Doing what you LOVE to do - before, during & after BC! What's YOUR favourite?
arpie
Member Posts: 8,129 ✭
Hi guys
I am really lucky in that I have 2 BIG passions that consume a lot of my time ..... and (no surprise to some of you ....)
Ukulele Playing - this was a library gig we did last year .... (I am 4th from left, front row.) Our ages range from the 50s - 80s. Every 4-6 weeks we play 'gigs' at 4 Nursing Homes - and we practise weekly at another nursing home ... so I guess you can call us 'volunteers'?? Some of our members are older than the people we are playing for! LOL
and
Kayak Fishing - I love nothing more than hitting the lake with a bunch of buddies.
Yesterday, I was getting cabin fever from lack of fishing (wet & windy here for the last week), so I grabbed a warm jacket
& walked the edge of the Boat Ramp .... I was busted off on the first fish
(a good sized Flattie from the power of it's head shakes!) then dropped the next few that spat the hook .... then finally landed another nice one, that came home for dinner!!
So WHAT IS IT that puts that 'gleam in YOUR eye' - is it Golf (I play it badly), Playing Bridge (never tried it - I think you have to be 'serious' to play Bridge), Singing (that goes hand in hand with Uke Playing), Community Groups/Volunteering, Tapestry, Running (I couldn't run round the block to save my life!), ..... that gets you out of bed quicker in the morning if you know you are going to 'do it' ........
How has your surgery/treatment impacted on you doing 'YOUR TIME" stuff? Have you had to stop doing it or can't do it as often due to your treatment? Do you find you find you are still expected to do EVERYTHING ELSE at the expense of 'Your Time'?
Prior to my surgery, my uke group were amongst my greatest allies - I had to tell them straight away as we were gearing up for a big performance at the Blue Mountains Uke Festival - and I didn't know if I would be there for them!! After my surgery, I was back playing again 2 weeks later - but was very mindful of where my uke sat - as it was right across the affected boob!! The Blue Mountains gig was 3 weeks after my surgery - and luckily, I made it!! 4 of my Uke group have had BC & were able to offer info & support.
My Fishing Buddies were also an immense support to me as well (as indeed they were when Hubby was going thru his cancer in 2010) - I've caught up with a fair few of them since I was diagnosed & it has just been terrific. A bunch of my kayak fishing ladies had also had BC and were a wonderful source of info & advice!
Part of my philosophy to recovery is to try & keep 'busy' with 'stuff' so that your mind is kept active & is a 'happy thing' compared to what we are going thru daily just now (Hmmmm - tho I REALLY should be decluttering our home - but that doesn't excite me as much! LOL)
SO, let's get a list going of all your favourite pastimes ..... then, if anyone on the forum is living near you or passing thru - you may be able to share your passion with them to help them 'while away' the time!!
I am really lucky in that I have 2 BIG passions that consume a lot of my time ..... and (no surprise to some of you ....)
Ukulele Playing - this was a library gig we did last year .... (I am 4th from left, front row.) Our ages range from the 50s - 80s. Every 4-6 weeks we play 'gigs' at 4 Nursing Homes - and we practise weekly at another nursing home ... so I guess you can call us 'volunteers'?? Some of our members are older than the people we are playing for! LOL
and
Kayak Fishing - I love nothing more than hitting the lake with a bunch of buddies.
Yesterday, I was getting cabin fever from lack of fishing (wet & windy here for the last week), so I grabbed a warm jacket
& walked the edge of the Boat Ramp .... I was busted off on the first fish
(a good sized Flattie from the power of it's head shakes!) then dropped the next few that spat the hook .... then finally landed another nice one, that came home for dinner!!So WHAT IS IT that puts that 'gleam in YOUR eye' - is it Golf (I play it badly), Playing Bridge (never tried it - I think you have to be 'serious' to play Bridge), Singing (that goes hand in hand with Uke Playing), Community Groups/Volunteering, Tapestry, Running (I couldn't run round the block to save my life!), ..... that gets you out of bed quicker in the morning if you know you are going to 'do it' ........
How has your surgery/treatment impacted on you doing 'YOUR TIME" stuff? Have you had to stop doing it or can't do it as often due to your treatment? Do you find you find you are still expected to do EVERYTHING ELSE at the expense of 'Your Time'?
Prior to my surgery, my uke group were amongst my greatest allies - I had to tell them straight away as we were gearing up for a big performance at the Blue Mountains Uke Festival - and I didn't know if I would be there for them!! After my surgery, I was back playing again 2 weeks later - but was very mindful of where my uke sat - as it was right across the affected boob!! The Blue Mountains gig was 3 weeks after my surgery - and luckily, I made it!! 4 of my Uke group have had BC & were able to offer info & support.
