Sunday morning notes (a bit late)

The windows have been thrown open and the night air settles into the warmer rooms...But it's already past sunrise over the tree tops, so some brilliant light comes in the doorway that faces east (at 8:00.) The rest is all shady. For once I can see (through a small gap in the leaves) the ridge line across the valley, there's no fog. That means last evening and night had no rain to leave puddles to create "smoky mountains."

I see two neighbors doing their morning walks. I wonder where L. walks...I've seen him walking towards town, which is about a mile away. S. is just walking her dog, Skipper.

I hear a distant thrumble of trucks on the I-40, with a few swooshes of slower cars on Blue Ridge Rd....or even the ones at the light down the hill on US 70. There are still a few groups of motorcycles, who love to go up on the mountainous roads for scenic rides. I haven't heard a train at this time of day for weeks. And since my windows are closed during the daytime and night-time, I don't usually hear them. It may also mean I'm completely used to them. I used to love hearing the one around midnight.

I wanted to talk a bit about touch starvation. There this new term "food insufficiency" but I am pretty sure the level of touch missing in my life is starvation.

I'm single. I have no family in the area. I used to get lots of hugs from friends whenever we met...which has been severely curtailed. And I'd get even more at church on Sunday.

I'm also elderly. I prefer to say I'm an elder. Or that I'm a crone. I'll be 78 in a few weeks. Who cares what that's called.  I'm quite proud to have survived this long. As a teenager I thought it'd be great to live to 100. I'm not trying for that any more.

I no longer have a cat...mainly because of breathing difficulties from the litter...and I tried everything! When the last dear one died, I decided I didn't want to suffer the pain of loss again either.  But oh how I miss a warm body and another creature who had her own desires, idiosyncrasies, and sharing of space. She and I definitely had lots of touch shared too.

So at the rehab program the other day, I noticed how great it was to have my blood pressure taken by the various staff members. I was being touched. I even shared about it in "group."

Somehow it wasn't the same when I had an I.V. inserted for the C.T. scan that I had on Friday. Something about adding some pain to the mixture and I just didn't have a good feeling about it.

So I don't feel lonely. The internet, my phone, having texts as well as voice calls...lots of communication. And the support group in Rehab will give me psychological support. But I definitely would like to be treated like a pet granny. And just have my shoulders patted, or even rubbed. How about a foot rub? 

Answers? I'm thinking of saving some money to have a massage. I also need a haircut...which at least gives me head touch when being shampooed.

Today's Quote:

I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun. -Katharine Hepburn, actress (12 May 1907-2003)