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Dancing in the Rain

1/13/2015

14 Comments

 
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.  It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.  –Vivian Greene
Picture
Muskrats (I think) enjoying the rain

     The above truism arrived on the cover of a card the other day.  A good friend who lost her mother to cancer sent it.  I guess she knows me better than I thought.  If nothing else, I’m generally a dance in the rain type.  Of course you say, this is a pretty good rain.  In fact, I walked right into a hurricane on Dec. 5.  However, I’m still rolling along nicely.
    Much is made of the placebo effect whenever there’s something new in medicine.  I would postulate that a lot of the placebo effect is the patient’s attitude.  When you feel like you have hope (maybe you think whatever you’re taking is working), stress is reduced.  I know from my schooling that once stress hormones are ramped up, they take time to come down.  An animal study that stuck with me said there were measurable stress hormones 21 days after the stressor.  And those hormones have powerful effects.  In the short term, they’re good.  They help a body deal with a fight of some sort.  Long term stress (like, oh say, a cancer diagnosis) is really bad for a body in all sorts of ways.  So whether a person gets stress reduction from a placebo effect, or learns to dance in the rain, there are real and positive effects on overall health.

So this is how I’m dancing these days:

  • Getting outside – We’re walking up to the campus and around it as weather permits. Outdoors is good for the soul.
  • Smelling the roses, literally – There are rose gardens all over the campus.  I smell them every time.  Two Middle-Eastern looking men saw that and picked one for me one day, insisting I take it.  No one arrested us.  Phew!
  • Blonde hair – It was probably my new blonde hair that caused them to do this for me.  Deciding that if my hair was going to fall out or thin, it would be a great time to try being a blonde.  That way, if I didn’t like the color or the upkeep, I at least wouldn’t have to put up with it for long.  My friend Whitney made me a coppery blonde and I love it!
  • Trying out the Debbie smile – I’ve said this before, but my friend Debbie has the most beautiful smile.  She smiles a lot and brightens days.  On a particularly heinous trip to WalMart before Christmas, she decided to turn up the normal megawatt smile to vaporize.  A young man stopped in his tracks and told her she just made his day.  I know I’ve also said this before, but my other best friend Mary Ann and I have the same normal resting scary face.  Thus, I am a bit worried that as I try to brighten days with a smile, I may be flashing some sort of maniacal looking grimace at people and scaring them.  Maybe with practice, I’ll get better.
  • Exploring the neighborhood – Houston has a lot of shopping.  All the way from The Galleria (where they won’t even let you in some of the stores unless they like your look) to the Fiesta Mart where apparently most of Houston’s widely varied ethnic groups shop.  British, African, Indian, Mexican, South American, German, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese (I’m tempted to follow that with “Dirty knees…” Just ignore that if it makes no sense and consider yourself blessedly sophisticated), etc.  I could kill hours.
  • Considering all life’s random events to be blessings – Because they are.  Things like the Starbucks right around the corner on our first walk up to MD Anderson at 6am.  God knows I need lattes and God provides.  Can’t hurt, right?
  • Making the trip down and vacation – We stopped at Turner Falls in OK because I’ve always wanted to.  It was GORGEOUS.  Conversely, I could imagine it being hell on earth during warm summer weekends when there are thousands of people there.  For our overnight, we stayed at Huntsville State Park in TX.  It was gorgeous and smelled of pine trees.  Ahhhh….

  • Put on your dancin' shoes, my friends. The band is warming up!
Picture
Turner Falls in Oklahoma
14 Comments
Gail Lanier
1/13/2015 10:50:27 am

You are right about Turner Falls on a hot summer day. We stopped one summer day and I felt like it was a poor man's water park. Just full of people everywhere.

Reply
Mike Spurgin
1/21/2015 04:26:50 am

Keep fighting Barb!!! We will pray for you at my house.
Mike

Reply
Kris Hanson
1/13/2015 12:44:37 pm

I love your maniacal smile especially when followed by wicked laughter and running like hell. Or, standing very still and looking innocent. Harder for me than you! You could always be innocent.
We'll keep the band playing so you can dance.

Reply
Jamie Schultz
1/13/2015 01:06:30 pm

I also agree about Turner Falls! I have training in Ft Worth in March and am considering driving since I haven't been through there in years.

