Sara Bareilles - Gravity
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone
You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain
Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me
You loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone
Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me
I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need
Here on the ground
But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you're keeping me down
You're keeping me down
You're on to me, on to me and all over
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
Sometimes looking both ways, pausing, then looking again doesn't mean you're not going to get hit by a car!!!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friends & Relationships
Honesty (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary):
1. The quality or condition of being honest; integrity.
2. Truthfulness; sincerity: in all honesty.
The Promise
I was told that I'd never be lied to, hurt, or cheated on...
Win/Lose Relationships
Many times people will give you their word only to break it the next day. The worst part of this is that it can become such a common event that, when you find someone who is honest and keeps his or her word, it is seen as a rarity. Being dishonest has even become a glorified process that can be seen just about every night on TV. What message is this really sending? “Hey, it’s no big deal if you’re dishonest and lie, as long as you get what you want!” This will only create a temporary win, because you are in a win/lose situation. In this case, you win in the short term while the other party loses. This is great for the winner for now, but in the long run, you can count on never gaining the trust and respect of the other party, and thus kill any future relationship you could have had. This win is not worth the future loss to your reputation.
Lose/Win Relationships
The next option is to give in to every need and demand of the other party, creating a lose/win situation. While this is great for the second party, it will create more stress for you than you need or deserve. We’ve all found ourselves in this position, and many of us are still living each day in compromised positions that we brought on ourselves. While the other party does not give it a second thought, you live each day thinking, “I should have said . . .” or “If I could do it again I would . . .” Well, you know something? You can always go back and make things right. You just have to have the courage to stand up for what you think is right. Most of us do not do this because it’s easier to live with the pain of the poor decision than it is to create another, better situation. You really need to ask yourself if this is wise. If you take a chance by trying to find a better balance in your relationship, the confrontation you think will take place probably won’t, and both you and the second party will walk away with a healthier relationship.
Win/Win Relationships
The last situation is win/win and is the best option for everyone. So why are there so few win/win solutions out there? To create a win/win solution requires work, communication, and the respect of both parties. There are many people out there who would rather just “give in” than state what they really feel. This is because they are scared of what the other party “might say or do.” The truly interesting thing here is that many would rather deal with the pain of being taken advantage of than the pain of finding a win/win solution. Do not give in when you feel you are being taken advantage of. When you feel there is no other solution, then you’re not looking hard enough. Granted, there are many people out there who would rather bully, upper hand, underhand, screw (or whatever you call it) anyone to get what they want. The biggest problem here is that if they get what they want (which is very unlikely), there will be nobody there to share it with, plus they will always feel like there is someone trying to take away what they have. The world has much to offer to everyone, and there will always be the greatest rewards for those who create the most win/win relationships throughout their lives. These win/win relations begin with keeping your word, doing what you say you will do, and treating everyone as you would like to be treated.
Fair weathered-friends
Fair-weather friends are the type of friends most of us don't look for, need and usually realize it all after a pattern appears in the behavior of this person who is genuinely considered your friend.
The friendship (or what you may believe is a friendship,) may start off decent and look like a promising long lasting friendship until you notice the trend they follow.
A fair-weather friend can be defined as somebody who is only around when things are going great, otherwise you won't hear from them.
Having a fair weather friend can be a very emotional and unpleasant experience. These are individuals who do not understand that friendship is a commitment. Unfortunately you might put significant amount of time and energy into a person before you realize that their motivation in your friendship is not pure or just. By this time you'll feel significant betrayal once you realize that you have wasted so much effort on a person who is completely selfish and incapable of being generous with their time, and cannot be committed to something that does not directly benefit them almost immediately. It may be initially very difficult to get over the emotions surrounding such a relationship, however you must acknowledge that you have saved yourself tremendous emotional stress because the majority of these individuals do not change without a severe wake-up call.
Therefore leaving these people behind gives you the ability to develop more meaningful relationships that are more balanced and fair. True friendship requires both people involved to be dedicated to the continued communication and maintenance of the relationship. You will eventually become tired if you are constantly doing the other persons work for them in regards to the relationship. Furthermore, they will become draining to you in regards to your energy and your willingness to constantly listen to their problems and the stress that they bring upon themselves by being a high drama individual (to which in my own defense I am not a "high drama" individual. I had a dramatic situation, but do not have drama in my day to day life, and have not for many many years).
Most conditional friends are jealous of your success. They do not want to hear that things are going well for you they pretend to be interested. When things are going well for you you try to be supportive of their difficulties, however when you have difficulties of your own they are nowhere to be found. This is very common in our generation which often does not have the ability to understand that longevity is a prerequisite to a successful friendship. This also has a negative impact on romantic relationships because very few people in this generation has the ability to understand that, minus and support in its most pure from our necessary for relationships to survive..
True friendship is based on communication as any relationship should be. Someone you only hear from when they need something is not a real friend. They are selfish people who lack social skills needed to have a proper friendship.
True friends will call you just to see how you are and don't mind spending an afternoon helping you out because they know you would do the same for them.
Friendships can be some of the most important relationships in your life aside from your partner or spouse. Friends can be there for you in many ways but respect from both ends is mandatory for the relationship to grow and flourish.
Deal with the Truth
What does all this have to do with keeping your word? It has everything to do with it. You have to know the nature of the relationship before you open your mouth and say something you will regret later. You need to take time and think before you speak. In today’s world, a person’s word means nothing. This is a very sad, yet true, thing. You really can’t trust what anyone tells you and need always to look out for your own best interests. However, there are still people out there who choose to keep their word no matter what the outcome. I feel a man is only as good as his word, and that is the way it should be. Honesty broken once will be broken forever. A lie is a lie, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a white lie or a huge monster lie. Either way, in my book, you’re a scumbag. Now just because I said you can’t trust anyone does not mean you have to be like everyone else. As the old saying goes, “If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?” You can be one of the few who are known as a trusted friend, business partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent, and spouse. This is not without its consequences. You have to be willing to deal with the truth. For many, it is much easier to lie than deal with the truth. The truth can be hard but can also free you. A lie is also hard, and you remain stuck with it. Nothing good can ever come of it. Look, I know many of you are thinking, “You don’t know my wife, you don’t know my boss—you don’t know my life.” Correct: I don’t know you and I’m not telling you to confess everything you do. If you get to work late, you don’t have to run up and tell your boss you were late—but it’s another thing to mark your time card as if you were there on time. There is a difference between not saying anything and telling a lie. That’s why we were all told as kids to keep our mouth shut until asked to speak...
Who are your friends? And what types of relationships do you maintain?
1. The quality or condition of being honest; integrity.
2. Truthfulness; sincerity: in all honesty.
The Promise
I was told that I'd never be lied to, hurt, or cheated on...
Win/Lose Relationships
Many times people will give you their word only to break it the next day. The worst part of this is that it can become such a common event that, when you find someone who is honest and keeps his or her word, it is seen as a rarity. Being dishonest has even become a glorified process that can be seen just about every night on TV. What message is this really sending? “Hey, it’s no big deal if you’re dishonest and lie, as long as you get what you want!” This will only create a temporary win, because you are in a win/lose situation. In this case, you win in the short term while the other party loses. This is great for the winner for now, but in the long run, you can count on never gaining the trust and respect of the other party, and thus kill any future relationship you could have had. This win is not worth the future loss to your reputation.
Lose/Win Relationships
The next option is to give in to every need and demand of the other party, creating a lose/win situation. While this is great for the second party, it will create more stress for you than you need or deserve. We’ve all found ourselves in this position, and many of us are still living each day in compromised positions that we brought on ourselves. While the other party does not give it a second thought, you live each day thinking, “I should have said . . .” or “If I could do it again I would . . .” Well, you know something? You can always go back and make things right. You just have to have the courage to stand up for what you think is right. Most of us do not do this because it’s easier to live with the pain of the poor decision than it is to create another, better situation. You really need to ask yourself if this is wise. If you take a chance by trying to find a better balance in your relationship, the confrontation you think will take place probably won’t, and both you and the second party will walk away with a healthier relationship.
Win/Win Relationships
The last situation is win/win and is the best option for everyone. So why are there so few win/win solutions out there? To create a win/win solution requires work, communication, and the respect of both parties. There are many people out there who would rather just “give in” than state what they really feel. This is because they are scared of what the other party “might say or do.” The truly interesting thing here is that many would rather deal with the pain of being taken advantage of than the pain of finding a win/win solution. Do not give in when you feel you are being taken advantage of. When you feel there is no other solution, then you’re not looking hard enough. Granted, there are many people out there who would rather bully, upper hand, underhand, screw (or whatever you call it) anyone to get what they want. The biggest problem here is that if they get what they want (which is very unlikely), there will be nobody there to share it with, plus they will always feel like there is someone trying to take away what they have. The world has much to offer to everyone, and there will always be the greatest rewards for those who create the most win/win relationships throughout their lives. These win/win relations begin with keeping your word, doing what you say you will do, and treating everyone as you would like to be treated.
Fair weathered-friends
Fair-weather friends are the type of friends most of us don't look for, need and usually realize it all after a pattern appears in the behavior of this person who is genuinely considered your friend.
The friendship (or what you may believe is a friendship,) may start off decent and look like a promising long lasting friendship until you notice the trend they follow.
A fair-weather friend can be defined as somebody who is only around when things are going great, otherwise you won't hear from them.
Having a fair weather friend can be a very emotional and unpleasant experience. These are individuals who do not understand that friendship is a commitment. Unfortunately you might put significant amount of time and energy into a person before you realize that their motivation in your friendship is not pure or just. By this time you'll feel significant betrayal once you realize that you have wasted so much effort on a person who is completely selfish and incapable of being generous with their time, and cannot be committed to something that does not directly benefit them almost immediately. It may be initially very difficult to get over the emotions surrounding such a relationship, however you must acknowledge that you have saved yourself tremendous emotional stress because the majority of these individuals do not change without a severe wake-up call.
Therefore leaving these people behind gives you the ability to develop more meaningful relationships that are more balanced and fair. True friendship requires both people involved to be dedicated to the continued communication and maintenance of the relationship. You will eventually become tired if you are constantly doing the other persons work for them in regards to the relationship. Furthermore, they will become draining to you in regards to your energy and your willingness to constantly listen to their problems and the stress that they bring upon themselves by being a high drama individual (to which in my own defense I am not a "high drama" individual. I had a dramatic situation, but do not have drama in my day to day life, and have not for many many years).
