Slice of Life 2025: 3 of 31- It's a small world!

 Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the annual Slice of Life Story Challenge, and even hosted by the team at Two Writing Teachers. Every day in March, I will share a story and comment on the stories of other participants. Please join us in writing, sharing, reading, and commenting!

If you've been reading my posts or any of my daughters' posts, you've probably figured out that I'm recovering from a knee replacement. Please celebrate this with me. As hard as the last few days have been-- the surgery was on 2/26-- I've been waiting to do this for a long time, and there are some good stories leading up to it. 

I tore my ACL for the first time when I was 15. Now it seems like everyone knows someone who tears an ACL, but when I did it, there weren't too many around. In fact, it took three months to diagnose, and, once they diagnosed it, no one was willing to fix it. I'm dating myself. That was 1982. So no more soccer and a big brace for anything that involved pivots. I had some good callouses from tennis and occasional skiing days... 

My dad pulled some strings when I was 20, and a New York surgeon did the repair. The surgery was different then-- I was in the hospital for several days, have two big scars, went through LOTS of PT, and tore the ligament a second time a few years later. Even if I'd wanted to have a second surgery, a blood clot from that injury sealed the not happening deal. 

Fast forward 37 years. 

I've known I'd need a new knee for a while, but what an inconvenient truth! That being said, I was in Michigan in July dropping off Julia at medical school. I knew her roommate's dad is an orthopedic surgeon in New York and trained at the hospital where I had my repair. It didn't take him long to ask about my scars as we all unpacked boxes and set up the apartment. 

"Who did that?" he wanted to know. 

I told him, knowing he'd know the name. 

"When?" he asked. 

I told him, not expecting the response. 

"I was his resident," he said. 

"You operated on my knee?" I was a doctor's daughter. I knew who did a lot of the work in operating rooms. 

"Probably," he said. 

We both stared at each other. What? Wait... What?!?!? 

In moments, he offered me a new knee, and six months later... I have one! 

Small world! And a great new friend! 

Slice of Life 2025: 2 of 31- Ten minutes can be a very long time

Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the annual Slice of Life Story Challenge, and even hosted by the team at Two Writing Teachers. Every day in March, I will share a story and comment on the stories of other participants. Please join us in writing, sharing, reading, and commenting!

"Ten minutes. Three times a day. The most important thing you'll do."

Those were the words of my knee doctor. The one who replaced my left knee on Wednesday. 

"Just lie on your stomach with your feet hanging over the edge and let gravity do the work."

Ahhh. The misuse of just. 

There is nothing that is just about lying on my stomach with my lower legs hanging over the edge for ten minutes. 

During today's third session, the sofa filled in for the bed, and Clare and Larkin joined me in the good times. (I've linked their blog home pages because they are also slicers, and I would not be surprised if this moment in time showed up in a future post for one of them.) Clare started in a plank. I appreciated that, although let me be clear... it is not the equivalent. Larkin kept time and cheered. I might have sworn at her when only two minutes had passed since it should have been twenty. Clare stopped planking at around minute #5 and then made it her business to distract me by kneading the knots in my back. She found it very funny when my moans changed pitches when she found an especially good knot to dig into. 

"I'm distracting you," she said. "Making the time go by faster."

How could there be still another three minutes?!?

I thought about calling it a full session at minute 9. Isn't that a 90% and an A? But the daughters weren't going for that. You can do anything for 60 seconds, they told me. And I did. 

This will be easier tomorrow. 

Slice of Life 2025: 1 of 31- Let's get this started!

Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the annual Slice of Life Story Challenge, and even hosted by the team at Two Writing Teachers. Every day in March, I will share a story and comment on the stories of other participants. Please join us in writing, sharing, reading, and commenting!

