Sharon Y. Edlin's Blog, page 2

Doing The WRONG Thing

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I know that it is said that everything happens for a reason but when it comes to certain things happening to children who are being convinced of things that are not true, well, that just chaps my ass, y’all.

Now, I am in no way saying that I am perfect and have perfect parenting skills, I don’t, I am human and have made loads of mistakes. However, when a parent chooses to do the wrong things, therefore causing even more stress and blows to a child’s self-esteem, I get stomping mad and can’t be quiet.

Like the Bible says, you wouldn’t hand a snake to your kid if he asks for food, or something like that, you wouldn’t pour ice cold water on your kid if they were freezing. No, no you wouldn’t unless there was something seriously wrong with you.

I see kids abused in so many different ways, ways that a child may not understand completely because they are being convinced of something that may not be true. I see this every day in my practice, on the news, and in my own life.

My only hope is that these children see this blog and read it a couple of times and then step back to analyze what their life looks like, comparing it to whatever they can get their hands on or what their heart is saying. These children feel helpless when a parent is doing the wrong thing and I cannot imagine what that must feel like.

Children, do not let that parent or guardian take away your life, convince you of something that is not true, not address the emotional storm that is going on inside of you but instead, chooses to address the physical only, which is not the whole issue and you know it, and think for yourself, you can do that you know.

There are so many children that I pray for each day, kids I don’t even know, but I pray nonetheless because grown-ups have a way of screwing kids up in a very bad way. Maybe they do this because someone screwed them up in a very bad way. If this is true, get help so you don’t continue the cycle. This cycle will continue to ruin other lives if not broken. Do the RIGHT thing and stop making excuses and cover-ups for the true issue.

Enough is enough!

Love y’all, especially the children!

Putting Myself In Time-Out

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I have never been accused of being lazy . . . just the opposite actually, just ask the Professor. He calls me a spaz on speed, though it’s just my ADHD and not drug induced, I can assure you of that. I am on ADHD meds, however, which helps me focus on one thing at a time instead of starting a dozen things and then getting none of them done. It also helps me to remember why I walked into a room because when this room entering loss of brain function happens, the Professor says that my ADHD meds have worn off and he’s actually right. Somewhere around 3 or 4 pm, I have metabolized my meds and my brain starts slipping just a bit. I wish to hell I’d metabolize food like I do my meds.

Anyway, I have been working on several things over the last year and a bit. Such things as a hippotherapy program, an aquatic therapy program, kid yoga instructor certification, my aromatherapy certification, EFT certification, mindfulness certification, nutritional therapist certification, learning about Bach Flowers, opened another clinic, and about 1253 1/2 other things. I also decided it was time to write ‘The Dragonfly Approach,’ a book that has been a long time coming to help parents of kids with special needs be lead in the right direction for maximum outcomes.

I have been pushing myself so hard because I fear that if I don’t, my brain will explode with all of the passion and excitement I have discovered about learning and sharing my knowledge. The Professor is the reason for this explosion of activity, education, and extremely hard work. The word for this is love and the other word in the utter respect he has for me, my brain, my passion, and my hard work. I have never been supported in the way the Professor has supported me. Thank you, God, yet again, for sending me this man!

(My mom supports me too, I have to add that in or I’d be a liar!)

Baring this past week and weekend, here is what a typical day would look like for me:

-wake up 2 hours before I have to see my first OT kid

-make breakfast and read/study while I am eating it

-take advantage of being ready 15 minutes early and get on the internet to look up more information

-see up to 7 to 8 OT kids in a day while loving every minute of it

-my lunch break is spent studying/reading and maybe even peeing if I’m lucky

-at the end of each day for about a year, working on my book ’til 7 pm or later

-cook dinner, eat and study

-visit with the Professor and the kids ’til 11 pm

-sleep and repeat

If it was a weekend, I’d spend nearly 10 hours per day on writing and researching for my book and a few hours on my paperwork, scheduling, billing, etc.

Now, when you spend that many hours with your nose in a book, on the web, on Word writing, etc., some things end up falling by the wayside . . .

For example, some of my chub has unfortunately found its way back to my body, dang it all. I was 5 freaking pounds away from reaching my goal . . . . 5 . . . and now, I have 25 to lose again, at least it isn’t 47 like last time. In my busyness, I have been reminded that I am incapable of focusing on two challenging things at the same time, so one suffers, hence my weight gain. Sigh!

