How To Handle Seizures In Your Beloved Dog! Scary But Not Hopeless!!!

How To Handle Seizures In Your Beloved Dog! Scary But Not Hopeless!!!.

How To Handle Seizures In Your Beloved Dog! Scary But Not Hopeless!!!

Seizures (the manifestation of epilepsy) in both canines and humans is for me, one of the most scary situations I have ever witnessed … and let’s face it, I was 20 years old so long ago, I cannot even remember… well even if I could, I’d keep my mouth shut.

As a rule, no matter how scary and sad an event is, at least attempting to step out of the horrible picture, just one little step,  breathing in  and out slowly (do NOT hyperventilate, meaning NO dizziness) would give anyone a little time to assess the situation, slow down the panic attack which will run towards you and take over your entire being quicker than I could attempt to describe…

How do I know all these mixed emotions, none of which is positive? Simply because they happened to me not that long ago…

In fact, the symptoms, the seizures, happened to my beloved Lola. Lola, for those of you who don’t know (and why would you?) is a two-year  old Labrador mix which I rescued from the BEST rescue facility I know: Molly’s Rescue Place in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

It was January of 2012 and the rescue had just received a transport of puppies from the South of the country. Most of them black and adorable, saved from what I understand is still one of the methods to euthanize unwanted dogs in that part of the country: gas chambers!!! Just the thought that a human would press a button or whatever and release death in a room filled with helpless, innocent animals makes me sick. Sick as in vomit!

There were so many dogs available for adoption, and I wanted to save them all, but that part of my brain which at times controls my impulsive, irrational behavior shouted: NO!!! Are you THAT crazy?? Remember? You are on fix income!!!

So… I maxed  just one credit card and adopted Lola (all her vaccines up to date and a clean bill of health.)

Why I named her Lola? Obviously because “Lola gets what Lola wants.” In addition, she met all my “other” criteria: she was ALL black, and female. Why were these two features so essential? Not long before I adopted Lola, it came to my attention that in the 21 st Century (yes, this is the century we ALL live in, one might think,) there existed something which probably didn’t exist in the Stone Age: “BLACK DOG (CAT) Syndrome!!!” Simply explained, discrimination against black animals. Speechless, angry, disgusted, I was all these and more.

Why female? Well it seems this is confession time, so I am going to tell you, good people, lovers of animals, that while I am not a hoarder (yet) I already had two other rescued dogs at home. One of them, Duke, a handsome 2 year old boxer whose territorial tendencies prohibited the adoption of another male. Female YES!!! Male… NO!!!

Once at  home, I remembered all the good advice of various dog trainers and introduced them one at a time. Everything went well and within a few days… may be weeks, since I already promised to be honest as I tell this story, everyone was happy and friendly. Minus feeding time, when I had to keep them as far as possible from one another.

I promised in the title of this post to write about canine seizures, a very serious and sad topic, and as I just checked the word count provided by Word Press, I am 572 words into the story and made NO mention of seizures! Hmm not a great writer I guess. I should have already “grab” your attention

Why is that, one might wonder. My answer is, on purpose. I could spend another 572 words to explain the details of my decision, but I choose to just say, the topic is so unpleasant and hard to accept, that I tred to place it in perspective  and prepare you emotionally.

Perhaps, if we look at epilepsy (seizures) in the larger context of our life with our beloved companion dog,  we see this unfortunate problem as ONLY a controllable part of our otherwise happy and rewarding life with our  pet. Our dog is NOT the illness! Perhaps, by looking at it as just a symptom, a small part of our otherwise normal life, it would make everything more manageable and less scary.

To mind comes the saying, “what we focus on grows,” or may be the wording is slightly different, but we all “get” the meaning of it, I hope.

Back, in 2012 everyone in this family of one human, three dogs and an African Grey Parrot, whose job is to discipline the dogs (and me at times) was healthy.

Vets please don’t hate me, but I keep the vaccinations to a minimum. Of course my companions are vaccinated against rabies and heart worm tested and I try to prevent a tick and fleas infestation by using as much as possible natural remedies.

If anyone wishes to read more on any of these dog related topics, please visit Lola’s personal blog, http://lifewithbblola.wordpress.com and you shall be rewarded.

