taking time

healing takes time…

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care

By taking care of you,

I take care of myself.

By taking care of myself,

I take care of you.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

My attention span is little fuzzy right now as I continue pain management so I haven’t done any reading for the past couple of weeks including my morning passage. I haven’t completely missed it though, running across the above the day I came home from the hospital, making a mental note in the haze to come back to it. I know it stayed with me because of the word “care”.

Care takes on so many meanings when the time comes for one to be cared for or to give care. Right now I am somewhat dependent on help from others mostly people I know, last week I was totally in the hands of different people that I did not know every day. It meant so much when the person bringing their version of care to me took the business out of caring replacing it with compassion and concern. I was pleasantly surprised to feel so cared for while being taken care of which has now extended to home care by my physical therapist who takes such time as I relearn the use of my leg and hip.

My lesson from this is to remember to dig a little deeper into my compassionate bucket when others need help. I know I am quick to take on managing the daily and minute tasks for others becoming somewhat detached in my quest to keep all under control. I now see that my efficiency though appreciated and needed does not compare to a kind touch delivered with the feeling of, “I care.” As for my work at the hospital, I am even more committed to ensuring that our patients and families feel as I felt during my recent hospital stay. Thanks Georgetown!

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after before

When I took this picture, I entitled it, “after before”. As I look at it today with eyes walking my body literally and figuratively through recovery I see before in the fore, after in the distance. My first week post op seems like more than 7 days in some instances, like yesterday in others. I do know that I am doing what I need to do to get on solid footing once again and hoping that I will soon get past the grogginess that comes with medication; it’s difficult to focus on anything for long periods before I find myself napping. Remembering that patience is one of the things I work on, my BFF has to gently remind me that recovery is 6 - 8 weeks, not 6 - 8 days... I do have a hard head.

Giving you the best that I’ve got for now, better to come so…

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trains and boats and planes

Surgery is over, thankfully I am recovering. Though I will miss taking some sunday snaps today, I did take some last week a couple of days before my hip was replaced.

As I left the grocery store, I found myself turning off the highway to Haines Point, a strip of DC where one can see Washington, Maryland and Virginia and where I spent lots of time as a child. It was so pleasant to see the sail boats, watch the airplanes land and take off and, I almost missed trains traversing across old bridges; the Metro certainly was not part of the lay of the land when those structures were built.

The entire stop at the Point reminded me of a Dionne Warwick song hence the title of this blog. Have an enjoyable day and as for me, hip hip hooray…all puns intended!

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fool for love

I love magnolias...a pleasant memory from childhood. Foolishly, just three days before my surgery I stopped my car, hopped out then daringly walked a wall on Capitol Hill starting at the low end up to the high to capture this gorgeous lush blossom praying with each step that I wouldn't give my surgeon more to fix than one hip yesterday!

What can I say except…

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sunday snaps

A few weekends ago I started taking myself out for sunday snaps. No, not cookies but an outing where I head somewhere unplanned and find different subject matter to photograph (or should I say the subjects find me). The last couple of times I departed early in the morning, I forgot to check my or bring a back-up battery so I was limited to 30 minutes of shooting which was actually good since I have not been able to move about for long continuous periods because of my hip. In fact, I began sunday snaps as a way to ensure I would get out with my camera at least once a week until I’m able to resume mobility with ease.

Last Sunday, I woke up and decided I wanted to visit one of the monuments that has waterfalls. My desire to hear the splashing sound of water crashing onto stones led me to my destination; I roamed and shot many different things being careful to really listen with my eyes for what called to me when I saw the red light flash signaling a dying battery.

When I got home I was overly anxious to download for some reason and as I did, spirits surfaced beneath my fingers. Emotions burst forward as I edited, meanings from someplace deep surfaced. Here is a selection with titles which may help explain…

underground railroad 

not (in)visible

i am somebody

and still I rise

left or right?

I don’t know where I will go today so…

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on the waterfront

I have such a love for standing on a beach looking at and hearing the water that I sometimes forget how moving water can be for me in other places until I happen upon it and find myself parking the car to capture it...

…or see it once again as I download my photographs.

So serene.

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first/4th

It’s been a laid back long weekend with bursts of all types of energy to light up the moments…

and Sunday hasn’t even gotten started yet…yes!

Hope you had a sparkling 4th of July!

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small wonders

We sometimes come across sheer perfection in the smallest things when we least expect them. This past Sunday, I took a quick walk along the butterfly path next to the Smithsonian. I was on a “one shot only” mission, meaning I see something that I want to take a photo of then have to capture it with one click, no do-overs (I love this fun little challenge when I’m pressed for time yet need a creative fix). I got lots of great pictures; I was enamored with this petite green tomato still on the vine hidden amongst all the flowers, plants, trees and shrubbery...

...it was a divine find, exquisite in its simplicity.

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