My Fishing Buddies were also an immense support to me as well (as indeed they were when Hubby was going thru his cancer in 2010) - I've caught up with a fair few of them since I was diagnosed & it has just been terrific. A bunch of my kayak fishing ladies had also had BC and were a wonderful source of info & advice!
Part of my philosophy to recovery is to try & keep 'busy' with 'stuff' so that your mind is kept active & is a 'happy thing' compared to what we are going thru daily just now (Hmmmm - tho I REALLY should be decluttering our home - but that doesn't excite me as much! LOL)
SO, let's get a list going of all your favourite pastimes ..... then, if anyone on the forum is living near you or passing thru - you may be able to share your passion with them to help them 'while away' the time!!
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Comments
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@aprie for me it has to be exercise and food - 2 things I have had little interest or been unable to do in the last month to 6 weeks. Running, yoga or even just a walk near the beach. Food has always been a passion too - eating it, cooking it - beautiful restaurant meals - at the moment though everything tastes like crap!!2
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@Kiwi Angel - bloody chemo & medication can play havoc with your 'senses' - hubby reckoned everything tasted like metal whilst he was on chemo.
I hope you feel up to doing a bit of yoga now & then, even just stretching, and hopefully everything else will slot into place in a timely fashion. Nothing nicer than a walk on the beach on a lovely morning or afternoon ......
What do they say sometimes? Fake it til you Make it? I do that sometimes when I can't sleep - I pretend I am asleep & sometimes I DO actually fall asleep! LOL2 -
I lost quite a lot of myself over the five years before my diagnosis. The chain of events in my family whittled me away, with a couple of exceptions. I wasn't really aware of it until I was discussing 'stuff' with my psychologist. So part of my recovery plan is to repopulate my life with 'me'.
The two exceptions were baking, which I truly enjoy doing. You have to be present and mindful, which I find relaxing, and everyone appreciates it! And India, specifically planning, organising and escorting small groups of people there, showing them a country I love. It's tremendously hard work but so so satisfying when you watch the love bloom in their eyes, or when you seamlessly solve a big problem on the fly. Hoping to get back to that next year.
I've got a list of things I want to do, or at least try. They include yoga, joining a choir, voluteering, learning to speak Hindi, and maybe doing something with photography. Just for myself that is, improve my skills so I can take better photos.
Also have to get a job and continue caring for the family... Not sure how I'm going to fit it all in, not all at once that's for sure!6 -
WOW!! Awesome, Kate!! I used to love cooking - but these days, hubby likes 'stock standard Meat & 3 Veg' and gets a bit crabby if I try anything else! I DO slip in some nice Lambs Fry & Bacon now & then tho! (A winter favourite!)
I look at all these yummy Indian recipes ..... and then go & buy another bottle of Butter Chicken Sauce! Tho I DO serve it with a yummy rice mix with cardamon, cloves & onions in it ..... and of course papadams, bananas & coconut & cucumbers in yoghurt on the side ..... hmmmm might do that for dinner tomorrow night! 
Choir is terrific - I did a Singing Lesson with 20+ choir people just the other week & with no accompaniment, we made BEAUTIFUL music!! I quite surprised myself, as I don't have what you can call a 'good voice'! But you don't need one! It is the blending of ALL the voices that 'makes' the lovely sound!
I did a B/W Photo Processing & printing course many years ago & used to do all the arty farty stuff - these days, I take more pics of my fish than anything else! I rarely get any printed! They are just my 'record of catch'! LOL
I am in awe of you - you have SO MUCH on your plate (as well as the BC) so just make haste slowly - it will all fall into place nicely, I am sure, given time! xxx 1 -
Just like Kate my passion is travel & photography ! Hope to get away in October to satisfy my cravings for both, just not sure where yet . I've done a few photography courses , need more inspiration. India is on my list Kate.
At home its reading , gardening & music ,love the theatre ! Love cooking & baking but don't do as much as I would like ,weekly meals after work are basic . If I bake I eat it ! Not good !!
Winter time is footy time & my dad , girlfriends & I regularly go to the "G" to watch our beloved Tigers !! We have been going since we were teenagers !
What I should be doing is exercise !!! Hard to fit in with work ! One day i'll get off my arse!!
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I love building things and making things. The current project is a quite elaborate (on the inside) bathroom attached to my workshop. It's all recycled, scrounged or surplus material from other jobs.
I also fix things--in the last week I've had 4 chainsaws dropped in for servicing and sharpening. Not my favourite task but it's hard to say no to people who have been kind to me in the past. I can say no when it comes to ride on mowers and whipper snippers though.