We have an annual debate in our house around this time of year as to when Larkin and I first started writing in the SOLSC. I think she was fifteen, and I think I had been at it for a year before she started. She's 28 now, so for Larkin, over half of her Marches are documented in slices. I love that. I also love that two of her three sisters, Julia and Clare, have also joined in past years-- it's become a family affair that we all look forward to. Who knows? Maybe even my youngest daughter will try it out this year, but I'll wait to see before I shout her out. If anyone needs insights from the 20-somethings, I recommend my daughters' posts; they are much funnier and quippier than mine! 

This year, as I've done in many years, I've collected nuggets throughout February, preparing and arming myself with ideas for days of nothing and even posts for days of nuttiness. The truth is I have a lot of time right now. 

Here are some things I've thought about during recuperation over the last few weeks. Some are metaphorical, and some have direct implications for teaching and writing. 

1. My word for 2025 is heal, and it's been great so far. I had minor toe surgery in January to prepare for major knee surgery on 2/26. There's been some other physical healing needing to happen for my daughters, as well, so the focus on it is working. 
2. Heal has lots of different meanings and connotations. I like that, too. 
3. Toes are small, but they support a lot. Don't underestimate their importance. 
4. It's a lot easier for me to help than to ask for help. 
5. Bodies forget VERY quickly what they're supposed to do when they're given a chance to. 
6. Even quadriceps appreciate a warning that they're about to do something hard. 
7. You can be working... REALLY WORKING... without moving at all. 
8. Sometimes doing nothing feels a lot better than doing something, but that's not the best thing. 

I'm excited to read and comment this morning. March is a time for connecting and reconnecting, and I love that! 

Slice of Life- A Break in the Conversation

 On Tuesdays, Two Writing Teachers hosts the Slice of Life. Everyone is welcome to share writing and comment on others in this special community. 

  

 

By the time the six of us sat down for breakfast, it was 9:30. For some people, that could seem about the perfect time to eat your eggs, but for my family, that's late. And we had already woken up at 4:30 to get to a special sunrise that was over an hour's drive. We had already huddled together on a mountaintop watching the kaleidoscope of clouds and the growing glow over the mountains. We'd even already completed a hike, exploring the inside of the crater as the sun rose over it. 

And we'd lived through the winding drive both up to the summit and back down. 

                                            (Just a snapshot of the long and windy road!)

We were ready for food, and we were at a breakfast place that Julia, the morning planner, assured us would be one of the best we'd have. 

"What would you recommend?" Julia asked the waitress. 

"Anything you like," she said, dodging the decision. "Everything is good."

As we waited, we checked out the desserts available next to the cash register. Chocolate lava cake, lemon squares, passion fruit tarts. Coconut cream pie, oatmeal cookie sandwiches, and guava cheesecake... These became the talk of the table as we waited for our pancakes and eggs to arrive. 

"Everyone pick the two they would want to take home," Larkin said. "But don't say them. We'll try to guess."

We'd gotten through three of us when breakfast arrived. The waitress and Julia were right... everything was good and it was one of the best we'd ever had. 

After a few bites, my husband tried to restart the dessert game. "What ones would Clare choose?" he asked. 

Almost at the same time, but with various levels of emphasis, we let him know that the game was on hold. The forks were barely big enough to shovel this incredible food into our mouths, let alone consider slowing down for a conversation. He'd have to wait for the clean plate club to learn about dessert choices! 

Slice of Life- One Little Word for 2025

On Tuesdays, Two Writing Teachers hosts the Slice of Life. Everyone is welcome to share writing and comment on others in this special community. 

  

 

I had decided on a different word for 2025 way back in August, and, to be honest, I've even thought about it i combination with my current word which is "time". However, as the year draws to a close, I'm have a last-minute change, something I can't remember ever having done before. 

This year will be the 12th year of my practice of choosing one word to keep as a focus, and I love the history of my words. I could still explain the rationale and the impacts of each word as I think back. I've said this before, and I'll say it again... my favorite words have been the ones with a double meaning. Words that can serve as multiple parts of speech. Words that require context to reveal their meaning. Words that are both simple and complex. 

