AnneLyze

I rushed home from work today, changed into shorts and a long sleeved t shirt, and with great joy and sadness I started my last walk after work until next spring. After Sunday, it will be too dark. Tonight I had time for my favorite 3 mile loop. I'll still have weekends, but there is nothing like a 3 mile walk at dinnertime. The first mile winds around a couple of schools and then I turn the corner onto Delaware Avenue. For the last several months, the city has been fixing up the street and more and more businesses are coming in. Right now it is diverse and eclectic and I enjoy seeing all the changes. The first thing I notice is the awesome smell of bar food coming out of the Elbo Room. Ah mozzarella sticks, wings, potato skins, all fat loaded. I keep going. A short while later, it Burger Centric, Andy's Italian Deli, Mi Ling, Taco Bell and KFC. The wonderful smells continue, but the best ones are coming. I walk past the Spectrum Movie Theatre check out the movie posters and s...

I'm a soccer Mom. I've been a hockey Mom, a cross country Mom, and a combination of all three, but now I'm just a soccer Mom. All three involve giving rides home to several boys, body odor, laundry and a lot of baking. Boys smell and they are always hungry. Ben plays for the Modified team (junior high), the City Rec program and soon the City Travel program. He plays center defense for the Modified team, any position for the Rec team, and right wing for the Travel team. Three coaches, three opinions on how best to use Ben's skill and speed. He doesn't care, he justs wants to play. One coach can't remember his name, even though he is a captain, the Rec coach loves him except when he's flirting with his daughter Sophia, and the third coach thinks he's a quiet, polite kid. Go figure! All three teams have slightly different blue uniforms and soccer socks. It is not unusual to have three different variations of three different uniforms on several boy...

I have had a love hate relationship with food my whole life. I think I started to binge on food in elementary school. I remember rushing home from school and eating until I had tampered down that sense of panic. In high school, I stole money from Mom to buy junk food. My favorite was Suzy Q's. When Bill and I first moved in together it was Double Stuffed Oreos that I would binge on. Ice cream has always been a huge presence in my life. The cold sweetness of it on my tongue just gives me such a sense of peace and calm. It felt like I had a huge hole in my soul that needed to be fed or I would lose my mind or I would scream and never be able to stop. It was never ending and it was never full. I knew in January it was time to stop. I have lost a lot of weight since then. I started at 206.8 and now I weigh 148. The hole in my soul still hungers, but it's getting smaller and I'm not feeding it as often. I'm trying to listen to it instead. I feel like I've been on a long ...

September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and unless you know someone with the disease I bet you didn't know that. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I bet everyone is aware of it and you have all seen the pink ribbons. More women die of lung cancer than breast, did you know that? Pink irritates me. Every cancer is horrific and every cancer deserves to be recognized and the survivors honored, not just Breast Cancer. Take a minute this October to wish good health on everyone every time you see a pink ribbon. And when you open your wallets for breast cancer, give to The American Cancer Society, so every cancer survivor gets help. Signs and symptoms of Ovarian Cancer: Abdominal Bloating Pelvic or Abdominal Pain Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly Urinary Symptoms Remember Pap smears do not detect Ovarian Cancer. Ovarian Cancer whispers, so listen.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of joy is "a state of happiness or bliss" and "a source or cause of delight". For me, finding joy in my day is about appreciating and celebrating the simple pleasures that life offers. Recently a patient came in to see the Doctor and get her blood drawn. I was happy to see her and I asked her how she was doing. She replied, "good, I able to find joy in every day". I loved hearing that. Life without joy is not worth living. For the past year or so I have tried to find something to be joyful about every day. Some days are easy, some days are not, but as I lay down at night I try to take stock and remember the things I found joy in. Here are a few of my favorite things. Nights cool enough to wear flannel pajamas. The smell of freshly laundered sheets and Benjamin just after a shower. Sitting in my recliner and having my cat on my lap, feeling his soft fur and hearing him purr. Hearing the sound of laught...