Today I want to go back to yesterday's post for a minute. To the part where I said I was making pudding as part of my "living my best life" plan....
Peggy said the other day in a Marco Polo - how do we know if we are living our best life right now? What does that even mean, and how do we do it?
Living MY best life has to include some moments of joy, some times when I am taken out of this self, when I see, hear, taste, smell, read, imagine, something that captivates me. Experiences that make me look around and be glad to be alive.
This has been trickier for me lately because I have been a bit "hobbled" by a bad hip. The good news is a replacement hip is in the works. BUT as hard as this has been, what an excellent lesson it is about having an alternate plan for finding joy in the midst of unpleasantness. Because surely, there will be more hardships as life unfolds.
Living my best life also includes the ability to have meaningful interactions with people, be that at work, in my personal life, and nowadays in this great big world where we connect through the internet. I mentioned my friend Peggy earlier and Marco Polo. Since she and Annette and I got together in Omaha in November we have been doing this regularly. Oh what a delight it has been. I love being able to see their faces and hear their voices when we chat. We refer to it as our endless dangling conversation that can be picked up and dropped off at will. I love that Peggy's comment about "living our best lives" triggered in me the need to do something FUN. Even if it was making banana pudding. Which by the way, Peggy in Omaha, and Annette in New Jersey, also made. Because that just extended the hilarity of the whole thing.
P.S. gratuitous photos of grocery store flowers don't have much to do with this post except for the fact that they bring me joy every time I look at them. Thanks Loooo!
Your future hip replacement will be a snap! From the pain you have to nothing, no pain at all, not to say the physical therapy isn't tough but nothing c0mpared to where you are now.For me, R-hip 2000, L hip 2004 and no problems, I still do Karate.
Posted by: jacki long | 02/18/2023 at 10:34 PM
Jacki: sending you lots of hearts for all this encouragement!
Posted by: carol | 02/19/2023 at 02:31 PM
Good luck to you carol with your hip replacement. I’ve been there with hip (and shoulder and part of my spine). How lucky we are to live in a time when these things can be fixed.
Posted by: Kathy | 02/20/2023 at 06:45 AM
The pudding post made me look up the recipe and I'm planning on making it too! Spread the love!
Posted by: Sarah S | 02/20/2023 at 02:30 PM
Lovely post! A while ago I read about a non religious person making her own sort of rosary and every night she touches a bead and recalls something nice someone did for her or something good that happened to her. She says it has improved her sleep and she wakes in a better mood. I'm about to try that myself. Finding joy and remembering gratitude are two wonderful things.
Posted by: Phyllis | 02/20/2023 at 04:04 PM
Amen Kathy! I am counting my blessings.
Posted by: carol | 02/20/2023 at 08:53 PM
Phyllis: I love the idea of intentionally reflecting on the good things in day before sleep. Putting the mind in a good spot before bed. I have been enjoying Ross Gay's "Book of Delights" before bed lately.
Posted by: Carol | 02/20/2023 at 08:57 PM
Sarah: it says you should eat it within 10 or 12 hours of making, I am still enjoying it immensely on the 3rd night after I made it. yum.
Posted by: carol | 02/20/2023 at 08:58 PM
Yikes! I have fallen far behind in my reading....so sorry to hear about your hip, but it's the "preferred" (who knew this is possible?) among my friends who have had joint replacement (one has had both!). Wishing you a rapid recovery and lots of cake and spring flowers to enjoy during your convalescence.
Posted by: jeanette sclar | 02/22/2023 at 03:29 PM