Jessica Smith and Friends 2022

[Pam61]

Back again....

Today I did a climb on the TM in the Atlas mountains of Morocco, learning about the various cultures who live in the city. And, a short walk on Easter Island learning about the Moi ancestors.

It is difficult to make friends when you're older and away from the workplace or school. I have moved around a lot and have left the few friends I had behind. With no children, I don't have much in common with any of my neighbors. My DH has made a concerted effort to put himself out there, and has met a number of folks here in PVD, but many aren't interested in coming over to the house to play board games, especially if they have younger kids. We did meet a few couples that don't have kids, but they both moved away.

My DH frequently travels to places that have "game nights in MA & RI to meet folks, but he screens people because most we don't want to invite back to our home. There are a tiny fraction who "qualify" or meet our standards, ha.

I have joined two female hiking clubs, just to be able to get out of the house and meet some gals that might be close to my age. But, I'm usually driving an hour minimum to go on these hikes....and I don't drive much! ;-)

One year I joined a Senior Community Collaborative Learning Center to take classes with ladies my age. It was a chore, because "collaborative" means everyone actively participates in whatever project is assigned by the teacher, who doesn't really teach. You are working your butt off and get no grade or credit of any kind. And, this costs money and time. My DH said I worked harder in this one class than I ever did going to Community College, lol!

By nature I am very introverted. Anytime we have people over to the house I am immediately anxious about it and worried about what the house looks like and how much cleaning I have to do.

As Donna said well "she doesn't want to one day end up like her mom who lived in isolation and miserable." I don't want to turn into my mom, either who was much the same. She felt trapped much of the time because she was handicapped and couldn't drive or walk. It was a sad way to live the remaining years she had left. And, no one wants to be alone or die alone without friends or family.

It's hard to make friends but I'm trying to get out more to meet some folks, and maybe I don't trust a lot of people.

And, speaking of hearing (Sherry) I am hard of hearing. And, this most recent hike I was on (with two other girls) I was bringing up the rear while the other two chatted and speed-walked their way through the trails. I couldn't hear 90 percent of their conversation because (1) they were so far ahead of me on the trail and (2) the girl leading was non-stop chatty and not making any effort for me to hear anything she was saying. I was a bit unnerved by this, and had to ask for her to repeat what she had just said. If she was annoyed by this, she should have had the decency to not leave me in the dust, lol! Some people are so wrapped up in themselves they don't realize what they do to others in their wake. The have no empathy for anyone.

Anyway, this got longer than I intended. And, I forgot to mention church, also. DH and I have tried a few different churches and have not found a good fit there, either. RI is the most Catholic state in the US (and we're not Catholic) so the Protestant churches are few and far between.

Life can be hard, and challenging. You think of retirement as being less stressful too, but it hasn't been that way for us!

[Leonana]

I walked outdoors today, about 1.25 miles to the canal and back. It was a nice half hour outside. I was too tired today, but I think I'll try and add in some short strength workouts to the walking.

I did my volunteer filing for a couple of hours. It was nice to get caught up with the woman who I help with filing. She's had some hard times herself, as a single mom, etc. She completed two years of college, but had to quit, it was too much for her with family obligations. In addition, she lost her apartment last October because they hiked up the rent quite a bit. It was bought out by a new company, and the entire complex had to move out. Very sad. She's still trying to find something, but it's hard because of the expense. It does put things into perspective when listening to someone else's struggles.

The tooth is much better. It's currently a bit painful, I must have done something when I was napping on the couch. It's so easy to irritate it! But it was pain free this morning. So far I'm able to avoid ibuprofen and Tylenol. I've taken so much, I was getting worried!

Donna, thanks for the support! She stressed me out saying that about my dh. I've been checking jobs, but they all require experience I don't have. I checked the schools for after school programs and even in the food service area. They all want previous experience. But I'll keep checking. I think next week I will look for other volunteer opportunities.

Pam, thanks for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful. Yes, life is tough even when retired! Dh has friends to play with for his complex strategy games. Although they don't play often enough for him. Sometimes they have poker nights. He did find a bar in Phoenix where people play different board games, on Monday nights. However, you have to sign up early, and he's usually working. He did go once, but I wasn't able to with my tooth pain. That was rude how you were treated on the hike. I have looked into hiking groups, but never settled on one. I don't mind dealing with my hearing loss in my private life. I have good hearing aids, and can communicate if they face me. Where my hearing loss stresses me out is in getting a job, especially retail. But I'm sure there is something out there that I can manage. I'm sorry there isn't a good fit for you in a church. That's one thing I have plenty of choice in a big city is churches. There is one close to me that I'm going to try on Sunday. It's a satellite church and they have lots of women's activities for all the churches. Hopefully I will go and not wimp out, lol.