Most conditional friends are jealous of your success. They do not want to hear that things are going well for you they pretend to be interested. When things are going well for you you try to be supportive of their difficulties, however when you have difficulties of your own they are nowhere to be found. This is very common in our generation which often does not have the ability to understand that longevity is a prerequisite to a successful friendship. This also has a negative impact on romantic relationships because very few people in this generation has the ability to understand that, minus and support in its most pure from our necessary for relationships to survive..
True friendship is based on communication as any relationship should be. Someone you only hear from when they need something is not a real friend. They are selfish people who lack social skills needed to have a proper friendship.
True friends will call you just to see how you are and don't mind spending an afternoon helping you out because they know you would do the same for them.
Friendships can be some of the most important relationships in your life aside from your partner or spouse. Friends can be there for you in many ways but respect from both ends is mandatory for the relationship to grow and flourish.
Deal with the Truth
What does all this have to do with keeping your word? It has everything to do with it. You have to know the nature of the relationship before you open your mouth and say something you will regret later. You need to take time and think before you speak. In today’s world, a person’s word means nothing. This is a very sad, yet true, thing. You really can’t trust what anyone tells you and need always to look out for your own best interests. However, there are still people out there who choose to keep their word no matter what the outcome. I feel a man is only as good as his word, and that is the way it should be. Honesty broken once will be broken forever. A lie is a lie, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a white lie or a huge monster lie. Either way, in my book, you’re a scumbag. Now just because I said you can’t trust anyone does not mean you have to be like everyone else. As the old saying goes, “If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?” You can be one of the few who are known as a trusted friend, business partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent, and spouse. This is not without its consequences. You have to be willing to deal with the truth. For many, it is much easier to lie than deal with the truth. The truth can be hard but can also free you. A lie is also hard, and you remain stuck with it. Nothing good can ever come of it. Look, I know many of you are thinking, “You don’t know my wife, you don’t know my boss—you don’t know my life.” Correct: I don’t know you and I’m not telling you to confess everything you do. If you get to work late, you don’t have to run up and tell your boss you were late—but it’s another thing to mark your time card as if you were there on time. There is a difference between not saying anything and telling a lie. That’s why we were all told as kids to keep our mouth shut until asked to speak...
Who are your friends? And what types of relationships do you maintain?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Depression & Miscarriage--When enough is enough...
I apologize in advance that I am completely unwilling to pretend that I know all of the scienmatific names of all of the pregnancy hormones that especially play into natural pain relief during labor and delivery, to which I've never experienced.
Since my very recent miscarriage (three weeks ago this past Monday), I have been voraciously reading on the internet. I was telling a friend today that while my body is “purging” so unceremoniously, that my mind is going through a completely different healing process. I’m fired up. I’m mad. And I can’t distance myself from pregnancy and childbirth issues even though I’m no longer pregnant.
So what does this have to do with the title of my post? Perhaps nothing? I read an interesting post about “Good Birth Hormones” over at Empowering Birth Blog, and it got me to thinking . . . not that mine is a particularly well-crafted post . . . about hormones in miscarriage.
Monday I cracked. Or cracked up. My "ex-BOYfriend" dangled a carrot in front of me for months and didn't contribute emotionally, physically, anything over the last month. I called my OB/GYN that I saw five times in a week and a half during and following the week of the miscarriage. From what I gather, I’m going through post-partum depression. Well, isn’t that dandy. And it’s normal. There is not nearly enough information out there about the emotional effects of miscarriage. For some reason, people are still less likely to talk about miscarriage. I imagine those (men) who have never experienced this, nor some women would approve or understand this post.
I still need to post my miscarriage experience. But let me tell you the bad and ugly that comes with miscarriage hormones . . . at least what I experienced. Caution here! This is my experience which may be radically different from anyone else’s experience with miscarriage or neonatal death. Postpartum depression after miscarriage is a risk for some women, and it can be deadly.
After finding out about the pregnancy, I had no intention of keeping it (I apologize to the pro-lifers). Just know that going from a pregnant to a non-pregnant state accompanying a loss is [insert hyperbole] traumatic to your body, mind, and soul. He didn't/wouldn't want it because he "was too old", and I didn't want to have a child with someone who felt so strongly about not wanting that in his life. We told him about it. Instantly he felt that I was lying, possibly out of "desperation" for us to be back to normal... or to try to get his attention. I wasn't going for either, I just felt like at an almost 40 something, he should know. We were intimate, we shared something, and it was only fair to let the person I still love know. Two days later, I miscarried after telling him. I took my dog out for a walk. By the time we reached the door, it felt like I was urinating on myself. I immediately unlocked the door and ran in, and down the hall. I pulled my sweats down and there was blood all over my underwear and on the inside of my leg. For an instant, I felt the need to push and there was a loud "plop." I looked down and what one would think was a clot, wasn't. It was round, symmetrical, pseudo-transparent gray in color. I called my girlfriend, and she immediately came over. I left everything in the toilet as I ran to my other bathroom to shower because I felt dirty, and I didn't know if I was going to have to go to the ER. She got online looking for something to tell us what to do. We made several calls to multiple doctors that we know but no responses from anyone. I gingerly scooped out what came out of me and placed it in a cup completely covering it with aluminum foil because I didn't want to look at it again. She tucked me into bed with a handful of Midol and advised me to go to the nearest doctor that morning.
I woke up... cleaned myself up and proceeded to look for a doctor that could take me right away. I found one that would take me straight away, in addition my internist doctor would take me too. I went to him first, he gave me Naproxen and took blood work. After leaving there, I drove myself dizzily to Baptist with my cup from the night before in the cup holder. I get there and immediately they weigh me. I weighed 143 pounds. She does a pelvic exam, and my uterus is "swollen", and examines the specimen I brought in, it was in fact a miscarriage. (A woman’s body changes dramatically during pregnancy, tremendous adjustments also occur when a pregnancy ends through birth or miscarriage. The discussion of miscarriage it is important to recognize that whether the loss occurred naturally or medically assisted, the pregnancy has ended abruptly. The hormones which prepared a woman’s body to carry their baby and were sustained throughout the pregnancy swing dramatically causing a significant shift in her hormones. Such chemically induced mood swings make women emotional after the end of a pregnancy. Being irritable, angry, irrational, tired, tearful, and sometimes even a bit sad are fairly normal expressions as her body struggles to return to a pre-pregnant state. It is believed that approximately 10-15% of women experience a much more extreme reaction to the hormone changes.) She sent me down to the second floor to do more blood work. If I'm a negative blood type you have to have a Rhogam shot. That's, “Rh-negative”, and therefore your baby may be at risk for hemolytic disease of the newborn. This shot will also protect you or your next child. I knew that wasn't a possibility. You still have to have the shot even if you've miscarried. So I already had blood taken from one arm not even 20 minutes before, now they are taking from the other. I went back up to the office for the doctor to prescribe me pain pills for the horrible cramps I was experiencing, although after I passed the fetus there was no more blood. This was Tuesday. I drove myself back home to take something and pass out. I was in hell, and utterly alone. Wednesday was worse. I hadn't told my mother anything because it would break her heart (the guy that I fell in love with she did too, and me suffering alone without him being supportive), so I had to compose myself when she said that she was stopping by. I had cried for six days straight only stopping long enough to sleep or drive myself back to the hospital. Mom came and went looking at me skeptically but never saying anything. The pain grew worse. That Thursday morning I called the doctors office and they wanted me to come in ASAP. She was concerned that since I wasn't passing blood, that I might still have some of the pregnancy in my tube. They wanted to make sure it wasn't etopic. I arrived and she was extremely worried because I looked terrible. My sleeping pattern was altered as I slept only a couple three hours after having taken a pain pill. I was averaging about 4 hours a day. They weighed me, I weighed 135. I had lost 8 pounds in two days. I couldn't eat because everything smelled wretched. Nothing had tasted the way that I remembered. Before the miscarriage I remember having to unplug ALL of the plug ins because it was intensely strong. Before the pregnancy I couldn't smell them or thought they didn't smell strong enough. Nothing appealed to me, so in return I slept. I went to the office and they took more blood. I'd been poked three times in two days. Two in one arm and once in the other. She wanted me to make arrangements to go see a therapist or talk to someone... but I couldn't quite wrap my head around much of anything. All I could keep saying was, "why?" They sent me to another facility for the ultrasound. From there, I went back home hurting even worse from the vaginal wand moving about inside of me. It made the pain that much worse. I received a call and they said my count was down, but not completely down. I went back that Friday so she could check me over again, but not before she expressed more concern about my well being. My face gaunt, rapidly losing weight, crying non-stop. I weighed 133. I managed to lose two more pounds in a matter of 24 hours. I head to the store to go get pads as the doctor tells me my levels are dropping and she's sure I'm going to "pass" the rest of the miscarriage. She wanted to avoid doing the D&C if at all possible. She wanted my body to do it naturally. All the while my hormones are still all over the place. While on the phone standing in the middle of Rite Aid alone, blood begins to flow freely down my leg in the middle of the store. I'm in there so often they take care of me and get me out cleaned up. I go home and spend the rest of the weekend in fetal position still trying to wrap my head around anything and everything... Why did this happen to me? Why did he do this to me? Why do I deserve this? I had no answers, so all I could do was cry. I lay there bleeding profusely. I cried, and slept. That was it. Sunday rolls around and it's still horrible. It's not letting up and I'm dizzy, weak, and worried. I put a call into the office and the doctor on call calls me back. I tell her everything that's happened, and she tells me to come on in to the ER. I wrestled with the idea, but not before that Sunday evening after speaking to the doctor and finding out he was "dating" someone. Not "seeing" or "hanging out" as he told me, but "dating." The time that he was spending with her, should've been spent with the person he spent well over a year with while suffering a loss. Regardless of the circumstances of the loss, it's a loss nonetheless. I decided that I didn't want to go to the ER... alone. Alone the way I'd spent my entire week, and the month and a half before. Now none of you men will be able to comprehend, care, understand what I'm speaking about because you're incapable of getting pregnant, having our hormones go haywire, and suddenly losing them. It's a horrible experience... it's even worse when you're still experiencing it.
