Clearly, something has changed, and I have decided to live! To thrive instead of just fading away as an old lady. Which is tempting at my age, with the world seeming to be in such turmoil and so many people still asleep. One solution is just to opt out. I discovered lately that I am not done yet.

I cannot pinpoint when I changed my mind, but it may have happened last spring when I discovered I have alpha-gal, the tick-borne allergy. This allergy is supposed to last for years before it fades away. And someone said to me, “Why don’t you get over that?” The person who asked me this strange question then told me about Dr Eduardo Castro. And the rest is history.
It took forever to get my first appointment! He impressed me with his knowledge and his entire outlook. He told me I could be free of this allergy in two years or less. He gives me homeopathic drops under my tongue once every two months for a year, then once every six months in the second year. He suggested I sign up for more treatments than simply the allergy drops for alpha-gal. I also got one of his blood/ozone/ultraviolet light infusions. After the first one, I bought a whole series of ten. Around that time, I started the weight-loss program at Integrative Health Center here in Charlottesville. Now I have lost 15 lbs and feel better about my weight than I have in years! And at the same time, I began physical therapy for my balance. Ironic in light of subsequent events, which you will learn by reading further.

Then disaster struck! I was running late to an exercise class at The Center at Belvedere. I was distracted. I parked my car not far from the entrance and walked fast towards the front door, thinking about my tardy arrival and NOT watching where I was going. I tripped about 15 ft. from the front door and landed hard on my left shoulder. Ouch! I knew it was badly injured immediately. People rushed over to me and helped me to my feet. One of them was a nurse who helped keep my arm steady as two or three other women helped me up.

The Center wanted to call an ambulance, but instead, I convinced them to let me call my daughter to come pick me up and take me to the Emergency Room. So much drama! And in fact, I broke my shoulder! The top of my humerus was broken but more or less “in place”. So I was sent home in a sling, no cast and no surgery to worry about. I was more or less incapacitated nonetheless. It hurt. I took the heavy drugs that day and during the night. But in the morning I was so nauseous I could not take a pill at all. It took about 12 hours for the nausea to abate. But by that time, I decided just to take Ibuprofen. That suited me much better.

It has been 4 weeks now, and I am much improved. However, I am still sleeping on the couch in my library because my bed is too high for me to get into without using both of my arms. I have learned to adapt. It is amazing how many times we use “both hands” without realizing it. Showering and especially washing my hair was impossible without help. Luckily, I had excellent assistance from a retired nurse who is also the daughter of one of my oldest friends. I don’t know what I would have done without her, especially in the beginning.

I have 22 people from my family coming for Thanksgiving luncheon. And I am doing well. My oldest Grandson has come to stay with me to help me cook and set up for the party. He is a marvelous chef, so it is a great privilege to have his input and help. It is finally possible for me to do some actual cooking. I can chop things fairly well and lift some mildly heavy sauce pans or casseroles. But there is still a lot that needs someone strong to perform for me. Healing takes time.
All that earlier positive energy, which got slammed when I had my fall on October 27, has slowly resurfaced and gathered steam. Now I feel unstoppable.

This feeling has snowballed, and I am more sure about the end results than I have ever been. It is slow but pretty steady progress, which sometimes stalls for a week or more but eventually keeps going in the right direction!

On November 15, my granddaughter, Daisy, had a baby boy named after my father and my brother. Mother, father, and son are doing fine, and I am thrilled to have a 3rd great-grandchild. They will come to Charlottesville at Christmas, so I will get to see the baby.

On Monday morning, November 17, we had a litter of new dachshund puppies. First one born naturally, and then after more than 2 hours with no new puppies, my son took the dog to the emergency vet in Verona, VA, for an emergency C-section. The result was that we now have seven new puppies, all doing well. However, they do need some care from a human, despite the great “mothering ” they are receiving from their Mom. Luckily, my son is doing most of that himself.

During this period, I have been listening to emotional well-being and inspirational audios. These led me to change my "state" and increase my optimism. I needed that a lot of the time. It can be pretty depressing to have the rug pulled out from under all your plans by a broken bone or other injury. Classical music and uplifting audios are splendid tools for changing one's mood from negative to positive almost instantly.

It was fortunate that my head did not hit the sidewalk, and the only break
was to my left shoulder, not my hip, or even a leg. Right away, that made me feel grateful and lucky. My family rallied around me in ways that made me feel cared for and never alone to face the problems the injury caused.

Practicing intense gratitude daily has helped. There is so much to be grateful for here in Virginia! Every flower, every leaf is a miracle! The brilliantly blue fall skies, filled on different days with dramatic clouds, or bright sunlight at a winter slant, show the progress of the season. For me, it is miraculous seeing the early morning mists after cool nights. The warm days, with dark coming early, heralding winter, make me grateful to live in a state with distinct seasons. When I settle into my make-shift bed, sleeping on the large comfortable sofa in my library, I count my blessings every night. And every single night, I fall asleep long before I get even halfway through my many blessings.

Have you tried counting your blessings today? You might be amazed by how many there are.

Copyright©. 2025 Bonnie B. Matheson