“Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.”

~ Ruth Gordon

Oh Lordy. The time has come for me to stop hiding from death and get on with life. You already know about my tragedy in Colorado that set me on the path of wimpy, sniveling sissy, and scaredy cat when I was normally a badass mother of two darling compassionate and caring young women. So stoic and brave after I lost my husband after 3 grueling years of fighting cancer, took off from Texas and moved to Ireland by myself at 58 years of age, and lived there (with short stints back in the Lone Star State) for over 10 years — before I met my waterlily (Waterloo) in the mountains of Colorado.

And now…

Now I have had a hard time leaving the cozy confines of my home. Crowds scare me, and might give me a respiratory infection that my body can no longer handle with any grace. Lung issues caused me mental anguish when I got Covid last year. I deliberately did not leave home, but a trip to the grocery store by Husband brought the dreaded illness into my home. We were inoculated every single time a new variant showed itself, but we finally got it anyway. It took me over 15 days to test negative again.

I’ve been working on getting healthier since I turned 71 in September (Virgo Sun, Cancer Rising, Scorpio Moon). I got a trainer to come to the house and put me through some functional training. I loved it! I have lost some weight, can now get myself up off of the floor by myself, and have strengthened some muscles. I am walking 2 miles a day now, too. My breathing has improved a whole lot. I see the pulmonologist in a few weeks, and I am going to see what he says about flying. So far the answer has been “not yet”, but I’ve improved in all areas quite a bit since he saw me 3 months ago.

I’ll let you know when I get my wings again. It’s been a long time for someone who flew back and forth to Ireland at the drop of a hat.