Stressed

Another weekend of hospital drama. She has high blood pressure that sky rockets out of nowhere and no one knows how it happens. She says she is a nervous person and it might have had something to do with the war. We are all trying to think of meals low in cholesterol and sodium which will not upset an acid reflux issue. I can't come up with anything she wants to eat. The body is just old and rebelling and there is little we can do. Another woman I know is leaving this world and people were with her today to say goodbye. What is the body when it is being ravaged by sickness? All we can do is take good care of ourselves and hope for good health.


So, I made another attempt at a heart healthy meal. If you ever want to make your kitchen smell incredible cook onions, mushrooms, and celery in a stock pot with a tiny bit of water. Although, I'm not sure of what you should do with it after you start this. It was the first step towards a tofu stew that I was very excited about but ended up being bland and blah.



I ate this with brown rice and while it was definitely a hearty, super healthy dish guaranteed to help you poop, no one in the family was willing to try it.

In fact after coming back from round 3 in the hospital with Grandma today my mom smoked countless cigarettes and didn't eat anything all day. I told her that this method of "stress relief" was going to put her back in the hospital only she'll be the patient. She changed the subject.

Grandma actually did put herself into the hospital this time because she was specifically told not to do any bending or lifting for the next 3 months but she did. She has OCD regarding cleanliness and order. If there are two pairs of socks and two T-shirts that have been worn it's time to do laundry. If you use a dishrag once, it's time to do laundry. Grandma does laundry about 3 times daily and since the washing machine and drier are in the basement she has to walk downstairs then bend and lift to get everything in. She can't stand mess. Things cannot be piling up anywhere. She has been known to throw away other people's bills because the papers were sitting on the table too long.

Mom, the tsunami and Queen of Stress, was telling me today that she wished Grandma knew how to calm down and let things go. She thinks that the dust on Grandma's dresser was enough to elevate her blood pressure. My mom bragged about how she never lets things like that get to her when I rudely said, "Are you fucking kidding me?" She claims to have really learned to let things go over time because she used to be much worse. When she first got married she left earlier for work than Dad did and expected him to make the bed. When she returned home she found the bed to be unsatisfactorily made several times and would re-do it! Oh my goodness. That right there is the perfect argument for living with someone before you get married. You should know exactly what kind of psychotic nut job you're dealing with.

I've tried to encourage my family to try yoga or at least yogic techniques in stress relief. Everyone says that it's just not for them. Today I told Grandma about a couple breathing exercises and meditation she could try when she starts to worry or freak out. My uncle nearly doubled over in laughter and made fun of me. Well, what can you do. Somehow I'm keeping my head above water while the stress is mountainous, so I must be doing something right. It's like I said, maybe the best thing you can do for everyone is simply to take good care of yourself.