Sunday 31 March 2013

For Alix

Last night I was talking, well facebooking messaging, with a dear friend from Sydney. They know who they are :-)

We met when Horse Girl and her eldest became best mates at preschool - many many moons ago.

I won't bore you with the mindless ramblings (oh, well, sorry, too late, that's basically why I write this insane nonsense) but she said something to me which has stuck with me through the last of the bottle of red wine and through a fairly restless night.

We were talking about someone else we know, me not as well, who is yet another person fighting the dreaded cancer. She is a Mum of three beautiful children, and like everyone who gets this dreaded disease, does not deserve it. However, like so many, she is battling on and inspiring many.

And yet, my dear friend put me in the same category as this Mum. My friend said that both of us were inspirations to her.

Not feeling on top of the world last night, I, of course, burst into tears!!!! I am not an inspiration to anyone - in fact far from it.  But thank you anyway, dear S, for listening to the mindless rambling.

This post is yet another self indulgent one - you are excused by just clicking the back button to revert back to FB and find something else much more exciting.

Life is tough - no doubt about it. Everyone goes through crap, and I guess we deal with it the best way we can.

We are too quick to judge others, without really knowing wtf is going on.

And we all deal with what we are given in different ways.  Yeah, maybe sometimes a glass or two of red can help, or maybe  a kind message just to let someone know you are thinking of them.
Sometimes a phone call, sometimes a song, who knows.

As many of you know, one of my current jobs is involved in fund raising for cancer research.  There aren't too many people that haven't been touched by this dreaded disease, in one way or another.

But this is to tell you about a young girl who is suffering this weekend.  This young girl spoke recently at one of the Relays for Life that I worked on.  She was very very nervous, and scared, and wanted to pull out.

I spoke with her and told her whatever she wanted was fine. We shared some stories, then she told me she wanted to go on stage and tell her story, if I went up with her, and held her hand, and promised to keep reading her speech if she faltered.

So up we went. She was shaking, and trying to breathe deeply. I stood there, inspired by her incredible strength and class.

You see, she was talking about her Dad, who was standing right in front of her, below the stage. He had suffered a form of cancer for the past 10 years.  He had managed to get out of bed, and come down not only to hear his beautiful daughter, and being supported by his lovely wife and gorgeous son, but he was going to walk some laps for the Relay.

Which he did.

This young girl got through most of her speech.

And we held hands so tightly that I think we both cut off each others circulation.

She cried, and so did I.

I finished for her as it just got too much and I was extremely worried about her.

Her Dad, as were the rest of her family, and indeed the whole crowd, were so proud of her.

Today, this young girl, her brother and her Mum, are mourning their loss.  Her Dad, who fought and fought, has passed away. I hope he is out of pain now.

No words can possibly help this young girl at the moment. She is hurting so badly, and nothing can take that pain away.

Nothing.

I know she will somehow be able to get through this but it is not for me to tell her that now.  I have spoken to her and she cried. As she should.

People are hurting every day everywhere.   Because of illness, loss, or many other reasons.

And people cope in different ways.  The best way they can. Sometimes the coping mechanisms people choose may not be what we might consider to be the 'right' or 'correct' ones. But who are we to make that decision.

But maybe, just maybe, one day they can learn to smile again, and the pain, probably won't ever fully leave, but will dull ever so slightly.

So, my dear S, I am not an inspiration, but the timing of your words was impeccable.

Sometimes, we are quick too hurt with words - but more so, we can help!

So this one's for Alix

Lisa

Sunday 24 March 2013

From Netball To Nutters, and plenty in between!

Ok, well I'm back!

I know, the countless howls of protest I received after my last post as to whether I should continue or not has lead me to this.

Howls of Protest!!!!


Bugger you, I'm going to continue!!!!!

And who really wants a boring dull life with nothing to talk about anyway!

So, for the latest in our little lives in our little corner of the world.

Well, my knee now appears to have completely fallen apart. I met with the specialist the other day and after carefully reviewing his birth certificate to confirm that he indeed was of legal age, and then checking that his University degrees were indeed real and not from the University of No Idea, he proceeded to ask me the same fifty questions I repeat on a daily basis to every other medical professional.

Then upon examination - which was basically me bending my knee and him holding on to it he then went as pale as a Nun in a brothel and proceeded to ask me how much pain I was really in. After he regained consciousness from the left hook I gave him while he was bending my knee, I replied "Oh, um, ah, you know, A BLOODY LOT" he then agreed with me that I would indeed be in some serious degree of pain.

Now when your doctor says "Mmmmmmm, that's not good" I don't think he is talking about the fact that it appears the Australian Cricket Team are a pack of over priced whingers who don't do their homework.

So, this is then followed by "Mmmmmmmm, netball?"


My reply - "I don't think I'd be up for a game right this minute but if you could just do something to fix the pain, I'm sure I'll be running on as WA in no time."
How good are those knees

Just a few shots of me in my heyday!!!!!!