Donna and Pam, thanks for talking this out with me. It’s so helpful.

[wishiwasinhawaii]

Today I decided to start WS1. I haven't done that one in years. The first week seems easy, so I started with week 2 and Upper Body Strength. I was humbled because I had remembered WS1 as being easier than the others, but UBS was tough! So I guess I'm out of shape, lol. I can't do too much lower body stuff right now, so on those days I'll just sub my PT exercises.

Sherry, Your doctor's advice was a bit odd, to be honest! Do you have Trader Joe's there? I'm not 100% certain, but I think they have benefits for part-time and are very accommodating, from what I've heard, so maybe you could find a position where you wouldn't have to deal with the public. As Donna mentioned, maybe check your local library. The one near me is always looking for people to put books on the shelves and you wouldn't have to deal with the public.

Pam, Where I live the county does free 'senior walks' for anyone 55+. The walks are in a local nature center. I've gone to a bunch of them and they are fun, but it seems to be the same people each time. I was hoping for more variety, I guess, lol. I was supposed to go today but had too much to do for work and I think it would be too muddy from all the rain last night. This is the first 'senior' activity I've ever done.

Donna, Glad you were able to get out for a walk with your DD! The weather seems calmer today so I may do the same.

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was really stormy - no outdoor walk but I did add in, for some extra steps, Up to the Beat Fitness - (Gina B), Prince Walk. It was fun! I also ended up adding a short standing abs routine.

Since Gina B was so much fun yesterday, I did another of her workouts today!

Gina B - Move into 2021 - this was a dance/walk she did at the start of 2021, I hadn't done it before. It was good - upbeat! LOL!

Gina B - Standing abs again - this was a 5 min standing abs routine.

Jessica Valent - Hip Mobility Practice from her April calendar.

Waves, everyone -happy Friday!

Donna

[Leonana]

I did Jessica's latest Walk and Talk, then Senior Shape 10 Minute Upper Arm workout.

My tooth is better in the morning, then gets painful in the afternoon. I think the exercise is irritating it. Despite what the TMJ doctor said, I'm going to skip working out tomorrow and see how it does.

I did call my dentist about getting the teeth adjusted, as the endo wanted me to do. When I went in previously, the dentist wanted me to get the mouth guard first. When I called, the clerk said I should have had them adjusted before the mouth guard fitting, which is what I thought too. She spoke to the dentist, and he said I should listen to the TMJ doctor and do what she said. She didn't think they needed adjusting, and I needed to wait for the pain to subside, two weeks to a month. But it's not subsiding, and I think she was wrong about exercise helping. I will wait until I get the mouth guard in two weeks, and if that doesn't work, I'll have to do something else. Maybe get it pulled.

I did apply at Goodwill this morning, and a half hour later got a call. The interview is tomorrow afternoon. But I’m going to cancel. My tooth is too painful. I doubt I can stand and walk around for long periods. When the TMJ doctor said I should work, I mentioned waiting until the tooth healed. She said why, you can work, you’re sitting here talking to me aren’t you. The more I think about her rudeness, the madder I get. I fed like I wasted a large amount of money. Well, at least I’ll have the mouth guards.

wishiwasinhawaii, yes I do have a Trader Joe's near me. However, they require their clerks to do everything, stock and cashier. I might might be a good option for me later, when I have some cashier experience.

[Pam61]

Hi Ladies,

DH and I were out yesterday hitting an estate sale and doing a bit of walking around town.

Today I did a walk in Serengeti (Africa) with large predator animals (Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo and Rhino.) I also walked in Iceland near some waterfalls that were used in the opening sequence of the movie "Predator." Loved the trainer (Johnnie Gale) in Iceland! He was so good and motivating. The walk was three six minute "pushes" or Power Walking between three minute rests. It felt awesome!

Sherry, I also thought you could shelve books in a library. I used to do that for a few libraries in AZ, though didn't pay much. Trader Joes here in RI or MA is always so busy. They don't have many, but whenever we stop at one, it's packed! My paycheck would be spent on food, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. :-)

wishiwasinhawaii, that's a good idea about looking for senior specific activities. I did some searching and found some women only and senior hiking groups on meetup, which I've never tried before. So, we'll see how that goes.

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Today's workout:

Gina B - up to the beat - Get Lit - 30 Min Walk & Tone
Jessica Valent - Side to Side Workout

I hadn't done a Pilates type workout in quite awhile as I was finding "crunch" movements to be irritating to my back - this particular workout did not have much in the way of those types of movement - it was more about the side body and I enjoyed it!

Sherry - Hang in there!! I know this is a silly question - but has anyone taken x-rays of the tooth - I can't help but think it may be in infection or something.