I made a conscience effort to make myself go to work that Monday. I go to work and decide to go see our guidance counselor. I spent most of my morning curled up on her sofa going through each and every detail of my experience from the past two weeks. Prior to the finding out I was pregnant and letting him know, to the loss of the pregnancy and the girl that's taken my place. I had to leave to go get more blood taken. They wanted to see me anyway since I didn't show up to the ER. The situation had already been humiliating, I told them that I couldn't bring myself to be there alone, and possibly be there overnight. My doctor did a pelvic and was still wanting to hold off on the D&C. I cried, and cried.... She wanted me to have more blood work as they wanted to make sure that I wasn't anemic since I was losing a lot of blood. I'd been stuck and stuck and it seemed like there was no end to what I was going through. The call the next day told me that I was, but she wanted to wait until I had another round of blood work to decide how we should handle the situation. The pain was still there, the flood of emotions was still raging through me, and I felt as though I was hanging by a small thread as I'm going through this alone. Now when I say alone, I mean in the sense of the man who contributed to the love affair that we had for well over a year is not present. I had friends, but they could only do, say just so much. they couldn't provide the comfort that I needed at this distressing time. It was not their position. I spent the weekend waiting for the next round of blood work and still trying to wrap my head around everything. When I was awake, I was hurt and angry... so I cried... I cried myself back to sleep because it was the only time I could find solace from the disruption of my life. My sleeping was off, I'd go to bed at ten, wake up at one, would be up until five, then sleep until seven. This was a daily thing for me for almost a month. I couldn't find a way to calm myself to stop thinking, to stop the hurt. Emotionally, physically, mentally. It was rocky. Tuesday rolls around and I head back to the hospital. I sat in the chair dreading the sting of the needle drive into my arm. Nothing was coming out, so she moved over a little to try again, still nothing. She moved further down my arm to try one more time and it was like a slow dripping faucet... The other vile(s) had already clotted and we were not getting anything into the third one. The phlebotomist asked if I had ate or drank anything. I hadn't... not since the evening before. Because I was dehydrated the blood would not flow. I would have to come back. they weighed me one more time, and it said 129. In a little over two weeks I had lost 14 pounds. I didn't go back. I'd had as much poking and prodding that I could possibly handle. I was weak physically and mentally. I was completely lost.
Having bled for nearly two and a half weeks (and just woke up to it yet again this morning), losing weight, mentally distraught was too much for anyone to handle. While all women experience physical changes in their bodies after a pregnancy ends affecting her mood, a woman who has lost a baby through miscarriage faces another risk factor for serious postpartum depression. Not only must a woman endure the physical and psychological stresses that occur due to hormone changes, but they do so without any of the rewards that come with bringing their baby home choice or not. A woman may not have the support of her partner. She is trying to cope with not only her postpartum changes, but with the loss of a baby as well, choice or not.
With the end of any pregnancy, a wide variety of “normal” feelings may occur. In addition to being irritable, tired, and gloomy, much more distressing emotions may be experienced. A woman may not always be aware when her feelings have “gone too far”, and those surrounding her need to be alert to the risk of developing postpartum depression. Immediate recognition and treatment must occur for a grieving woman who displays signs of extreme nervousness or anxiety, expresses feelings of panic, persistent or irrational fears and thoughts, severe insomnia or nightmares or intense depression. All of which I've suffered or am still suffering. It has also been suggested that women who have had previous struggles with depression, endured infertility treatments, or are childless are at an even greater risk to develop this serious depressive disorder. None of those three have ever been an issue for me. I consciously made choices in my life to not have children as I felt I never had a man worthy of that part of me. Sure, I've been "depressed" but what "normal" person hasn't?
Postpartum depression can begin and spin out of control very quickly. It is considered a life threatening condition. It is however treatable and evidence suggests that professional intervention is effective in reducing or eliminating such intense emotions and behaviors.
Following the loss of a baby could be the time in a woman’s life when she needs a strong support system the most. Her world has been turned upside down and is intensified by tremendous hormonal changes. Those around her must recognize and respond quickly to this serious condition.
I will NOT apologize for my rash hour long behavior, I will NOT apologize for being the victim and not the villain as so many would like to see me, I will NOT apologize for being someone 20 some odd years ago that I am no longer today, and I will NOT apologize for those heartless ones that can't begin to comprehend the hell I've gone through for a month while they whisper behind my back.
My poor soul – it aches. It needs attention. The miscarriage’s affect on my soul is one that I haven’t been ready to deal with and it wasn't part of the "plan." I sort of have a plan. When my body feels better, I’ll do some yoga... maybe. When my mind is less angry I’ll pray more and meditate (the Rosary has been particularly helpful for me in times of trial). I pray every night now which I’ve failed to do for years, but I wouldn’t say that these prayers are bringing any comfort. I don’t know what to really pray for – sure the generic “stuff” like healing, comfort, success next time, health, blah blah. But I don’t feel spiritually connected right now.
I’ll let you know how things progress. Every day since my miscarriage brings new emotions, thoughts, rationales, pains, pangs.
One last loosely related statement.
I HATE BEING A STATISTIC YET AGAIN!
I guess I should flesh that out . . . perhaps tomorrow.
Since my very recent miscarriage (three weeks ago this past Monday), I have been voraciously reading on the internet. I was telling a friend today that while my body is “purging” so unceremoniously, that my mind is going through a completely different healing process. I’m fired up. I’m mad. And I can’t distance myself from pregnancy and childbirth issues even though I’m no longer pregnant.
So what does this have to do with the title of my post? Perhaps nothing? I read an interesting post about “Good Birth Hormones” over at Empowering Birth Blog, and it got me to thinking . . . not that mine is a particularly well-crafted post . . . about hormones in miscarriage.
Monday I cracked. Or cracked up. My "ex-BOYfriend" dangled a carrot in front of me for months and didn't contribute emotionally, physically, anything over the last month. I called my OB/GYN that I saw five times in a week and a half during and following the week of the miscarriage. From what I gather, I’m going through post-partum depression. Well, isn’t that dandy. And it’s normal. There is not nearly enough information out there about the emotional effects of miscarriage. For some reason, people are still less likely to talk about miscarriage. I imagine those (men) who have never experienced this, nor some women would approve or understand this post.
I still need to post my miscarriage experience. But let me tell you the bad and ugly that comes with miscarriage hormones . . . at least what I experienced. Caution here! This is my experience which may be radically different from anyone else’s experience with miscarriage or neonatal death. Postpartum depression after miscarriage is a risk for some women, and it can be deadly.
After finding out about the pregnancy, I had no intention of keeping it (I apologize to the pro-lifers). Just know that going from a pregnant to a non-pregnant state accompanying a loss is [insert hyperbole] traumatic to your body, mind, and soul. He didn't/wouldn't want it because he "was too old", and I didn't want to have a child with someone who felt so strongly about not wanting that in his life. We told him about it. Instantly he felt that I was lying, possibly out of "desperation" for us to be back to normal... or to try to get his attention. I wasn't going for either, I just felt like at an almost 40 something, he should know. We were intimate, we shared something, and it was only fair to let the person I still love know. Two days later, I miscarried after telling him. I took my dog out for a walk. By the time we reached the door, it felt like I was urinating on myself. I immediately unlocked the door and ran in, and down the hall. I pulled my sweats down and there was blood all over my underwear and on the inside of my leg. For an instant, I felt the need to push and there was a loud "plop." I looked down and what one would think was a clot, wasn't. It was round, symmetrical, pseudo-transparent gray in color. I called my girlfriend, and she immediately came over. I left everything in the toilet as I ran to my other bathroom to shower because I felt dirty, and I didn't know if I was going to have to go to the ER. She got online looking for something to tell us what to do. We made several calls to multiple doctors that we know but no responses from anyone. I gingerly scooped out what came out of me and placed it in a cup completely covering it with aluminum foil because I didn't want to look at it again. She tucked me into bed with a handful of Midol and advised me to go to the nearest doctor that morning.
I woke up... cleaned myself up and proceeded to look for a doctor that could take me right away. I found one that would take me straight away, in addition my internist doctor would take me too. I went to him first, he gave me Naproxen and took blood work. After leaving there, I drove myself dizzily to Baptist with my cup from the night before in the cup holder. I get there and immediately they weigh me. I weighed 143 pounds. She does a pelvic exam, and my uterus is "swollen", and examines the specimen I brought in, it was in fact a miscarriage. (A woman’s body changes dramatically during pregnancy, tremendous adjustments also occur when a pregnancy ends through birth or miscarriage. The discussion of miscarriage it is important to recognize that whether the loss occurred naturally or medically assisted, the pregnancy has ended abruptly. The hormones which prepared a woman’s body to carry their baby and were sustained throughout the pregnancy swing dramatically causing a significant shift in her hormones. Such chemically induced mood swings make women emotional after the end of a pregnancy. Being irritable, angry, irrational, tired, tearful, and sometimes even a bit sad are fairly normal expressions as her body struggles to return to a pre-pregnant state. It is believed that approximately 10-15% of women experience a much more extreme reaction to the hormone changes.) She sent me down to the second floor to do more blood work. If I'm a negative blood type you have to have a Rhogam shot. That's, “Rh-negative”, and therefore your baby may be at risk for hemolytic disease of the newborn. This shot will also protect you or your next child. I knew that wasn't a possibility. You still have to have the shot even if you've miscarried. So I already had blood taken from one arm not even 20 minutes before, now they are taking from the other. I went back up to the office for the doctor to prescribe me pain pills for the horrible cramps I was experiencing, although after I passed the fetus there was no more blood. This was Tuesday. I drove myself back home to take something and pass out. I was in hell, and utterly alone. Wednesday was worse. I hadn't told my mother anything because it would break her heart (the guy that I fell in love with she did too, and me suffering alone without him being supportive), so I had to compose myself when she said that she was stopping by. I had cried for six days straight only stopping long enough to sleep or drive myself back to the hospital. Mom came and went looking at me skeptically but never saying anything. The pain grew worse. That Thursday morning I called the doctors office and they wanted me to come in ASAP. She was concerned that since I wasn't passing blood, that I might still have some of the pregnancy in my tube. They wanted to make sure it wasn't etopic. I arrived and she was extremely worried because I looked terrible. My sleeping pattern was altered as I slept only a couple three hours after having taken a pain pill. I was averaging about 4 hours a day. They weighed me, I weighed 135. I had lost 8 pounds in two days. I couldn't eat because everything smelled wretched. Nothing had tasted the way that I remembered. Before the miscarriage I remember having to unplug ALL of the plug ins because it was intensely strong. Before the pregnancy I couldn't smell them or thought they didn't smell strong enough. Nothing appealed to me, so in return I slept. I went to the office and they took more blood. I'd been poked three times in two days. Two in one arm and once in the other. She wanted me to make arrangements to go see a therapist or talk to someone... but I couldn't quite wrap my head around much of anything. All I could keep saying was, "why?" They sent me to another facility for the ultrasound. From there, I went back home hurting even worse from the vaginal wand moving about inside of me. It made the pain that much worse. I received a call and they said my count was down, but not completely down. I went back that Friday so she could check me over again, but not before she expressed more concern about my well being. My face gaunt, rapidly losing weight, crying non-stop. I weighed 133. I managed to lose two more pounds in a matter of 24 hours. I head to the store to go get pads as the doctor tells me my levels are dropping and she's sure I'm going to "pass" the rest of the miscarriage. She wanted to avoid doing the D&C if at all possible. She wanted my body to do it naturally. All the while my hormones are still all over the place. While on the phone standing in the middle of Rite Aid alone, blood begins to flow freely down my leg in the middle of the store. I'm in there so often they take care of me and get me out cleaned up. I go home and spend the rest of the weekend in fetal position still trying to wrap my head around anything and everything... Why did this happen to me? Why did he do this to me? Why do I deserve this? I had no answers, so all I could do was cry. I lay there bleeding profusely. I cried, and slept. That was it. Sunday rolls around and it's still horrible. It's not letting up and I'm dizzy, weak, and worried. I put a call into the office and the doctor on call calls me back. I tell her everything that's happened, and she tells me to come on in to the ER. I wrestled with the idea, but not before that Sunday evening after speaking to the doctor and finding out he was "dating" someone. Not "seeing" or "hanging out" as he told me, but "dating." The time that he was spending with her, should've been spent with the person he spent well over a year with while suffering a loss. Regardless of the circumstances of the loss, it's a loss nonetheless. I decided that I didn't want to go to the ER... alone. Alone the way I'd spent my entire week, and the month and a half before. Now none of you men will be able to comprehend, care, understand what I'm speaking about because you're incapable of getting pregnant, having our hormones go haywire, and suddenly losing them. It's a horrible experience... it's even worse when you're still experiencing it.