I also realized that although I would spend from 7 pm to 11 pm with the Professor, and sometimes the kids, I’ll be frank here, they are so social and have boyfriends and girlfriends, so I don’t really see them as much as I’d like, I wasn’t really there because I’d be on my phone playing catch up with OT parents, new OT kids that needed to be scheduled, and inevitably, I’d end up with a book or article in my hand, reading and highlighting. Not really fair to the Professor, I know. He would let me know this, I can assure you.

So, now I have 25 pounds to get off, I have bilateral forearm tendonitis aka tennis elbow, or in my case ‘writer’s elbow’ from the many hours at the computer, my sacral-iliac joint is out of whack from the sitting, because I wasn’t eating like I was supposed to, my leaky gut has been acting up and in turn, my eczema is worse than it has ever been in my life.

The Professor asked me the other day, “Is all of this crap worth it, honey?” I paused, something I don’t do a lot, looked him square in the face and said, “Yes, every minute, every pound, every eczema patch, every ache, every pain, yes, ALL OF IT!” And in reply, he said, “Good cuz that’s what I love about you. Your passion at any cost,” and then gave me a sweet smile and a kiss to boot.

However, as the end of the ‘great push’ was coming into view, I could see the slightly irritated faces of my family and read the texts from family and friends telling me I am too busy for my own good. I wouldn’t call it busy though, I’d call it a passion driven necessity of life.

Now that I have put myself into time-out, I am doing things I have NEVER EVER done before in my life, or at least not in a long long long time. For example, I actually slept in the day after the ‘great push’ ended . . . ’til 10 am! I don’t do this, ever! I also took a nap 3 days in a row and slept for 3 hours each day and was still able to fall asleep at night. Why, just this past Sunday I slept in and then laid in bed with the Professor watching the boob tube until 1 pm! But sweet baby Jesus, it has been so nice and now I slowly feel myself coming back to life, it’s fantastic!

I have decided that time-outs are good for adults and we should all take a heckuva lot more of them. Many of us push and push until we are stabby and people want to hurt us. I believe my family was very near grabbing their torches and pitchforks to take my ass out! I don’t blame them on one hand but on another, I HAD to do this ‘great push’ otherwise I’d lose more and more sleep thinking about it.

The moral of my story is push the great push but also take a time-out so you don’t get shoved back to hard by your great push. Time-outs are necessary and lovely and besides, as I have said before, life has an expiration date so you better enjoy the here and now, right?

Love y’all!!

Further Justification

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I cannot stress to y’all enough, what an honor it is doing a job that I love to bits and enjoy every day. I am equally honored meeting the families and the OT kids as they teach me something each and every moment as well.

Here’s what I mean . . .

I had a phone conversation with a new OT kid’s mom this morning which further drove home my utter justification in writing ‘The Dragonfly Approach’ and here’s why.

As I listened to her tell me all about her OT kid and her other two that have issue as well, she repeatedly said, “I wish that after I was given the diagnosis (in her case her son has autism) that someone would have told me what the next step was, what therapies he needed, what could I do with him at home, help him with school, etc. Just some starting point. I would have been so grateful.”

The desperation in her voice moved my heart and this type conversation is one of the thousands that I have had with parents who have a child that is/has been diagnosed with any number of issues like autism, sensory processing disorder, a genetic disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. over the last 25+ years.

One of the other things she proudly told me is that once her son was diagnosed, she got online trying to find out anything and everything only to be completely overwhelmed at where to start, which way to go, and many other questions she told me about.

This is why ‘The Dragonfly Approach’ was written. Written for the aftermath of finding out that your child has a special need and what in the heck to do about it now. The information out there is all over the place and goes in a million different directions and when you are a parent trying to weed through and tease out what in the heck to do, it can be completely overwhelming and very defeating, indeed.

The other day, one of my own kids asked me this, “Why did you write this book? What were you hoping accomplish? Do you hope you get rich?” I chuckled at the last question as wealth is and never has been on my mind. I actually cannot stand money although my mom says not to look at it as an enemy but as a tool. Its hard for me because money=greed in my heart and mind and comes from many years of suffering because of it. I’ll stop there.

