SurvivingSara

Tag: life

  • Hook, Line, & Sinker

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    Sara Z
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    A little neighborhood in the Mojave desert called Lake L.A. had no lake and was a two hour drive north from Los Angeles. It, nevertheless, saw an explosion in population mid 80’s as people were priced out of the Greater L.A. market, and that drew an interesting mix of people recruited to serve the rapidly…

  • Overdone

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    Sara Z
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    Do you overdo it sometimes? What do you overdo? Drinking alcohol, weed, or food? Time in your own imagined life, away from the daily grind? Running, biking, or tennis? Makeup, shopping, or handbags with their own bags? Writing? Gaming? My physical therapist fears I’ll overdo activities on my newly surgically-repaired ankle. It’s healed but I…

  • Parent is Also a Verb

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    Sara Z
    in

    My 14-year-old son was in for a difficult conversation. I brought him into my room, shut the door, and we sat on the bed. Me: Unfortunately, I’m going to have to share with you something I was hoping I’d never have to say. Son: My younger brother (name withheld) really is retarded? M: No. He’s…

  • With Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn

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    Sara Z
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    I sense change coming. From this side of nearly six decades, a most profound lesson I’ve internalized is that we will always face new challenges. Sometimes the current season feels like trouble that’s here to stay. When you have a two or three-year-old throwing a fit as they work out exactly what they can control…

  • Goodbye Maybe

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    Sara Z
    in

    Why write? I’ve accidentally become woven into a writer’s community on twitter and I feel illegitimate. As they discuss WIP (work in progress), MC (main character), plot lines, unplanned turns of events, perspctives, querying, getting agents, publishing the latest book, etc., I’m thinking blog, blogger, topics, followers, and likes or comments. These two worlds do…

  • In My Lifetime

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    Sara Z
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    It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten a sudden urge to write, to communicate about something unfolding. right now. It’s been a long time coming. I had a pit in my stomach during confirmation hearings for justices appointed by the last holder of the Oval Office. They said under oath, though, they would uphold…

  • Here, Birdie Birdie

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    Sara Z
    in

    A new hobby is bringing me joy! Earlier this spring, I ordered a small birdbath and a birdfeeder for my backyard. Birdsong seems louder and brighter this year, which says more about me than the population of birds in this area. I’ve long enjoyed watching all manner of hawks circling above my neighborhood, riding thermals…

  • 1982

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    Sara Z
    in

    Travel with me, if you will, to 1982. Those were days of big hair, bright clothes, and the Sony Walkman. 40 years ago June, I graduated from high school. I attended the 10, 20, and 30 year reunions but I’m sitting out the 40th, if it even happens. Ronald Reagan was president and announced the…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 4/23/22

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    Sara Z
    in

    In the beginning, if you have any sense, you’re nervous about bringing that tiny, completely dependent, bundle of snuggles home. Now, you’re a parent. Some folks continue living life as they did before and add this new member as an aside. Others adopt the new role of mom or dad studiously, committed to doing everything…

  • Rambling Rows

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    Sara Z
    in

    Yes, I know they’re tulips. Following are some more of the stand alone thoughts that are in my head, not one worthy of a full post on its own. Good news! I am walking. It’s going pretty well. Of course, I want it to happen quickly, but I can feel that I overdid things yesterday.…

  • WALK

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    Sara Z
    in

    After nearly three months off my feet, actually one foot, the surgeon who inserted a rod and a bunch of staples into my left ankle gave me the go-ahead to begin bearing weight on that side! This is very exciting! I’ve banished the knee scooter and, in its place, now there are a cane, a…

  • Diddy Fin Frips

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    Sara Z
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    My dad has been gone three years today. As a provider, he built a wonderful life for our family. He wasn’t perfect as a father but who is? He had outpatient surgery, coded, and never came home. He was 83. He grew up in a Pacific Northwest farming community with his parents and two brothers.…

  • Neurological Condition

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    Sara Z
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    Research at the tip of one’s fingers brings a new understanding of fibromyalgia. The interested members of the medical community know what it is, where its origin is in the depth of the brain, and how it attacks the body. I haven’t heard anything new since 2009. As odd as it sounds, I’m so excited…

  • Sara’s Still Rambling

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    Sara Z
    in

    At our favorite diner & dive bar on a gray, quiet Sunday, my husband and I were brunching, he on his chicken fried chicken pile and I had a Hot Mess with a Dirty Mary. It wasn’t football season and the TVs displayed a trivia game, entertaining pictures, and an infomercial. We were seated below…

  • Fu@%&ng Fibro

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    Sara Z
    in

    Plans for today, nearly two months after my bone-breaking fall and still not weightbearing since surgery just a month ago, included a shower and going outside. Early in this injury-surgery-recovery process, I truly could not differentiate between anything that might be related to my leg versus fibromyalgia. In the past, I’d wished fibro was visible,…

  • Parent is Also a Verb (PAV) 3/17/22

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    Sara Z
    in

    Meaning of the word discipline: In OED and Watkins it is said to be from discere “to learn,” from a reduplicated form of the PIE root *dek- “to take, accept.” But according to Barnhart and Klein, it is from a lost compound *discipere “to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly,” from dis- “apart” (see dis-) + capere “to take, take hold of,” from PIE root *kap- “to grasp.” One phrase…

  • Short Shrift

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    Sara Z
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    Tried to write an update on my fracture, three-and-a-half weeks out. Actually, I did write and post an update earlier today, nearly an hour ago. I spent a good bit of time writing and selecting pictures. First issue was when I went on as a reader and was appalled that the yuckier pictures were right…

  • Not a Molehill

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    Sara Z
    in

    Eight days from injury to doctor Nine x-rays Two fractures, fibular & tibula, the former requiring surgical repair One boot Two crutches One knee scooter One wheelchair One surgery Ten screws One metal rod Seventeen staples Five weeks injury to completing surgical procedures Six more weeks with no weightbearing on healing leg Years ago, 18…

  • 30 Years

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    Sara Z
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    Traditional Wedding Vows Example: 1 “I, (Name), take you (Bride/Groom), to be my (Husband/ Wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.” Well, my husband and…

  • Times Such as These

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    Sara Z
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    This is gonna be a short one. Wasn’t going to write at all today but gotta capture the thought while it’s still within my grasp, mentally and physically. which is a concern. For example, yesterday I had two pair or reading glasses but now I have none. Surviving Sara is sometimes about choices I make…