Having a quick breakfast with a friend helped me refocus, for I dearly wanted to get to the YMCA exercise class, and I did so! Movement sure helps shift things, and being with others also not as fit as we'd like to be. It was a sunny but windy, cool day and on the spur of the moment, I chose to join the YMCA Senior potluck, realizing how lucky I am to live next door, so it was easy to go home for my bag of chips and a drink, then just show up. The atmosphere was very festive thanks to Laurie and Genia's good planning, and I sat next to a lady from Connecticut, quite new to Ashland.
I am good at befriending strangers, and hope to see her and her husband at Jeff's Glass Sale on Sunday. Happily, there were a couple of gluten-free dishes, and even a touch of pumpkin pie. I left before the White elephants as I had not brought one, and came home to a rare but so special treat, a newly formed Brass Quartet (SOU students) was playing delightful music in our commons area. Glad I'd cancelled my dentist appointment, as I need to breath more easily before having a new filling is a good idea.
Needed a nap when I returned home, and had my last hour with Megan, my newest caregiver who drives to Portland Saturday to be with her family till Jan. 8. She made a tempeh/veggie dish to get me through the weekend, and just smelling healthy food helped me rest. Then I took a short walk to the bank to deposit Xmas money I can use toward my GoFundMe account, and I even made an appointment to schedule the surgery in January, though I still need another $900 to be able to get the special lenses I need beyond regular cataract ones. Helps to focus on what I hope can come true!
Megan helped me correctly use my new inhaler, so I have more confidence and won't use it again at bedtime, when it's a stimulant and I didn't know that (phoned the pharmacist Friday am to find out).
Then Megan fed me a yummy salad about 5 pm, and together we drove to the high school-I was treating her to The Winter Fine Arts Festival where each year they have an auction and performance to raise funds for their arts programs. The cafe "dinner" was soup and bread, so glad we'd had something before hand! I did enjoy their coconut, corn and red pepper soup, and Megan liked the potato leek soup with a rich cream base I cannot enjoy with all this mucous in my system. The displays of art work were amazing, from murals to lots of photos, drawings, paintings, and many gifts from local businesses for the auction. We stayed for the first half of the performance, but I began coughing too much to stay the second half.
The MC was a 26 year veteran of the Shakespeare Festival, and he mentioned The Guardian recently had an article about one of Britain's worst high schools with a high drop-out rate. A new principal chose to be sure every student had six hours a week of music instead of adding on a new math and science teacher. Within a year, this school was 25% above the norm in Britain in their overall scores. The school had many immigrants who didn't know much English, so music was their common ground to begin assimilating. I recall how crucial the music programs at AHS had been for Neal to feel motivated, too, and even at MIT, he chose to sing with the Boston Pops as well as be in their Gilbert and Sullivan plays; strong musical talent needs to be nurtured, and many of us didn't have such possibilities in our high school experiences. Jeff, too, started to really thrive when music became a big part of his life, and continues to be so.
Grateful to get a sweet Facebook photo of Meagan and Lara with their mom, Linda, starting to enjoy their Christmas holiday time together. So glad the girls no longer live in the LA area, but are thriving in Chile and Argentina!
So a day that began truly depressing to still be so sick, ended on a higher note.
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