Category: Glimpses of Life

The beginning of lent started last week (as did this post that I hadn’t finished). For those who aren’t sure what lent is all about, an article on Wikipedia will give you a historical account of how it started and why it’s observed.

Growing up Catholic, lent meant that I could not eat meat on Fridays and that I would have to give “something” up for 40 days. Actually, for most people I knew it was about giving something up with no real understanding of the reason why. Once the 40 days is over, most people go back to whatever it was they “gave up.” Granted, the 40 days were over but what most people gave up are bad habits that should be given up anyway. It’s kind’ve like a 40 day New Year’s resolution with an “end” date.

One of the reasons given for observing lent is as an act of penitence. That reason doesn’t bode well with me. I don’t believe that there is any penance we can do that would satisfy the wrong that we are constantly doing in both thought and action. Selfishness is at the core of our being and I, as of yet, have not found anyone who is selfless.

Having said that, I believe a period of time for introspection of one’s life is good for the soul. Posing questions and seeking answers from ourselves about our purpose in this life has benefits. Getting to know oneself anyone?

• What do I want to do with my life?
• Do my actions portray who I really am?
• Are my daily actions pointing me towards my goal in life or is the way I live hindering my goal?
• Do I have any goals?
• Are my thoughts lifting me up or bringing me down?
• Is there a purpose to what I do and who I am?

A book I read awhile back called Mind, Character and Personality has this quote:

“If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings will be wrong; and the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.”

How true that is in my life. Sometimes I get stuck in negative thinking and in those times I find myself agitated, angry, selfish and accusatory. Focusing on good things lead me to good actions.

My lent observance will not be giving up chocolate, meat or TV (as good as that sacrifice will be for some people). Instead my focus will be more around how I live my life.

• Smiling at a person who is not smiling (too many frowns out there)
• Complimenting a person to lift them up
• Saying “Thank-you” for little things that are done for me (such as bagging my groceries)
• Calling a person who is ill, depressed or sick

Little things — if we all just majored in the minor things of life we would be so much happier. I need to starve the negative and feed the positive!

Hopefully, my intentional living to make life a little kinder for people will extend way past the 40 days of lent.

I’ve been a little slow in journaling recently. It hasn’t helped that my left hand is still in a splint with no end in sight of when it will come off. Thanks to the pelican encounter I had, I will probably be wearing this thing for a couple more weeks. I guess it’s better than a hard cast but if healing doesn’t start soon then I’ll have to do what I dread: head to the doctor’s office, get an x-ray and probably have a cast put on.

Living with one “good” hand makes life a little bit more challenging. Driving (putting on my seatbelt is the worst) hasn’t been impacted much. Bagging groceries, typing, and cooking have all seen a downward spiral as I try to rest the hand as much as possible.

My goal, to cook a couple of vegan recipes each week from the cookbook 1,000 Vegan Recipes, has not come to fruition yet. Cooking is slow going these days and trying to take photos at the same time would make it seem like life is at a standstill.

Add to this, (yes, I am lamenting my situation at this moment) that my camera was killed during the pelican encounter and I’m a wee bit irritated. Last week I went shopping for a new camera and there are so many that it made my head spin. All vary in price and quality.

Yesterday I went to Costco, looked at a few other cameras, and decided to try a Panasonic Lumix ZS10. It was the last one they had and also the floor model so I was able to buy it at a discount. The main reason I selected this one is that it is a point-and-shoot so I don’t have to play with too many settings unless I want to. In addition, the zoom on this camera is better than my old one and I’m always trying to take pictures of the large birds that live in my neighborhood so the added zoom will come in handy. Lastly, I’m able to take pictures more quickly instead of having to wait a few seconds in between shots. It’s not as good as an SLR but for my purposes it will do.

The bonus for me is that Costco has a “buy it, try it and if you don’t like it then return it within 90 days” policy. I’ve never been hesitant to return things that didn’t work or fit but this policy makes me less hesitant to try things.

