Day 23 - More Human

I woke up feeling more human this morning than I did yesterday or Wednesday.  That makes me so happy.  Mind you, I still took my anti-nausea medicine (afraid not to), but I maybe could have gone without it.  I had two pieces of toast for breakfast instead of one so that is a good sign.

Chemo has left a bad taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively, so I have been leaning heavily on hard candy to mask the taste and to also help soothe my stomach.  I've got quite a variety and have more being delivered by Amazon.com today.

I've always had an affinity for hard candy, and I think that I can link it back to my Nena (my mom's mom).  Nena always had tins of fancy hard candy from the nicest grocery store in town in her purse, and she was also an Altoids early adopter.  She had Altoids long before they became mainstream, and she was always willing to share, sometimes at inopportune times.

When I was little, going to church on Sunday mornings was not optional.  It's what we did.  On the weekends when we were with my dad, our Grandmother would take us to church.  On the weekends when we were with my mom/Glen, they would take us to church, and we would sit in the pew with my Nena and Papa.  It was always the same pew, ensured by my Papa's early arrival to church each Sunday.  He always sang the loudest during church even if he flubbed a word or two on occasion.  He wanted this presence KNOWN, and he had a wonderfully deep singing voice. I miss that sound.

Almost unfailing, when the church service got really quiet each week, it was time for an Altoid.  My Nena would get the tin out of her purse, give one to Papa, take one for herself, and pass the rattling tin down the church pew so that the rest of us could have minty fresh breath for the remainder of the service.  It was so loud, so disruptive, and so entirely endearing.  I am tempted to tell that story every time I pull a tin of Altoids out of my own purse but stop myself because so many have already heard it. It's funny how small things can trigger such fond memories. 

So like my Nena, I am armed with hard candy and mints, and I'll be happy to share at any time.

Mike played golf this afternoon, and I picked Henry up from school.  So much normal happening right there.  It was great.  I do find that it helps to get out and get some fresh air.  It's distracting and feels good.    

I also totally ruled in Jeopardy tonight.  I would have made thousands had I actually been on the show. I'm still working on Wheel of Fortune, but I think that doing well on Jeopardy is better than doing well on Wheel.  I am also a little bit sad that everyone reading this knows how pitiful my Friday night has been.  Don't pity me for having cancer, but you can certainly pity me for watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on a Friday night.