In the Waiting Room

While looking through one of my old spiral notebooks this afternoon, I found this little stream-of-conscience piece I had written while waiting at the children’s hospital with my family for results on my youngest son, Christoper’s MRI results on the remnants of his brain tumor. I’d forgotten I’d written this!

Since it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, I failed to write down the date that I created it. Considering this was a time when I was still married, I’m guessing this note was sometime between 2014 and 2020.

I found this very short message somehow touching and visceral, so I decided to share it here with you all, my friends from all over the world.

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As I wait with my son and husband to be called back to one of the patient rooms, my body is a walking zombie with dopey (? can’t read) and sleeping waves rolling through me.

Christopher waits patiently to find out, as do his dad and I, what his MRI results are.

Yellows, oranges, and reds across from us with an astronaut posing with arms outstretched to take off any minute.

A blue sky with wispy clouds frame the silver suit flaming reds and blues.

Makeshift wings stand alert, unfolded and bold at his sides.

A blue screen sixty feet across sleeps, displaying no images. Is this a resting mini-theater scheduled for future shows?

Several images representing flying. Flying high, soaring, reaching, transcending illness, challenges, pain, and crossing over to healing an all-encompassing healing of soul and body.

Flying correlates with a sense of spiritual ascendency.

But truly, if I close my eyes, I could fall right to sleep.

This Valium affects me like never before, and not just takes off the anxious edge, but this time, it’s created a drowsiness where everything, including me, moves in slow motion, like those running on film that is slowed down, and the person’s arms and legs rotate like the gears of a clock running out of batteries.

Hopefully, soon, we shall be sitting in the patient room hearing something akin to no change or dissipated remnant. Only God knows.

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In 2020, my son’s brain tumor disappeared. He’d had it since he was an infant (don’t know the exact point it appeared and grew in his head, but he was diagnosed with the brain tumor attached to his brain stem in 2003 when he was 13 months old). We were so surprised when the doctor said the tumor was gone, I remember. I nearly couldn’t speak. However, it was welcome news and joy grew inside me and life changed at that moment for Christopher and the whole family. Thank you, God!

SUGAR and Other FOODS

Cutting down on sugar a year ago this month was a good choice for me. Especially at my age. I didn’t want to continue eating so much every day. It isn’t good for people’s health (been learning a lot about it. Although, I kind of knew that years ago).

In the last eight or so months, I’ve lost 10-12 lbs., just because I’ve scaled down sugar. I allow myself a cheesecake slice or something along those lines on special occasions, and that’s worked well. The weight came off very easily, and this is pretty awesome since I’m in menopause, where the average weight you gain is 10 pounds! I’m now in the weight range I’m supposed to be in for my height.

In the last three years up to recently, I’ve had to really watch eating the food at my work. I’d have it every now and then, but at this point, I’d like to go back to not eating any fast food, except when it can’t be helped, which can happen on road trips. Before 2021, I’d only eaten Burger King once since before 2011. I have eaten at Subway several times in the past decade up to now. I don’t know it that is considered fast food.

When I went to non pre-processed food and organic whole foods back in 2011, that choice was also crucial for my blood sugar and overall health. Before doing that, I had to eat every three hours because I wasn’t getting the nutrients I needed in the food I was consuming (including too much sugar and starches, along with the other things I just mentioned here). Within a couple of years, I was finally able to fast before Communion the proper way (no food after midnight on Saturday evenings until Communion Sunday late morning). I also didn’t have hypoglycemic attacks for years and could go longer without eating throughout the day.

Thankful I don’t snack during the day and don’t eat after dinner at night. That’s always been a thing for me. But it’s a good thing, anyway!

I’ve also been keeping up on walking on my office-sized treadmill for four months so far. I walk at least 4 times a week, and that works well for me.

In addition, I should really go back to eating a high protein, low carb diet I was on in my early to mid-twenties due to my borderline hypoglycemia. It really balanced my blood sugar so well.

I do know for a fact that there is only one type of meat that makes me feel completely balanced, whole, and clear-headed. It’s beef in the form of either a burger or steak. It’s especially healthy if you eat grass-fed, organic beef with 85% fat. If you go higher in less fat, like 90%, it will raise your insulin levels, so keep to the 85%.

Eating whole foods is important because they give your body the nutrients it needs, and you aren’t hungry for several hours at a time. Organic whole milk is good to drink for its omega fats and has “more disease-fighting antioxidants than non-organic milk”, or non-whole milk, for that matter. Organic pasture-raised eggs are really good for you as well. I really like the eggs with the orange yolks. They taste better to me than the ones with yellow yokes. Just my preference.

I watched an amazing documentary last night and the rest this afternoon. Although, I’ve always kind of known this because of my experiences with these foods over the past 30+ years, some info I didn’t know, and so it was so helpful. I will post it below so you can watch if you’re interested.

Through my research of food and my own experiences over 30+ years, I found the biggest component in one’s health is what he/she eats. Food is the pinnacle of health. So, it’s important what we put into our bodies. Second would be exercise, although you don’t have to kill yourself doing exercises. Simple walking, biking, stretching, gardening, tai chi, and yoga works well. I do know some basic weight lifting (like 1-2 lb. hand weights) can help. Eating healthy fats and proteins helps your energy levels, creates muscle, and keeps your brain functioning well with no brain fog or grogginess.

I felt like sharing all of this info and hope it helps those who read this who were curious or interested in knowing about these things. Also, I hope you find this info interesting if nothing else. 🙂