The new normal.

Before you pass this post up, it’s not about the pandemic. The title refers to my new normal after 6 years of recovery from my massive stroke. There is good news and bad news as with everything. The good news my energy levels are up, my brain fog is down and so is my pain, which means I don’t have to buy as many gummies. My vision is better (either that, or my glasses are better), which means I can type again.I haven’t peed myself in months. As long as nobody pisses me off so much that all 6 cerebral aneurysms aneurysms explode simultaneously and I simply die,I could have a long life. The bad news is, I’m still in the wheelchair and likely will be until that person comes along. My neurologist told me when I asked him, Is there anything I shouldn’t be eating? “Eat whatever you want “. And there’s no way that I’m ever getting my left arm back.

BUT…

Hubby is now retired and we’re starting a new project on my YouTube channel. We are going to spend a couple of nights each month in a local hotel and show you if or how they can improve their wheelchair access, or how they can improve their treatment of disabled guests. 2 nights per month paid out of my pocket and I will be filming the entire hotel, or at least the parts that are wheelchair accessible. We will be going through the room with a fine tooth comb ,no detail overlooked. Then,we will suggest any improvements in writing to management . It’s my opinion that if you’re a 4 or 5 star hotel, you’re wheelchair accessible rooms should have the access and luxury perks too.

So, if you travel with a wheelchair and are thinking about western Canada as a destination, you will easily see a hotel,or perhaps a bed and breakfast that works for you.

This is what my new normal is and will look like. We were going to start this project at the beginning of this month, but unfortunately Omicron happened. Waiting until 2 weeks after we have both gotten our booster shots, before booking hotel number one. I hope you will stick with me through this next chapter, it should be entertaining, and hopefully educational.

Sidney Poitier died today

Growing up in small town Canada, was growing up sheltered from race. There were no black families in our town. It wasn’t until we went to Europe when I was 11 that I saw black people in a Wimpys burger joint in London and I was enthralled by the accents and the beautiful skin tones. I’ll never forget the boys, in their school uniforms, looking so smart, laughing with each other, being kids. I really wanted to talk with them, to find out about them, but I was with my family and about then, Scottish soccer hooligans burst through the door and dad rushed us out.

It was 12 years after the movie was released in 1967,that I saw Guess who’s coming coming to dinner? I was a rebellious 14 year old. A typical angst ridden teen, desperate for independence.

When Sidney Poitier came onto the screen, my heart jumped, and my mind was taken back to that day in London. Here’s this beautiful man, with a lovely speaking voice, perfect posture, as smooth as silk personality. And I was enticed. Then came THE SCENE. The scene that stole my heart and captivated my mind for years. The scene where he says to his father, “I owe you nothing ” Sidney Poitier spoke my truth in that scene and I will always love him for that.

He holds the distinction of being the first black actor to win the academy award and of being my second longest crush.

Thank you, Sidney Poitier for your intelligence, your activism, your authentic and truly beautiful self.

Watch “Reefer Madness: The Science of Marijuana with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Staci Gruber” on YouTube

Those of you who have been paying attention know that this is an important conversation in my life. I currently eat a 55 mg thc gummy daily to combat chronic pain. Which, for me, works far better than the opiates that they gave me in hospital. Unfortunately, they don’t get me high, but being pain free for hours is a high all of its own.