Back to our horror story, the seizures!

Last summer, Lola transitioned to a young adult female. Happy, smart, beautiful. Her fur so soft, if I closed my eyes and pet her, I could be fooled in thinking I touched silk.

Lola, as everyone else in this health conscious family, showed no signs of any hidden or upcoming problems, until one afternoon, when suddenly she  came so close to me, it seemed she wanted to become one with me… a touching feeling, that Lola loved me so much. No human that I have ever known, ever, made me feel so loved (unless the human wanted sex) which clearly, was not Lola’s motivation!

After a few minutes of this peculiar behavior, Lola fell on one side and started shaking uncontrollably. Her muscles were rigid,  white foam around her mouth, and although I had never before seen an episode of epilepsy ( a seizure) I recognized what others described over the years and I wished I’d be spared to ever experience or see it in real life.

I also remembered (and this is when it comes in hand to BREATHE slowly before you act) that during an episode of epilepsy the victim might swollow  their tongue and the human witnessing such an episode must somehow hold the tongue steady, so this horrible accident doesn’t occur. The instructions that I recalled were to use a wooden spoon and press the tongue down.  Well… in all honesty, do you, or anyone you know walks around holding a wooden spoon just in case an episode of epilepsy takes place? Not me, so as the devoted Dog Mama that I am, I stuck my finger in poor Lola’s mouth as she had the seizure…. NOT a good idea, and without getting into gore details, even if it’s Halloween,   it took my finger weeks to heal.

It would have been ALL worth it, but imagine how much worse my finger and brain felt, when upon reading reliable research on seizures, I discovered that it was NOT TRUE!!! IT DOESN’T HELP THE VICTIM IF BY ANY MEANS THE TONGUE IS HELD DOWN, OR PULLED, OR TOUCHED!!!

WHAT TO DO DURING AN EPISODE OF EPILEPSY (SEIZURE)

DO NOTHING!!! Make sure the dog is not going to fall off any surface and is in a safe position. Now, because unfortunately Lola had a few seizures in my presence, we consider ourselves experienced  and thus able to handle these undesirable and misunderstood episodes. 

I am not a vet, so the information in this post is the result of the  extensive research I did on the topic (the sources will be provided in this post) as well as a consultation with one of the best veterinarians I  had the honor to know and discussions with responsible dog owners whose dogs suffer from epilepsy (the symptom of which is seizures) all with a twist of my own feelings and observations before, during and after such episodes. Clearly, my feelings are a matter of PERCEPTION and subjective. Yours could be completely different.

To sum it up for my friends and readers, this is my understanding of epilepsy as of today, October 31, 2014

What are seizures? Seizures are a symptom of an underlying neurological disfunction. 

The cause could be anything that disrupts the normal brain circuitry.

Epilepsy may be inherited (Primary) or caused by other factors (Secondary)

(Source of this information: Canine Epilepsy Resources)

Causes that may trigger secondary epilepsy could be preservatives in food, environmental, such as sprays for lawns, some allergies such as pine scented cleaners, some tick and flea medications and more.

If your pet starts experiencing seizures well into their young adult life, my common sense and brilliant brain (joke) tells me the pet has secondary epilepsy and it was caused by some element that was introduced in the life of the pet unknowingly.

A responsible owner’s reaction would be to take the sick best friend to the vet. The vet will run a few tests, or an endless number of tests, the cost of which may or may not ruin you financially.

It is my understanding that as of right now, the cause of epilepsy is unknown but the symptoms (seizures as the worst) could be effectively controlled by medications.

While endless tests could be run, it is (again) my personal feeling that heartworm as the cause should be ruled out as well as allergies to certain chemicals regularly used in the care of our dogs (such as the tick and fleas meds)

Personally, I do not like to use tick and flea commercial medications and instead I boil and steep fresh mint leaves, (which once planted in your back yard or  indoor pot, it will take over and need NOT be re-planted every year (perennials))

To the concentrated minty water, I add a few drops of essential oil of eucalyptus.

To this liquid minty mixture I add water and pour everything in a spray bottle. I refrigerate it and every time my dogs companions come inside the house from a walk or from the back yard, I thoroughly spray them with this easy to make, heavenly smelling spray.

