My Birthday Blog
Every year I seem to write a My Birthday Blog. I’m going to have to stop doing that because it is becoming a repetitious practice. There’s only so much an old hen can say without revealing her age. #birthday #type two diabetes #walking
By the time you read this, my birthday will have come and gone. It’s time for me to take a few minutes to reflect on the road I’ve traveled for the previous year. I know it’s not proper for a woman to brag about her age, but I’ve managed to walk this earth for 64 years. I believe I’ve learned valuable lessons on my journey through the time I’ve been here. My path hasn’t always been easy.
I made mistakes along the way, but I’ve had many exciting adventures. This year I discovered it is still possible for an old lady to grow and even sprout wings. Flying can be an excellent activity if you don’t focus on the ground. This is especially true if you have brittle bones. I invite you to do on a journey with me through the adventures I experienced over the past year.
My Birthday Blog and how I’m handling type two diabetes
Last February, I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. That’s a sobering diagnosis when you have family members who struggle with the disease. Fortunately, there was something I could do to wage a battle against this killer disease. I needed to pay attention to the food I put into my mouth, exercise, and take a low dosage of a medication to control my blood sugar. The ultimate goal is to lose weight. Sounds easy, right. The big issue with my war on diabetes is I liked to eat good stuff. (If broccoli tasted like cookies, I wouldn’t have a problem.)
I also was living a sedentary lifestyle. My job requires me to sit at a desk all day. My hobbies are writing and reading. I also enjoy motorcycle riding, but again I’m sitting during the entire trip.
Challenges I face with the disease
The challenges I faced was to eat better and get moving. I put more vegetables, protein, and fruit in my diet. I took stuff that wasn’t good for me out of my diet. That turned out to be the easy part. It only required me to practice a little self-discipline. The next step was more difficult. I bought a cheap watch with a pedometer to count my steps.
My plan was to get in 10,000 steps a day. I passed the goal in a month. My lunch hour turned into walking in the stacks of the library at the local university where I work. I started to park in the far corner of the parking lot.
Walking my way through My Birthday Blog
I gained two thousand steps a day using this strategy. Rooster bought me a Fitbit for Christmas. Flights of stairs were soon added to my daily routine. I started achieving 5 to 6 miles without breaking a sweat and climbing 20 stairways. My A1C levels are now average, the blood pressure is better than it was at 30, and my doctor was smiling at my physical in January. I haven’t won the war against diabetes yet, but I discovered this old chick could put up a good fight.
Better storyteller than the year before when you read My Birthday Blog
The past year has seen me become a better storyteller than I was the year before. I wrote the first draft of two novels during my 63rd year. I have Circus People and The Holiday Proposition tucked away on a flash drive waiting for me to revisit them. I’ve also joined a writer’s group.
I’ve not been a good member since Christmas. They canceled the meeting for January because it would have taken place on New Year’s Day. I pulled into the parking lot for the February meeting in the middle of an ice storm. I didn’t get out of the car. Like a coward, I decided to go home. I’ve been revising short stories to be critiqued by this group. I’m still getting up early to do morning pages. My evaluation of what I’m producing is it’s better than it was a year ago.
Fantastic adventures
Over the past year, Rooster and I have gone on some fantastic adventures, We have explored exciting places in the state where we live and beyond. We’ve spent time in New York City. We’re planning a wonderful excursion in early spring. We have formed a team in the creation of my blog posts.
Rooster insists on reading each and every blog post before he gives his final approval to my accounts of our adventures. Going on these adventures has added seasoning to our old age. It keeps us off the couch on the road, experiencing life with a sense of wonder. We are about to enter our forty-sixth years of marriage with a sense of wonder for one and other and life in general. This Rooster and hen are moving into their golden years with an adventurous road spread out in front of them.
Sunshie Blogger Award
Speaking of Blogs. Veronica Cline Barton nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you, Veronica. You are also an inspiration. I love reading about your adventures in your writer’s diary. This a nice addition to My Birthday Blog.
Here is a list of my eleven nominees:
1). Manuelordache at https:manuelordache.wordpress.com
2). Millie Thom at https:milliethom.com
3) realpearl at https:pcannon16.wordpress.com
4). Jena C. Henry at https:jenabooks,com
5). Author Stephanie Parker McKean at https:authorstephanieparkermckean.com
6). MomzillaNC at https:momzilla.wordpress.com
7). Old Guys Musing at https:oldguysmusing.wordpress.com
8). Jeff Stone at https:jeffstone.wordpress.com
9)Texas twins 2004 at https:texastwins.wordpress.com
10). Stacey Watkins at https:mommyuh.com
11). Toilet Reads at https:toiletreads.com
Below are my answers to the eleven questions.
1). What is your favorite travel destination? It’s a toss-up between New York City and New Orleans. Rooster says we need to get out in the world and visit other places, but my heart is stuck on these two locations.
2). What is your favorite outfit or fashion accessory? Right now, my ideal accessory is my walking shoes by Alegria. I have a purple pair and a second grey pair I alternate. People think I have special shoes to match every outfit.
3). What subject you’d you like to know more about? As a writer, I’d like to know more about what motivates people. I’d like to know how to transfer deep emotion onto the written page.
4). What architectural style fits your personality? New York City
Brownstones.
5). Are you better at writing or speaking? Easy answer. Writing.
6). Do you think aliens exist? Sure, why not.
7). What’s your proudest achievement? Evolving as a writer over the past eight years.
8). Three photos that capture where you are today.
9). What is your top 2020 goal? Editing the first book in The Hen House Series and get it published.
10). Do you like winter snow or sun and sand? I love the sun and sand. Better sun and a tree-lined windy motorcycle road stretched out in front of me.
11). Outlander or Downtown Abby. Outlander.
In Conclusion
My final assessment is this hen has grown during her 63rd year, proving you can teach old birds new tricks. My hope for the next year will be for me to stick to my exercise routine, type a large number of words into my computer, and join Rooster in some incredible adventures. You can visit my blog from time to time to see if I achieve my goals. I am a year older and a little wiser than last year when I wrote a my Birthday Blog.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana, who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures click here.
Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!