Don't follow your instincts and put your left arm out to catch yourself when you fall. Especially if you're Andy. Terrible things can happen. You might break both bones in your left arm when you are snowboarding at the age of 15. You might dislocate your shoulder and tear the labrum while doing so while falling down some icy stairs in Mongolia while serving a mission. Over a year ago. Then you'd have to put up with daily pain until you could get back to the states to get it looked at. Yup, an MRI revealed a tear in the labrum. Unpleasant surgery recommended. Lots of pain involved . A nerve block kept him out of pain for the first 24 hours. Amazing how those work. Thanks to modern medicine, they put six anchors into his shoulder to reattach the labrum back to the bone. He'll be in a sling for six weeks. Can't lift or move his shoulder. Then lots of painful physical therapy.
Oh, and thank goodness for Percocet (carefully monitored.)
Feel free to give him a call and offer some encouragement and sympathy. He's a brave kid who has had his fair share of suffering.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bad news at the Dr. today
This is what a normal knee looks like from the back view. See all that nice space between the femur and the tibia where the meniscus is? I don't have hardly any of that in my left knee.
My left knee is shot. Bone on bone. It's been locking up lately when it's been at an angle. It gets stuck and won't move until finally it makes a loud pop and goes back into place. It's not pleasant when that happens and it's been happening more often. Today an X-ray revealed bone on bone and bone spurs and arthritis. Yikes. The Dr. said that for all that is wrong with it, it's amazing I'm not in more pain. He's surprised that I can do all that I can do. He said to keep doing it, so I'll keep walking, exercising and just living my life but at some point I'm going to need steroid shots to control the pain and ultimately---a knee replacement. Shoot!
This is all because of skiing you know.
A series of unfortunate events has brought me to this point.
I broke my left femur at age 20 while skiing at Sundance
Traction in the hospital for six weeks, a body cast for six more.
Knee immobile in traction and the body cast. Cartilage was stiffened and my knee got welded in place from non use. Painful physical therapy loosed it up again, but at a cost to the cartilage. It became more brittle.
Skiing again at age 45 with the family for the start of the new millennium at Snowbird.
Fell (not even that hard ) and wrenched my knee.
Tore the meniscus (cartilage) between the two big bones in the knee.
Went along with pain on and off for five years.
After gardening one spring, it started to swell and I couldn't go on.
Got a knee scope and the Dr. smoothed out the torn meniscus.
(Also got burned in the process and got a nice settlement from
the hospital - that's a story for another day.)
Knee slowly improved.
It's been doing pretty well these last five years until now when it started locking up.
I really did enjoy skiing. I hope it was worth it.
My mother predicted this might happen back in 1975.
I guess she was right....
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Parents of young children
I admire them.
I was one of them once, but you kind of forget.
The daily schedule is relentless.
The hours are way bad.
I was one of them once, but you kind of forget.
The daily schedule is relentless.
The hours are way bad.
The payoff comes years later (usually)
although there are dividends along the way.
although there are dividends along the way.
You have to go on faith and
work hard.
My belief is that parents of young children ought to have a plan.
Work at it as a team. Be consistent.
It's very important that both parents agree and
buy in on how to undertake this important responsibility.
It's should not be taken lightly.
That makes for the very best situation for a child.
This fact cannot be overstated.
There is no certification to become a parent.
No parenting license.
Maybe in some cases there should be
since effective parenting is probably one
of the most important factors
in determining if a kid will
have a true chance at succeeding in life.
There is work to be done, and done again, and again and again.
The daily schedule is repetitive and relentless.
Up early, to bed late, with interruptions during the nights.
Meals to be made and cleaned up again and again...and again.
Endless piles of laundry.
Not enough sleep.
Usually, not enough money.
Not enough time.
work hard.
My belief is that parents of young children ought to have a plan.
Work at it as a team. Be consistent.
It's very important that both parents agree and
buy in on how to undertake this important responsibility.
It's should not be taken lightly.
That makes for the very best situation for a child.
This fact cannot be overstated.
There is no certification to become a parent.
No parenting license.