Secret: In summer time I spray the mixture on my face as well (close your eyes)

In most situations, your vet will prescribe one of the following medications to control the seizures.

IMPORTANT: Once you start giving your companion pet the medications, it is y understanding, they should be given for the rest of the pet’s life. If the medications are cut off, the seizures might get worse. Also, if the medications are changed, this should be done under the supervision of your pet’s veterinarian.

LIST OF MEDICATIONS:

Phenobarbital

Potassium Bromide

Primidone (Mysoline)

Valium (Diazepam)

Dilantin

Gabapentin (it is ONLY partially metabolized by the liver) this is a medication used for humans, and only recently proved efficient for dogs

Keppra

IMPORTANT:

Because these medications are mostly metabolized by the liver, periodically the dog’s liver enzymes must be checked.

Less expensive, on going care for your beloved pet (in addition to using medications to control seizures)

Diet and Nutrition (article by Susan Wynn, DVM)

In this comprehensive article, doctor Wyne mentions certain signs which might indicate allergies in the pet: chewing feet, scratching ears, vomiting bile. 

Suggested diet for a dog who is experiencing seizures :

Chicken or turkey meat, boiled for around 30 seconds

Cook well rice and barley and add the meat. Use mixed vegis (carrots and green beans.

My suggestion: place the home cooked food (free of preservatives!!!) in plastic bags and freeze. Use according to your pet’s eating schedule.

Another valuable article:

“The Role of Natural Healthy Diet in the Management of Canine Epilepsy” by C. Aldersen, K. Herman, M. Mitchell -revised by M. Mitchell on 12/16/03

This article explains the importance of Proteins and Amio Acids. It also stresses the importance of the TYPE of proteins. A study at the University of California, Davis, shows a significant increase in epileptic seizures in rats, if diet lacks in amino acids.

To NOTE: The importance of the amino acid TAURINE – which plays an important role in the function of the nervous system. 

Taurine is a non-essential amino-acid, and research shows a connection between Taurine defficiency to zinc defficiency

Carnitine is another non-essential amino acid whose defficiency is associated with epilepsy.

The Role of Enzyme — both metabolic and digestive plays a role in this condition.

To sum up my understanding:

There is the so called “enzyme robbing” process.

What does this mean?

The enzymes are taken (robbed) from essential organs and used in the digestive system, to help digest the food.

Other vitamins which seem important in controlling seizures:

Vit. Bs and C _BOTH are water soluble, therefore one may NOT overdose on them. 

It seems that Vit. B6 is particularly important in the control of seizures.

Minerals important in the control of seizures

A defficiency of Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, Zinc and Calcium, show an increase in the incidence of seizures.

Other possible negative factors

There might be a connection between GRAINS and Seizures

The most common food allergens, are: WHEAT, CORN, SOY

LESS common: CORN and RICE

As of right now, I purchased turkey meat, long grain rice, barley, carrots and green beans (in a can—sorry…) and am going to prepare home made food for my beloved Lola.

To end this post on a doggie gourmet note, here is a DOG TREAT suggested for dogs who suffer from seizures on http://www.canine-epilepsy.com

Chicken Meatloaf   ==Home dog treats (yumm!!!) 

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 egg (beaten)

2 Tbs chopped garlic (IMPORTANT – some sites cite garlic as a possible allergen for dogs, so to fault on the safe side, I’d stay away from garlic or do further research)

1/2 Cup chopped carrots or 1/4 green beans

Combine ALL shape as a meatloaf, bake  at 350 degrees for one hour, slice

SIT DOWN, EAT, while your dog watches you patiently.

After all, YOU worked hard! (joke)

NO MATTER WHAT,  at all times KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR AND TELL YOUR PETS

I LOVE YOU REGARDLESS THEIR HEALTH CONDITION

I guarantee unconditional love could only make anyone feel better!

Rodica

https://www.proventherapy.com/Rodica

When Our Biological Clock Goes Tick…Toc… Stupid Happens!

When Our Biological Clock Goes Tick…Toc… Stupid Happens!.

When Our Biological Clock Goes Tick…Toc… Stupid Happens!