So, I looked at my wonderful child and I said this, “Imagine that I had the secret to how you could be the best baseball player around but I chose to keep it to myself. How would that make you feel?” He looked at me and said, “Well, I’d be pissed of course.”

“What if I had the secret to curing cancer, but I kept it to myself?” He answered, “Mom, get to the point already.”

“I have valuable information that I have gleaned from living with it from the moment I was born, in addition, you and your sister had your own issues and I have had the honor of working as an OT for many years with these cool kids. The information I have learned, I cannot keep a secret and I will not keep it a secret. It must be told so that families can get the direction they need early on to help their special needs kids. I hope to accomplish a successful journey for these kids and their families to prevent the frustration and sadness I hear from them every day by ‘not knowing.’ As for the money, I could care less. That is so far removed from my motivation, you know that about me.”

My son took a deep breath and then blew it out saying, “Mom, God has made this possible you know,” and with tears in my eyes I said, “Yep, He’s had a plan for me from the time I was 8 years old. He let me know that now was the time. I’m one lucky person to have such an awesome God.”

We hugged and I had a bit of a come apart because my passion for what I do and this book must be told and as I learn more, I will write another one and another one as things progress and change in my field.

I love all you folks who battle with this thing called special needs and know that each night I am praying for all of you. Every single night!

Love y’all!!

 

Mr. Pickles is Pissed!

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If any of you have followed my blogs in the past, you will remember that Mr. Pickles is the red-tailed hawk that resides in what the Professor calls ‘The Animal Kingdom’ that we ‘used’ to have in our backyard. Let me explain that . . .

I met the Professor almost 6 years ago and we have been married for almost 5 of those years. Long story short, we ended up moving into his house when we blended our families together. There were several reason for this: all of the kid’s friends lived in or very near his neighborhood, the school they all went to we could see from our back porch, and there was this gorgeous hay field behind our house between us and the school that in some pictures taken on the back porch, you’d swear that we lived in the country. There would be hay bails rolled up all over it and it was just lovely.

There was also a big section of woods where The Animal Kingdom resided. Cue the death of the lady that owned the house and land and the swooping in of her son who was quick to put a for sale sign on the land. Crap!

Now, Mr. Pickles and his family lived in those woods and hunted in the field for field mice and snakes. The hawk family was well fed, they had shelter, and they were happy, though Mr. Pickles would give me a pissed off look when I found him sitting on our fence and I’d yell out, “Hey, Mr. Pickles! What’s shaking? You having a good hunting day today?” He would look at me like he would peck my eyes out but I didn’t care because it amused me to no end to have a red-tailed hawk sitting on my fence that I fondly called Mr. Pickles. I am really good at self-amusement, though the Professor thinks I’m a nut.

It took a bit, but alas, the land was sold behind our house and now houses are being built. Cue the very pissed off Mr. Pickles.

When I say The Animal Kingdom I meant it. There were hawks, all kinds of birds, deer galore, coyote, fox, etc. It was so cool!

Now that Mr. Pickles’ field for hunting is gone and the woods he lived in has shrunk to about 10%, he is raging mad and his food source that he was used to is gone it seems.

So, here is how he is compensating . . .

I was right in the middle of a treatment session with one of my adorable OT kids when I hear my next door neighbor kid yell out a cuss word followed by a text that read, “Ms. Sharon, let your dogs in. That hawk is trying to carry them off!” Whaaaaaat? Not Mr. Pickles, he and I are tight!

Well, I excused myself from the OT session and went out to inspect this accusation thrown at me about Mr. Pickles and sure enough, he was swooping in on my two dogs. Without thinking about the fact that my OT family was out there with me as well as neighbors and my son and his friend who witnessed the swooping, I yell out, “Mr. Pickles, what in the hell has gotten into you?” To which my OT kid gasped at and it was only then that I realized what I had said.

My OT kid said, “Ms. Sharon! We need to wash your mouth out with soap,” as I observed his mother trying desperately not to laugh. I turned to my OT kid and said, “Oh yes, my stars, yes but first, I gotta save my dogs!”

As I ran back there yelling at Mr. Pickles, I observed my dogs hiding under the porch safe but I had a bone to pick with the hawk now on my fence eyeing me to see if he could eat me perhaps.

“Oh heck no you ain’t gonna eat me or my dogs either now git!” He flew off with that same pissed off look and pooped on my fence on the way out! Unbelievable!