Time has been a great choice for the last twelve months. This word has inspired me to think about how I spend and manage the gift of it. I'd recommend it as a choice to anyone.

January of 2025 is going to launch a season of healing for me. While I don't have life-threatening issues, I have a couple of surgeries to get through including a long-awaited knee replacement. I'm looking forward to looking back on it, for sure, and my focus will be on healing for myself. I also have some close friends in my life who are facing surgeries and treatments. My OLW encompasses the positive thinking I'll be sending their way throughout the year. 

And so, for 2025, my OLW is heal. Physical, spiritual, and any other kind of healing that's needed throughout the year. 

Slice of Life- The Missing Fireplace Remote

 

On Tuesdays, Two Writing Teachers hosts the Slice of Life. Everyone is welcome to share writing and comment on others in this special community. 

We finished playing a competitive game of spades last night, and all four of us were ready to head for bed. The game had taken long since Garth and Larkin failed to cover their final bet, and Clare and I took too many bags.... stories for another time. 

"Where's the fireplace remote?" Garth asked. 

"Clare turned it on," Larkin was quick to respond. 

"I've only been in this one area," Clare said. 

The four of us looked around. No remote. 

The four of us looked under sofa pillows. No remote. 

The four of us looked under the sofa. No. Remote. 

"Where else did you go?" Garth asked. 

Clare's response was a little snappy. 

Larkin and Clare systematically removed the cushions of the sofa. At least I had recently vacuumed under there so I didn't have to cringe at all the dirt, dog hair, and other debris that makes its way under those cushions. 

But still no remote. 

Garth and Clare were both snappy at this point. 

"Can't you just turn it off by hand?" Clare asked. 

"I would have done that by now," Garth said. 

Larkin and I both cracked up when she commented on how she knew exactly what to do in order to make this family neurotic. (Readers are welcome to try a hide-the-remote game in their house and report back on how it goes...)

On the remote (pun intended) chance that Clare had gone upstairs between the lighting and losing process, I headed upstairs to continue a house scan. My search was interrupted by victory screams downstairs. 

The remote was located in the games cabinet since Larkin had put away the pile of games that had been out, balancing them so carefully that the remote stayed right on top of the pile. 

Out went the fire, and up we all went to beds. 

And yes, I know exactly how to prank this family! 

Slice of Life: No Worries

On Tuesdays, Two Writing Teachers hosts the Slice of Life. Everyone is welcome to share writing and comment on others in this special community. 

  

 

Frank looked at me in surprise when I suggested that we meet in the room at 8 am for our 8:15 presentation. The six of us were at dinner going over last minute details of our long-anticipated presentation, and the anxiety was a little high since it was finally going to happen. 

"Don't you think we should get there earilier?"  he asked. 

I think I shrugged. I wake up early, so early was fine with me. We all agreed on 7:30 am. The five of them were staying at a different hotel from me, so we'd meet in the morning. 

In the morning, rain greeted me as I plodded from the hotel to the conference center, avoiding puddles and wrestling my umbrella when the wind tried to turn it inside out. I got to the conference room at 7:28. No team. 

One of the NCTE tech people hooked me up with a dongle which was my biggest worry about the presentation. (A set of dongles is on my holiday wishlist, and that's another slice!). I sat and sipped my coffee with the opening slide relievingly ( a made-up word, but a perfect one for the context) projected on the screen behind me. No team. 

I checked my phone, and there were a few texts from Rebecca. We took a wrong turn. Be there soon... We're almost there... The texts were several minutes earlier. It was almost 8. Participants were drifting into the room and taking seats. Still no team. 

At 8:07, the group came in, nerves riding high, flushed, and jittery. 

"Have we got stories for you!" they gushed. "We're so sorry."

"No worries," I kept repeating as they settled in. "We'll be great."

After the presentation, I heard more about all their wrong turns and struggles to get to Room 104B, but they all made it, the presentation was great, and we had a lot of laughs. In fact, we are still laughing.