The marketing geared towards the single, professional women in their thierties is probably one of the largest and most efficient that there is in the no nonsense world of marketing. And why is that you might ask?
May be because there is an avid market, millions of single, beautiful women who perhaps waited too long for Mr. Perfect and now feared he may not even exist, or “all the good ones were already taken!”

Advances in science made it easier on the aging women and unlike 20 years ago, it is possible now to have a perfectly adorable child in your 40s’ or may be your Mom could be the “oven” at any age?
I don’t know about right now, but 20 years ago, after the love of my life decided to have a child with his secretary and divorce me in a rush, I felt that I had to do something about the situation. Not only was I abandoned in a new environment, a new country, but my thiertiest birthday was approaching fast and there was no way to turn back the clock.
The reality that I had spend my most prolific years trying to not get pregnant, and the second I turned my head, my ex-husband rushed into fatherhood with another woman, a woman I hated and despised, and she was stupid and ugly, hit me in my EGO!
Cosmopolitan Magazine with its stats didn’t help and the long line of failed relationships lasting six months at the most was not encouraging.
I had to set goals, rules, such as, if a relationship was not taking us anywhere, meaning marriage, babies and pets, I had to move on, as the echo of my biological clock was blasting in my ears and uterus.

Just after I broke up a six months relationship with a doctor who already had three kids and wasn’t interested in more, I discovered that he was at the same time involved with his receptionist and surprise! She got pregnant without discussing it first, because it was an accident… and a gentlemen is a gentlemen and he married her. True, his son from his first marriage had a son older than his father’s new baby, but hey, everything goes!

As I was still recovering from the shock of my honesty, I met what seemed to be the perfect life partner. We met at the opening of a restaurant and were introduced by my alcoholic girlfriend and her married (to someone else) boyfriend. I know, it doesn’t sound too respectable, but one works with what one has… at hand!
My new found boyfriend and I hit it immediately, as in we didn’t waste too long and became intimate.
It seemed strange to me that in the middle of a perfect love-making night he was prespiring and HAD to leave… I knew nothing about drugs and withdrawing symptoms.
I even thought it was okay that he didn’t have a serious relationship in ten years and his favorite hang out place was in the Philly’s Red District, at a corner bar.
I so didn’t want to see anything negative that when he finally invited me to his house and declared that he only cleaned twice a year if necessary, I thought that was fixable. I was going to clean and do it all!
Everything was fixable, the bizarre parents, the father drinking starting at Noon and playing solitaire and the mother sipping sherry all day long on a blue couch, my beloved long hair which was cut short to help with his new image of married man.

Did I love him? May be. The truth, as I see it now is that the noise of my biological clock was louder and stronger than any other emotion. I wanted kids, and I wanted them YESTERDAY. I wanted them before my husband’s which was an impossibility: His son was already one year old and I was still in the process of finding the right partner.

We married in April and by mid- February of the following year, a daughter was born: Eva. Because I was 36 years old I had to have an amniosinthesis. The father of the baby to be, was present for a while, then suddenly, the entire medical staff disappeared, while I was hoping for their maximum attention. What happened? I turned my head to only see the father to be, my pride and joy fainted! That was fixable too, I was strong for both of us, and life proved me right. I realy had no choice but to be strong for all of us!
After Eva’s birth, I wasted no time and got pregnant again. 18 month between the two daughters. Natalie, unlike Eva, new from the beginning how to connect to the source of food, meaning my breast.
There is something which may not be described, the feeling that not only my body housed the bodies and souls of these two perfect human beings, but the feeling that they were MY responsibility in the face of God! Upon their birth all other feelings disappeared and they became the LOVES of my life! A love unlike no other!

As time and life will prove, one could love too much, care too much and get hurt… in ways that at this moment I have no words how to describe…but I will… when the time comes!

We met at the opening of a restaurant

DM Face Cream, Rejuval Cream FREE TRIAL UPDATE III TO BUYER BE AWARE!!! CONTACT INFO

DM Face Cream, Rejuval Cream FREE TRIAL UPDATE III TO BUYER BE AWARE!!! CONTACT INFO.