I made a conscience effort to make myself go to work that Monday. I go to work and decide to go see our guidance counselor. I spent most of my morning curled up on her sofa going through each and every detail of my experience from the past two weeks. Prior to the finding out I was pregnant and letting him know, to the loss of the pregnancy and the girl that's taken my place. I had to leave to go get more blood taken. They wanted to see me anyway since I didn't show up to the ER. The situation had already been humiliating, I told them that I couldn't bring myself to be there alone, and possibly be there overnight. My doctor did a pelvic and was still wanting to hold off on the D&C. I cried, and cried.... She wanted me to have more blood work as they wanted to make sure that I wasn't anemic since I was losing a lot of blood. I'd been stuck and stuck and it seemed like there was no end to what I was going through. The call the next day told me that I was, but she wanted to wait until I had another round of blood work to decide how we should handle the situation. The pain was still there, the flood of emotions was still raging through me, and I felt as though I was hanging by a small thread as I'm going through this alone. Now when I say alone, I mean in the sense of the man who contributed to the love affair that we had for well over a year is not present. I had friends, but they could only do, say just so much. they couldn't provide the comfort that I needed at this distressing time. It was not their position. I spent the weekend waiting for the next round of blood work and still trying to wrap my head around everything. When I was awake, I was hurt and angry... so I cried... I cried myself back to sleep because it was the only time I could find solace from the disruption of my life. My sleeping was off, I'd go to bed at ten, wake up at one, would be up until five, then sleep until seven. This was a daily thing for me for almost a month. I couldn't find a way to calm myself to stop thinking, to stop the hurt. Emotionally, physically, mentally. It was rocky. Tuesday rolls around and I head back to the hospital. I sat in the chair dreading the sting of the needle drive into my arm. Nothing was coming out, so she moved over a little to try again, still nothing. She moved further down my arm to try one more time and it was like a slow dripping faucet... The other vile(s) had already clotted and we were not getting anything into the third one. The phlebotomist asked if I had ate or drank anything. I hadn't... not since the evening before. Because I was dehydrated the blood would not flow. I would have to come back. they weighed me one more time, and it said 129. In a little over two weeks I had lost 14 pounds. I didn't go back. I'd had as much poking and prodding that I could possibly handle. I was weak physically and mentally. I was completely lost.
Having bled for nearly two and a half weeks (and just woke up to it yet again this morning), losing weight, mentally distraught was too much for anyone to handle. While all women experience physical changes in their bodies after a pregnancy ends affecting her mood, a woman who has lost a baby through miscarriage faces another risk factor for serious postpartum depression. Not only must a woman endure the physical and psychological stresses that occur due to hormone changes, but they do so without any of the rewards that come with bringing their baby home choice or not. A woman may not have the support of her partner. She is trying to cope with not only her postpartum changes, but with the loss of a baby as well, choice or not.
With the end of any pregnancy, a wide variety of “normal” feelings may occur. In addition to being irritable, tired, and gloomy, much more distressing emotions may be experienced. A woman may not always be aware when her feelings have “gone too far”, and those surrounding her need to be alert to the risk of developing postpartum depression. Immediate recognition and treatment must occur for a grieving woman who displays signs of extreme nervousness or anxiety, expresses feelings of panic, persistent or irrational fears and thoughts, severe insomnia or nightmares or intense depression. All of which I've suffered or am still suffering. It has also been suggested that women who have had previous struggles with depression, endured infertility treatments, or are childless are at an even greater risk to develop this serious depressive disorder. None of those three have ever been an issue for me. I consciously made choices in my life to not have children as I felt I never had a man worthy of that part of me. Sure, I've been "depressed" but what "normal" person hasn't?
Postpartum depression can begin and spin out of control very quickly. It is considered a life threatening condition. It is however treatable and evidence suggests that professional intervention is effective in reducing or eliminating such intense emotions and behaviors.
Following the loss of a baby could be the time in a woman’s life when she needs a strong support system the most. Her world has been turned upside down and is intensified by tremendous hormonal changes. Those around her must recognize and respond quickly to this serious condition.
I will NOT apologize for my rash hour long behavior, I will NOT apologize for being the victim and not the villain as so many would like to see me, I will NOT apologize for being someone 20 some odd years ago that I am no longer today, and I will NOT apologize for those heartless ones that can't begin to comprehend the hell I've gone through for a month while they whisper behind my back.
My poor soul – it aches. It needs attention. The miscarriage’s affect on my soul is one that I haven’t been ready to deal with and it wasn't part of the "plan." I sort of have a plan. When my body feels better, I’ll do some yoga... maybe. When my mind is less angry I’ll pray more and meditate (the Rosary has been particularly helpful for me in times of trial). I pray every night now which I’ve failed to do for years, but I wouldn’t say that these prayers are bringing any comfort. I don’t know what to really pray for – sure the generic “stuff” like healing, comfort, success next time, health, blah blah. But I don’t feel spiritually connected right now.
I’ll let you know how things progress. Every day since my miscarriage brings new emotions, thoughts, rationales, pains, pangs.
One last loosely related statement.
I HATE BEING A STATISTIC YET AGAIN!
I guess I should flesh that out . . . perhaps tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
He Doesn't Deserve Me...
he doesn't deserve me.
i know that that's what some people have been telling me for months, and i didn't know it was true. but now i feel it. i feel it in my heart that i am too good for him. he didn't want to be good for me. he hurt me, he rejected me, he made the corners of my soul cave in. he made me happy for such a long time, and then snatched it like a rug out from under my feet. and i deserve better than that. i deserve a boy that loves me, that truly knows me fully and completely and is in love with every bit of me. i deserve a guy that always wants to be with me and will do anything for me. who can accept things without feeling emasculated because someone cares enough to do the normal things one does in a good relationship. i deserve a man who makes me happy.
and i believe he exists. i believe now that someday, i will find my perfect match. i haven't been optimistic in months. i've spent so much time alone, crying, dwelling on him, on the one that broke my heart, that kept it in his personal drawer with all of the other items i've ever given him. and i haven't been able to see that this isn't the end. i have the rest of my life ahead of me. one day, i will find that person and we will fall crazily and madly in love. he exists. and it's okay if i don't find him anytime soon. i'm not going to go out there and search for him. i believe that everyone has someone made just for them. and today, today i felt that hope inside of me. that i will find that someone who appreciates me, and who wants to love me. from now on, i'm just going to let go. i know i won't completely get over him right away. i'm letting go of him because i don't need someone who doesn't want me.
i'm going to live. i'm going to have a love for life. and i'm going to be happy.
i know that that's what some people have been telling me for months, and i didn't know it was true. but now i feel it. i feel it in my heart that i am too good for him. he didn't want to be good for me. he hurt me, he rejected me, he made the corners of my soul cave in. he made me happy for such a long time, and then snatched it like a rug out from under my feet. and i deserve better than that. i deserve a boy that loves me, that truly knows me fully and completely and is in love with every bit of me. i deserve a guy that always wants to be with me and will do anything for me. who can accept things without feeling emasculated because someone cares enough to do the normal things one does in a good relationship. i deserve a man who makes me happy.
and i believe he exists. i believe now that someday, i will find my perfect match. i haven't been optimistic in months. i've spent so much time alone, crying, dwelling on him, on the one that broke my heart, that kept it in his personal drawer with all of the other items i've ever given him. and i haven't been able to see that this isn't the end. i have the rest of my life ahead of me. one day, i will find that person and we will fall crazily and madly in love. he exists. and it's okay if i don't find him anytime soon. i'm not going to go out there and search for him. i believe that everyone has someone made just for them. and today, today i felt that hope inside of me. that i will find that someone who appreciates me, and who wants to love me. from now on, i'm just going to let go. i know i won't completely get over him right away. i'm letting go of him because i don't need someone who doesn't want me.
i'm going to live. i'm going to have a love for life. and i'm going to be happy.
The Pages of My Letters
This is the last time
I’m gonna write this down
I must admit I’ve gotten used to you
not being around
You were always better
In the pages of my letters
I don’t talk to God
the way that I used to
No hard feelings
He’s just got more important things to do
Then hear my broken records
And read it in the pages of my letters
You should know that I don’t blame you
For breaking it
And not following through
Somewhere I know it’s true
That to be with you
Could never measure
To the pages of my letters
Guess that hardest part
Of all of this for me
Is that I was the one
Who built you up to be
Completely better
In the pages of my letters
You should know that I don’t blame you
For breaking it
And not following through
Somewhere I know it’s true
That to be with you
Could never measure
To the pages of my letters
Think you’d want to know
When I didn’t know
Where to go
I would imagine what you’d say
Then I’d try to go along your way
I don’t blame you
For not following through
Somewhere I know it’s true
That to be with you
Could never measure
To the pages of my letters
Why?
One year and three months = 10957.266 hours.
For me it was a time of up`s, a couple of down`s and inbetweens.
The moments you showed me how important I was for you and how much I loved you were incredible.
The moments you demonstrated that you were superior and that I meant nothing were ......hell.