Now, I get why he’s pissed, I really do but don’t eat my dogs!

I haven’t seen him lately but then we got a text yesterday from my bonus daughter warning us about a hawk that tried to get her dogs over at her mom’s house!

Oh, that Mr. Pickles is pissed and again, I don’t blame him but the dogs, really?

Let this be a warning that a very desperate and pissed off hawk named Mr. Pickles may be in your neck of the woods trying to get your pets so watch out!!

Love y’all!!

The Dragonfly Approach

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It is not every day that you discover why God put you on this planet called Earth. However, I am one of the lucky few who knows her purpose on this planet and that is, helping kids and families be guided in the right direction with a diagnosis of special needs.

You see I have a set of special needs of my own. They are titled ADHD, dyslexia, and sensory processing disorder. I also have depression and inherited high blood pressure bestowed on me over the last 2 years of my life. Not what I was expecting at all.

This makes me an imperfect person and that is okay because my imperfection lays down a level of unique understanding that many doctors, counselors, and therapists will never comprehend. Therefore, my weakness is my strength and understanding for serving the kids and the families that I humbly encounter each and every day. What an incredible honor, y’all!

The book pictured above is out now on Amazon in ebook and paperback form and I thank Amazon for this opportunity to educate these sweet families who either have already had a child diagnosed or who are trying to figure out what is going on with their sweet child. This book is a guidance in the right direction of the questions to ask, the checklists to fill out, and the therapies to ask for so your child can soar like the dragonfly

I have been a practicing Pediatric Occupational Therapist for over 25 years and I have listened to and seen the frustrated and desperate faces of the parents of kids with special needs. They have asked for guidance, answers, and comfort and I have been divinely guided to provide this.

The Dragonfly Approach is a 25-year quest to give these parents the guidance they seek and the best care possible so their children can soar like the dragonfly!

 

 

 

Am I Being Punked AGAIN?!

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This was the look on my face as I sat across from the most patient woman on the planet as she tried to issue my son and I a military ID, which should have taken 30 minutes tops but instead, took 3 1/2 hours. Let me back up.

So, I have been married to the Professor going on 5 years now and we have just now addressed that I needed a military ID as well as my children and his children. Well, the first time I tried to go with everyone, I had to work and so did my son so my daughter and two stepsons got there’s without issue.

Attempt number 2 failed because I got wrapped up in a, “I don’t quite remember all of the directions/paperwork required to get my license having driven over an hour to an out of the way city to get her license and was turned away, she freaked out, etc.” So, I spent 4 1/2 hours of my life driving from my town to the out of the way town so the wait wasn’t as bad, found out we didn’t have what we needed, drove back to my town, got the paperwork, drove back to the out of the way town, and got her license in less than 15 seconds. Was I pissed . . . oh, you’re damn skippy I was! Good news though, my stepdaughter got her ID that day which left just me and my son without one.

Attempt number 3, we didn’t have all the paperwork we needed, blame the Professor.

Attempt number 4 and I tell the Professor that if this 4th attempt fails, I quit and I don’t want my damn military ID. So, we make the appointment well before I had OT kids to see for therapy in the afternoon so I think, “This will be cake as we now have all of the paperwork, my son is in tow, and we have plenty of time.” Hardy har har har, y’all.

In the 3 1/2 hours we sat there we ran into, computer error code 46, having to scan our paperwork in not once, not twice, but 12 times, there was a phone call made to the help desk because of error code 46, this was at the hour 1 1/2 mark, stayed on the phone with the dude for 1/2 hour only to have him hang up on her by accident, tried to figure it out on another person in the office’s computer, no go, called help desk back, was put on hold, we are at the 2 1/2 hour mark now, had to scan in everything again, put on hold again for 20 minutes, scanned everything in AGAIN, finally the help desk fixed everything, got our picture taken and our id’s, and it is a miracle I did not take someone out. I was fried, pissed, and had to move an OT kid to another day because of this fiasco!

It gets better . . .