So — we’ll see what happens in the next 90 days. The battery is charged and by tomorrow, when we’re expecting our first Twin Cities winter blizzard of 4-12 inches, I’ll be ready to snap a few pictures.

Let me know what you think. I still have a few more pictures to post with my old camera but hopefully you’ll see a difference once the new pictures are posted.

While driving around the small towns of Puerto Rico, I came across this pink flowering cactus.

Anyone know what it is? I haven’t been able to find any information on it yet.

I love water! Whether it’s a bubble bath or snorkeling, my senses are heightened when I’m around water. The ocean has it’s own smell and the warm breezes that flow from it that touch my skin ever so lightly make me feel like I’m getting a massage.

Looking up I see coconut trees. How Caribbean!

Two beaches I went to recently are really beautiful. The first one is in Aguadilla and is called Crash Boat. Many of the locals hang out here and merchants sell food and drink so you don’t have to bring any food with you (except for suntan lotion and a towel) unless you want to.

The waves were high when I was here but not high enough to prevent me from floating out a ways to enjoy the water. Out in the distance I could see an island — not sure what the name of it is.

The pier was “closed” so I wasn’t able to walk to the end of it. It was a beautiful day for swimming, sitting and enjoying the beach.

The beach occupies the site of a former military port that use to rescue downed air crews from Ramey Air Force Base and the pier is part of the remains of the old infrastructure. (from Wikipedia)

The second beach I visited is called Shacks Beach. I have been here a few times before and it is as beautiful as I remember it. Normally we park (and pay) in the local resort’s parking lot but my brother-in-law knew of an “off-the-beaten path” place where we could park for free.

On the other side of the walkway, beauty explodes! (This is also where I had my Pelican Encounter …)

There weren’t too many snorkelers out while I was here because the weekend had not yet started. Both adults and children can find places to enjoy on this long stretch of beach. We saw a kiteboarder enter the waters only to be drawn back onto the sandy beach as the wind was quite strong where he was located.

As the day progressed, the ocean changed color as shadows made the sea look a deeper blue. In the summer, you can stand on this ledge with no fear of a wave washing you off.

Not true while I was here. The waves were quite strong and I was thankful that the coral reefs were a good buffer.

Now — why don’t I just live here?

I met my granddaughter recently. She was born 3 weeks early while we were on a cruise in Puerto Rico.

She has quite the lungs when she’s hungry but otherwise she likes to cuddle in your arms and makes you feel warm. Her hands are so tiny.

Babies are so dependent on us to feed, clothe and keep them safe. This is one baby who I know will be well taken care of.

She already smiled at me. (smiles) 

Sitting on a beach chair looking out at the ocean with a sick cousin by my side, I noticed some birds and a pelican on a large rock off in the distance.

The rest of the family had decided to go snorkeling but I decided to keep my cousin company. So we sat and chatted. And chatted. And chatted. After awhile, my cousin said to me “Hey, let’s go take a picture of the pelican over there.” I explained to her that I had already taken a picture of it but she was insistent that we get closer.

Walking on the sandy beach towards the rock where the birds were sitting, I inhaled the clean ocean air and allowed my eyes to feast on the deep blue hues of the sky and the clear water. Everything was perfect.

Following my cousin with the camera in hand, I slowly made my way to the edge of the ocean. I didn’t want to get wet even though I had brought my swimsuit along.

Once we got closer to the pelican, I watched how the waves splashed behind the rocks he was on. It breathtaking!

“Try taking a picture from here!” my cousin shouted.

Closer and closer I got to this wonderful looking bird who seemed to be posing for a shot.

I took another shot as this time the birds moved ever so slightly —

I hadn’t noticed the orange/red coloring on the one bird before. This was exciting!

Completely aware of my surroundings, I gingerly stepped a little closer with just my ankles in the water. One more picture, I thought to myself.

