Forum Discussion
Doing what you LOVE to do - before, during & after BC! What's YOUR favourite?
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!!
184 Replies
- @Brenda5 I love a puzzle! I did a 3000 piece one last year just before I was diagnosed. And I'm about to start a 2000 piece one, of a colourful Cuban street. I got a puzzle roll for Christmas so I don't colonise the dining table! I'm going away to an Otis Foundation property in a couple of weeks and I'm taking a 1000 piece.
@"Annie C" I hope you're up for meeting some fellow forum members at the conference. You are amazing, I'd love to meet you! K xox - Hey @Janny54 That's terrific we've been able to bring a smile to the dial - and got you excited about doing 'stuff' again .... grab that guitar & give it a go, then move onto the puzzle & Knitting patterns .....
Last weekend, 9 of my hubby's triathlon buddies & partners joined us up at Crescent Heads for a weekend away. With the weather being a bit wet, I took 10 ukes with us & showed them the basics of playing!! They had a ball!! They'd initially said 'yeah, but only for an hour, then we go to the Club ....' and they sat there enjoying themselves for 2hrs & then we all went to the club for dinner & drinkies!! They are still raving about it nearly a week later. They all have grandies - and the uke is the perfect sized instrument for kids to 'start out on' .... and indeed, one that they can 'grow with' into adulthood as well!! Never treat it as a toy!! ;)
Yeehaa ..... MORE CONVERTS! :) - WOW! @smokie08 - that is a real work of art!! Almost a shame to eat it! Now, if one of those capers was at the bottom right - it could almost be a map of Australia with Tassie at the bottom .... or am I reading something into it that isn't there?? LOL ;)
@Brenda5 I am in AWE of anyone with the patience for completing a jigsaw puzzle of that size & complexity!! Well done YOU! I hope you get the heart thing sorted with the new Doc ..... and ENJOY the John Williamson concert/bbq - will you be allowed to record the songs on your phone??!! ;) I hope you can get back to your fishing as soon as you are able - I know that I go stir crazy when denied for too long! :( xx Wow Ladies you are an inspiration to me this morning. Got up feeling a bit low have had the Grandkids the last couple of days and tho I love them dearly they do tire me out a bit. So was planning a nothing day but now I am finking get the puzzle out you bought last year when going through treatment. Or scan the net for the patterns to knit Doll's cloths for Granddaughters dolls.
Dunno if hubby would appreciate me building a bathroom lol.
I have got back to my Guitar and can play Amazing Grace without looking and mistakes ( well not many anyway).
This thread has done me the world of good this morning.
Thank you all.
Jan xxxxx
- What I do all the time are jigsaw puzzles. They keep my hands active and don't require special skills. My other passion is fishing but I haven't been well enough to take the yak out lately with this stupid heart business. I will see a different doctor about it but not before this weekend. I am going with hubby 5 hours drive to see John Williamson in concert at his place where he is putting on a barbie for us. No way I am missing that. The tickets cost me a fortune lol. Here is a 2000p puzzle.
- Hi All my passion is for cooking and DIY. I am at Tafe at the moment doing a kitchen operations course it can be hard work but I'm enjoying it takes my mind of all this shit !! My poor husband has a fit when I say the words "I have an idea or I was thinking we could do! !" He knows it could be hard work . :D
- @AllyJay a most beautiful piece of knitting. You have expressed exactly what creating helps us to overcome. It is not that we forget (I know that I will never forget the shock and of feeling totally overwhelmed) but being busy and creative puts us in a quieter and soothing place.
Like yourself I have had to problem solve my way around my wayward right hand that has a mind of its own. Cans of baked beans work beautifully to hold fabric in place while I use 2 hands to operate scissors.
@jennyss sometimes I dream of being able to just pop down to Spotlight when I need that special piece of fabric. However it will only be a dream. I may "whinge" at times about being challenged with being isolated but the beauty of the kimberley and the lifestyle outweigh the negative.
All of us, in our own way, have found a way of overcoming the challenges of BC. Whether it is in creativity, being outside or looking after family, we have found our after Breast Cancer place. May we, all of us, continue to grow. - WOW! @AllyJay That is GORGEOUS!! I am a total 'retard' (in a funny way) when it comes to knitting or embroidery/tapestry (I am all thumbs!) ... plus I just don't have the patience required! (LOL Coming from someone who sits in a kayak for 6-8hrs waiting for a single fish to jump on a line!!) Hehehe, Going thru your Knitting Patterns would be akin to me going thru my thousands of uke songs, choosing new ones to teach my group! ;)
@kmakm I actually took a small tapestry kit on the plane to the UK in 1977, planning on finishing it before arriving .... within an hour, it was in the bin! LOL
@Annie C .... Gosh, you've REALLY been in the wars with Mr C & what a total bummer with your eyes :( - yet you SO UP BEAT & still manage to create these amazing masterpieces and make them! So ... you are in/near Kunnunura!! JEALOUS!!! A Dentist buddy from here has just come back from doing a Locum job there - he's been going there to cover the local bloke for a few years now. He loves it up there. It will DEFINITELY be on my 'to visit' list when we finally head off on our 'big trip'!! We never made it to Broome when we did a 'fly around' back in 2000 ..... I love the Pigram Bros songs & reckon Bran Nue Dae should be watched by every school! CONGRATS on your 2nd barra!! And on a Handline to boot - SO much harder to control & bring in!! Don't you LOVE the way they tail walk? Enjoy your Melbourne trip - you will LOVE catching up with heaps of BCNA folk whilst there!! Just get your hubby to only take a '7kg limit' carry on bag - and you can use his 'big bag' for all your 'fabric scores' ;) (as well as your own big bag, of course!) I used to pack a separate folding bag within my big bag, for 'extras' on the return journey LOL When visiting Tassie for a week's fishing last year, my big bag was full of fishing tackle & the small carry on bag was my clothes! ;) My fishing buddy couldn't believe it! In 2nd Form (1967) I had to do sewing as 'craft' and we had to make a top over the school holidays. I HATED it .... made a real hash of it & threw it in the bin (do you see a pattern here??) When asked to 'present' my top to the class for judging - I said that I'd donated it to the Salvation Army for the Flood Victims - and the teacher was SO impressed, she gave me full marks!! ahahahahaha!! So I'm a good liar too! LOL ;) I don't 'do' sewing! :( My sister makes up for it tho - she has a whole garage sized workshop!
@jennyss Many Thanks for that - apart from anything else - I reckon it's a good way of learning a bit more about our buddies other than the Big C .... possibly setting like minded folk up with others (networking) so that when you DO travel (whether for fun or appointments) you may be able to meet up with them & have something to look forward to (as well as the appointment!) I already have my fishing and uke 'network' setup ..... no matter where I go anywhere in Australia and even overseas, I can hook up (so to speak) with either uke players or kayak fishos - and they know they can drop in on us as well, when visiting Forster. ;)
I can hear the joy in the words written about your favourite pastimes!
Keep the pics & stories coming! ;) - @Annie C @AllyJay u r both so talented. I don’t have a creative bone in my body so I’m always very envious of those that do.
- Dear @arpie , Thanks for starting this thread. I am looking forward to more creativity and fun being posted. And what an exciting world you live in with the music and fishing and boating!
Dear @Annie C , What beautiful quilting and applique work. I love material too, and we have a Spotlight right in town.
Best wishes to all
