It's been such a long time that I've wondered if I should even start writing again. We've been experiencing some challenges at the home of The Lunatic. After Trent's surgery, he developed a bad case of sciatica. This apparently aggravated his arthritic knees, leaving him unsteady on his legs. Add to that a couple of minor fractures in his ankle, and it's just not been a great deal of fun.
Of course, it gets to be even more of a party when my lupus and fibromyalgia are thrown into the mix. I don't drive (a long story for another time), but one of our favorite supermarkets is right behind our apartment complex. Instead of putting Trent through the pain and struggle of getting to and from the car and driving me there, I just started walking there a couple of times a week, getting just enough things to be able to carry them home in my reusable grocery bags.
A few weeks ago, I started to notice a lot of weakness with any exertion on my part. Trent would drive me to the market and by the time I carried in the groceries, I was completely out of strength. I'm talking about breaking out in a sweat and unable to stand any more. A few weeks ago, it actually got a bit scary. I knew I needed to pick up a few things at the store and wasn't feeling very strong, but set out on my trip anyway, promising Trent and myself that I'd try to walk slowly (har-har) and not overdo. Well, before I finished at the store, I felt my strength slipping away from me.
Being the stubborn idiot that I am, I soldiered on. After all, I had ice cream among my purchases, and you have to protect the Ben and Jerry's from melting. Well, I had barely made it the side of the building before I had to stop and rest. It became a series of small goals - walk to the tree and lean on it while you rest. I would gladly have sunk down on the cool grass but my knees are so bad I probably wouldn't have been able to get back up by myself. From the tree to the railing in the shade by one of the buildings. A bit more to lean on a stop sign. I saw a woman walking to her car and thought maybe I'd call to her for help, but she was in the other direction from where I was headed.
Another little distance to the handicapped parking sign, about twenty yards from the front of our building. I was at my limit. As I leaned on the pole, I devised a plan. I would sit down on the curb (I wasn't going to be standing any longer as the lights were going dim preparatory to me passing out) and rest. When I felt better, I would call the leasing office and ask them to send someone over to help me get back up so I could get home. And then a car drove up and a voice said, "Do you need help?"
Those words can be like the songs of angels when you're really struggling. Jackie, the woman I had spotted getting into her car, and her son Kaden, helped me. I was helped into the car and the AC was turned up. After a few minutes, the head-to-toe sweat I had broken out in was fading, and I was weak but no longer dizzy. Jackie held my arm as I walked to the front door. I had been rescued.
When someone takes the time and effort to help another person who is not doing well, they become a hero. Jackie may have only fallen a few minutes behind on her schedule, but her actions were so important to me. She's also leading and teaching her young son by example. Instead of averting their heads and trying not to see others and their problems, they gladly became involved. My faith in humanity continues to grow when fed by moments such as these.
Today has been another challenging day. I needed to go to a couple of stores, and I wasn't thrilled about it. Not just because it's Saturday and I despise going to the grocery on such a busy day, but because of my low energy levels. While I was at store number one, I felt the energy starting to drain away. I sat down for several minutes to rest before going to the checkout lane. Yes, the head-to-toe sweat, I'm-running-out-of-gas business kicked into high gear. I made it out to the car safely and told Trent I'd have to rest a bit before the next store. I could have just had him take me home, but I wasn't about to miss out on the one-day sale on butter! (I know you're probably shaking your head at my lunacy right now; I did as I was typing it!)
Well, I got through the second store on sheer stubbornness and we made it home. By the time I made the second trip into the house (with my fully-loaded reusable bags), I was sort of a wreck. I'd take one or two things out of a bag, put them in the fridge, and collapse onto a chair to rest. It took a while, but I managed to get everything that needed to be chilled or frozen in its proper location. There are some canned goods sitting in a bag on the dining room floor, but I do not care.
After we rested a while, I checked on Brutus D. Fatcat, my sister's feline. Yes, I succumbed to his obvious request for treats. When I was filling his water bowl, I heard my phone ring, but my hands were occupied, and it wasn't my sister's ringtone, so I ignored it. Just after I saw that it was an unfamiliar number, my phone told me I had a voicemail. And that's when my day got interesting.
A very pleasant female voice told me that she was looking for a woman who had the same last name as Trent and was wondering if she was related and if we could help find this woman she had known years ago. I couldn't just ignore her message because I didn't know the Collins that she was trying to locate. I called this lovely person in New York and gave her a few suggestions on how to find her long-lost friend. During the conversation, I learned that Sarah, the person being sought, had adopted three children. Peggy, who was searching for Sarah, told me that her husband had been the children's pediatrician. I also learned that Sarah and her husband wanted to adopt a child and Peggy said, "How about three?" And Sarah and her husband adopted all three children that Peggy helped them find.
After I told Peggy that I would love to hear how her search progressed and we ended our call, I searched for Sarah and the city in which she lived. Sadly, what I found was her obituary from February of 2016. Back on the phone I went, letting Peggy know what I had found. We spoke for a few more minutes, and I found myself another hero. Peggy and her husband had adopted six hard-to-place children, some with disabilities. She and her husband helped found an organization that works to find families for children in the foster-care system. Many of these children are hard to place in homes because of disabilities or their age. They also did a great deal of work to improve adoption laws across the country.
As for Sarah, she was a highly respected professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology. She served on numerous boards including the College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board (after her retirement), Planned Parenthood, art centers, libraries, schools of music and dance, and more. Her obituary mentioned that memorial donations could be made to Friends of Eastman Opera at Eastman School of Music.
I am thrilled to have received what some might consider a wrong-number call today. It allowed me to learn about two amazing women, my new heroes. Thanks for inspiring me with who you are and what you have done, Professor Sarah Jo Huff Collins of the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Peggy Soule of CAP, Children Awaiting Parents. I'm so happy to have had your lives touch mine, as many people undoubtedly have before me.
**************************************************************** The Tip Jar:
As always, I am happy and honored to write for you. It brings me great joy, and I hope that it gives you joy and/or food for thought. If you'd like to support the cause, please visit:
https://www.paypal.me/TheLunatic
Thank you for reading!
