All in a day's work

Well, I am here in these United States in the great state of Texas and feeling right at home like a fish in water. I did not have one bit of culture shock and took to Houston right away with its busy downtown and its spacious freeways. Actually, I think this would be a very nice place to retire to and I very easily can see myself do it. We've done a bit of driving around and I like what I have seen of the different neighborhoods, though I must say that I am on the nice side of town. That does make the views a lot more pleasant to the eye.

I am completely enjoying the company of my small family in every way and every moment of the day that I can and this is even better than I anticipated. It all happens so naturally and without effort and constraint. Yes, being related to people in whatever way possible does make a difference in how you approach them. You do have an instantaneous bond with them. Especially when they also look like you.

I have forbidden everyone to pronounce my name the English way, because that is not who I am. They have to pronounce it the Dutch way and introduce me that way to other people too. It turns out that no one has any problem with this at all and that nobody trips over the pronunciation of my name. If I had only known this sooner. I never liked going through life as Eye-reen.

This morning my daughter and I went to the Soto Zen Buddhist Temple which is located in a beautiful Craftsman's house in an old renovated and upscale neighborhood in Houston. We did a twenty minute meditation session and listened to a talk by the Sensei which was wise and humorous. During my meditation session I had a talk with God and asked him some questions and after awhile got the answers. I was very grateful for that. It made me straighten my shoulders and my back.

Yesterday, my ex and I went to a very exclusive shopping mall which was enormous and in which all the shops and department stores were very expensive. Even so, the people who shopped there were not very well dressed but I was one of them being European. I guess there is a difference in what we consider dressing casually at both sides of the globe. I did get a very nice Christmas present from my ex in the form of a wonderful watch because mine got trampled on and broken during the security check in Atlanta, which is something I did not notice until I got to Houston.

No doubt I will enjoy myself very well here and I will report this as I get the opportunity. We are going Christmas shopping later today and then out for dinner. Hurray!

My sister Marianne

Yesterday morning, at 7|50 am, my sister Marianne died a peaceful death in the intensive care unit of the Schepers Hospital in Emmen. My sister Erica and I had hurriedly packed our bags the evening before and made the three hour drive to be with her on time. Although Mariaane was in extremely bad shape, she knew we were with her and she was able to talk with us a little every now and then.

She had been given a year to live but that had been an optimistic estimate because in the end it was only three weeks. At least now she is in peace and free from all her pain and suffering,

Erica and I will be staying here until Friday when the cremation will be. We find a lot of support in each other and together take care of all the details that need to be arranged because her daughter is not able to.

I will write here as I get the opportunity because it is good to take a time out every now and then to gather my thoughts.

Grabbing the bull by the horns...

I've been up since the sun came up and that is very early in the morning at this time of the year. I was all done sleeping and I can only assume that since I stopped taking my sleeping pills, this is all the sleep I need and I'm talking about 6 to 7 hours. I only got up in the middle of the night one time too to let the dog out and to go to the toilet. I went back to bed immediately after that. 

That's highly unusual for me and I don't know if this is going to be a new habit. It may very well be and why not? It wouldn't be such a bad thing to sleep through the night. Other people do it so why not me? It would be a good habit to get into and I may actually learn how to sleep properly after all these years.

Thank goodness that today is Saturday and a day off because it will allow me to catch up on some chores that need to get done. I will go about them in a lazy manner because the day allows it. That's what the weekend is all about. I will thoroughly enjoy myself and not feel rushed at all. That will mean that I will have little or no stress. I'm looking forward to it already.

Of course, that sort of day without stress has already started now. I'm sitting here very comfortably with a cup of coffee and hardly a worry in the world. All I have to do in a little while is take the dog for a walk and it will be nice to get a dose of fresh air out in the blue skied, sunshiny, early morning. I hope the dog will be appreciative of that too, although the dog always likes going for a walk. It's the most fun thing he can do. 

The first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up was a grilled cheese sandwich. I had a huge craving for one. Luckily, that urge is gone now because it would be a terrible thing to eat for breakfast. I will have a glass of milk and a banana instead. That sounds a lot more sensible. 

I hope you'll all have a great day.

Ciao,
Irene

No photos...

It's about time that I write a post for this poor neglected blog. It's been a while since I turned my attention to it. It's a perfect time to do so because it's late in the afternoon on a Friday and I have just walked the dog and have nothing pressing left to do. I always plan it that way and luckily (or not) I don't have a family to cook dinner for. I suppose it would make me happy if I had a really nice family and a really nice kitchen and enough food in the refrigerator to cook dinner with. But in my wildest fantasies I am rich so it would be no problem. 

Unfortunately, I never buy any lottery tickets so the chances of me becoming rich are very small if not non-existant. I don't know if I should be like all the other optimistic people and buy them. I have a feeling that I would never win anything because I am never lucky when it comes to those kinds of things. It would probably just end up costing me precious money. I'm going to have to marry a millionaire. But who would have me? I am past my prime, after all. 

I better start thinking more cheerful thoughts. It's no good to sit here and face that sort of reality too much, it might depress me and I'm not in the mood for that. Let's talk about the weather instead and I'll tell you that it's done with the sunshine and that it's been gloomy all day. It hasn't bothered my outlook on life and I've kept my chin up helped by numerous cups of coffee. I needed those because I got up too early this morning and had a shortage of sleep all day. The caffeine kept me going. 

