I go to the gym three times a week.  I am there at 5:50 am.  Every two weeks, two friends meet me for breakfast at 7 am on Monday.  We go to the same restaurant, with the same waiter, and I always order the same thing.  They diversify a bit.

We catch up on events and experiences.  I discovered last week that one of them had the same surgery I will be having which is an unusual one.  Who knew?

I love these two women.  It is of such value for all of us to be together, that they, in particular, make the sacrifice to meet so early to accommodate my work schedule.

Similar values mean a lot.

Sandy is a dear friend of mine.  She has had two knees and a hip replaced.  She walks with a cane mostly.  Yesterday we went to a street fair and she used her walker.  The fact that she agrees to participate in events like this says much about her; she avoids nothing.

As we walked, I was so appreciative of the space people gave her.  The fair was very crowded, and people stepped aside to accommodate her.  She had no expectations and is very patient.  We walked, we explored vendors, we bought a couple of things.  And then we decided it was time to go.  She was in pain and I was ready to leave.  We typically have similar timing.

Aging with a friend.

Since I moved to California, I have had my car washed in one of two ways: my ex took it to a car wash, or my grandsons did it when they were staying over.  My ex is gone and my grandsons are coming over for dinner tonight with their parents, which did not feel like good timing to request help,

So, I did it myself.  I dragged the hose, filled the bucket, got the clothes.  I began the spray to wet the car all over and discovered the wind was not blowing in my favor.  I ended up misted, head to toe.  Not to be deterred, I changed direction and proceeded.

Guess what, Isaac and Ari?  It was fun!

My 13-year-old grandson Isaac left for three weeks of camp. He will return just before his Bar Mitzvah. He was gone two days and broke his arm. He tripped and put his arm out to break the fall. He came home (a four-hour drive) to see his doctor. It was determined he needed his arm reset. At this appointment, he was given a choice of having a local or a full anaesthetic. He chose the former and told me it was very painful. He got a hard cast which goes above the elbow.

He went back to camp but must return to be x-rayed next week. His cabin in going backpacking, which he was really looking forward to, and he cannot go.

This has meant a few four-hour trips and disappointment about limiting activities at camp.
There is value in learning that we are able to get through very painful and unexpected events in our lives. And for Isaac to learn he was able to handle it so well is very meaningful.
He is so resourceful.

Last Friday, I went to exercise, a business group meeting, saw one client, had lunch, and saw six clients back to back until 7 pm. I grabbed something to eat. I then went to the Temple in order to welcome the new rabbi who was conducting her first service. The service was from 7:30 to 9 pm.

After the service, there was an Oneg Shabbat, a traditional offering of food to celebrate the evening. I interacted with a few good friends for about 10 minutes and decided to leave because I could not stay awake.

My thought was that I was not handling activity as easily as I had when I was younger. Disappointing.

The next morning I told my daughter-in-law about it. She said, “Age? That was an exhausting day. I would have gone to bed too.”

Reprieve.

I moved to California to be near my children and grandchildren.  The right choice.

Carrie and I decided to spend July 4^th together.  She came to Alameda.  We passed on the parade.  We passed on going out to eat.  We stayed home.

We prepared lunch together and watched a video on UTube made years ago by a woman I knew In Michigan. We were active in NARAL and MARAL for years together.  It was informative and touching to recall our involvement.  Carrie participated in most of my feminist activities and moved on to do so herself in a multitude of ways.

We talked… about things that are important to each of us.  Intimacy has always come easily for us.  We cry, we laugh, we nod.  We understand.  We empathize.

Precious.

I tell clients with depression to make a list of activities they can do to distract themselves.  One of my clients likes to go to the supermarket and walk the aisles.  She does not shop, she just walks the aisles.  Sometimes she looks at products and sometimes she focuses on colors.  She does this a couple of times a week.

She said that she had a thought one day.  She imagined walking around the supermarket and seeing someone else doing so without a cart who was going up and down aisles.  She decided she would go up to the person and say, “Are you seeing Natalie in therapy?’

We laughed.

I wrote before about needing to change planes to get to LA.  I was put on standby on one plane and has a reservation on a second one.

I went to the gate for the standby and told the agent I was aware there were people ahead of me, but I was needing to get to LA to accompany my daughter for outpatient surgery that day.  He indicated his obligation to take people in order.

I walked away to charge my phone.  A woman came up to me and told me she overheard my story to the agent.  She said she told him to give me her ticket if her name was called.  “Your need is much greater than mine,” she said.  I got teary and thanked her.

Just then, she told me her name had been called.  As I approached the counter, the agent said, “Natalie?”  He knew about the change.  I got the ticket.

As I was getting on the plane, the woman again came up to me and said her name had been called to.  I was relieved.

In light of the political nature of this country right now, having genuinely caring people is a timely balance to many attitudes.

I was flying to LA to see my daughter Julie.  She was having outpatient surgery at noon and I was to accompany her.  My flight was at 6 am.  Once we were on the plane, the flight was cancelled for technical problems.  I got in line to reschedule and I called Delta.  I discovered the only possibility was to fly after Julie was in surgery.

Before I actually made a commitment, a Delta worker in a red jacket asked if he could help me.  I told him my story and indicated there were two Southwest flights I could take.  He told me there is no reciprocity with Southwest.  I expressed my disappointment.  He then suggested he walk me to Southwest to see if I could get on one of the flights.

He actually walked me to a Southwest gate and told my story to the agent.  I decided to pay for the ticket as my priority was to get there.  He told me he was going back to the Delta gate to cancel my flight to LA and assure I would be able to return on my arranged flight with Delta.  He also said he was giving me a credit of $100 on Delta. He said when I finished with Southwest, I should get the documents from him.

He walked away and the Southwest agent said, “Did he really walk you over here to help you?”  I indicated he had and she said, “I have never had another agent do that.  He is a really nice guy.”

I agree.  Thanks, Velter.

Until I moved to California six years ago, I always had two dogs.  Where we are renting, we are not allowed to have any pets.

I had a dream that three different people had each found a dog that needed a home and brought the dog to me.  Now I had three dogs I was not allowed to have.  I jolted awake as I panicked in my dream about how to place the dogs elsewhere.  I truly wanted all three of them.

My neighbor has a service dog.  People have encouraged me to apply for a service dog designation.  This would mean my landlord would have to let me have the dog.

I don’t need a service dog.  It would be unethical to proceed.

My loss.