Well, the washer and dryer needed to be replaced so the Professor and I went to Lowe’s yesterday to take advantage of the President’s Day sale and got a great deal on a Maytag brand washer and dryer. The store we were at didn’t have them so they suggested we go online and order them from another store up North down the road from us. I did as instructed and because of a new computer system that the Lowe’s employees all seem to loathe, none of the Lowe’s know where our washer and dryer are or if and when they will be delivered as promised. In the meantime, the Professor has clothes strewn out on the back porch because he was the unfortunate victim of wet clothes stuck in a washer that decided to up and die for 2 days. The stench is awful but the silly Professor doesn’t seem to realize that he can temporarily borrow someone’s washer and dryer to fix this issue. No, he just likes strewning his clothes all over and complaining.

He spearheaded the washer and dryer issue and says he will have a definitive answer tomorrow afternoon supposedly . . . I won’t hold my breath. In the meantime, I am wearing OT shirts from long ago and they don’t exactly fit like they used to because of my two boobs who decided to get big and stay big. Not fun at all, y’all.

However, I will be visiting my mom if things get any worse asking to borrow her laundry facilities because I am a problem solver and don’t like form fitting clothing if you know what I mean.

Most days go well with little ‘issue’ but somedays, all the crap hits the fan and just wears my ass out. I know I am not alone, like I always say, but man it sux. Y’all hang in there!!

Love y’all!!

 

Spring Fever and Such

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Well, Spring Fever is in the air especially at my humble abode and everyone is acting like they are insane, on drugs, and/or losing their minds. It’s sad, really . . .

My two kid’s ADHD is heightened to a level that can probably be felt on the other side of the universe despite one of them being on meds to help, although he has not taken them in a week. They become so loud and silly with each other, which I love they get along don’t get me wrong, but . . . it borders insanity with a phone call possibly being made to the asylum to come and get them. It drives the Professor insane, I mean really insane. I am so used to it and just ignore it unless someone is slammed into me because they are goofing off, and in doing so, startles the hell outta me and then I get pissed as I DO NOT like to be startled. If this happens, they run to safety as I have been known to have a come apart. It sux having ADHD and a retained startle reflex so when I get startled, it sends me into an upward spiral that takes time to come down from and is not very fun at all.

Spring Fever has plagued other individuals as well as I observe them wearing next to nothing because the sun is out at only 54 degrees and their teeth are chattering but by golly, I am wearing these hot pants and this tube top!

More of my neighbors are emerging from their homes as if they were hibernating and the sight of the sun has them shocked and confused. Some are so pale I dare say they look as if their pigment drained out of them over the long winter. Several of the younger citizens were playing in our cul-de-sac on their bikes over the weekend while their mom watched them with the look of someone who had just been freed from a prison of sorts.

My sweet OT kids are so wild and crazy right now that I am having to come up with some really unique ways to get their OT done each week, though I love a challenge. We are spending a lot of time outside, which is therapy in and of itself, playing hockey, basketball, climbing, sliding, chalk drawing/writing, and jumping on the trampoline. It’s actually quite wonderful to be out in the sun and fresh air with the hum of nature all around us.

As I peered out to gaze at my backyard over the weekend, I realized that the weeds are winning and I have a helluva lot of work to do over several weekends, the front yard doesn’t look so hot either. I cannot wait to buy plants, clean up the back porch, as it looks like there was a brawl back there with pillows everywhere, ripped curtains from the wind, spider webs, etc., and bring everything back up to par. This winter has been a doozy and although it ain’t quite over, we all feel that it is ending soon, praise the Lord.

I miss walking outside on the Greenway and observing the Asian sisters fighting, Edward Scissor Arms, the poor guy with Tourrett’s, the sweet old man that tells me I have a good pace going, and the two freak show teenagers/early twenties making out outside of their mouths, which is disturbing to witness, I can assure you. I may not miss that at all actually. Just the other folks mentioned.

My dogs are even antsy not really knowing why but just running around the backyard in circles, barking, squeaking, and smiling. It’s fun to watch actually.

With Spring Fever comes the dreaded pollen and because we live in a bowl, the pollen never seems to truly go away. My red car turns yellow as well as the entire city for about a month. Cleaning it up is useless but we try nonetheless so we can enjoy our back porch and front porch as well without having an asthma attack or chocking on the dreaded stuff.

Down here in the South, our Spring’s and Fall’s go pretty fast and before you know it, we will be melting and complaining about the heat of the Summer, although I don’t mind it so much, except when a hot flash decides to stop in for a visit, then there is a lot of trouble and drenched clothing.