Pam - very nice walks!!

wishiwasinhawaii - I was thinking about Jessica's WS 2.0. I may do some Jessica Valent workouts though b/c I have paid for her subscription through July...and I don't think I'm going to renew - so I may do some of them now and then move on after my subscription ends.

Waves, Liz!

Hope everyone has a good day!

Donna

[Leonana]

Tooth is very painful today. I didn't work out, but I did some laundry and an errand to Target, so I was walking a bit. I canceled my interview with Goodwill, my tooth hurts too much.

Pam, I have checked the library for job openings, and they don't have a job for only shelving books. They have a position called Library Page, which deals with the public and also shelves books. Knowledge of the library Polaris system is preferred, which I don't have. They don't list any openings, you just apply. I suppose I could try that. You deal with the public, so my hearing loss might be an issue.

Donna, not recently. Last x-ray by endo was before the root canal four weeks ago. Dentist x-rayed my mouth when I saw him shortly after the root canal. TMJ office did an X-ray last Thursday, but never told me anything about it. I don't think the doctor even looked at it that day. It was expensive, $285. I feel like it was a cash grab. But from reading Yelp reviews, the TMJ doctor does not diagnose for infections, only TMJ and bruxism issues.

The endo checked the tooth two weeks ago, and said he didn't think it was infected. He thinks I need my teeth adjusted as bite was off. He believes this because my tooth didn't hurt at night, but during the day. It hurt last Monday night, so I thought it could be infected. So I called last Tuesday, but he said I needed to see TMJ specialist. I think he's washed his hands of me, and I feel like I'm a pest.

I called dentist's office yesterday, and asked about adjusting teeth. But I was told to follow TMJ doctor's instructions, who said I didn't need them adjusted. TBH, I'm not sure how she knows that, it's not like she did a real examination of them.

All three providers seem to think the mouth guard will fix it. The TMJ doctor thinks the pain is due to my mouth being irritated. Her reasoning was that since I'm taking ibuprofen and Tylenol, that means it's inflamed, so my nervous system is in overdrive and causing pain. The tooth did become more painful after the last root canal on the other tooth, so maybe that is the case. However, her advice to exercise and get a job aren't practical at the moment. My mouth hurts more now. It could be because of my OTC mouth guards. There was a couple of days it felt better. I keep experimenting with different ways to wear it, as grinding my teeth at night does irritate the tooth. I tried a different way last night, maybe that's the issue, and I need to go back to the one I was using. It's just uncomfortable sleeping with them.

I'm supposed to wait until I get the mouth guard in a couple of weeks. If it's still painful, the dentist said to call the endo. I'm not sure I can last that long. If it doesn't get better, I think I'll call another dentist next week.

[lizh]

Hi everyone,

Ugh! I have not been working out. Not sure if it is the fact that I am going back in the office or my extra duties at work or if I am just plain lazy. But, since today is Saturday, I just went for a long walk with my dog and I am off to do an essentrics workout from season 8.

Part of my problem, is that I don't have a plan and I can't make up my mind what workouts I want to do. I did a Jessica last week (something from youtube) and it was pure dread the entire time. I'm not sure what the problem is. However, I can't give up and I need to keep moving.

Sorry to hear that you are still having pain in your tooth, Sherry. And just to validate you, I think you got some strange advice from that doctor!

It was good to read the "friend discussion". I don't have many friends either. I have a few good long-distance friends and a few local ones, who are mainly previous work colleagues that I have kept in touch with. I have joined some meetup hiking groups, but I have never actually gone on one of their hikes. I am really shy and a huge introvert and I don't really mind the lack of friends. However, I have read that the way to stay young, healthy and vibrant is to have a lot of social interaction, so that makes me feel like I should work on it a bit more. (since I want to stay young, healthy and vibrant!)

Today I went to the library book sale. This was the first time they held the sale since March 2020 due to covid. Books are only $1.00 so it is fun to buy books that I want to explore or browse through with full permission to abandon and quit reading at any time since I didn't pay full price. Today there were lots of interesting quilting books and I picked up a few novels. I also bought Michelle Obama's book and Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic - creative living beyond fear" Maybe after I read that book, I'll join a meetup and try to meet some new people! LOL!

take care,
Liz

[donnamp]

Honestly, Sherry - I think you should just go to a brand new dentist not associated with any of these other dentists and just tell them your tooth hurts! Don't give too much background, let them x-ray and diagnose! It seems like you are getting the run around from everyone - and I think sometimes, like you said, they don't believe you and think you are a pest or over-reacting. sometimes if they can't find a reason they just blame the patient.

Maybe just getting a brand new opinion would help?

Donna