DM Face Cream, Rejuval Cream FREE TRIAL UPDATE III TO BUYER BE AWARE!!! CONTACT INFO

Hello Dear friends who have been , just like ME, schemed when  in our eternal innocence and trust in human mankind GAVE this company our credit card information, so they MAY charge the under $4.00 shipping and handling charges. After all it was advertised as a FREE trial!!!

When I first shared on my blog the nightmare I encountered, I did it because this is what I DO: THIS BLOG SHARES EVENTS WHICH AFFECT MY LIFE FIRST, and being a humble person, I assume others might be in the same shoes as me and I share!

The response to Buyer Be Aware I II and Update has been overwhelming and soon I discovered that this was a much bigger “fish” than I first imagined. The post is after almost eight months from when it was first published, the NUMBER I Post READ on my blog.

What does this tell me… may be the scheme didn’t stop, may be despite the thousands of bad reviews they still operate from the shadows of deceipt.

With that thought in mind, I did a search for “DM Face Cream FREE TRIAL. (please note IF you are dyslexic, like me, you could easily read MD and assume falsely this is some kind of MD approved or tested product. Well, it is not! and all the way down the web page there is a disclosure in an ugly black square which tells the truth no one reads)

Okay… so today after Church, I was inspired and did this search. To my pleasant surprise, the web site which popped up was named: The Performance Leader (www.theperformanceleader.com)

Wow! I was impressed for a moment… well may be two, until I started putting 2 and 2 together. This is a personal opinion, but here is what I think:

The color scheme of this site had soothing yellowish, white and light blue colors. If you know a little about how our mind works, you know that statistically these are colors which make people trust. Unlike red which in general means NO unless you are on Valentine’s Day and then it means LOVE.

Well, this totally new website had a real face lift!!!  In addition to the color scheme, as I faced the computer screen, to my left there was the face of a woman, eyes closed in the extasy of using the products (I assume)

To the right (where we actually look FIRST) one could spot a jar (again, blue and white) named REJUVAL Skin!!! This fantastic NEW product was rated 4.8 of 5 stars rated by??? who

Under the Rejuval jar, another new product VIVEXIN (for Eyes) Rated 4.7 of 5 stars.

On this first page, insinuating that this is a company which rates MANY TOP PRODUCTS (may be they do) there is a whole “team of experts.”

I started to read through their credentials but decided on a better use of my time and clicked AGAIN!!!

Surprise! A whole TABLE of “compared facial products.” You guessed, which was the TOP product???? REJUVAL!!!

So now, since DM skin cream has been discovered as the scheme that is, let’s have a site face lift, change the jars, the names and here we go again!!!

We were actually WARNED by a wise commentator on MY site that this group has been operating like this for over ten years.

Rejuval Skin, claims the site, is 2014 Editor’s Choice??? but fails to tell us Editor of WHAT???

This page also contains raving testimonials. But… but if you are like me, a curious mind, and go three pages of clicks in the green zone, the testimonials change. In this much lower zone, they are negative, and I mean negative as in a cloudy night with no stars!

THE MOST REWARDING CLICK!!!

Just as I was about to give up on it because my bake good was burning in the kitchen, I clicked ONE MORE TIME ON:

EXCLUSIVE TRIAL OF REJUVAL SKIN FROM MANUFACTURER!!!

YES!!! Click and HERE IT WAS !!!

THE INFO WE ALL WANT (in ugly black letters) :

“Hello, We are NO LONGER accepting new orders….” you get the idea.

I decided to be nice and wrote down for YOU, my readers and fellow schemees, the CONTACT INFO:

Tel. 1800 385-2561 (returns— see conditions!!!)

email: info@rejuvalskin.com

and a warehouse in Lutz, Florida!!!

There is also an icon if you wish to cancel your subscription (good luck with that!)

A note of caution:

If you cannot get through to them and your card keeps being charged $100s the easiest way to stop it, is to call your bank or credit card company, report the fraud and ASK for a NEW CARD.

Many of you thought I  was a company which will get your money back, or complain for you.

I am sorry to disappoint but I am ONE WOMAN and this is a community service project, meaning I do NOT get paid for it.

Please continue to share your experiences and I will post them. This is HOW we learned.