I hope y’all get out there and enjoy this fine weather we are having, bask in the sun, look at all that God has given us, and just breathe. We were given nature to enjoy and we especially need to get our kids outside as they need the sun, the hum of nature, and the fresh air. Happy almost Spring, y’all!!

Love y’all!!

 

 

What is in the air?

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Something is in the air and I CANNOT figure out what it is. My IBS has been on the warpath even though I’m eating like I am supposed to, my SI joints are shifted so out of wack I wonder if they will ever go back to where they are supposed to be, I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist/hand, I have tendonitis in my right forearm which burns like hell, and my belly skin apron thing seems to be a permanent addition to my aging body even though I am losing weight on Weight Watchers again. My energy, vibe, and gut seem to be confused.

Now, I have been studying Eastern Medicine a lot lately and a practice that comes from India called Ayurveda and it lets me know that I am in charge of my body, my genetic expression, and my mindset but I seem to be battling in a direction that does not seem to be working.

I have been studying some of the greatest minds that have existed on our planet such as Einstien, Emoto, Schucman, Gerber, Bach, Chopra, etc. who speak of the amazing power of our minds and bodies and although I have learned a ton, something is outta whack. There seems to be a shift in the cosmos and I feel something big is about to happen and I fear it may not be a good thing. I can’t explain it in words, it is a feeling.

Am I crazy? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. I bet I am not alone if you really dig down deep into your heart, gut, and soul.

I am an insanely positive person and view the glass as half full with the ability to be completely full but my positive attitude is being invaded by ‘something’ that I do not understand. Maybe it is because there is change coming my way in August when my son leaves for college leaving us with just 4 in the house. Maybe it is because my children and my bonus kids have grown up before my eyes and I wasn’t paying attention. Maybe it is because we have some crazy dude in North Korea threatening us with our current president pushing back. Maybe it is because children are killing children in our schools because they are so mentally disturbed they don’t know what else to do.

There is strong evil roaming our planet and we have got to stop it or we will be done in. We NEED to utilize the power of prayer, find the good, and send positive thoughts and energy to all the bad that seems to be happening here lately.

We need to reclaim our safety, the safety of our kids, the safety of our country, and again, utilize the power of prayer and positive energy and thoughts thrown at these horrible situations that are plaguing our nation.

Enough is enough. Join me in praying without ceasing, y’all.

Love y’all!!

Apparently, ​I lied!

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Evidently, I lied about taking a break as I had memories to look back on in my Facebook alerts today and 2 of them were from blogs that I had written 1 and 2 years ago. Sitting down to read and re-live a blog that I had written, I realized that I need this blog as it is a cleansing of sorts for some of the crazy energy that flies through my body and brain each day.

I know I may seem silly, but writing seems to be a sort of therapy for me and Lord knows I need all the therapy I can get as life throws curvy type fireballs at me and I drop and trip over all of my lemons (see several million blogs ago).

One of the many weird things about me is that I notice the way people talk, their words, the way their mouths move, and how they use their hands. I don’t know why, so don’t bother to ask. I have a hard time focusing on someone talking that has a lisp or any speech impediment because I focus on the lisp/impediment and not the words gauging how my speech therapy friend could help them in so many ways.

Yes, it is part of my ADHD, as are many things like how I will lose my friggin’ mind if, while I am driving, something is rattling in my car. I have been known to pull over and seek the rattling out so it can be eliminated lest I go mad. I also hate the tick-tick-tick sound that a ceiling fan will make if not balanced properly. I just turn the sucker off, even if I am sweating my clothes off. With regard to my OT kids, I HAVE to figure out how to help them to the point of a bit crazy. I take my job very very seriously! ADHD has many faces, these are a few.

This is just a glimpse into my overly busy mind and when someone is overly busy, mental friction can happen, if you will, and you need to release it, hence my blogging lest there be a fire in my brain.

So, since my ‘final’ post, haha, a few interesting things have occurred that are worth throwing out there.