 


But no, it appears that now my other leg has succumbed to the dreaded injuries felt by netballers across the world.

Yes, stacks on can be very dangerous to netballers


When I innocently asked how bad he thought the tear in my meniscus was (look it up people!), he gave that hearty doctor chuckle and said " I wouldn't be too concerned about a tear at this stage in your cartilage. You have no cartilage left"

On pondering on his words for all of 15.7 seconds I then asked whether I could just pop over to Big W and purchase some new cartilage.   From the look on his face (and this is where he was probably thinking of his next European sojurn) he suggested that would not happen and that I best go and get myself a decent pair of jammies and slippers as we may be looking at surgery.

The Onesie - suitable for knee surgery, indeed anything????????


Now, from the many photos I have posted of myself here, you will know that I am indeed model material with legs that just go on (to my bum!). My left leg has had a number of operations that with the scarring, you can almost play a full game of noughts and crosses on it.

So, there now may be a chance that I will have matching scarring on my right leg.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now you have no doubt read that David Jones have dumped Miranda Kerr as their clothes hanger, and well, yes, I was indeed the next obvious choice.

However, DJ's may just have to wait that little bit longer now to sign me up - oh well, could be worse!

Could be my forehead!!!!

Wouldn't want anything to intrude on the word "Nutter magnet" printed across my forehead now would I.

And I am using a bloody unreal PINK, yes, PINK, walking stick!!!!  I can just see DJ's stocking them as a winter accessory!!

Ciao for now.

Hope your life is full of fun and happiness!



Cheers

Lisa xox

Saturday 16 March 2013

To Blog Or Not To Blog

That is the question.

I have been thinking about whether to continue blogging of late.

I know, I can hear the collective shouting of millions of people around the world yelling "Yes, please stop, stop now, PLEASE!!!"



The reason for this thought process going through my empty head is because I have been thinking that if I don't blog, I may indeed get to live a calm, peaceful, boring life as then if I have no blog, things may not happen to me to write about.

You see, I am quite an avid reader of blogs, from all over the world. I read blogs about home decorating, travel, cooking, teaching and many many others. I hate the term 'Mummy Blogger' but I also read some of them too.  And if you haven't just read the infamous  Mrs Woog's blog, you are definitely worse off. She is hilarious, and so often writes what I think (just type in Mrs Woog into goole, you won't be sorry - but don't forget me!!)

Because, dear reader (Mum, that's you!!!) I am yearning for a quiet life.  Yes, I am. Well not so quiet that nothing ever happens but just to live a relatively incident free life.

Because over the past 10 days I have been on crutches. Yes, even I am so completely over myself at the moment it is not funny.

Now of course, Miranda Kerr was in a car accident this week and managed to accessorise her neck brace with an ever so chic scarf. So she may have been a bit tender, but she still looked good.

WHere is that bloody scarf????


Whereas I, on crutches, look like a frigging lopsided elephant. There ain't nothing chic about this Country Gypsy hobbling along on crutches because her 'good' knee has given way (Yes, I have a good knee and a bad knee - I think two knee reconstructions on the one knee allows me to nominate it as the bad knee!!!).
This is how I get out of the car! ###



So, after two trips to hospital, three doctors, one absolutely beautiful (no I am not gay - not that there is anything wrong with that - but this girl was beautiful both inside and out!!!) physiotherapist, two x rays and an upcoming visit to a specialist, it appears that the good knee is now stuffed!!!

Unfortunately, I don't have an incredible story about how I injured this knee but have been asking people to provide me with stories.  So far I am the coach of the Australian Down hill mogul ski team and whilst giving them a few pointers injured myself (thanks goes to the White Knight for that one!!), marathon running and then had to foil an armed robbery whilst running and got shot in the knee but still managed to arrest the bad guys and win the marathon at the same time (combined effort from the CG family) to being a part of the Australian Cricket team who didn't do their homework and got bashed in the knee cap by the selectors for punishment (thanks to the bloke who made my coffee at Coffee Culture yesterday!!).

An earlier shot of my skiing prowess !!!!!!!!



The actual truth is it just started to hurt, then it hurt a bit more, then it got so bloody sore I would have preferred to go through childbirth whilst balancing a 450kg whale  on my nose and running through a barbed wire fence at the same time.

And I have so far had three different diagnoses so I am just going to wait to see what the specialist suggests at the end of the week - when he charges me $455000 for a 3 minute consultation and I get $.09c back from medicare!!!

So, hopefully you see my dilemma. If I chose not to blog, maybe we won't have to move again, there will be no injuries or illnesses, I will actually get a full time job with proper facilities, and I won't meet any more cross dressing grandfathers outside Vinnies.


Mmmmm, shall have a think. Maybe life might get too boring!!!

Hope you are all safe, well, injury free, stable home and work, and enjoying life!  Now, where did I put those crutches?????


Cheers

Lisa xox

### Can I just add that when you type in to google images "elephant on crutches" you get a picture of Naomi Campbell - no elephant and no crutches - just the supermodel - weird!!!!