If you use computerised comments, please don’t write because your comment goes to spam. I don’t even see it.

I hope this UPDATE was good news for all.

Keep your money safe by not signing up for free trials and have a great week!

Rodica

https://www.proventherapy.com/Rodica

During this exciting process of discovering

The Single, Married Mom!

The Single, Married Mom!.

The Single, Married Mom!

Hmm… this must be a mistake, she is married or she is single or divorced or widowed. Single but married is  clearly wrong, as the two terms contradict each other, or do they?

If you are one of the Facebook perfect mothers, whose husbands remember your Anniversary, mows the loan without you asking him ten, eleven, twelve times, reads or sings or whatever, spends “quality time,” with your children every day and participates in all their activities, PLEASE STOP READING NOW!!! You are wasting your precious time which could be much better used posting the latest box of chocolates you received from your hubby and red roses.

This post  is written for the  less fortunate,  the “OTHER GROUP OF MOTHERS,” the ones who “act happy,” but are desperate and hide their desperation behind fake smiles… the ones  who stay in married relationships hoping that is the answer and the best thing to do for their children: To have both parents, regardless the secret  truth that one is absent and present only on paper, when BOTH signatures are required by the school!

Never mind that the man, with whom the single married Mom, stays in a relationship, never praises the daughters, and later, when your daughters pick the wrong partners, the single married Mom, wonders why!!! Later, as in TOO late, she has an epiphany:

The FIRST man in a woman’s life is their father! If the father gave the  daughter the message, “you are worthless,” well, she will feel worthless at the very core for the rest of her life (if something, such as good therapy doesn’t interfere with the hidden tragedy of low self-esteem. MARK MY WORDS: GOOD THERAPY! BAD THERAPY WILL DESTROY HER FURTHER!)

Most times, the “worthless”  children do unforgettable, shameful,  wrong acts! If such disasters happen, they suddenly become “your children,” as if you conceived them alone, in the convenience of your single bed. An immaculate conception, or worse!

If once in the Blue Moon, the same worthless children who were ALL yours, do something worthy, accomplish something, suddenly the SAME kids are entirely claimed by Dad and his everlasting efforts. Who cares that you, the married single Mom has been waking up  daily at 6:00 AM, fed the pets (how could we forget, any respectable family must have pets too!) and then made lunch and then shook the kids to make them conscious enough to sit in the back of a van, and drove them to school.

Once upon a time, before going to  the “real work,”  you stop back home in hopes you and  the Dad (not your Dad, the pretend one to your kids,) might have an adult conversation. Translation: A FIGHT!

It doesn’t start as a fight, it never does. He still sips coffee and watches the news or whatever relaxes him before going to work.

After the story that follows, my “pretend” single, married Mom stopped trying to rush back for adult conversations, and this is why…

It feels like yesterday… actually, it feels in the moment, that morning, when the married single Mom attempted to economize and made him lunch because she secretly noticed the credit cards were maxed. She prepared a tray with four compartments, and decorated it with a flower and presented it to the man of the house, while he was still watching the news. What a mortal mistake! To interrupt the intellectual activity  of watching television!

Here is the moment when she  first questioned her intelligence: She presented  the tray and mumble something to the effect that “they” (as in the household) would save $3 to $5, daily if he would consider the humiliating act of eating  lunch from home and not eat  “out” at a vendor, or worse a restaurant.

How could the single married Mom ever forget? His  memorable look, his eyes, which years ago whispered with ease, “I love you,” now spoke flames of hate: How dare YOU insult me! Lunch from home! NEVER!

Before any words were exchanged, he picked up the tray so lovingly decorated, and threw it against the French doors of the perfect American family living room. Shattered glass everywhere, mixed with crushed dreams and tears, topped with sadness and lies, lies to cover the…TRUTH!!!

(How lucky! one might think.  No human victims! What if the kids were at  home, what if they saw what happened? Would anyone be interested in THE TRUTH? WHY WOULD THAT BE RELEVANT?

Truth be told, the kids were  home. In all honesty, one daughter was in the single, married Mom’s  arms and the other still unborn, in the uterus, but why would the truth be revealed now… may be later, may be never… it ALL depends.