It has become very apparent that my mom and 2 sisters have lost their sweet precious minds and they keep texting our group that they want to run away and not come back. That this winter has been just awful for their seasonal affect disorder and they are done, just done. There are career choice questions, men that irritate them statements, and kids that act like they are on crack. I hear their cry and if I had a million billion dollars, I’d rent a damn yacht and take them to the Caribbean. It is clear this winter has taken a toll on the sweet female part of our family. Oddly, I’ve been doing alright…go figure.
I had to make a very difficult decision regarding my rescue dog Lucy. I have been in denial that her placement in my busy house with lots going on was not the best for her as it became clear that she prefers calm and quiet, like that of a little old person.  I have hem hawed back and forth about this decision because I love her to bits and didn’t want her to go. I was fortunate when I finally made the difficult decision to find a new quiet home and found a lady that lives alone, works from home, and has the same kind of dog (almost) that Lucy is only black in color. I was sad but happy as she told me that Lucy is happy and not hiding and shaking a lot like she was doing over here. Thank you, God, that I found her a good home.
Well, when your Scout dog notices that the dog that lives with him, although they didn’t play together much, is missing, he goes back to his old ways. Such as laying by the clinic door whining, following you everywhere, staring at you all day long, and whining when he is in the backyard, and you feel the need to find another more appropriate for our house companion dog. Good grief!
In 1899, the most amazing woman was born in Illinois. She later became my great grandmother and owned a Boston Terrier named April. She was one of those women that people envied and was the kindest person you have ever met and I loved her fiercely. When she passed away, my family and I inherited April. She was a very funny little K9 but so sweet and precious and was a lovely reminder of the great woman that cared for her.
So, the guilt of having to find a new home for Lucy and now Scout acting needy again, I came across another rescue that just so happened to be a Boston Terrier. When I went to meet her with Scout, I fell in love and found myself calling her April as I was astounded at the flood of memories that were running through my head not only of my lovely great grandma who I adored but that sweet dog of hers that we inherited years earlier. After begging the Professor to consider a more suitable dog for our busy home, he said yes, love that man, and I get to pick up my ‘precious memory’ K9 on Sunday. She was a stray and came with no name. The foster mom named her but I will tell you right now, she will be called April with pure love in my heart for the wonderful woman that is now in heaven and gave us such a wonderful pet.
All of the children that frequent our house act like they are on crack yet again. We have kids speeding on the highway just asking for a multi-million dollar speeding ticket, one who has found the Lord but has turned into one of those pushy types, though I am proud of him for allowing the Lord into his heart, one who seems to be sick all of the time, bless her, one who is a new 16-year-old driver, and one who I foresee is dating the woman that he will marry one day. What the hell is going on?

As I wade through life, sometimes with water only to my ankles but other times up to my damn neck, I can’t help but wonder what things will look like in the next 10 years.

I will be 56 then, the Professor will be 60. I hope that the kids will all be successfully graduated with a wonderful job to support them and the family that they may or may not have at that point. I hope my back won’t be giving me trouble as it does from time to time and I hope by some miraculous healing, that my forearm tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome will be long forgotten.

Scout will be 18, and maybe not with us then, and my new rescue, April, will be 15, maybe with us maybe not. I hope that I will still be an active Pediatric OT with a continued successful practice. My mom will be 76 and my dad will be 79, hopefully still with us. My father and mother in law will be 90 and 86, maybe still with us.

Things will be vastly different, very different. Another phase of life, one that I hope I am prepared for, but really, are we ever prepared? I think not.

I don’t know what will happen in the next 5 minutes, next hour, next day, next week, etc. but I hope that everyone is happy, grateful, and a better person all around. Life is speeding along and somedays, I feel like I am just hanging on by a thread.

I love life, I love people, and I love being on this planet. Let’s pray that in the next several years, there is more love and respect for human beings, animals, and this planet so that all of our futures look a bit brighter.

Love y’all!!

 

 

Taking A Break

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Looking back over the last several years, it has come to my attention that I am a Tasmanian devil of sorts in my methodology of life. There are several reasons for this and I will explain.

When I was a child, I was called ‘busy’ by anyone who knew me because I couldn’t sit still, talked a lot, and hated being locked inside the Catholic prison they like to gently call school because that sounds a lot better than prison, I suppose. I would get caught staring out the window quite a lot and would ALWAYS get in trouble. I preferred movement, conversation, and the great outdoors back then. If it had been 2018, I would have been diagnosed easily with ADHD and dyslexia. Two things I would later learn were a part of my being and why school was so stinkin’ hard and I sucked at taking that blasted devilish ACT, which is absolutely not in any way representative of who a person is and what they are capable of. I am the poster child of this fact.