I always fought for you and made things work. Because even if it doesn`t work out it still was worth it, that`s what my mother taught me. On Christmas you told me you loved me and wanted to work for our relationship but to be honest you never really have.
Not when you left me when I had my thyroid scare, not when you left me when I had a miscarriage and not when you left me because we had a long distant vacation less than 12 miles away.
I am not a masochist and I know that you are a good person. The question that I keep asking myself is why you couldn't show it to me. Why are you so scared of love? Why can`t you try to work on your baggage that you carry around with you.
I know what a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent and special person I am. Why can`t you see that?
Someone once said:'I will accept you for who you are, not for how I want you to be.'
Maybe I could never accept how you were because I knew your potential. I know that this could have been a great love story.
So now that`s it`s over and I know better why is it bugging me so much. Why do I bother with the fact that I want you to show me how important I am to you because I know I am.
I really want to call, write or send smoke signals but I know that is a bad idea. I am hurt and my imagination of love has been shattered in some way that`s why I am scared of saying more that I will regret.
But at the same time you will never call me or write to me. You will ... you won`t do anything.
I need to let go completely. It hurts so bad.
This is written by the Optimist for her so called Realist.
Too bad you didn`t try, you don`t know what you`re going to miss one day.
Whether it's six months from now, or six years. You had the cream of the crop.
Monday, March 8, 2010
It Happens Everyday, Part 2
Wednesday were sometimes mixed up with Thursdays. Sometimes he had worked late, or we were both too tired that we put it off until the next day. It was all good because I knew that I got to see him on a weekend night, and week night. We didn’t see each other like most couples do, so our couple of days per week was something to look forward to. He was a long time out of a bad marriage, slept around for a spell, and then I happened into the picture. I told myself I’d never date a dude that was ever married/divorced, and had children. That’s more baggage than what I wanted. But he was different, Patrick made me feel unlike I’ve ever felt before. I’ve had my share of boyfriends that I claimed to love, and I’ve cried and felt hopeless when we broke up, but this was something entirely different that I was feeling. It was late April of 2009 and while making love, he whispered in my ear, “There’s something I want to tell you…” I looked up at him lovingly and said, “Yes.” He said over and over, “I love you, I love you…” I would’ve fainted if I wasn’t already lying down. I was indeed in love, and it felt AMAZING. I didn’t think it was possible to feel like that. It’s indescribable. My friends, co-workers, everyone saw that I was a changed woman. He made such the difference in my life that a strange unfamiliar calm washed over me. I wasn’t the “hostile/angry” Alima that some know me as, I was a new person. All of the “I love yous” that I said all of the years before couldn’t match what I was feeling, living. We were good together, we had our own rhythm, we finished each others sentences, we had an amazing connection that was evident in the very beginning, and we laughed a LOT. I wanted to give this man the world for the love that he showed me, gave me. I wanted to give him everything that I could! I wanted to make sure that he had everything he needed. Attention, love, sex, compassion, support… I wanted to give him things that I didn’t know how to give. He was giving me more than anything you could buy in this world. I doted on every move that he made…. He hung the moon for me. I still got butterflies each and every time I saw him. He was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with… miniscule flaws and all. He accepted me for me. I wanted him to be the first thing I woke up to every morning, and the last thing when I went to bed every day for the rest of my life It doesn’t get much better than this. My friends and family use to tell me that they could see how I looked at him in my pictures, in person and knew that I was a changed woman. That somehow someone had broken through the hard shell and got to the gooey insides. . I was new… every ion in my body was new. Just thinking back makes me lightheaded…
We spent quite a bit of time at our friends’ camp on the TN River. We were cooking every weekend, grilling, just having hang time with our friends. It became routine. Every time the weekend would roll around, we’d ask each other, “What are we cooking tonight?” It was so refreshing to be on the same page with someone. We decided to take a vacation. I hadn’t given myself one in almost seven years, so I was completely jazzed to do so this (particular) year. We talked about us going, and finally I just decided that I needed to shit or get off the pot. I was so worried because none of our friends were coming along and I was concerned that he would become bored with me, lose interest, or just plain not have a good time. I was so concerned. I got a great deal for a condo right on the beach, 100 yards away from the water. It was perfect! We got extra early, and he came to get me. The sun wasn’t up yet but I was wired! I was so excited that I was pretty goofy! He set the Garmin, and we headed down 65. I was being absolutely silly, minding everything out the window. The sun slowly began to rise while we were in Alabama and it was time for breakfast! We stopped off at a Cracker Barrel around 7 that morning, filled up, and headed back out. I had never laughed so hard until we came to Butler , Alabama . The GPS was acting up. We literally drove around in a circle for ten minutes. Patrick was furious, and I was trying NOT to laugh because it was making him that much angrier. By the time we got out of our little “web”, and got our bearing back… we were Destin bound. Once he calmed down, he referred to the Garmin as the “Bitch in a Box.” It still cracks me up to this day. We finally arrived to our beach hide-away just shy of noon. But not before I had MY meltdown. There was a small box outside of the door. Well I couldn’t find it, and it was hot as HELL out there. We looked around everything, picking up stuff. I was sweating and pissed. Well after about 10 minutes of doing all of that, we realized that we were poking around the wrong door. :o/ Once we went to our door; there was the little box outside of the door that held our key. He called me pissy when we got in. I nicknamed him “PP.” PP was a term of endearment. If meant, “Pissy Patty”, or “Pretty Patty”, “Pouty Patty” (one of my favorites), and anything else I could come up with. He called me PP once we got in. We dumped our stuff and headed out to eat. It was lunchtime and we were starving! We headed right around the corner for something small then came back to the condo to head to the pool. This was the first time I’d put on a swimsuit in probably 7 years! I was not happy about it! I reluctantly put it on. If it weren’t so damn hot, I would’ve gotten out there in a t-shirt and shorts! We took it all in. After we got our fill of the sun, we headed in to get cleaned up to head to dinner. Crab legs! Oysters! We were ready for it all! We hit AJ’s and every little boat bar along the Harborwalk. We even stopped to take a picture that turned out to actually be a really good one. We got more and more tanked and decided to head back to the condo. It wasn’t even 8, and we passed out! Every morning there after consisted of Patrick getting up to make coffee, then breakfast, then he’d look at me and ask, “Beach or pool?” It was perfect. We were officially on the senior citizens schedule and loving every minute of it. No hurry, no rushing, just meandering about for a week. It was wonderful. By the week end, Michael Jackson had died, and it was time to come back home. We packed our belongings, had our last big dinner at Pompano Joe’s, and went back for our last night in Destin. That morning we rose early, loaded the car, and headed to bring some shrimp back home, and Waffle House. We were heading back home… :(
To be continued…
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
So Hard to Love
"I'm fighting with my head and my heart
All the reasons you think we'll fall apart
You can hold me and in circles we'll crawl
Chasing tails, feeling nothing at all
Oh am I, so hard to love?
Am I so hard to love?
If you can't better this
Then it's not all that good
I know it's been short
But maybe I've stayed longer than I really should
I'm storming, steeping up through my head
I should leave now, but I'm waiting instead
For a new day, for a version of you
That will love me, displacing my blue
Oh, am I so hard to love?
Am I so hard to love?
If you can't better this
Then it's not all that good
I know it's been short
But maybe I stayed longer than I really should
At the edge of courage
I could stand here all night long
And say nothing
Oh, nothing
I'm fighting with my head and my heart
All the reasons I know we'll fall apart
Am I so hard to love?
Am I so hard to love?"
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
It Happens Every Day, Part 1
Where do I begin... ahhh September 23rd, 2008. The man I'd always been looking for walked into my life before I knew it was him."
Car problems, you've gotta take your car in to get it looked at when it has problems. I'm a chick, I put gas in and washer fluid (sometimes). I'm lucky to get the oil changed like I should. Well my car had problems! And it had them right in the middle of the crazy Tennessee gas shortage! I had some crazy sensor problems and had to take my car in. I didn't think that it was going to be a major "problem" until I was sent home without my car.
So let me back up a little bit... I'm waiting, and waiting at the serivce center, doing work while hoping to get my car back and peddle on back home, but a couple of hours had passed. Not before lovely MeMe* called me to her desk to let me know that my car was going to have to go to the dealer to be dealt with. Upon passing a desk to get to hers, I noticed blue eyes to my left. I was irritated about my situation, but always have time to notice a weakness of mine, blue eyes. Upon my arrival to her desk and the bad news I was informed of, Mr. Blue Eyes* spoke, "hey, it's been awhile since I've seen you!" "Yeah, yeah it has", I smiled, but I was really annoyed with my situation even though I was trying to place where I knew him from. I was focusing on the bad at that moment. Well more like an inconvenience. I had to call my mom to come and pick me up but all the while on my way home I couldn't get Mr. Blue Eyes out of my mind and where I knew him from.
So let me back up a little bit... I'm waiting, and waiting at the serivce center, doing work while hoping to get my car back and peddle on back home, but a couple of hours had passed. Not before lovely MeMe* called me to her desk to let me know that my car was going to have to go to the dealer to be dealt with. Upon passing a desk to get to hers, I noticed blue eyes to my left. I was irritated about my situation, but always have time to notice a weakness of mine, blue eyes. Upon my arrival to her desk and the bad news I was informed of, Mr. Blue Eyes* spoke, "hey, it's been awhile since I've seen you!" "Yeah, yeah it has", I smiled, but I was really annoyed with my situation even though I was trying to place where I knew him from. I was focusing on the bad at that moment. Well more like an inconvenience. I had to call my mom to come and pick me up but all the while on my way home I couldn't get Mr. Blue Eyes out of my mind and where I knew him from.
That late afternoon/evening I get an email notification that Mr. Blue Eyes wants to be my friend on MySpace. Well I'd a lot of strange ones wanting to "friend" me and had pretty much deleted them all, but it only said "Mr. Blue Eyes" and there he was a small little picture that I couldn't quite make out the face sitting on a motorcycle. Be still my beating heart! So I accepted, I wanted to see who this was! I started digging through all of his pictures, some were of him, with family, with cheap girls, with more people I began to recognize. Wait! I know this guy! I know the family members! NO WAY!!!! It was the Mr. Blue Eyes I always knew, it was just 20 years later seeing him. Wow! So I left some comments to pics and we left each other a few messages, flirted back and forth (well as much as one can do through the internet). He said, "tussle"... loved it. I was kinda smitten, but on serious guard as I checked him over. I'm actually giddy talking to him through the computer! This little "flirt fest" was exciting, new! Strange.
