While Walking Duncan - A Guest Post, Sort Of

Note:  This post is long overdue.  My host site had problems for over a week, and then we went on vacation.  I'm so excited to share this with you!


I'd like to introduce you to my blogger friend, Curt.  Curt and I met through the power of the Internet.  His Dad, a man I worked with years ago, sometimes posts links to Curt's blog, www.whilewalkingduncan.com. on Facebook.  As soon as I discovered Curt, I knew we were kindred spirits.

Curt and I  both blog, and we both love Golden Retrievers.  Curt writes about his adventures with Duncan, his Golden Retriever, his partner, Ken , and all about life in general.  Curt, like me, suffers from General Anxiety Disorder.  Curt is is honest, he's pragmatic, and he has a heart of gold.  And,  the man can WRITE!  This is a snippet of Curt's thoughts on GAD:

Anyone who suffers from anxiety knows that it's a truly horrific experience that changes your entire perception of the world. Nothing is safe and even when there doesn't appear to be any anxiety the fear of it returning becomes even worse than the anxiety itself. The world becomes your enemy. Tasks that most people take for granted, things I'd done daily, like drive to work, or watch television, go to movies, visit friends, walk Duncan, become impossible. I spent three miserable months holed up, hardly venturing outside, watching as Ken struggled to be brave and patient and comprehend what was happening. - Curt Rogers - www.whilewalkingduncan.com

Isn't he amazing?  When I first read this, I felt as though he had written the words directly out of my head.  This is what I've been trying to put on paper for a very long time, but I just couldn't find the words.

This is not an "I'm feeling sorry for myself post", because self-pity is not something I feel when I go through these phases.  What I do feel is terrified, anxious (obviously), helpless and guilty.  Depression and anxiety go hand in hand for me.  Trust me, I don't want my worst enemy to struggle with this, and it makes me sad that my loved ones have to suffer because of my issues. 

Curt has found a tactic that helps him, and it's pretty neat.  Read more here:  http://whilewalkingduncan.blogspot.com/2012/05/feathers-for-flight.html

Myself, I'm working with essential oils, medication, a gluten-free diet, self-affirmation, and therapy.

My point is, if you suffer from GAD, depression, or any other condition, speak out!  We need to communicate. We can only help one another by talking and sharing ideas.  We're all human.

Special thanks to Curt for letting me share his thoughts.

God Speed.

-MM

Test Post.

Teach Your Children Well

By now, you've heard the story of Karen Klein, the school bus monitor from Rochester, NY, who was viciously bullied by her charges.  When I watched the story on The Today Show, and then watched the You Tube video, I cried.  I was sick to my stomach, all the while trying to imagine what these youngsters were thinking when they said the vile things they said.  Then there's the latest incident, involving the 9/11 Memorial :  http://www.newser.com/story/148814/nyc-teens-trash-911-memorial.html

We strive to teach Murray to have respect for all (humans and animals), good manners, and most importantly, compassion and acceptance.  At the tender age of four, we still have some control over how he behaves.  But what happens when he's six?  Or ten?  Or fifteen?  We obviously can't control his behavior when we're not around.

I can only pray that the lessons we teach Murray now will carry forward...and beyond. 

What do you think?  Are the parents to blame?  Or, were they just being typical teens and pre-teens acting out? 

Beds

Let's go back in time, just for a bit.

When Craig and I first shared a home, we slept in a small water bed.  Yes, a water bed.  When the heater in the bed quit, we still slept there, with quilts covering the bladder of the water bed.  I didn't mind at all, because the smaller the bed, the closer we were (ahem).   After about six months though, the novelty wore off and I lost my patience with the damn thing (can we say freezing!).  We threw it out and used a previously owned, queen sized mattress that I had kept in storage.

Fast forward two years.  We decided that a new bed was in order, so we went shopping.  Craig fell in love with the queen version of bed heaven - cashmere pillow top - while I was happily testing the king sized version of bed heaven.  Thinking my money conscious husband would agree with the queen version - more room for snuggling - he surprised me, and together, we purchased the enormous king version.  I really thought I had won the lottery.

As it turned out, he's really not a cuddling type of man.  Boy, was I fooled!

After our first fabulous night sleeping in our huge bed, I woke to Craig delightfully declaring, "I need a map to find you!"  I'm still not sure if that's a compliment.

As much room as we have in the great giant bed, there is never enough.  I like to sleep with about twenty-two feather pillows and lots of air conditioning, while Craig likes to heat himself to death and steal half of my pillows.  I like to cuddle while I sleep, while Craig thinks nothing short of shoving me off of my side of the bed.  On early weekend mornings when Murray is finally invited into our bed, we might as well not sleep.  He kicks, he pokes, and he grunts and snores.  Then, at some point, Rudy jumps in with us. 

Despite this?  I wouldn't change a thing.  Plus, Craig still has his own space.  He can always sleep on the couch.

Sleep tight!
-M

32

It's been much too long since I've posted.  The reason?  Well, I'll get to that in another post.  For now, let's talk happy things.

Today I turned 32 years old.  Considering that two weeks ago I thought I was turning 31, it was quite a surprise.  Ha!  Denial is a force to be reckoned with.

Last night, Craig and Murray brought me a present, and today, I woke up to a special day at the lake with my good friend.  Because the weather wasn't the best, we made due with shopping, a soak in the hot tub and much needed girl talk.  It was such a relief to connect with her again; this is one of those days I'll cherish forever.  To top it off, I had lots of text messages, facebook messages, and a fabulous beach bag from my parents in law.  They completely get me.

I'm so grateful for God, family, and friends.  Stay tuned for updates more often.  I think I'm finally back on track.  Or, at least, I'm getting there.

Blessings to you,
M

The Four Year Old "Talk"

Oh help.

Murray:        (sigh) I wish I had a girlfriend.
Me:               Oh really?  What would you do with a girlfriend?
Murray:         Play with her.
Me:               (another sigh, this time, of relief)  That's nice.  Why do you want a girlfriend?
Murray:        Well, Mom, she showed me her butt.
Me:               (trying to stay calm)  Really?  Where?  When?
Murray:         I can't tell you where, but it was a few days ago.
Me:                What did you do?
Murray:         Well, I hid by a tree.
Me:               Good choice, Murray.  We shouldn't show our private parts, right?
Murray:         Right, but we can to our moms and dads, but not to our friends.
Me:               Yep, that's right!
Murray:         But, can we talk about a penis, a vagina, and a pink eye?


Oh help.