My cousin was yelling “Over here — take it from over here!” She was a little bit deeper in the water. “Come on!”

Not one to miss a good shot, and with the birds cooperating, I waded in a couple more steps. This shot would be perfect, I told myself.

And it was! The pelican had bowed its head as if in reverent prayer and the smaller birds gazed straight ahead as if they were posing for me! It was a dream come true!

And then it happened. I noticed a huge wave coming towards the rock that the birds were sitting on. Uh oh. That wave was heading our way. I turned around to get back to the sandy beach when suddenly I felt my feet catch on something underneath me.

Pain seared through both my feet, the camera flew up in the air and I fell backwards. With hands outstretched to stop my fall, I watched as my camera hit the rock. Then I hit the water.

The huge wave splashed over both me and my camera. In the meantime, my cousin was yelling “Norma! Norma!” She was hurriedly trying to get me up before the next wave hit but the pain made it hard for me to get up. Both feet had landed on a jagged rock that was behind me.

My camera! My cousin quickly got the camera out of the water. After she helped me get upright, I felt as if water was draining from my foot so I looked down to see what it was I was feeling. The right heel had a large piece of skin protruding from it and blood was gushing out. Limping to the beach, with one arm over my cousin’s shoulder, I knew I was in trouble.

I hobbled back to the beach chair as blood continued to flow from my foot. After a few minutes, I knew I had to stop the bleeding so I went over to the edge of the ocean and dunked my foot in it as I had heard that salt is good for healing. Once back on the beach chair, I took a towel and pressed my heel against it. Ouch! My foot was now throbbing.

My cousin and I sat there for about ten minutes talking about the freaky turn of events when suddenly I started feeling nauseous and sweaty. I looked at her and said, very matter-of-factly, “I think I’m going to faint.” I explained that the sight of blood makes me faint. Her response was “No, you’re not.” I emphasized what I knew was inevitable — “I AM GOING TO FAINT.”

“You can’t do that.” Her response made me want to laugh except for the fact that my head was now starting to spin.

“It’s going to happen real soon” I said quietly. Then, she got up, walked to the edge of the ocean and yelled for the rest of the family to come in. When she returned she found a canvas towel holder and gave it to me to blow into but it didn’t have the same effect as a paper bag. As my head spinned, I saw her standing there unable to determine what to do. My oldest son came out of the water first and assessed the situation (he’d had this experience with me before — the fainting) then headed over to a bar area with my husband and younger son in tow.

Later he relayed his experience of going up to the bar and asking for “alcohol.” The woman behind the bar said “Yes, we have lots of alcohol. What kind would you like?” (how funny!) Not speaking the language very well he did not know how to ask for alcohol in Spanish. Eventually, with hand motions and a few Spanish words thrown in, the bartender gave him a can that had something in it that clots blood. After purchasing some water, they headed back to where I was.

A quick spray with the blood clotter can, a drink of cold water and some sympathy had me feeling much better — hobbling but better.

Since the injury was on the bottom of my heal, I had people around me clean and bandage the wound for the remainder of my stay in Puerto Rico. Once back in the U.S., I went to the doctor who told me that we had done everything right as the heel was healing as it was supposed to with a large scab covering the puncture wound.

It’s been almost four weeks since my fall in the ocean and the right foot is healing beautifully. Unfortunately, the left foot is now starting to feel sore throughout the day and my left hand (the one that I tried to stop my fall with) is currently in a splint. It felt achy after the fall and as each day passed the pain started getting worse and worse.

Friends have told me I might have a hairline fracture and that I should get the hand x-rayed. Searching on the internet for similar injuries, the possibility that I have a hairline fracture is high but the only thing the doctor would do is take an x-ray to confirm it then put me in a splint. I’ve decided to bypass the x-ray, assume it’s a fracture and wear the splint for 4 weeks to see if it heals.

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to get closer to beauty.