Maybe in some cases there should be
since effective parenting is probably one
of the most important factors
in determining if a kid will
have a true chance at succeeding in life.
There is work to be done, and done again, and again and again.
The daily schedule is repetitive and relentless.
Up early, to bed late, with interruptions during the nights.
Meals to be made and cleaned up again and again...and again.
Endless piles of laundry.
Not enough sleep.
Usually, not enough money.
Not enough time.
Patience is required...and a lot of it.
A sense of humor helps.
Sometimes, there is not enough training and know
how to get the job done well.
So often, young parents just do to their children
what was done to them.
This can be good or it can be bad.
But to compensate, there is unconditional love,
innocence, teaching moments, appreciation, kindness, laughter, joy.
There are a lot of things that have to be done that aren't any fun at all.
Another life is totally and completely dependent on you the parent.
Changing diapers, potty training, brushing and flossing teeth, breaking up squabbles,
setting limits and enforcing them, doing the bedtime routine,
wiping up spills, picking up the toys for the millionth time.
Changing the wet bed sheets again.
Changing diapers, potty training, brushing and flossing teeth, breaking up squabbles,
setting limits and enforcing them, doing the bedtime routine,
wiping up spills, picking up the toys for the millionth time.
Changing the wet bed sheets again.
Listening to crying almost hourly.
There are so many things to be taught and shown by example.
And don't forget about limiting TV time,
keeping a constant outlook for their well being,
and the worst of all
Buckling and unbuckling those blasted car seats 35 times a day.
But, at the end of the day there is an overwhelming sense of love.
There is a little person staring back at you who looks like you
and
even sometimes acts like you.
So, you take it a day at a time.
You do the best you can.
You pray. Sometimes you cry.
And, you just keep on going.
Because you are a parent
There are so many things to be taught and shown by example.
And don't forget about limiting TV time,
keeping a constant outlook for their well being,
and the worst of all
Buckling and unbuckling those blasted car seats 35 times a day.
But, at the end of the day there is an overwhelming sense of love.
There is a little person staring back at you who looks like you
and
even sometimes acts like you.
So, you take it a day at a time.
You do the best you can.
You pray. Sometimes you cry.
And, you just keep on going.
Because you are a parent
and you have help from heaven to assist you in
the most rewarding experience of a lifetime.
I'm so proud of you young parents!
You amaze me.
You're doing a wonderful job.
the most rewarding experience of a lifetime.
I'm so proud of you young parents!
You amaze me.
You're doing a wonderful job.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
World Cup basics
No, I'm not calling you stupid. I don't know as much about the World Cup as I'd like, either. But in a measley 170 words I've managed to give you everything you need to know about the tournament so you'll be informed when it all kicks off. Why waste your time reading long-winded articles or listening to actual experts? I hate listening to experts.
Here we go:
World Cup Basics
32 teams are playing in the tournament held throughout South Africa.
They are broken down into eight groups (four countries in each).
Each team plays one game against the three other nations in their group.
The top two squads from each group then move onto the elimination round based on win-loss record for a total of 16 teams. The tie breaker (if you really want to dig deep) is head-to-head and then goal differential.
The 16 teams then enter a bracket-style, single-elimination playoff (like March Madness).
If the score is tied at the end of regulation (90 minutes plus the time spent spraying players' injuries with Pledge) it goes to a shootout.
The Favorites (in descending order)
Brazil
Spain
England
Argentina (whoot whoot!)
Italy
Germany
Netherlands
France
Ivory Coast
Portugal (oh yeah!)
USA (go guys go!)