It was finally time for me to go get my ride, two weeks later. As a thoughtful gesture I decided to get he and MeMe a gift card to Starbucks. He likes coffee. So grabbing them on my way to work, and then heading to the lot to pick up my car after work, I began to feel all jittery... like there were butterflies in my stomach. Ok, those who know me know that's not possible with me. I stopped many years prior of feeling anything for anyone let alone someone that just fixed my car. I just don't have time in my life for those feelings. I told myself to never feel again... it always hurt too much.
It was finally time for me to go get my ride, two weeks later. As a thoughtful gesture I decided to get he and MeMe a gift card to Starbucks. He likes coffee. So grabbing them on my way to work, and then heading to the lot to pick up my car after work, I began to feel all jittery... like there were butterflies in my stomach. Ok, those who know me know that's not possible with me. I stopped many years prior of feeling anything for anyone let alone someone that just fixed my car. I just don't have time in my life for those feelings. I told myself to never feel again... it always hurt too much.
So while pulling into the bay I feel that not so familiar feeling of excitement run all over me as I see Mr. Blue Eyes sitting there. My hands were sweaty, my heart was racing, all things alien to me anymore. It was wonderful, and scary. "Why the hell am I so excited to pick up my car?", I try to tell myself. I get out, my eyes glancing at him trying to not trip or do something stupid, goofy smile across my face. Good grief, I'm here to pick up my car!!! I waltz in, and MeMe welcomes me, and Mr. Blue Eyes smiles. It was a warm smile that made all of the crazy things in my body do exactly what I didn't want them to do! I went to the pay window, then I turned around and handed MeMe her card, then walked over to Mr. Blue Eyes to give him his card. As I paid, I looked over my shoulder to see him smiling while looking at his card. It warmed my heart because it was a heartfelt look, almost like no one has ever given him anything before. It made me smile. He jumped up, grabbed my keys and went to pull my car into the bay for me. I went back to the rental to grab the last of my things, he walked over and helped me with my things and took them to my truck. We stood there a little awkwardly and then I noticed his bike out of the corner of my eye. I told him I wanted to see it and we walked over. I rambled because I was so, so nervous. And he did a lot of smiling and responded when he could make out one of my incessant rambling questions. I was "giddy." It was all weird to me, I hadn't felt that in years. Hell if I'd know that taking your car to the shop made you feel like that, I'd take it every other week! After awkwardly staring at the bike in silence I figured it was time for me to leave. He walked me back to my truck and before I jumped in, I told him I wanted a ride. He said, "absolutely!" I left... I drove home smiling, thinking about his eyes, the looks on his face as I studied him, his movements, and the tone of his voice with his gentlemanly Southern drawl. I got home to a sweet message (October 1st, 2008) from Mr. Blue Eyes. He said, "That was really, really nice of you to give me a gift, you didn't have to, but I am most appreciative. Now you have to let me take you to lunch one weekend soon, if you play your cards right, we'll go on the bike ;)..." I wrote back, gave him my number(s), and waiting for... for what, I had no idea. My heart was racing, I looked forward to sleep because tomorrow was a new day... a new something.
I was getting anxious, I hadn't heard from him and this "feeling" was all new to me again. I liked it, but it freaked me out. He called on October 2nd, 2008. It was a short period of time, but I was excited. I didn't screen my call as some would assume. I actually didn't hear the phone ring, but he left a message, "hey Alima it's Mr. Blue Eyes. I guess it's too late to call I kinda met up with some buddies tonight for dinner and was so uh just getting back in. But wanted to call and say it's going to be 81 degrees Saturday so if you're not doing anything... noonish... we might get out and go get some lunch if you can. 3XX-XXXX Talk to you soon!" My heart was about to jump out of my chest! I called back and left him a message (I chickened out and "responded" to the caller so it wouldn't ring his phone) and told him absolutely, I was all for it! Saturday was approaching and I had a "date." I hadn't had one of these in a long time... just wouldn't go there anymore. I was getting nervous the night before. I mean was it going to be weird? We we going to be awkward? What it just he and I or were others coming? My head was spinning. Saturday approaches and it's a day of mixed emotions. The anniversary of my brothers passing, and a "date" day. My mother sent a very emotional text that made me sad. I couldn't go out and have "fun" while she was home mourning. So, I stayed home too. I called Mr. Blue Eyes and told him what was going on and asked if I could get a raincheck. One, I felt like out of respect I should mourn my brother. Two, I was scared to death to put my feet back in the water. Water scared me, cold water, cold feet, it's scary. After hours had passed and I wished I would have went, my girlfriend/co-worker gave me down the road for not going. I had pretty much talked myself out of the raincheck until I talked to her. I worked up my courage as I laid in the bed and looked at the ceiling thinking about what to say, do. I rolled over, got out of bed, did my usual weekend morning stuff. Take the dog out, go get coffee, and then the panic started to flood all over me. I needed to call, what if he already made other plans? What if he thought I blew him off? I called. I was wanting him to not answer just in case he was going to tell me that he had plans already... I just wanted to leave a voicemail. RELIEF! I left a message telling him that I'd like to take him up on his raincheck if it wasn't too late. He called about 30 minutes later and said that he was mowing and would like to get out as planned the day before. So I scrambled like a little kid to get ready. I hadn't had a "date date" in a really long time, so I was flailing about not sure if I looked like crap or not. I got in my car and headed to his house not knowing what to expect. I pulled down the street ready to throw up (seriously I could've pulled off on a side street and yaked but I thought hugging him smelling like puke would've been a total turn off), and now I've reached his driveway. There he was, and there were two of his friends. AWKWARD! I get out of the car and walk over to the screened in porch where they're all watching football. I couldn't tell if I was walking like I knew how or like a toddler that's never walked before. I opened the door and he was up to greet me. He gave me a welcoming hug, and introduced me to one of his friends, Charles*. He was funny, I saw him look me over but not in a strange way, I know he was seeing who his best friend brought home. The other friend just so happened to be a long time best friend of mine, Rick* from 20 years before. I gave him a big hug and began to feel a little more relaxed. Well as relaxed as one could be knowing that I was being sized up right now. AWKWARD! The next 10 minutes was stressful and nerve-wrecking as I waited for his next move.
"Let's saddle up!" was what I heard. Now I've been on the back of a few bikes, so you must have trust of your driver. With him, I hopped on like I'd been there all along. Nervous as we rode off leading the way, I began to sweat. I mean sweat profusely. As we approached Broadway I was even more nervous now. It was warm for an October Sunday and to kinda "break the ice" I said to him, "I'm sorry if my crotch is hot and my boobs are sweating." OMG, did I really say that!?!! I did, and I did it because it's my humor, and to break the ice. I caught him completely off guard, he chuckled and shook his head. Oh great! Did I totally screw up!? What in the world was he thinking. It seemed like we were at the red light for HOURS after I said that. We trekked on to our destination for beers and football. We arrived and it seemed like I was the only girl there. All eyes seemed to be on us when we hopped off the bikes and headed in to find a table. We ordered our beers, and relaxed. After a few more of the tall cold glasses of "liquid courage" I felt like I probably needed to eat. I caught up with Rick, laughed at Charles, and got to interact with Mr. Blue Eyes even more. I was feeling more and more comfortable as the day went on. Ahh the queso and chips arrive, I'm starving! I offered my chow to the rest of the table which some picked at my chips before ordering their own items. Getting more and more tipsy by the minute I began to get more silly and loosen up. I went to take a big bite of my chip and cheese and spilled it on my shirt. Mr. Blue Eyes chuckled under his breath and looked for something to hand to me to wipe it off. In my beer haze I looked at him and said, "just spit on it." I didn't think of what I said UNTIL I said it. The table laughed loudly and he frantically proceeded to wipe the cheese with the napkin off my shirt. Charles looked at Rick and said, "I'm giving it 6 weeks!" I didn't know about this until months later and when we all became closer. I wished I could've seen it as I probably would've egged it on some more! We laughed, and laughed, and took camera phone pics and laughed some more. I got closer to him, putting my hand on his knee, leaning in, taking in the moment. It was turning out to be a great much needed day. It was time for the guys to head home, so we all got back on the bikes and went our respective ways. Now it's just Mr. Blue Eyes and me, back at his house. It was obvious even before the liquid courage there was an attraction. I felt on fire being around him. I'd not felt that in years! We're standing in the screened in porch looking at one another and you just knew that it was right. Morally no, but every inch of my being knew right then at that moment, it was right. We fell into his house wrapped around one another like we'd been together for years. It was electric. A few hours passed and I emerged realizing needing to get myself home. I did not want to leave... but I needed to so I could bask in the most amazing day I'd had in years, and hope to have another in the very near future. I drove home with a ridiculous smile on my face as I mumbled to myself all the way to my destination. I even turned down the radio so I could hear my incessant rambling of giddyness! I was glad no one could see me since it was dark, but I was glad that smile was covering my entire face. I smiled myself to sleep...
I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd just had the Christmas I'd always wanted. He sent me a message that morning on our social networking site that said, "I had to leave you a message this morning and tell you I had a great time with you yesterday. I hope we can hang out again real soon. Hopefully I won't have this limp for more than a couple of days ;) That was amazing!", and my day picked up like it never ended. To work I went... When I got there the girls were looking at me waiting for the dish. v They waited for me to settle in, go back and warm up my coffee, and take postion in my chair. I don't think I stopped smiling. I played the day before in my head over and over as I told the girls all about it. Work was easy, wasn't stressful, I was happy. I made a haircut appointment for the following day. I felt shaggy and needed to feel all over what I was feeling from the hairline down! He sent me texts throughout the day. I told him about my day and still reveling in the day before. I told him I was getting a haircut the following day, we texted about this and that, then he asked of he could take me to dinner one night that week. Well yeah!!! I wanted to see him again, I wanted to imprint the look of his eyes, his smile lines, his nose, everything in my mind so I wouldn't forget. He said, "Since you're getting your haircut tomorrow, why not Wednesday?" Umm I would've cancelled my hair appointment to see him again, and soon! I ripped through my Tuesday, head to the grindstone waiting for Wednesday to hurry up and get there. If I could've slept through the rest of Monday and Tuesday to get to it sooner, I would have. WEDNESDAY! I made it, but not quite yet, I had to get through work. Work dragged. This is what happens, right? You're waiting for something extra special and it takes an eternity to get there! Good grief, time to go home and get ready... he would be on his way. He was coming to my place and we were going to grab a bite. All of Sunday swirled around in my head while I was getting ready, I was feeling like that kooky little kid all excited... you know the ones that run through the house yelling and being silly just out of pure happiness? That is what I felt, I was going on a date. Now, don't get me wrong... I'd been going on dates, just with people I wasn't that into. But Mr. Blue Eyes changed my entire way of thinking about that! I was into him, and wanted to see more of him! Wednesday nights became our " date nights."
