Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Today was a beautiful day to get my soul filled. On Sunday, the forecasted high for today was 60 degrees, so I chose to only schedule a one-way bus ride on the mobility bus to go to my business-women’s luncheon today. I decided it would be warm enough for me to roll down to the bus stop and ride the fixed-route bus home. I felt I had seen the best route while riding the mobility bus in January and February, and there is not any snow to impede my route.
I went outside in the front yard to wait for my mobility bus at 9:45 a.m., 15 minutes before my scheduled pick-up time of 10:00 a.m. (mobility buses are on time 15 minutes before and after your scheduled pick-up time) At 10:15 a.m. I was still waiting. Fortunately, I had found a sunny spot in which to wait so I did not mind much. I called the mobility office to check on my late bus and they told me the driver would be there within ten minutes. The driver soon arrived, and I was taken to my luncheon without picking up or dropping off any other passengers. I arrived at my destination with plenty of time to socialize.
Yesterday, I called a friend, Martha, who also attends this group’s events on another matter, and during our conversation, I asked her if she would be attending today (yes, I really do know how to dial a phone). Martha said she would be attending. I told Martha I would be going, but I was not going to let anyone hug me because of the virus that has been reported on the news (my networking group is very huggy). Martha told me I needed a do not touch sign, and then she volunteered to make one for me. Martha said she was pretty sure she had a laminator around and might laminate the sign so I could reuse it.
Martha was already at the event when I arrived, and she handed me an 8½“ by 11” yellow laminated sign that read, “No Touch Zone (love you anyway)”. I placed the sign on my lap and rolled around to visit with my friends. Only two people accidentally gave me a hug today. One friend was looking at my face, and did not notice the sign, and the other friend hugged me from the back. I am not a hugger, but almost all my networking friends are huggers, so I have learned to accept people in my personal space.
Do not get me wrong, I hug my significant other and children, but they are my family. I think I would still resist hugging if I could still walk. I consider hugging an invasion of my space and prefer to be asked first, so I can tell you, “NO!” The one time my best friend before my accident hugged me, it was all I could do to keep from pulling her off me. We had not seen each other in a while, so I forgave her. Since my accident, at least one hundred caretakers have been in my personal space, so I have lost the invasion feeling I used to get.
When I started going to networking events with huggers, it took me a couple of years to really get comfortable with all these people hugging me. Now, when I see the extreme huggers, I open my arms wide, so they know I am huggable (I had a few days I was not huggable while using the slash and burn chemotherapy treatment). I am sill not going to instigate a hug with a person I have just met, but if they reach in, I reciprocate the hug and am not repelled by it.
I had great conversations with many of my monthly friends and a couple of them volunteered to read some of my journal entries on camera for my YouTube channel. My table space at the luncheon this month was facing a little way away from the stage, so I rolled over to a sunny spot right by the window to bask in the sun while our speakers were talking so I could see them. I left the event quite content; and managed to easily find the bus stop even though I needed to cross a very busy street without a traffic light.
My piece of advice to you is to learn to like a hug (or at least endure it). I have been there; I know how hard it is to like a hug. It makes my friends so happy to hug me; who am I to rob them of a little moment of joy?
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Today was a beautiful day to get my soul filled. On Sunday, the forecasted high for today was 60 degrees, so I chose to only schedule a one-way bus ride on the mobility bus to go to my business-women’s luncheon today. I decided it would be warm enough for me to roll down to the bus stop and ride the fixed-route bus home. I felt I had seen the best route while riding the mobility bus in January and February, and there is not any snow to impede my route.
I went outside in the front yard to wait for my mobility bus at 9:45 a.m., 15 minutes before my scheduled pick-up time of 10:00 a.m. (mobility buses are on time 15 minutes before and after your scheduled pick-up time) At 10:15 a.m. I was still waiting. Fortunately, I had found a sunny spot in which to wait so I did not mind much. I called the mobility office to check on my late bus and they told me the driver would be there within ten minutes. The driver soon arrived, and I was taken to my luncheon without picking up or dropping off any other passengers. I arrived at my destination with plenty of time to socialize.
Yesterday, I called a friend, Martha, who also attends this group’s events on another matter, and during our conversation, I asked her if she would be attending today (yes, I really do know how to dial a phone). Martha said she would be attending. I told Martha I would be going, but I was not going to let anyone hug me because of the virus that has been reported on the news (my networking group is very huggy). Martha told me I needed a do not touch sign, and then she volunteered to make one for me. Martha said she was pretty sure she had a laminator around and might laminate the sign so I could reuse it.
Martha was already at the event when I arrived, and she handed me an 8½“ by 11” yellow laminated sign that read, “No Touch Zone (love you anyway)”. I placed the sign on my lap and rolled around to visit with my friends. Only two people accidentally gave me a hug today. One friend was looking at my face, and did not notice the sign, and the other friend hugged me from the back. I am not a hugger, but almost all my networking friends are huggers, so I have learned to accept people in my personal space.
Do not get me wrong, I hug my significant other and children, but they are my family. I think I would still resist hugging if I could still walk. I consider hugging an invasion of my space and prefer to be asked first, so I can tell you, “NO!” The one time my best friend before my accident hugged me, it was all I could do to keep from pulling her off me. We had not seen each other in a while, so I forgave her. Since my accident, at least one hundred caretakers have been in my personal space, so I have lost the invasion feeling I used to get.
When I started going to networking events with huggers, it took me a couple of years to really get comfortable with all these people hugging me. Now, when I see the extreme huggers, I open my arms wide, so they know I am huggable (I had a few days I was not huggable while using the slash and burn chemotherapy treatment). I am sill not going to instigate a hug with a person I have just met, but if they reach in, I reciprocate the hug and am not repelled by it.
I had great conversations with many of my monthly friends and a couple of them volunteered to read some of my journal entries on camera for my YouTube channel. My table space at the luncheon this month was facing a little way away from the stage, so I rolled over to a sunny spot right by the window to bask in the sun while our speakers were talking so I could see them. I left the event quite content; and managed to easily find the bus stop even though I needed to cross a very busy street without a traffic light.
My piece of advice to you is to learn to like a hug (or at least endure it). I have been there; I know how hard it is to like a hug. It makes my friends so happy to hug me; who am I to rob them of a little moment of joy?
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.