I remained busy all through elementary, middle, and high school until I hit college and reality kicked my ass and said, “Uh, figure out your shit, how to study, and let’s get this done cuz you ain’t livin’ with ma and pa forever.”  So I did.

Back then, I studied only what OT school required or assigned as there was little time for anything else. So, no reading magazines, chic lit, or anything else for that matter. Just OT related stuff, which was fine because that is why I was at UAB . . . get in, get out!

Once out of school and starting my first job in a rehabilitation center, it became quite clear that I did not learn everything there was to learn in OT school and that pissed me off. Realistically though, they couldn’t possibly teach everything, no way. So began my obsession for knowledge and an ever-growing collection of books, late nights, and a lot of highlighting and notes. My husband at the time thought I was insane since I had just graduated and assumed a new graduate wouldn’t pick up another book after that.

Not this graduate.

Now, after the kids were born, this obsession for study and knowledge was put on the back burner as the kids required a great deal of my time and this was a study in and of itself and would be my future, though I didn’t know it at the time.

Fast forward . . .

Now that my kids are older, the Professor lets me be me, and my passion and obsession has grown 100 fold, it is not uncommon for me to read 3-4 books per week. I have become greatly familiar with quantum physics, vibrational healing/medicine, yoga, chakras, retained reflexes, cold lasers, color therapy, Solfeggio harmonics/sounds, acupoints/acupressure, Bach flower remedies, crystal therapy, essential oils, the Secret, electromagnetic resonance, water crystals, subtle energies, the power of the mind, heart, and gut, craniosacral therapy, Hippotherapy, Equine Assisted Therapy, Atlantis, etc. I’d go on but that would be boring.

Never in a million billion years would I have imagined that I could read that many books a week as I was in special education for math and reading for a few years in elementary school. They thought I was ‘slow’ but I was actually a raging ADHD with dyslexia. No one knew these things as well back in the 70’s.

Knowledge is power and not that crazy ass power that causes wars or makes you look like an arrogant son of a gun. For me, its the power of knowledge shaken down, sorted out, and used to benefit my OT kids, their families, as well as my own. I have a passion for children who struggle because I struggled and I would have damn well appreciated an OT or any other therapist for that matter who busted their ass to help me feel better about things, about me, about my struggles, and not just written me off as ‘slow.’

I tell my OT kids all the time that I wish that I had OT and a dyslexia helper when I was their age because it sure would have been a helluva lot easier. Now, my dad would say that struggle builds character and that’s true but, crap was it hard at times.

I am currently reading 3 books at the same time and there are some days I wish that I just had the whole day to read and study but that just isn’t possible as it would take me away from my precious OT kids and my family, but man, it would be so awesome. I cannot collect enough knowledge in my ole coconut and the stuff that I am learning is so stinkin’ cool it makes me crazy excited to share it but sometimes my family doesn’t get what I’m saying. I’ve learned so much and there are so many layers that I have built upon and upon and so on and so much to explain that sometimes they don’t get me or it and gently bow out when I get going.

When I’m not reading, I’m writing. Writing articles for a magazine that I just love, writing my 5th book, re-doing and updating my informational pages that I send to my families about various topics of interest or topics of treatment, and waiting hopefully that my 4th book, which is for families with or without kids with special needs, will be published. Please pray for this publication, y’all! This book will guide families in the right direction so they don’t lose time or ground!!

So, my methodology is very scattered right now . . . I have many books left to read, horses to work with, meetings to attend, an art class to set up, a possible support group to set up, continued writing of my 5th book, yoga videos to make and post, a satellite clinic to finish setting up, and several certifications that I am working on.

Each day I don’t blog on The Blog Blender, I feel guilty as it is a part of something else that I took on to get my heart, gut, and mind out and boy was it therapeutic. But, I think I have written and gotten everything out and now it is time to move on.

This will be my last post as I am done blogging for now. However, I invite any guest bloggers out there to contact me if they want to post something. Its free, of course, so just let me know.

Thank you for all of the many many people that take their precious moments to read these ‘rants’ as I am forever grateful and honored on so many levels.

To all of you out there, I hope life is nice and kind to you and you find happiness even when the shit is hitting the fan. It’s hard, I know, but after all, don’t you think it’s worth bettering your quality of life? Life does have an expiration date after all . . .

Love y’all!!