Monday Monday

In my last post, I mentioned prayer.

I want to clarify one thing. I am not against prayer. When people have said they are praying for Rick's health or mine, I sincerely appreciate that. 

I understand and like that. It's when my doctor whom I prefer to be a woman or man of science that it bothers me big time. 

Or as one commenter said, "RED FLAG when it's a doctor" 

In medicine, science first. His or Her religion should be 2nd to me.

I have friends of faith and I have some very close friends and family who are atheists. I do not care what you believe or don't believe. But I do think that is personal and should not be discussed at the hair salon. 

It's between you and your God or no God. 

My friends know I am a recovered Catholic. 

I left that mindset/cult at age 15 but had to hang in there until I could move out of my father's home.  My friends know I want to believe in the story, it's a nice story. But I don't know for certain it's real and I don't know for certain it's not. So what does that make me? Religion has failed me. I do not like religion. Look at how many wars there are due to religion. 

Like your sexual preference, I don't care what they are, it's your own and private. Unless of course, you are a friend who you both are comfortable discussing it all.

I do not tell everyone I meet I'm straight. 

Does that make sense?

Ok, enough of that!

Now let me tell you about the nicest people I've met since moving here in our hillbilly county. 

We were sitting in the lobby at rehab on Monday. Rick had a doctor's appointment first, and then we headed to rehab. We were very early but it made no sense to go home because by the time we'd get home we'd have to turn around.

I was sitting across from a woman in a sling that I recognized. 

She smiled at me so I thought I could ask as I pointed to her sling, "rotator cuff?"

Yep she says, and off she goes.

Her husband loved Rick's T-shirt and that got them talking and they are both woodworkers. They shared stories on wood. He can wax poetic on wood for hours. It makes me laugh. Then it was time for Rick to go back to his OT with The Beast.

She was called into the back for her PT therapy a minute later and her husband and 13-year-old granddaughter stayed in the lobby with me. 

This man had such a warm face. He said to me, "You have a slight accent, where are you from?" I told him we moved here from No.VA, but I've lived in a few places.

And off he went. (and I don't have an accent 😊)

He is from here. (I could tell by his accent.) But unlike most I've met down in the county where we live, he was warm, kind, and talkative to a Yankee. He told me about his career from age 18 to retirement at IBM. He worked all over the cold states he told us. I laughed and said, "NY?"  Oh yes, he said all over the state, PA, VT, and MN. He told me fun stories. He shared being invited to a Mininite's home for dinner. Driving through PA Amish country and learning about how they live. He loves meeting people from different cultures and those different from him. (I can't tell you how I've missed his kind!) I want to clone him, we need more like him in this county.

He asked me all kinds of questions about my travels, where I've lived etc. He said,"My goodness you've lived in a few places no wonder I can't place the accent."  I told him when I lived in Cleveland I began after a year to find myself saying words like them. Like Bob was Bawb. He laughed. I said everywhere I lived I tend to pick up the accent except for PA. He asked if I said,' Yuns and/or Yous.' I said NEVER. I was born and raised there but I rebelled against those words. He found that funny. 

This man was so lovely. He asked about Rick's stroke and gasped when I told him he was driving when it happened and how thankful we were he didn't kill anyone. He asked if we had a dog, I told him we did but she passed after we moved here. At one point he said, "My Lord girl, NC hasn't been good to you"  I said, "Not yet, but they did save my husband's life so I think that's a big one don't you think?"  

When his wife came out from her therapy with  her arm back in her sling she asked how long it took me to recover from my rotator cuff surgery. I told her I also had a torn labrum at the same time so it was a bit different than you but I made her laugh with the stories of Rick trying to get me dressed and do my hair etc. I didn't want to share how long it took me because it was longer than what she would have to go through. So I tried distracting her. It worked.

They stood up to leave and I wished them a Very Merry Christmas. 

I knew they celebrated Christmas because they mentioned they were going to get a tree this weekend and how she loves Christmas. I told her I was a Scrooge and she laughed and said, "Doubtful. You are a delight"  

Oh, she doesn't know me. 

They asked if they could hug me and I stood up and we hugged and said goodbye. I wished her well in her therapy.

That made for a nice day that we both needed for a change.