When I had my first grand mal seizure in the middle of the night on June 23rd, 2020, I broke our bed. It was a simple metal frame bed that I think we bought at Wayfair for maybe $250 - nothing fancy. But, we pieced it back together and it even lasted through moving it this past July with the help of some liquid weld. Last Sunday night, we got into bed and Brad thought he heard a noise and then a few moments later, it literally collapsed beneath us (Brad says we need to go on diets). I'd say almost 3 years past it's breaking point is really all one can ask from a cheap online bed.
Now, the big decision seems to be whether or not to upgrade to a king sized bed. We do have the space in our room, but I don't love the idea. When we stay in hotels, I feel like we are so far away from each other, my cold feet are always straining to find his warm feet.
The practical side of me also doesn't want to buy a new mattress or sheets, as we
like our mattress. I feel like "king" people are really passionate about how great they are, so the jury is still out. Currently, our mattress is on the floor, which we both kind of like. We have no little kids or pets, so this set up is likely more enjoyable for us, than it would be for some.
*for the record, all of that has been removed - including the embarrassing amount of stuff that was under our bed
How Gentrification is like Global Warming
We joined the Johnston YMCA earlier this year and though it doesn't provide the gym community for me that CrossFit once did, we both really enjoy working out there together. It's also a historic building right in the heart of NODA.
Sadly, it was announced last week that our Y has been sold to a developer. The building is in a really prime location of the neighborhood, and the YMCA has had some financial trouble since the pandemic. I think membership is down in the Charlotte area. From a gym perspective, there is so much competition in the fitness space (CrossFit, F45, bootcamps, kickboxing, spinning) and then add in all lot of us who also have home gyms or are happy to work out in their living rooms to YouTube videos or other pandemic-born workouts. I do hate that it takes a community hub out of our neighborhood - many neighborhood kids play basketball or other sports there, along with their daycare services. I guess we have until the end of the year but it's a sad situation for the neighborhood. However, when discussing with a friend, we identified that we are both part of the gentrification problem. I live in a heavily gentrified area and she lives in an apartment complex, much like the one that will very likely replace the YMCA building.
This is where I feel like gentrification is like Global warming. We are all for protecting the planet, until I want to buy my individual hummus cups from Costco. Death to unnecessary plastic... except for this one little thing... And I love all of the upgrades in my historic neighborhood, but hey, don't mess with the YMCA, because I go there and it affects me. I know it's illogical and selfish. Points for self-awareness?
Travels, Tiredness, and Triumphs
We were in the Philadelphia area last week for our first full-day in person workshop post brain tumor diagnosis (travel and triumph). It was great! I did sleep nearly the entire next day but this is what we do - ride the energy waves. We also got to see my parents over Mother's Day weekend❤️. We combined the trip to see them with the celebration of life for my #brainbuddy, Kate Lax, in Grand Rapids, MI. It was healing to be able to see Kate's husband and parents and give them our best. On a whim, we reached out to our good friends, Kate and Eric, and were able to have lunch with Eric on our way back through Lansing! Kate was traveling so we missed seeing her. 😔
We also got lucky enough to see longtime family friends, Sherry (unpictured) and Troy. Some people bring such joy to your heart! It was a full, wonderful, tiring, worth-it week of travel.
Health Update
I have had one aura since you heard from me last, but Nayzilam saved me from progressing into a seizure. Speaking of meds, my neurologist is still working with me to change my cocktail of seizure meds so that I'm less tired in the mornings. The annoying thing about med changes for me is the only way to test is to change the dosage and then see if I have a seizure.
Funny Fact about how strong my night meds are: our evening flight back from Philly was delayed. So, I had to take my pm dose before we boarded our flight home. The flight attendants probably thought I was drunk or impaired. Brad had to lead me around the airport, as it's difficult to walk straight.
Next MRI - June 26
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