Five Players You Need to Know
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
Lionel Messi, Argentina
Kaka, Brazil
Xavi, Spain
The United States Schedule
Saturday June 12, 2:30 p.m. EST vs. England
Friday June 18, 10:00 a.m. EST vs. Slovenia
Wednesday June 23, 10:00 a.m. EST vs. Algeria
Good luck soccer fans! Both of you…
Check out this site. Cool stuff.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Happiness Remix
I can't turn it off. Since I was given the topic of "being a humble seeker of happiness" for the women's conference talk back at the end of December, I've thought a lot about happiness. I keep thinking about it...I've observed people, asked them questions about what makes them happy and read anything that I come across that has to do with happiness. It's such an interesting topic and of course being happy means different things to different people. Recently I've read three points of view that I thought would be worth sharing. Here are the gems:
From the USA Weekend newspaper magazine -
Want to be happy? Have a conversation. What's important to a happy life are meaningful conversations say researchers at the University of Arizona in Tuscon and Washington University in St. Louis. People who spend less time alone and more time talking meaningfully to others are found to be happier. They found that the happiest participants spend 25% less time alone and 70% more time talking than the unhappiest. Researchers suggest deep conversations may give a sense of meaning in interactions with others, which may make people happier.
From the LDS church news, May 29, 2010-
Most people one would surmise, want to be happy; many spend a lifetime actively seeking happiness. However, the number of individuals who actually achieve that goal seems to be greatly limited. Many people think that the word "pleasure" has the same meaning as the word for "joy" or "happiness". In their pursuit of happiness, they take a route that leads only to pleasure, which, in most cases, has a shorter shelf life than joy or happiness.
Is it not plainly laid out for us in Ecclesiastes 5:10 and 12:13 that those individuals who have true happiness are the ones who not only have faith in the Lord but also obey His commandments and live their lives in a manner that will bless others? Being true to our duty shows that we are true followers of the Lord. Staying true to our duty is the only way to obtain happiness.
From the book I'm currently reading - Three Cups of Tea -
Norberg-Hodge admiringly quotes the king of another Himalayan country, Bhutan, who says that the true measure of a nations' success is not gross national product, but "gross national happiness." On their warm, dry roofs, among the fruits of their successful harvest, eating, smoking, gossiping with a sense of leisure, Mortensen felt that for all they lacked, the Balti still held the key to a kind of uncomplicated happiness that was disappearing in the developing world as fast as old-growth forests. Their happiness sprung from the simple pleasures of good food, good conversation and the attention of family and friends.
I think there are three little nuggets of wisdom in these quotes. True happiness comes from connecting to others in conversation, in making our actions consistent with our knowledge of right and wrong, in performing our duty and serving others and in enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
From the USA Weekend newspaper magazine -
Want to be happy? Have a conversation. What's important to a happy life are meaningful conversations say researchers at the University of Arizona in Tuscon and Washington University in St. Louis. People who spend less time alone and more time talking meaningfully to others are found to be happier. They found that the happiest participants spend 25% less time alone and 70% more time talking than the unhappiest. Researchers suggest deep conversations may give a sense of meaning in interactions with others, which may make people happier.
From the LDS church news, May 29, 2010-
Most people one would surmise, want to be happy; many spend a lifetime actively seeking happiness. However, the number of individuals who actually achieve that goal seems to be greatly limited. Many people think that the word "pleasure" has the same meaning as the word for "joy" or "happiness". In their pursuit of happiness, they take a route that leads only to pleasure, which, in most cases, has a shorter shelf life than joy or happiness.
Is it not plainly laid out for us in Ecclesiastes 5:10 and 12:13 that those individuals who have true happiness are the ones who not only have faith in the Lord but also obey His commandments and live their lives in a manner that will bless others? Being true to our duty shows that we are true followers of the Lord. Staying true to our duty is the only way to obtain happiness.
From the book I'm currently reading - Three Cups of Tea -
Norberg-Hodge admiringly quotes the king of another Himalayan country, Bhutan, who says that the true measure of a nations' success is not gross national product, but "gross national happiness." On their warm, dry roofs, among the fruits of their successful harvest, eating, smoking, gossiping with a sense of leisure, Mortensen felt that for all they lacked, the Balti still held the key to a kind of uncomplicated happiness that was disappearing in the developing world as fast as old-growth forests. Their happiness sprung from the simple pleasures of good food, good conversation and the attention of family and friends.
I think there are three little nuggets of wisdom in these quotes. True happiness comes from connecting to others in conversation, in making our actions consistent with our knowledge of right and wrong, in performing our duty and serving others and in enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
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