What Do You Do With YOUR Time?

My Two Sons: chuckle!

Recently someone on twitter asked me what it was that I did to occupy my time while on bed rest.  I was surprised that I didn't have a good answer.  I was especially surprised because it wasn't that many years ago that my youngest had essentially asked me the same question: "how do you stand being in bed all the time. Don't you go nuts?" with so much concern on his face that I was afraid I'd start crying in front of him.

But (bravely?) I said, "I feel so lucky that I'm able to be in bed!  So many people who are sick aren't able to stay in bed - because of jobs - when they're told to do so by their doctors."  My son shook his head thoughtfully, not at all convinced, feeling very sorry for me.

But when I was recently asked what is basically the same question - or it is to me at least - I found that I had only two activities to relate to the young lady who asked: it was watching TV and writing posts for my blog.  I do think that when my son asked me this question I was in much better shape than I'm in now: I was still able to cook and garden occasionally and to read like a demon.

But now I'm not able to do these things and that has left me wondering, what do I do with my time?  I hate to admit that I spend most of my day wondering when such and such a symptom or pain will go away, when I can take my pain meds again without feeling like a drug seeker.  Am I a bit low?  Oh my, yes.

But, like an jack-in-the-box, I can't stay in one place very long.  No, I'm back to thinking, what can I do?  I had thought I'd take up putting a jig-saw puzzle together.  It sounds so lame but I remember our family putting together one of a map of Australia when the kids were in middle school.  It was so much fun and I swore to myself we'd do another.  We never did, alas.  Then I think, why the Queen and the rest of the Royals love to put together those puzzles up in Balmoral.  If it's good enough for them it should be good enough for me!  Yeah!  (Fist pump!)

There's always TV but that hasn't been very successful lately thanks to the summer season not having started yet and the regular season long gone.  But I've found some shows on On Demand that have been surprisingly interesting:

Anything to do with Chef Gordon Ramsey.  OK. I admit I wish he was a little more creative with his swear words. The "F bomb" gets ridiculously old very quickly and shows a marked deficiency in his command of the Queen's English.  But I do think he has a heart of gold, especially when family is concerned.  I even loved his "Behind Bars" miniseries where he goes into a prison to teach a select few inmates to cook/bake in hopes of using funds raised by selling goods to the general public to offset the cost of the prison system.  Good premise but ... well, you watch and see.  I watched Hell's Kitchen and my (other) son talked me into watching Master Chef. We shall exchange notes via Facebook once I get a few more episodes under my belt.

Speaking of getting into discussing shows via Facebook, that same son loved America's Got Talent and I've never liked it much.  Farmer that he is, he'd watch an hour of it with me - having begged and pleaded with me to watch with him and never ashamed to guilt me into watching if need be - and then he'd suddenly leave at 9:00, because it was so far past his bedtime - hence the nickname, "farmer."  Then I'd be left watching a show I can't stand!

But all that has changed this year.  Because that son is halfway around the world (yes, literally!) and he's not able to watch it, I found myself watching it because I wanted to be closer to him.  Get out the handkerchiefs, I know! (Wait: if he's halfway around the world, how is he able to watch anything Ramsey?  Oh forget about it... I'm sure the explanation is extremely convoluted!  These things always are!)   But how happy am I that I tuned in to see AMG this year?  I am amazed that I love Howard Stern - another potty mouth who is abstaining a lot!  He with Heidi Klum make a good team.  They have a connection.  Mel B I fell in love with from her successful stint on Dancing With the Stars a few years ago.  (She did a magnificent Paso Doble with Max!)  And Howie Mandel is just a sweetie who seems to be an innocent at times.  He makes me realize what a jaded so-and-so I am!

And I'm in love with this season's So You Think You Can Dance - I'd given up on it last year.  The try-outs, which I rarely watch, were great this year.  They got rid of the really stupid acts and made for a more cozy feel. They not only gave us the kind of backstories that I usually associated with the Olympics (like someone got a face transplant sort of thing!) to having parents come up out of the audience and dance.  It really gave me a bunch of laughs - which I was very grateful for since I was in the process of detoxing, my awful adventure with Cymbalta.  (I know: I said I would NOT mention the "C" word again, but it's sooo hard!)

But my best find: The Goodwin Games on Fox.  I'm in love with this little gem of a sit-com.  It's intelligent, it has heart.  It's based on a father who dies (Beau Bridges) and leaves a bunch of tapes to be played back to his adult children.  He's not pleased with how his kids' lives have turned out and if they want to win the many millions of dollars left in his will ... well, it's well done, believe me.  I started watching it with great reluctance and it grew on me after the second show.  Give it a try!

And there you have it: a bit of TV to catch if you're simply dying of boredom, dahhhhhlings!  Fear not: the new summer season starts making a slow appearance this week (Royal Pains has already had its first show) and slowly we'll have a few more good programs to watch....

But I'd love to hear from those of you who have "hobbies" you are able to pursue, despite the CFIDS/ME/CFS and/or fibromyalgia.  I'd love to hear ideas from normal people as well - you are the ones who can still actually think!  I mean, I really need some more activities I can amuse myself with!  I'm so afraid I'll take up coloring next!  Gag!

In the meanwhile, as always, I hope everyone is doing their best - only better!  Ciao and paka.


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