Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Two things that I don't listen to people tell me anymore

Nah, there are probably a whole bunch more , but tonight I thought I would just talk about the two, okay?

I can't hear you!
But that's all right, I'll take again your silence as a yes.

Hilary Clinton, former first lady, former secretary of state, possible presidential candidate; I think most know who that is, ha, hasn't driven a car since 1996. She said that the secret service could tell us why, huh?
I suppose she was not a very good driver maybe?
Then by all means she did the right thing.
Now I heard the news anchor 'assume' that she has a driver, could be.
But if not most of the places she has lived are cities with great public transportation, true?

I personally too have stopped driving after over forty years, with only one ticket, two weeks after I got my license, talking to friend with loud music on in the car and going through a red light, angled badly. And foolishly having an accident while on my cell phone way back in 1994 on an access road to the highway I4.
I was a district manager at the time on my way to one of my five stores, this one was in Orlando, FL.

Any-who, I decided to quit only a few years ago, due to the weakness in my legs, and when I lost the sight in my right eye, July 2. 2010, a day after my sixtieth birthday. The combo of the two made me say yes, it's a good idea.
Now according to my eye doctor even with only one working eye it's fine to drive.( Many have seen my picture from June of that year, 2010, when I had been already on IV steroids for the MS, but about two weeks before I lost my sight in that right eye!)

Now, ordinarily I would have fought for my right to continue that independence and with my ophthalmologist saying I was still good to go, why not...? Oh and this guy had no idea about my inability to turn my head too far due to the cervical stenosis, too many blind spots in our car... on so many levels his judgment call was way off!

Well, I'll tell you why I made a better decision; Hubby is retired and a much better driver than me, so availability at his finest.
And hauntingly I recall all those stories he had told me while he had his over a decade tenure as a deputy about those accidents that were mostly caused by snowbirds or elderly and too many of them were fatal. The worst, was the one I witnessed that I recall was the woman getting into her car after PT for her right sided stroke that she had to drag her leg back in her vehicle and then she drove erratically away, scary! I wanted to yell stop, she had no one with her!

When a few who had canes or walkers upon exiting their vehicles at the accident location were asked why they were still driving, many answered no choice, widow or widowers with no public transportation!

But we do have taxicabs and Dial-A-Ride, a short bus and reasonably price, only a dollar or two depending on where you have to go...and less for the disabled and they are disabled accessible with one of those elevator contraptions for wheelchairs. So if Hubby cannot drive some day we have choices and that's not putting others lives in jeopardy!

Moving on...
The other thing is a flu shot, Hubby and I chose to get them yearly, not all do, but so far no adverse effects from the shots or any flu either. This year in our state a couple of young women have died in their twenties and thirties from the flu, opting for not having the shot! So sad, and so unnecessary.
The ICU has seen too many this year alone and so very preventable get your shot folks!
 This just in: dozens have died in our state alone from the flu! From a young child to someone in their fifties!

I was told with Multiple Sclerosis it could be not recommended to take the shot but the caveat here is if you are exacerbating the disease process then it is not advisable and every year when I get it I seem to be okay as far as that goes in either September or October. This year I had it early on September 4th at the doctor's office. Good thing because the end of October I was not that great...with the beginnings of the triple respiratory infection trifecta!(Note: not a flu related ill at all)

Well, I suppose now you get where I stand on those two more controversial issues, mild compared to most, hmm?      

On that note of some not too newsworthy, but a teensy bit interesting, maybe? Anyway, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

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