and dealing with a roller coaster of emotions. I finally went to the doctor.
I was diagnosed with Grave's disease. It sounds horrible, but it's treatable. (It seems a drug I had to take when my heart was running amuck, damaged my thyroid and caused this disease. It left me with no energy, legs that didn't want to go anywhere or do anything except hold my feet on.)
In the last week in August, my spirit has started coming back! The drug they use to control the thyroid, works! I wanted to play again. Laugh again. Walk again. Live again! Today I felt my sense of humor sneak back enough to write to you and share this personal story with you in a lighthearted way.
Terry is positive and so happy about his situation. He's happier than I've ever seen him! In fact he's turned into kind of a male version of me! Now he can sit in the shade of one of our huge maple trees and watch the butterflies, flit from flower to flower. He raves about regular food I fix, not because I did anything special, his taste buds are better. He talks to our dog Maggie and gets down on the floor with her.
He's finally retired at 78 and we have more free time to do what retired people do; enjoy life without working. Terry put outdoor chairs in different places in the yard, so we can sit and enjoy different views on our property. Maggie follows us everywhere and adds such joy to us.
I'm not ready to retire, because this last chapter in my life has helped me understand why SHEs can lose a reason to get organized. I didn't understand that four months ago. I didn't get why a person would not be able to get on the SHE system and succeed. If you can't seem to get excited about cleaning your sink, it's okay. Give yourself a break. The world will keep on turning. The most important thing you can do is have faith and know that everything will be alright.
I will be retiring soon, but first I'll be releasing my new book, "How to Live Happily Ever After: Cinderella Did it And You Can Too." It will not be in print, just a digital book. Of course I now have to add a chapter about what to do when your world is turned upside down and you could care less whether you live happily ever after.
I read the Happiness File during my hard times, but it was like someone saying, "Come on, smile! You can do it. SMILE." My mom would say that to me when I was in a sulk and I hated it when she'd make me smile when I was m
But if you're happy, you'll love the book. The audio CDs are sold out, but the audible download and the e-book are available.
Take care all of you and if you're happy appreciate it with all your heart.
Love,