I Came Back for a Little While…

If you were to make another copy of this photo of the butterfy life cycle and reverse the copy by flipping it, then place the two photos end to end, you would begin to understand the daily cycle of my life. Today, I was free and flew. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow, but I can believe those who love me will love me whatever stage I am in, coming out, going in. Love is too simple a word to describe how I feel about you all.

I remember when my dad, holding the sacred set of family car keys, rolled them around, found one, and removed it from the key ring. Then said I could now drive all by myself. I was literally shaking, with my very own key and the trust it conveyed. Guessing it must have been 1965 …

Mom was hovering as I changed from my waitress outfit coming off my shift at the Grayling Restaurant at 11:00p on a school night. “How about you start up the car, and I’ll go with you?” she asked. I was tired. My other tiny job was getting the church ready for daily mass, and it was dark. I affirmed that. I went out, chiffon scarf protecting my ‘high hair’, started the car and waited. While I waited I must’ve dozed. Being new to the wheel, I had left it in 1st gear, so as my foot relaxed on the clutch, I proceeded to drive through the garage door, into the cans of paint piled up to do the house’s exterior.

The door didn’t just break, it was pushed thru the garage roof, and with a miracle, not one of the paint cans were touched. I put in in neutral, hand brake engaged, and sobbed. I looked up and my dad climbed in beside me. “Sweetheart,” he said. “would you give me the honor of driving me to the church so you can finish your work?” Weeping I said I never wanted to drive again. “But you have only just started. The door is no biggie, I wanted a new one.” And, through tears and exhaustion, we backed that big ole Mercury out of the garage, and to the church.

Today was like that. I was both exhilarated and worn out about driving to the doctors, leaving my home, my nest on my own. In my head, I heard Del Shannon singing “Run, run, runaway”, which I played each time I took the car out, and I made it both to and from the appts.

I thought I was on a high. I took calls, I worked FB, I did email. I didn’t recognize who I was, but I enjoyed her. And someone said, “you are not ‘high’. You are the Vicki I’ve known.”

I hadn’t realized my voice, my hibernation, my writing had taken on a new volume. Today I was tuned into station WVIC.

Tonite, I am worn out, quiet, and will need 2 days to become who I have now become. Still Vicki, but more like vicki-lite.

I wrote down a note in my calendar, for I will forget. “Today was a very good day.”

The miracle of all this is that you love Vicki v1 and Vicki v2. Vicki v3 hasn’t been released yet. Thank you…

Love, Vicki

Permanent link to this article: https://vickisvoice.tv/2010/03/i-came-back-for-a-little-while-2/

Having a Senior Moment … darn

Was watching “Sleepless in Seattle” (sniff, sniff) and went for a bottle of soda from the fridge. Have one of those handy magnetic bottle/can openers.

Poured what I wanted, turned to the fridge, put the magnet in the fridge, and as I watched (like an out of body experience) I placed the soda on the side of the fridge … My inner voice said “oooooohhhh nooooo” but my brain said “hey cool. I didn’t know you could stick soda on the outside of the fridge.”

Just a little thing can set me off. Does that happen to you? On the other hand, being an old woman I can blame it on my age, and deny it may be getting assistance from the gremlin called FTD.

Note to self: Next life FTD will ONLY mean TeleFlora Delivery.

Love, Vicki

fridge

Permanent link to this article: https://vickisvoice.tv/2010/03/having-a-senior-moment-darn/

Adding Blog Posts More Easily

A free program I found has made it easier for Vicki and I to write and publish new posts on Vicki’s Voice, and might be something you could use if you have a blog and want to simply add new posts. You still go to your blog to add comments, etc.

The program is BlogDesk, and we’ve been using it with our Windows computers for the past couple of months, and it’s working well for us on both Windows 7 and Windows XP. The only thing I haven’t been able to do so far is add a caption to a photo itself like I can if I add a photo through the blog site itself. (I’ll keep exploring the program.)

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the program, you set it to connect to your blog. The BlogDesk website has instructions for doing that.

Here’s a screenshot of this post as I was writing it with BlogDesk:

blogdesk vv-425

Let me know if you try it out, or if you have any questions. I’ll try to answer them.

Jim

Permanent link to this article: https://vickisvoice.tv/2010/03/adding-blog-posts-more-easily/

The Virtue of Flexibility

Jim is on the road, but he shared this quote with me on Facebook, which I shared there as well, too. But I know he’d want you to have a copy. In his note to me he said “I had you [we FTD’s] in mind.”

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The Virtue of Flexibility

“Trees look strong compared with the wild reeds in the field. But when the storm comes the trees are uprooted, whereas the wild reeds, while moved back and forth by the wind, remain rooted and are standing up again when the storm has calmed down.

“Flexibility is a great virtue. When we cling to our own positions and are not willing to let our hearts be moved back and forth a little by the ideas or actions of others, we may easily be broken. Being like wild reeds does not mean being wishy-washy. It means moving a little with the winds of the time while remaining solidly anchored in the ground. A humorless, intense, opinionated rigidity about current issues might cause these issues to break our spirits and make us bitter people. Let’s be flexible while being deeply rooted. “

-Henri Nouwen

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Permanent link to this article: https://vickisvoice.tv/2010/03/the-virtue-of-flexibility/

It’s Nice to Know We are Traveling Together

 

Last week, I had an opportunity to be interviewed via phone by a psychologist about FTD/Picks. I thought I’d share how I reacted to our well-known standard questions that begin ALL our doctor visits.

What is your name? Where do you live? What is the date?

Answer: I know it must be March, right?

Day of the week?

Answer: Can we make it Saturday? I like Saturdays.

Last question: Who is the president of the United States?

Answer: Proudly I answered “Obama!” but before she could continue, I shouted, “Ben Lauden!!” ;o(

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The kicker is, I was all puffed up about the president question, because a) he’s got a hard name to handle anyway and b) I was gonna impress her. To boot as often happens, when I’m speaking I suddenly get loud. Like I’m hard of hearing or something. When she started giggling I asked her what I’d said. Took a couple of mental rewinds and I was laughing too.

Lord, I want you to remember I don’t need much more humility, just in case I accidentally – as an enthusiastic youth – prayed for such things. As for other virtues, my mother always said: “For goodness sake! NEVER pray for patience.” When I had my first child I realized how true her words were. Lord, help us all.

obama-caricature

http://www.pyepimanla.com/decembre-2008/articles/Le%20discours%20d’Obama%20%E0%20Philadelphie.html Thank you for the use of the link.

Hugs to you all … Vicki

Permanent link to this article: https://vickisvoice.tv/2010/03/its-nice-to-know-we-are-traveling-together/