Thursday, January 9, 2014

MEMORY

My baby sister is here for ten days.  We are the best of friends and communicate almost every day.  Some days it's just a text.  Sometimes we need to vent to someone who would NEVER repeat it.  Best kind of friend to have!

Unfortunately for me, she is totally healthy and fit and thin.  She is also brave and adventuresome.  And so much more and I truly admire her.  She is courageous and determined.  She overcame a dislike of water and learned to swim.  Now she SCUBA dives.

She came to help me with Mr. Ralph and then brought her whole little family of four over to say goodbye while he was still Uncle Grumpus.  He was able to eat a bit and chat a lot so it was wonderful.  And here she is with me to help me get through this awkward widow phase.

I know she wants me to come live with her for three months so she can kick my butt into shape.  Instead, she is here sharing fabulous healthy meals and even went to water aerobics with me (despite the COLD water and wind and cool temperatures ... she has zero body fat so it was extreme for her).



Last night she got me to participate in some memory games.  She is fresh from a weekend seminar of learning how to be more creative (as if she needs this).  I learned that I need to exercise my memory and brain as much as I need to exercise my body!!  It was a bit humiliating but I can see a lot of help available online to build it back up.  AARP and Luminosity are two that look most intriguing.

I might even learn to play bridge!


6 comments:

  1. Great kind of sister to have! I'm jealous.

    Has she gotten into the brain benefits of listening to classical music at least 10 minutes a day? I've gotten into that the past few weeks. Doing math and writing with your wrong hand are also exercises we're suppose to do daily.

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    1. I need to have music in the background. I think it helps with depression as well. I need to find happy, energetic classical music and just stream it in. Thanks! And Janet is a keeper!

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  2. I'm so very sorry about your losing your husband to cancer. It sucks. My story is similar, a different cancer, very long fight, first time I've lived alone. This is a great chart about memory. There's probably some study about memory after a profound loss. Nothing's normal, after loss. For me, it seemed like working memory shrank to less than a second. Glad I didn't have to report for work in those days!

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    1. Thanks. This losing a loved one thing is THE hardest. Even though we all know it is going to happen some day. Looking back on the first six months, I'm surprised the government doesn't have some sort of care facility for us. Grief blocked out any sense of normal anything!!

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  3. That's great info! I wonder if one started earlier in life, and kept at it, like regular excerise, it would have a cumulative effect for later in life?

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    1. I'm sure of it, Leslie. Let me know if you want to learn this week with just the sisters

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