The garden is also a source of pleasure, thankfully it is established enough that I don't need to spend much money on it, just time. Which I have at the moment.
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on ya, @tigerbeth .... Kate may just have new bunch of ladies to discover India! I am over the 'long haul' flights after a couple of big trips a few years back .... nearly 30hrs in planes did my head in! Short & sharp ones for me now, I reckon - NZ, Lord Howe, Norfolk & Fiji!
Yep - I love reading too - and my uke has reignited my love of all things music! I am not that good on cooking & baking these days ......
Go the Tigers!! Good on you for your long term buddies!! They are the best!
OMG .... I hate 'specific' exercise too - my hubby does enough for both of us - but I pretend that my Kayak Fishing gives me a heap of exercise ....... (don't tell anyone!!)
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No surprises here. My horses, I rode as soon as I could. Just a walk at the start as I was a bit terrified of the "bounce factor" and AC chemo made my balance a bit weird but I wasn't quitting it for anything, even stinky old cancer and chemo
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Not sure, anymore. The last few years have been spent running around after everyone else. I adore the beach (and most of you know that I love paddleboarding but that's fairly recent), walking, reading. I used to like gardening but I think I'm over it. I'd travel more if I could. And, prior to bc, I loved socialising with friends but that all takes more focus and energy than I have at the moment.4
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@arpie What a lovely discussion. I love sewing. Give me a piece of fabric and I am in heaven. I am very lucky in that I have a 40 foot "donga" that my husband fitted out for me as a dedicated sewing room. I sew all kinds of things. If it will go under a sewing machine I will sew it. Sewing has "saved" me. When things get too much I lose myself in the sewing room. I have slowed down a bit following Mr Cancer but I make time for sewing. What did Mr Cancer change? Well, I no longer sew for others. Mainly because of the nerve damage to my right arm. Sometimes the scissors will not behave themselves!
My passion is patchworking and quilting. This is a photo of my latest quilt. 6 months work in this one.
I also enjoy reading, gardening, cooking, baking and birdwatching. But sewing is most important as it keeps me from thinking too much.9 -
Well done, @Zoffiel .... I LOVE making something out of nothing/scrap ..... and WOW! to be doing your own bathroom attached to your workshop .... how GOOD is that?? It sounds like you are a VERY resourceful, clever woman!
How good is it, having a lovely garden - I've tried to grow veggies HEAPS of times - but grew more bugs than shrubs - so now, I only plant the odd tomato plant (plus we have a heap of lemon, orange, tangelo & even a Feijoa tree!!) We USED to have Mulberry & Cherry Guava - but hubby cut them down cos he thought they were messy! We've put down mesh & mulch to make it all look a bit tidier ......
@kezmusc ... WOW! I've always loved horses & wanted to be able to ride but was always a bit scared of how BIG they are!!! LOL Yep, scaredy cat, me!! I am SO glad you've got back to it, even with the weird balance thing. GO GIRL!! Yes, the 'Bounce Thing' really affected me badly driving around local streets as the roads are so rough! I was always grabbing my breast to 'save it' from the bounce!!
Great to see you getting back to what you love ...... give it a go - slowly at first - you may surprise yourself!! Once you get that 'confidence back' - the world may well be your oyster!
Take care, small steps, Big Dreams! xx 2 -
@Sister ..... when we meet up - you can teach me how to paddle board!! (I am assuming that is SUP??) My balance is shocking (hence I sit down on my kayak! LOL) Whenever I try to stand up, I look like Mr Bean!!
Hey, things change - I used to socialise a lot - but in the last few years, hubby & I are less 'socially' inclined - I would almost prefer to pay for us & buddies to go out for dinner than put it on at home!! LOL Just try & make sure you have more "YOU" time too! It's all about balance ... and getting to do something that YOU enjoy - not necessarily for reward or recognition - just for the benefit of your soul!
Annie C .... That is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!! I just wouldn't have the patience for that!! You would get on SO WELL with my sister - who is a 'material magnet'! She has a fetish for buttons & has thousands ..... LOL I hope the nerve damage will repair itself in time and that you get full confidence in your cutting again - such an important part of your skill.
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Hello @arpie .Thanyou for the compliment on the quilt. It has meant a lot. I lost a lot of my confidence after Mr Cancer entered my life. The nerve damage is improving with strengthening exercises. Just sometimes my hand has a mind of its own. If I stuff something up I either bin it or turn it into a potholder!
The cushions were a gift from a lovely friend. She gave them to me after our cats went to God!
The quilt is a composition of applique and embroidery. The quilt has been free hand stipple quilted. I am now using the quilt as you go method in sections. It is much easier. I will take some more photos and post them.
This quilt will be entered in our local CWA Craft Show to be held at the end of July.2