The domestic help was here and the Exfactor, so I didn't get a chance to take a nap but I hope I'll sleep all the better tonight. I'll be a good dog owner and walk the dog one more time before I go to bed. That is instead of letting him do a piddle out back which I normally do. I'm usually not in the mood to go out anymore at night and most of all want to put my pajamas and my bathrobe on as quickly as possible. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good and help me sleep extra well. It doesn't get dark until 10:30 pm, so I'll be safe from the bad guys.

Have a good night.

Ciao,
Irene

Some rainy Tuesday again...

The title speaks for itself. It's one of those cold wet days on which you want to stay inside and hibernate. However, there is the dog to walk and fresh air to inhale and some exercise to be got. Those things need to happen too. Thank goodness for that because it would be a bad thing for me if I didn't get outside at all. I think I must always have a dog to take out or else I would become a recluse. First I needed children and now I need a dog. Living alone can be bad for an introvert. 

The dog and I did get rained on but we didn't mind it too much because it was the beginning of a shower and we were almost home. The worst of it came down when we were already inside. The bad thing about wearing glasses is that they do get splatters on them when it rains and you really need little windshield wipers on them to get them clean. Your vision is somewhat obscured when you walk in the rain and the wind is coming at you. It does make your walk more adventurous. 

I'm not now bothered anymore by the fact that I've quit the tranquilizers. I was a little bit this morning but I think it was mostly because I hadn't had enough sleep. That made me feel slightly off balance and a little wary about the whole thing. I took a long nap later and woke up feeling a lot better. I think I just needed the sleep. I will assume that I will have no other after effects from having quit them and that all will go well. I've got the right attitude anyway and I can't be tempted to take a tranquilizer because there aren't any left. 

I've got to go and get something to eat before the news comes on. It will be all bad news but at least I will be informed. 

Have a good evening.

Ciao,

Irene

The best is yet to come...

I want to wite as normal a post as possible without trying to reflect a state of mind that doesn't exist. The problem is that I'm not exactly sure of my state of mind at the moment because I may be the slightest bit on the loopy side. That is not because of my sleep medication because I'm not under the influence of it anymore. I feel a little giddy all on my own and can't take things quite as serious as I should right now. 

Of course, it's not necessary that I do. I think I'm serious enough most of the time so that it's okay to lighten up a bit. I'd like to lighten up a lot as a matter of fact. That would really reflect my most inner state of mind. The place where my joyful child waits impatiently to be let out. I will set her free and give her the upper hand. 

I had many joyful moments throughout the day that were about nothing important at all. They were joyful because they were free of stress and worry and I could indulge myself simply in enjoying being alive in the moment. Nothingness is a great bliss. You shouldn't strive for the presence of some things, you should strive for the absence of other things. Subtraction is the greatest skill. 

Look at me suddenly taking on a serious tone while I had not planned on that. I think that must be because I've stopped drinking coffee and have switched to cold milk. It does have a tendecy to interfere with the workings of my frontal lobes. I should have poured myself a stiff drink in order to lower my boundaries and let my sense of humor speak better. I don't know how well frozen frontal lobes are going to help me in being giddy. 

I do hope I wake up in all peacefulness in the morning and set the standard for the day. It would be wonderful to have many more joyful moments in which to contemplate my navel and be free of stress and worry. 

I need to take my joyful self back to bed and finish sleeping. I am yawning now and it's because of the gosh darned milk. No, it's really because of the law of nature and people need to be asleep in the middle of the night. I'm no different than anybody else.

Sleep tight.

Ciao,

Irene

Untying the knots...

I'm waiting for the coffeemaker to finish spitting out the last drops of coffee so I can have a cup. I'm in need of some caffeine. I seem to be quite often lately and I don't know why I've developed this sudden urge to drink lots of cups of coffee. I just feel that it's the only way to keep my head straightened out. It's such a mess up there. It feels like there's a traffic jam taking place with several accidents and casualties. 

The dog is sitting beside me and is looking at me very urgently but he has been walked and he has kibbles in his bowl and a rawhide bone to chew on. The truth is that he's a little bit spoiled and probably wants something entirely different like an apple or a banana which I'm not going to give him. I'm just going to have to ignore him and maybe then he'll get the message. Not that I find this easy to do. 

I took a paracetamol earlier for my headache and the pain in my shoulders and neck which are all caused by stress. It's stopped working now and I really should have taken a anti-inflammatory pill which I have two left of. They work better and last longer. I suppose I should call the doctor's office and get a refill. I will take one of them now because it makes no sense to sit here and be in pain. 

The coffee tastes very good and I imagine that I'm starting to feel better but that could all be in my imagination. I have not taken a nap this afternoon because I slept through the night until a very decent time in the morning. That's almost unheard of. I did get up to go to the bathroom at some ungodly hour but I went straight back to bed and was instantly asleep again. That hasn't happened in a very long time.

The sky has been overcast almost all day but it's been very warm and it got up to 26 degrees Celsius. Now the sun is shining into the living room windows and making it warm in here too. It's very pleasant to sit here and be warm for a change. This is the hottest it has been all year so far. Tomorrow it will be a lot cooler again and it will rain. We don't have a very nce weekend ahead of us. 

The coffee has made me feel better and now I can think straight again. It's either that or because of the fact that I took my medicines a while ago. Sometimes it is hard to figure out why something changes and what is the magic ingredient. I can only do my best and try everything. The main thing is to try and stay as calm as possible under all circumstances. The one thing I must not do is to get rattled. 

I hope you're all having a good evening. 

Ciao,

Irene