"Let's saddle up!" was what I heard. Now I've been on the back of a few bikes, so you must have trust of your driver. With him, I hopped on like I'd been there all along. Nervous as we rode off leading the way, I began to sweat. I mean sweat profusely. As we approached Broadway I was even more nervous now. It was warm for an October Sunday and to kinda "break the ice" I said to him, "I'm sorry if my crotch is hot and my boobs are sweating." OMG, did I really say that!?!! I did, and I did it because it's my humor, and to break the ice. I caught him completely off guard, he chuckled and shook his head. Oh great! Did I totally screw up!? What in the world was he thinking. It seemed like we were at the red light for HOURS after I said that. We trekked on to our destination for beers and football. We arrived and it seemed like I was the only girl there. All eyes seemed to be on us when we hopped off the bikes and headed in to find a table. We ordered our beers, and relaxed. After a few more of the tall cold glasses of "liquid courage" I felt like I probably needed to eat. I caught up with Rick, laughed at Charles, and got to interact with Mr. Blue Eyes even more. I was feeling more and more comfortable as the day went on. Ahh the queso and chips arrive, I'm starving! I offered my chow to the rest of the table which some picked at my chips before ordering their own items. Getting more and more tipsy by the minute I began to get more silly and loosen up. I went to take a big bite of my chip and cheese and spilled it on my shirt. Mr. Blue Eyes chuckled under his breath and looked for something to hand to me to wipe it off. In my beer haze I looked at him and said, "just spit on it." I didn't think of what I said UNTIL I said it. The table laughed loudly and he frantically proceeded to wipe the cheese with the napkin off my shirt. Charles looked at Rick and said, "I'm giving it 6 weeks!" I didn't know about this until months later and when we all became closer. I wished I could've seen it as I probably would've egged it on some more! We laughed, and laughed, and took camera phone pics and laughed some more. I got closer to him, putting my hand on his knee, leaning in, taking in the moment. It was turning out to be a great much needed day. It was time for the guys to head home, so we all got back on the bikes and went our respective ways. Now it's just Mr. Blue Eyes and me, back at his house. It was obvious even before the liquid courage there was an attraction. I felt on fire being around him. I'd not felt that in years! We're standing in the screened in porch looking at one another and you just knew that it was right. Morally no, but every inch of my being knew right then at that moment, it was right. We fell into his house wrapped around one another like we'd been together for years. It was electric. A few hours passed and I emerged realizing needing to get myself home. I did not want to leave... but I needed to so I could bask in the most amazing day I'd had in years, and hope to have another in the very near future. I drove home with a ridiculous smile on my face as I mumbled to myself all the way to my destination. I even turned down the radio so I could hear my incessant rambling of giddyness! I was glad no one could see me since it was dark, but I was glad that smile was covering my entire face. I smiled myself to sleep...
I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd just had the Christmas I'd always wanted. He sent me a message that morning on our social networking site that said, "I had to leave you a message this morning and tell you I had a great time with you yesterday. I hope we can hang out again real soon. Hopefully I won't have this limp for more than a couple of days ;) That was amazing!", and my day picked up like it never ended. To work I went... When I got there the girls were looking at me waiting for the dish. v They waited for me to settle in, go back and warm up my coffee, and take postion in my chair. I don't think I stopped smiling. I played the day before in my head over and over as I told the girls all about it. Work was easy, wasn't stressful, I was happy. I made a haircut appointment for the following day. I felt shaggy and needed to feel all over what I was feeling from the hairline down! He sent me texts throughout the day. I told him about my day and still reveling in the day before. I told him I was getting a haircut the following day, we texted about this and that, then he asked of he could take me to dinner one night that week. Well yeah!!! I wanted to see him again, I wanted to imprint the look of his eyes, his smile lines, his nose, everything in my mind so I wouldn't forget. He said, "Since you're getting your haircut tomorrow, why not Wednesday?" Umm I would've cancelled my hair appointment to see him again, and soon! I ripped through my Tuesday, head to the grindstone waiting for Wednesday to hurry up and get there. If I could've slept through the rest of Monday and Tuesday to get to it sooner, I would have. WEDNESDAY! I made it, but not quite yet, I had to get through work. Work dragged. This is what happens, right? You're waiting for something extra special and it takes an eternity to get there! Good grief, time to go home and get ready... he would be on his way. He was coming to my place and we were going to grab a bite. All of Sunday swirled around in my head while I was getting ready, I was feeling like that kooky little kid all excited... you know the ones that run through the house yelling and being silly just out of pure happiness? That is what I felt, I was going on a date. Now, don't get me wrong... I'd been going on dates, just with people I wasn't that into. But Mr. Blue Eyes changed my entire way of thinking about that! I was into him, and wanted to see more of him! Wednesday nights became our " date nights."
To be continued...
*Names are being protected.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect - you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there." -Bob Marley
I thought I'd be used to the cold by now.It's been so long.
He probably feels the same way. That's why he is the way he is...
but I only feel empty
Happiness, once within me...dies.
Now, the empty space only allows the cold in.
Deeper, deeper, sharper. No way out.
Almost as if temperature does not exist.
The cold rises.
I sleep, to dream of when he "loved me"
but i freeze.
eyes wide open. I'm still here.
I realize. again.
those memories are gone...
and as i'm frozen in time, i can't move on.
Time.
It plays its tricks. But i no longer fall for them.
I would let go.
fade.
freeze..like everything else.
The only thing that is stopping me is my heart.
It won't give in to the cold.
Restless.
It still loves.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Mmmmmm Cookies!
The night that I originally wrote my "diary" of what had happened, I had also ordered Chinese takeout. They delivered and at this particular time I knew that I didn't want to get out and go anywhere, let alone get out of my car to walk to the front door of any restaurant establishment. So I called a pretty good place in B'wood. I ate my Curry Shrimp, watched a scary movie, and for the first time decided that I would have my fortune cookie. I never eat these. I usually crush the package, and give Zach (my dog) the cookie in his food. Well not this night, I actually wanted a little something sweet after having had my spicy curry. I opened the wrapper all while Zach was patiently sitting and staring at me waiting for a just a little bite cookie. I open my cookie very gingerly as if not to make it break into a dozen little pieces and pulled out my fortune. Again, another practice that usually just gets thrown away with the wrapper and any bits of cookie that doesn't make it into Zach's bowl. I slipped one piece of the cookie into my mouth while holding the fortune and the other piece of cookie in my hand. Zach was still waiting patiently, so I gave in and let him share the cookie with his mommy. I looked down at my fortune and it read: 

Hmmm... Confucius? Luck of the pick? Printing company of fortune cookies in Iowa? My brother? My Papi and Grandmother? Divine Intervention? I'll let you come to your own judgment! :)
So I was hit by a car today...
There are a lot of bits and pieces going around as to what actually happened to me, so I thought that my diary from Saturday, and the past couple of days would help to clear it up a little bit.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 9:06pm
So I was hit by a car today...
Current mood: blessed
I'm kind of in shock right now. I was actually hit by a car this afternoon, while I was walking across the street. No, my car wasn't involved in this particular accident. I'm OK (as far as I know), just bruised and sore.
It was in a shopping area and I just left TJ MAXX and decided to grab a sandwich from Subway. I got into my car, and drove to the other side of the shopping area and went in to order my sandwich. As I was coming out the parking lots were FULL of people getting in on the no sales tax weekend. I was just interested in getting the hell out!
So I stood on the sidewalk waiting to cross the road to my car maybe 50 yards away, maybe it was only 20. There were cars to the left and right of me, and one directly in front of me. Everyone was at a standstill. This tells me that I've been given the "go ahead" to cross the road. As I step off the sidewalk, growling stomach, and bag in hand - I was just starving, and wanted to get home and eat my toasted sandwich... I take probably three steps and I see what seems to be a silver blur coming at me. I had two choices... one, turn around and run.... two, pray that whatever may come of this I've told everyone how I feel about them and that I love them. In a split second I turned my hip towards the front of the car and I can see myself being thrown onto the car/windshield, but not before I used my hand/wrist to help myself get onto the hood so I wasn't pulled under the front wheel, then into the air, then finally hitting the ground. I think I may have even yelled, "STOP!" but can't be sure as it was over as soon as it happened. Somehow I managed to land sitting up, legs out in front of me, and stunned completely. I just thought my knee is shattered. My sandwich was in front of me, my keys were about five feet away, and I was still clutching my Prada wallet. I guess you could say that I had my priorities while being hit by a car! The worst thing that I thought is that I won't be able to walk. Everything stood still, I couldn't hear anything, it was total chaos all around me... maybe it was shock. A woman approached me, she told me that she was a nurse and was going to check my vitals... I complied. Then a woman and man approached me, the woman was absolutely hysterical. The man was driving, and she was the passenger. I was on her side of the car/windshield when I was hit. They kept saying that they didn't see me. Maybe they didn't. I think about how I look down for a split second, and look up and see the back end of a car right in front of me thinking how I never saw their taillights. And older lady stood in front of me on the cell phone calling the police. I just kept saying that we didn't need a big production even though I felt like I was just tackled by a half dozen football players minus padding of course! Next thing you know, two Brentwood Police patrol cars pull up. Now I can't believe I almost left the best part out of my drama infused day! When the cop got out he came over to me and asked how I was, of course I was dazed and trying to regroup. He asked for my driver's license, and I just handed him my wallet. He had trouble getting it out, so he just asked if I could remove it. As he got up and turned around a car was trying to pass next to me to get to the next row of parking spaces. He proceeds to yell to "turn around!" then walks to his car and grabs a four foot orange cone and places it next to me. OK, now I feel like a complete and total tard. UNBELIEVABLE! Not only am I in the middle of the road rattled, I now have a big friggin' orange cone next to me!
Then here comes the fire truck, and let's not forget the ambulance. I am still sitting in the middle of the road completely embarrassed. I know, I know… I was just hit by a car.
People that I was standing in line with at Subway are all now crowded on the sidewalk; the construction that they're doing on the strip mall, the construction workers stopped working and was standing around staring, EVERYONE stopped working. It was a circus and I was the ringleader!
