Doing Better, I Think

I think TLK is dong better.  Both eyes are now open.  The kitten can climb into and out of the shallow basket that has been her home.  The kitten made 3/4 of a circle from the basket and around the living room to get to me, to be fed. I was concerned because the kitten did not waken hungry, and did not waken until I woke the kitten for feeding.  Today, that has changed. I did not work today, and the kitten was in the living room with me as I was reading. More than once it awoke, and cried until I picked it up.  It was not consoled by being picked up, but the tenor of its cry changed.  Mmmm.

From almost the beginning, urinating was not a problem.  Until last night, bowel movements were few and far between, even with the help of mineral oil. But last  night and today, the bowel movements, while not large, have been consistent as to be expected for a baby.

I am feeling encouraged. I do hope this kitten survives.  I have no delusions that while it seems to be doing well, things can still happen.

The adult cats have settled in.  Haiku comes around to sit with me on the bed, on the sofa and at the computer, not quite as always. She does not use the chair to the right of the computer, as the kitten is on the floor in the basket, to the right. But otherwise, she is cool.

Sake is not happy. She will come into the living room when the kitten is there, but only with very vocal complaint. She is wanting attention, but in other rooms. And she hisses at the baby.

Doing Better

Years ago, I was at a training of some sort, and the comment was made that life is a series of relapses.  It is an interesting concept, and one that I think holds true. And, it does not necessarily apply to drug use or alcohol use, or even illness, although that is the context in which we usually think of relapse.

We go through periods of taking really good care of ourselves physically, then we slack off.  We might diet very carefully, then not pay attention to what we eat, or we gain back weight we lost, or eat the wrong foods, or too little food.  We may have episodes of insomnia in our lives, then we sleep well.  We may exercise regularly, then for some reason, do not have the time, mental or physical energy, or have ill health that interferes with exercising.

The list is endless: we may be diligent about housework, then decide something else is more important. We may have a garden one year, and decide not to worry about the yard and garden the next.  We may become involved in a craft, but then lose interest.  We may study for a degree or pleasure, then decide not to tax our brain.  We may follow sports very closely, then decide to put our time elsewhere. Or, we become discouraged by the performance of a once winning team that is now in a losing cycle.  We may be very active in our community, and then we may decide we have had enough.

I am not sure if life is a series of relapses, but it seems to me, we do cycle a great deal.  And, knowing this, we can expect that there are times in our lives when we are in a down cycle. And, in an up cycle.  

And, being in a down cycle does not mean we are at rock bottom, just we are not doing as well as we would like.  Just like being in an up cycle does not mean we have "arrived," just that we are doing better. So, in a down cycle, we know we can work to turn the corner, and go up. As with when we are doing better, maybe it is the best we can hope for, but that is not so bad. And, we can try not to start a down spin.

Maybe thinking in terms of life going in cycles can give us a perspective on where we are today, and where we would like to be; what part of the cycle we are in, and what we can do to correct or maintain it.

 

More About My Hair

You may remember that on November 14, I asked "Why is My Hair Wavy?"  After more than 50 years of straight hair, except when my mother subjected me to permanent waves, my hair has started to be wavy... In the back at first, but now on the sides... I had a haircut some weeks ago, which did nothing to help with the wave on the sides... I was frustrated and aggravated.

Today, I got a haircut... the length of my hair was shortened, and the sides as well as the back were layered...So,now my hair sticks out every which way, but at least it looks like it is supposed to....

Why is my hair wavy?

I have really straight hair.   Well, I should say that most of my life, I have had really straight hair.
When I was little, my mother kept wanting me to get permanents, which was a constant topic of contention between us.  At some point, that went away.

I just wore my hair straight.  And for years, long.  But it was not thick, and frequently looked stringy...I rarely used cream rinse, just shampoo.  At age 19, I had my first grey hairs.  A friend pulled one out.  I told her to stop, because I would be bald before she was done...And, I did not put any other chemicals in it: no dyes, no tints, nothing.  A hairdresser once told me I did not just have grey hair, but blond and grey mixed with brown.  There was a time when I thought my hair was grey, but others thought I was blond.  And people asked me how I frosted it the way I did.

In the early 90's I had my hair cut in a blunt cut.  It looked thicker, and was much easier to manage.

Sometime in late 2007 or early 2008, I noticed that the hair on the back of my head was starting to wave.  I could feel it, the way it hung.  It drove me nuts.  I could not see it, but I could tell it was waving.  I changed my haircut, to a slight layering in the back, and tapered cut in the front/sides.

That helped for a while.  Now, recently, the sides are starting to wave.  Depending on how it curves, the waves look really good, or my hair sticks out really awkwardly. 

I do not get it. Why after all these years is my hair waving?

Changes

I hate changes.  I really want the status quo to prevail.

However, changes happen. 

Especially electronic changes.

At work, we have an electronic medical record.  For the past several months, preparations have been made to update the software of this application... I was honored to be invited to be a point person to help with this:   each unit was asked to designate a representative to spearhead the change, coordinate and disseminate information, and be available to help hands one, when the changed occurred.

When I was asked to do this, I was told that the sole responsibility did not rest on me:  the training coordinator would disseminate training information and track it, as that is his job.  The administrative coordinator would do administrative paperwork and tracking.  The department heads would disseminate department information, and develop departmental strategies to deal with this...

It happened that way, with a few glitches (minor) along the way... I was gratified that the administrator, and my immediate supervisor agreed with me that proactive (extensive, expensive and time consuming) measures needed to be taken in case the transition was not as short termed and smooth as we all hoped.  I have been ongoingly gratified that everyone has done their job, pitched in and made things happen the way they were supposed to.

This has required some time from me, from a couple of hours a week to many hours a week. But I have enjoyed it: I have enjoyed knowing what is going on, I have enjoyed helping people prepare for the process.

As the transition approached, anxious staff have had many questions. I have enjoyed spending time telling them what to expect and assuring them that I was available for help.  Today, a coworker thanked me for that, and said (quite correctly) sometimes help is not available.

The change happens next Sunday and Monday, if all goes well... I hope it does.  We are prepared if it does not..