I am a retired teacher who quit drinking and found happiness! After going deaf, I now have two cochlear implants!
Visiting Chicago! Dear Readers, Sometimes I feel very pessimistic about the world, and the only way I feel I can keep sane is by acting where I can. It might be as small as a donation to a person I want elected, or to a non-profit I support. The act of doing something helps, even … Continue reading Maintaining my Sobriety
Lake Harriet, Minneapolis! Dear Readers, I remember when I was first going through my student teaching days, getting ready to become an elementary school teacher, I had a particularly hard review by one of my university observers. I was devastated. I wanted to quit, and almost did. But another supervisor said she hoped I didn't, because I had such a wonderful sense of … Continue reading Playing
This is my left ear implant! I will be getting a black one to match my hair!Dear Readers,I am so grateful for my new implant! It is just amazing how much more I can hear with two sides of my brain hearing! I am discovering new sounds daily! I can hear so much better on the telephone, and hubs can … Continue reading How Much is Enough?
Dear Readers,I lost my hearing, slowly over time. For awhile, hearing aids helped, but when I was around 58, my hearing diminished to the point where they did not help anymore.This was a struggle, not only with teaching, but hearing in any sort of group setting.After I retired, I took a leap of faith and had a cochlear implant … Continue reading Can I Hear You Now?
Dear Readers,A Long Hot walk!There is a major transition, a change, happening in Mr. and Mrs. UT's lives soon. Hubs is retiring!Yikes!! Or Yay!!All depends on my frame of mind, ha!The good news is, we like each other a lot, and one of the keys to our long standing marriage is we like to play together. We love to … Continue reading Changes
We forgot the paddles! Luckily the lake was close!"We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity." Barbara De Angelis Dear Readers,In order for me to get sober, I had to have the courage to face the fact I had to change. I had to have … Continue reading The Courage to Change
Dear Readers,A Flower I Found"We can think of ourselves as a brilliant star; significant, yet small compared to the endless expanse of space around us." "There's much that is beyond our capabilities and much we don't know, but that doesn't diminish what we know and can do. We can feel humble seeing how our strengths contribute to the whole".(From the book, A Woman's … Continue reading You Are Already A Star
On Our WalkDear Readers,Life is hard. There is ugly with the beauty.There is sadness with the happiness.There is pain with the joys.There is poor with the rich.I have been very blessed. I have had health insurance, a home, money, a good husband, a good family, and good schools. I have had a wonderful teaching career.I have had love and friends.I have had all … Continue reading Life Worth Living
Dear Readers,Skating on a warm winter day!When I was about 4 years old, we had moved to a new house in a new city. There was a girl my age in the house behind us. My mom told me to go over and ask her to play with me.I remember clearly, what I did. I went to … Continue reading Belonging
Staying Warm by the Fire!Dear Readers,Our furnace went out on us, so for two nights we were without heat. We did survive thanks to our gas fireplace! Everything was FROZEN!But today, as I write this, we are getting a new furnace, and soon we will be toasty!I am amazed at what I have learned being sober for over 39 … Continue reading Learning