The paramedics approached me and checked my vitals again. They asked me what hurt. Well, I let my hip take the brunt of the impact when I turned into the car. So my right hip is hurting, but my left knee is in pain. Somehow I suppose when I rolled, I landed on my knee before I landed on my butt. And my right elbow was pretty banged up. I told them that I didn't think I need to go to the hospital, but would do whatever they thought I should do. They wanted to see if I could walk... good idea I thought given that I’ve been sitting in the middle of the road for the last 15 minutes. So one paramedic helped me up and I kind of staggered up to my feet. I began to get a little dizzy, so I was walked to the ambulance. They checked me out again... I had things all attached to me. I recalled hearing that my blood pressure was 136 over 87. Not bad for having just flown through the air! I asked them honestly what they thought. Given that I didn't hit my head, and the impact was on my hip... they said that most would choose not to go. I understood that they couldn't tell me what to do, but I just needed a little direction. I didn’t want to go if I was able to stagger around. So I sat there and decided that I would just take myself home, and should I get "worse" then I'd go to the ER. They suggested that I take some ibuprofen, and maybe take a soak. The police officer gave me my case number card, and said that the couple wanted to see me before I left. I thanked the "crew", got out and headed towards my car. The couple greeted me, gave me their information, and continued to apologize. As we stood talking and exchanging info I realized I was “OK” and that I will probably only have bruises on my hip, knee, and elbow. I just had a lot of adrenaline flowing through me, so I felt “fine.” As we were talking she started to cry. I started consoling her and reassuring her that I was all right and it was OK, that something a lot worse could have happened but it didn't. To be honest, had I not turned my right side of my hip into the car, I would have been hit head on, and probably thrown underneath the front wheels.
Admittedly that's scary and I think a black and blue leg and butt is a lot better result. I kept consoling her, telling her to stop crying and then I kind of laughed at the irony and said, "Hey, you hit me! I should be crying!" I always do this though. I always try to be Superwoman or the “tough girl.”
I got into my car, sat there taking in all of what just happened. I called my mom... for almost 10 minutes before she answered a phone. Then I called Taliesa and completely broke down. I was just hit by a car and lived to tell someone about it. I might cry later after the shock wears off, but honestly, I'm just thankful I'm OK, as opposed to being upset over what might have been... or what I could have left others to deal with!
Sunday morning….
Sunday morning I attempted to go to bed around 1:30 in excruciating pain! Barely able to move I tried to position myself in the most comfortable position, which there weren’t really any. I was too paranoid to really go to sleep, as I didn’t know if I might actually wake up. Finally propped myself up in my bed around 3 o’clock, I dozed off and on until around 5:30 when I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I decided I was going to take myself to the ER. I got up; put myself in the tub, headed to Starbucks (of course!) to get some breakfast, as I didn’t know how long I’d actually be there.
I drove myself to Williamson Medical Center and no one was there. I didn’t have to wait long until I was called to Triage to be checked in. Then they took me to Room #1. I was told to undress and a nurse would be in. The nurse came in as soon as I was dressed, and got me comfortable. They gave me a remote, told me that only one doctor was on site and the he would be in as soon as he could. It was a while later, so I figured I’d take a nap. Heck I was safe here to sleep should something happen! I slept for a little bit before the doctor came in. I told him I was hit by a car and like the dozen conversations before I had to let him know that my car wasn’t involved. He was in disbelief that I was there to tell the story. At this point I was beginning to think the same thing. So he said that he was going to arrange for some x-rays. About 20 minutes later the radiologist came in and said that I have a lot of x-rays to take and that it was going to take a bit. She was right, 27 x-rays, and by the last five I was in tears. The pain was unbearable. She loaded me back up on my gurney and wheeled me back to my room. The nurse came in and saw me crying then brought me in something to take for the pain. Thank God!! I dozed here and there for another hour or so before the doctor came in and said, “I don’t know how you did it, but you have no broken bones or internal bleeding. Only a slight hairline fracture on your elbow, but it should heal itself.” He went on to say there was still more pain to come and that he would make sure that I was a pain-free as possible. He also told me that I took a major hit and more than likely would find problems down the road with my hip, lower back, and neck. He suggested multiple sessions of massage therapy each week. But for now, rest would be sufficient until we figure out what’s to come of this random situation. Leave it to me to find the most random of them all!
So upon leaving I was given this sexy donut for my whiplash. I'm thinking of adding some rhinestones, studs, or maybe paint it according to my day, and how I'm feeling.
So there is my story for those who have heard pieces of information here and there. This should pretty much sum it up.
Thank you for all of your support. It’s not everyday when you can say that you know someone who was physically hit by a car!
Right elbow that got the road rash.
Elbow 2.
My left knee that slammed onto the pavement.
Right wrist, a little bruising that didn't show until almost five days later.
Up close pic of my wrist.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 9:06pm
So I was hit by a car today...
Current mood: blessed
I'm kind of in shock right now. I was actually hit by a car this afternoon, while I was walking across the street. No, my car wasn't involved in this particular accident. I'm OK (as far as I know), just bruised and sore.
It was in a shopping area and I just left TJ MAXX and decided to grab a sandwich from Subway. I got into my car, and drove to the other side of the shopping area and went in to order my sandwich. As I was coming out the parking lots were FULL of people getting in on the no sales tax weekend. I was just interested in getting the hell out!
So I stood on the sidewalk waiting to cross the road to my car maybe 50 yards away, maybe it was only 20. There were cars to the left and right of me, and one directly in front of me. Everyone was at a standstill. This tells me that I've been given the "go ahead" to cross the road. As I step off the sidewalk, growling stomach, and bag in hand - I was just starving, and wanted to get home and eat my toasted sandwich... I take probably three steps and I see what seems to be a silver blur coming at me. I had two choices... one, turn around and run.... two, pray that whatever may come of this I've told everyone how I feel about them and that I love them. In a split second I turned my hip towards the front of the car and I can see myself being thrown onto the car/windshield, but not before I used my hand/wrist to help myself get onto the hood so I wasn't pulled under the front wheel, then into the air, then finally hitting the ground. I think I may have even yelled, "STOP!" but can't be sure as it was over as soon as it happened. Somehow I managed to land sitting up, legs out in front of me, and stunned completely. I just thought my knee is shattered. My sandwich was in front of me, my keys were about five feet away, and I was still clutching my Prada wallet. I guess you could say that I had my priorities while being hit by a car! The worst thing that I thought is that I won't be able to walk. Everything stood still, I couldn't hear anything, it was total chaos all around me... maybe it was shock. A woman approached me, she told me that she was a nurse and was going to check my vitals... I complied. Then a woman and man approached me, the woman was absolutely hysterical. The man was driving, and she was the passenger. I was on her side of the car/windshield when I was hit. They kept saying that they didn't see me. Maybe they didn't. I think about how I look down for a split second, and look up and see the back end of a car right in front of me thinking how I never saw their taillights. And older lady stood in front of me on the cell phone calling the police. I just kept saying that we didn't need a big production even though I felt like I was just tackled by a half dozen football players minus padding of course! Next thing you know, two Brentwood Police patrol cars pull up. Now I can't believe I almost left the best part out of my drama infused day! When the cop got out he came over to me and asked how I was, of course I was dazed and trying to regroup. He asked for my driver's license, and I just handed him my wallet. He had trouble getting it out, so he just asked if I could remove it. As he got up and turned around a car was trying to pass next to me to get to the next row of parking spaces. He proceeds to yell to "turn around!" then walks to his car and grabs a four foot orange cone and places it next to me. OK, now I feel like a complete and total tard. UNBELIEVABLE! Not only am I in the middle of the road rattled, I now have a big friggin' orange cone next to me!
Then here comes the fire truck, and let's not forget the ambulance. I am still sitting in the middle of the road completely embarrassed. I know, I know… I was just hit by a car.People that I was standing in line with at Subway are all now crowded on the sidewalk; the construction that they're doing on the strip mall, the construction workers stopped working and was standing around staring, EVERYONE stopped working. It was a circus and I was the ringleader!
The paramedics approached me and checked my vitals again. They asked me what hurt. Well, I let my hip take the brunt of the impact when I turned into the car. So my right hip is hurting, but my left knee is in pain. Somehow I suppose when I rolled, I landed on my knee before I landed on my butt. And my right elbow was pretty banged up. I told them that I didn't think I need to go to the hospital, but would do whatever they thought I should do. They wanted to see if I could walk... good idea I thought given that I’ve been sitting in the middle of the road for the last 15 minutes. So one paramedic helped me up and I kind of staggered up to my feet. I began to get a little dizzy, so I was walked to the ambulance. They checked me out again... I had things all attached to me. I recalled hearing that my blood pressure was 136 over 87. Not bad for having just flown through the air! I asked them honestly what they thought. Given that I didn't hit my head, and the impact was on my hip... they said that most would choose not to go. I understood that they couldn't tell me what to do, but I just needed a little direction. I didn’t want to go if I was able to stagger around. So I sat there and decided that I would just take myself home, and should I get "worse" then I'd go to the ER. They suggested that I take some ibuprofen, and maybe take a soak. The police officer gave me my case number card, and said that the couple wanted to see me before I left. I thanked the "crew", got out and headed towards my car. The couple greeted me, gave me their information, and continued to apologize. As we stood talking and exchanging info I realized I was “OK” and that I will probably only have bruises on my hip, knee, and elbow. I just had a lot of adrenaline flowing through me, so I felt “fine.” As we were talking she started to cry. I started consoling her and reassuring her that I was all right and it was OK, that something a lot worse could have happened but it didn't. To be honest, had I not turned my right side of my hip into the car, I would have been hit head on, and probably thrown underneath the front wheels.
Admittedly that's scary and I think a black and blue leg and butt is a lot better result. I kept consoling her, telling her to stop crying and then I kind of laughed at the irony and said, "Hey, you hit me! I should be crying!" I always do this though. I always try to be Superwoman or the “tough girl.”
I got into my car, sat there taking in all of what just happened. I called my mom... for almost 10 minutes before she answered a phone. Then I called Taliesa and completely broke down. I was just hit by a car and lived to tell someone about it. I might cry later after the shock wears off, but honestly, I'm just thankful I'm OK, as opposed to being upset over what might have been... or what I could have left others to deal with!
Sunday morning….
Sunday morning I attempted to go to bed around 1:30 in excruciating pain! Barely able to move I tried to position myself in the most comfortable position, which there weren’t really any. I was too paranoid to really go to sleep, as I didn’t know if I might actually wake up. Finally propped myself up in my bed around 3 o’clock, I dozed off and on until around 5:30 when I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I decided I was going to take myself to the ER. I got up; put myself in the tub, headed to Starbucks (of course!) to get some breakfast, as I didn’t know how long I’d actually be there.
So there is my story for those who have heard pieces of information here and there. This should pretty much sum it up.
Thank you for all of your support. It’s not everyday when you can say that you know someone who was physically hit by a car!
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