00:33 Jul 17 2012
Times Read: 667
I somehow manage NOT to mention physical problems I have here. You don't know if my bones ache. You don't know about my headache, if I've bumped my knee, or if my butt itches. I mostly think you just wouldn't much care about such things. I guess if I were diagnosed with a major illness, I might tell a few people I care about, but it's possible that it wouldn't make it into my journal.
I want to talk with you about life, perspective on the things I think about. I want to poke fun at people and myself. I want to risk a little criticism with something creative. I want to take about loving unloveable people, and how I struggle with that.
Not every day is epic, and that's ok. I know people use their journals in their own ways, but except for the private entries, we are inviting people inside to take a look around. If I invite you over, I'll probably open the curtains, let a little light in, fluff the pillows, put on a little music and coffee so we can visit. I'm not going to greet you at the door complaining about my toothache and the litany of ughs I may or may not have.
It bugs me to find so many journals about aches and pains, petty complaints and boredom. My God, there are SO many interesting things to talk about. Can you at least pepper the ailments in with a few posts about what you're thinking about when you aren't popping Tylenol and moaning?
I'll start:
I saw a TED Talks episode on amputees that blew my mind. A woman whose arm had been missing for years can now...BY THINKING...open, close, and use her prosthetic hand. Thinking "open door" or "grab cup" lets her complete those tasks...just like you and I. Her brain is being mapped as to how it looks when it thinks "open" or "grab." Before this, counterintuitive muscle contractions had to be concentrated on to do simple tasks.
But that's not even the mind blowing bit. A sensor in the hand has been linked to nerves in her chest that receive the impulses and send them to her brain. I watched a woman with a prosthetic hand gasp as she ran it along a textured table. She gasped. Her eyes made me tear up when I witnessed her "feel" the table with an artificial hand for the first time.
What must that even be like? I take for granted every day the simple pleasure of having two functional hands to help me with everything from the simple to the complex. I run my hands across fabrics I like, across my skin, along my husband's arm. I touch my daughter's sun-warmed hair, and I type this little observation of my heart and mind to you. Watching someone have that blessing restored was a gift for me, too. I'm joyful for her, grateful for me, and amazed by the directions technology has come in such a short time for people who need adaptive equipment.
OK...your turn.
COMMENTS
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Sulks
20:43 Jul 25 2012
oh lardy-lardy whatever next? LOL!
Nightgame
23:02 Jul 28 2012
Um being a hillbilly I have to say I saw most of my relatives using lard. My Mom was very happy to use vegetable oil instead for us though. *thank goodness* It didn't taste bad or anything just the whole ideal of what it was got me. lol
LiamK
13:51 Jul 29 2012
Lard, particularly lard from pigs fed a healthy (non-grain-based) diet, has a fatty acid composition high in saturated fat, and with relatively high ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Which we desperately need, as the Western diet's omega-6 ratios are outrageously high.
It was replaced primarily by Crisco, a hydrogenated vegetable oil. (...don't worry, it *was* all omega-6, but you wanted it less runny so we turned that into trans fat for ya)
TBH in nutrition terms, lard is a pretty decent food that directly competes with a fantastically dangerous one. And loses! Maybe give it a try... your arteries, nerve sheathes, joints, and brain would thank you.