September 23, 2000. Who would have predicted that a simple thing like a month, date and year would make me quiver with expectations? One more thing to contribute to my insomnia, to trigger my headaches and to fill me with dread.
What to do…what to do! First there’s the annual all day office picnic. The one-day a year Samantha can practice her gunnysack skills, the eats are free and someone else has to plan the event. Second, we usually visit Ed’s mom in her new assisted care facility on Saturdays. Thirdly, someone else would have to take Samantha to dance class. And lastly, it’s the day The Mighty Signal sponsored event takes place.
I greedily devoured the “To Your Health” symposium flier that arrived on top of the other junk mail in my overheated metal mailbox yesterday. It’s slick color cover promised a lecture from none other that the heavy-duty therapist of all time, Dr. Joyce Brothers. And after her smiling mug caught my eye her chosen subject of “Health. Happiness. Success. Can anyone have them all?” propelled me into a dizzying downward spiral as I actually opened said flier and immediately started checking off lectures of interest to me.
I’m a definite contender to raise my hand to ask too many questions of Nicole Schapiro when she opens up the day with a lecture entitled, “Shift Happens”. I grin every time I read that. I’ve often pretended to embrace change in my life but we all know that more likely, we shun those shifts. Change is hard. But it is inescapable. If it wasn’t we would still be wearing our hair like Farrah Fawcett and clothes like Joan Collins.
In “Break Out” session one I’m drawn to both the lecture on “Resources for your aging parents” and “Migraine headaches”. (See paragraph one and two dear readers, I’m plagued with both right now.) But that means I have to pass up the panel discussion on “Surviving Your Child’s Adolescence.” I guess I’ll have to put that course down as my second selection.
Session two gave me another one-two punch to ready myself for “the shift” with Cecilia M. Hann’s lecture on “Menopause & hormone replacement therapy”. Then after Dr. Joyce Brothers uplifts me at lunch I can return for an afternoon of “Creative Worrying—stress management in the fast forward age” from Judith Harris. Too bad I can’t e-mail Ms. Harris in advance to help me figure out how I can attend her darn class as well as Richard Coon’s on “Crisis Prevention in Relationships: A Spiritual Perspective”.
The late afternoon class choices offer a plethora of health issues including sport injuries, nutrition, coronary artery disease and allergies! Not only do I have to reschedule my day to accommodate this special treat; I’ve got to recruit a few friends, or readers, to sit in on the classes I’ll have to miss. Then we can have another little symposium of our very own. And after three years of writing for The Signal (yes, Tim Whyte, three lovely years.) I’ll be happy to report back what we learned in my column. (Stacey Powells-We’ll make it a fun day w/o our kids! Pauline Harte-The stress reducers will help you deal with Transit Mixed!)
How did our Chamber of Commerce come to select such timely issues for the people of SCV? How did they figure this was going to ring my personal bell so loudly too? Simply genius. And if that wasn’t enough, the cost! $55 for all of the courses, both keynote speakers and lunch? Or just $45 for lunch only while listening to Dr. Brothers? And only on September 23, 2000! And then not again until next year?
So, I never was any good at gunny sack races either, especially when it’s over 100 degrees in the shade. And we can see Ed’s mother on Sunday instead, for brunch, and be better prepared. I had this same dilemma the first time I returned to the gym when Samantha was three months old. I had to convince myself that she would prefer a calmer mother to a stressed out one. Especially if this time, it only costs her one day without me. I promise to return to her for many more, “stress-free”.