For now, let’s say there were just those two adults, once upon a time loving  couple and the lunch off the plastic tray spread everywhere. More precisely, the tray thrown in a corner,  the food allover among the peaces of shattered glass, and the single, married Mom, disoriented and speechless in the mist of it all, watching Him storming out the door! End of adult conversation!

The married, single Mom, cleaned carefully, before the dog had a chance to eat the ham mixed with the shattered glass. She wiped her  pretend tears of happiness and off she went to her job which made money. That job was  her recreational time, the ONLY time when she felt appreciated and needed… and let’s not be too theatrical and stop here for now.

After all, it is a show, isn’t it and Facebook is real!

There are NO such families, there are no single married Moms.

 

This post… is a joke!    Or is it?

Please if it resonates with you, let me know and we’ll continue to explore what happens to the single married Mom…

Who Is Your Hero?

Who Is Your Hero?.

Who Is Your Hero?

Many of my friends and readers know that this blog was started under sad circumstances: A few days after moving to Central PA (which was a mistake of fate,) I broke my right ankle on a dis-repaired sidewalk, which (lucky me) belonged to our already broke (financially) borough. I couldn’t even sue them!

The result was my confinement in bed during the Holidays of 2010.

Each event in life has many ways to be viewed; the same event could be a sad event but it could also be the opportunity of a life-time to organize my 20 plus years of writing and write that book which I never had time to write.

Clearly the second option was more appealing and because someone mentioned Word Press, like a blind woman (and one legged ) I managed to start a ‘blog.” A blog! At the  time I had no idea what was a blog, and instinct guided me to click on an icon named “NEW POST,” and than when I was done on another icon, marked “Publish,” and another miracle took place, the Post was published for the entire world to see! Easy.

This is how my memoir,  The Gypsy Saw Two Lives, published at the end of 2011 was born. After its publication I found myself mostly alone in an attempt to “market the book. The why so, it’s an entirely different story, which I will not even attempt to share now.

The story of today is about one of the places where I was invited to present my book. It was the book club of a church. I was, as any new author, happy and eager to share my experiences with the group of about 18 people, all women, and one man.

Being at an age when our eyes start telling us “you need glasses,” I had just purchased two pairs of glasses. I am one of the few who gets dizzy if I wear bi-focals, so I had a pair of glasses for reading and another for distance, and I kept switching them as needed.

When I read something, I carefully sat the for distance glasses next to me, and when I needed to use at the distance glasses I treated the for reading glasses with equal respect. I did notice something was written inside the handle of the reading glasses, but could not make out what it was, since these were the reading glasses… da!!! And frankly, the issue was not a priority!

Back to my book club presentation. I thought it was going well. People (the ladies) clearly read the book and were asking relevant questions. The representative of the strong gender, was clearly still finishing the book and asked or rather “taught us” some totally off the topic lessons.

The session was coming to an end. I sat on the table the reading glasses and put on the “for distance” ones, when, the key question came out of nowhere:

“Who is your hero? Do you have someone that inspires you when you write?”

Does anyone inspire me… my mind raced… hmm not really, life itself was enough inspiration.

“Not really…” I answered, not totally certain this was the expected answer.

The woman to my right looked at me surprised, her eyes pierced me, and after an embarrasing silence, I heard the echo of her voice in my ears:

“Why don’t you tell them? It’s no shame!!!”

I looked at her and as I was still trying to find my words, she picked my reading glasses and showed everyone what it was written on the inside of the left handle of my reading glasses:

I AM MY OWN HERO!!!

See, she continued, slightly upset.

“No shame, YOU ARE YOUR OWN HERO! GOOD FOR YOU!!!”

I mumbled something, as in I didn’t really know this was written on the inside of my reading glasses handle, but there was no going back.

Everyone was convinced I was so full of myself that I ordered a pair of glasses with the emblem: ‘I am my own hero!”

The group is probably still convinced of how full of myself I must be, but later, as I told the story to others, I discovered that “I am my own hero,” was the NAME of the brand of glasses I ordered and it was written on ALL their glasses.

In conclusion, you too may be your own hero and not even know it.

If that happens, be proud of yourself and take life with a grain of salt.

This is what HEROES DO!!!