How I Spend My Mornings

It has now been nearly two years since I last worked. I had worked a Saturday night shift and was scheduled to work the Sunday night shift. But, when I woke up in the afternoon, I couldn’t walk. I was on crutches for a couple of months because I had lost most of the sensation and muscle control in my legs. Then I slowly lost muscle control in my hands. It was made more frightening because I didn’t know what was causing my problem. My doctor didn’t have a clue and he sent me to a neurologist. The first two times the neurologist saw me he didn’t know the cause of the problem. But he did some test and finally did an MRI and we found out what was going on. A small part of the problem was peripheral neuropathy caused by my diabetes. But the major problem was a vertebra that was pressing on my spinal cord and also pressing on some of the nerves exiting the spinal cord in the area.
So I started physical therapy and in a few weeks I was walking with only a cane though I was more unbalanced on my feet than I have ever been. During this time I fell frequently. And I had to undergo occupational therapy because of the loss of function in my hands. The OT helped but it is only recently that the strength and coordination in my hands has increased enough for me to open a two litre soda bottle using only my hands alone without my vise grips. I still walk unsteadily but seldom fall down anymore.
And I really like not working. I enjoy spending time on the internet. I enjoy reading more. Unfortunately I am watching more television than I ever have. Rarely PBS will have a good show (some might find this hard to believe but I have even seen PBS go an hour without comparing Bush to Hitler - - - ever notice that funny little smile of Bill Moyers’ when someone goes on a mindless rant about Bush and Cheney - - it’s kind of like the look you see on well behaved men at a strip club.) There is probably more worth watching on the History Channel and A & E. But I waste too much time on Monk and House and Deadwood and Rome and such.
I recently read that retired people tend to fall into a strict routine and I have seen this in myself over these two years. I like to get up around four or five am, pray and then make some coffee (about two litres of sweetened café au lait). Then I read a Psalm and then meditate for about fifteen minutes. Then straight to the computer. First, I go over the front page of the BBC website. Then look over every headline on Drudge. Then I go to Hot Air.com I return to Hot Air ten to fifteen times throughout the day. And recently I check out Ezra Levant’s site daily (http://ezralevant.com/). All of this often takes till nine or ten am. Then I take a nap. Followed by reading and watching shows I’ve tivo’d.