Just remember Mary Tyler-Moore, "She can turn the world on with her smile!" Falalala. How can you NOT smile with THAT song running through your mind all the time. (You are welcome. 😋)

Reply
Amy Elle
1/13/2015 01:12:12 pm

I know that Debbie-girl you speak/write of. That smile can charm birds from the nest, baby calves from the brush, cute country boys from washracks to the tie outs. Learn from her. ..... Emulate and heal your soul. ..... And all those other parts that rhyme with that.

Love ya, Barb! Thinking of you tonight!

Looking forward to seeing you and seeing how far Pendelton whisky burns on the way down.

Reply
Shannan Seely
1/13/2015 01:18:42 pm

So enjoying your posts. Sure you didn't miss a calling to be a writer? Sending lots of :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) your way. Thanks for being a good friend, Barb.

Reply
Linda Cross
1/13/2015 02:29:08 pm

Well,Miss Barb, I am truly enjoying your posts. I was heartsick to hear that the Little Bastard had come to visit you, but know that I will be blasting him from the very cold praries of Kansas with lots of prayers and thoughts for you, even as your medical team is blasting him from the apparently warm climate of the Texas winter (since you are apparently pilfering the landscape-roses). You know we are letting the water run slowly from our faucet in our upstairs bathroom to make sure our pipes don't freeze. So enjoy the warmer weather and keep the faith! You are a very special lady and God is sitting on your shoulder!

Reply
Scarlett Hagins
1/14/2015 12:28:08 am

I have no doubt your smile is brightening peoples' day all across Houston! Of course, it's mostly because they know there is some orneriness behind it and they can't wait to see what you're up to next. ;) Keep up the fancy footwork!

Reply
DebbieLB link
1/14/2015 01:38:02 am

I think you are giving my smile more credit than it deserves...but I do try to subscribe to the attitude of dancing in the rain, as well! I know that if I'm feeling crappy, a smile can turn my attitude around. And when I smile, others around me smile, too. Your smile is beautiful and your attitude is awesome! I also know that you are one of the strongest people I know--this is a crappy blip (pun intended) on a radar map of a wonderful life! You will get through this, with all of us praying and surrounding you with love. Rock on, Barb!! Oh...and I mentioned you in my latest blog post. And even linked to your blog. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET YOU TO BLOG FOR YEARS AND NOW YOU ARE BLOGGING REGULARLY!! You can do anything, Babs!

Reply
Sparky
1/14/2015 02:16:32 am

Glad things are going well, knew they would......attitude IS everything. That and FAITH. You are right about the placebo effect. As I am not familiar with blogging either.....I've had trouble finding yours back.....even after you got your internet resolved! Prayers are still with you (with Houston also.....an experience I'm sure they'll not forget either!) Good thing you're a marathoner....you're used to the long run, hills & valleys & how great it feels to cross that finish line.

Reply
Roy Crenshaw
1/14/2015 03:11:25 am

Barb,
In a few minutes I will update mom on your blog. We think/discuss you and your family every day. Mom mentions the girls and you and Joe every time s DRI truck goes by with hay! And, that id often!! Roy

Reply
Nellie Christine Crenshaw
1/14/2015 02:16:21 pm

Barb, when we stopped dancing to New Orleans second line parafe music on New year's day at my house, it was to reflect on joys, loss, any life event that any of the 36 friends/neighbors wanted to share. You were lifted up by all present.

Reply
Georgianna Heise
1/15/2015 10:17:36 am

Dear Barbara,
I finally got onto your blog. I'm quite impressed by your writing skills, not to mention you're terrific attitude! I'm really glad that Joe is with you. I'm keeping you, Joe, Anna, and Laura in my prayers. More people than you know are praying for you daily, including about 200 kids and faculty at St. Therese.
.

Reply
Lou Ellen
1/19/2015 01:05:07 pm

Barb you have always danced in the rain and made the best of whatever comes your way. Your experience will get you through this hurricane. Heard about you in Denver and came home and got on your blog. We are keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers!!

Reply



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    Barb Downey

    On Dec. 5, 2014, I was diagnosed with rectal cancer. And that's where we start. If you're here for the first time, you'll have to read from the bottom (no pun intended!) up. Go to Dec 2014 and scroll to the bottom of the page...

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Downey Ranch, Inc.
Joe Carpenter & Barb Downey
37929 Wabaunsee Rd.
Wamego, KS  66547

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