Well this year my family and I had a very quiet thanksgiving. Usually we have some people over and everyone eats and talks then talks and eats some more, but not this year. It was just my mom my younger sisters and myself. My stepdad unfortunately had to work till 11 that night. He does that every thanksgiving, but usually never this late. This lack of family involvement had nothing to do with death or anything drastic...it was like everyone did their own thing. Everyone had their own personal household family dinners.
The food was amazing, my mom made everything that we all wanted and then some. I thought it was interesting, she had recently had mouth surgery and even though she couldn't eat her food she still made sure that we were all satisfied. I asked her if she enjoyed cooking all this food and spending all day preparing it and she replied with a simple "yea, it makes me happy". I hope that I have that same joy cooking a feast for my family too. My mom also made food for other people, like she made extra trays of lasagna and baked macaroni and cheese for people to pick up and cook at home. My mom is one of the most generous people I know, and that had nothing to do with the holiday she's like this all year round. :)
No one watched sports ( this is household where mostly females reside) we literally ate some food then sat back hoping to digest it only to overstuff ourselves some more. My little sisters played their wii, my parents fixed the sensor so that they could once again enjoy their game my cat ruined. I wouldn't say that my thanksgiving had anything to do with health, it was all about eating good food. So I guess you can say I had a very "body-centered" meal. It wasn't specifically healthy but it was for our pleasure. No one wanted to eat tasteless things that didn't make them appreciate life a little bit more. We all wanted the sugary fattening cheesy meals that would send messages saying yes..this is GREAT.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
HW 17 - First Thoughts on the Illness & Dying Unit
I'm not sure how to write this blog with out sounding a little bit cliche.
I think the" traditional" things about illness and death. Illness is miserable, you are sick and scared all the time. You don't know if it will lead to death or just more suffering. You just know that you want to stop suffering. Death is scary you don't know what is on the other end of the stick. We try to comfort ourselves by thinking that there is some sort of life on the other end of the road, one that is better then the one we're living now; but we will never know until we die. I think my life and the people in it helped form these ideas. My religion tells me to behave now and I will live in the land of milk and honey later. And I believe it. I believe that there is a meaning to this madness we call life and it is a test of our strength and faith, in ourselves. I like to think of it on a more personal spiritual level. Either way, with out a doubt I do not want to go suffering. I do not want to suffer for years the way my grandfather did because of his failing organs. I was five and he was my world. I loved my Papi. (That's what I called him.) I've seen a lot of family members go, and they all did so slowly because they were ill. I think it's safe to say that because of my family history and the things that I've read about doctors saying a lot of these diseases will be hereditary, there isn't much I can do but wait and see what the future brings for me.
In society we are told these things about living healthier and better lives. We are given statistics about how certain diseases affect our age, gender and race groups. Yet we all live the way we do...I don't think that these are 100% affective in preventing illnesses but they are helpful. We are supposed to live these cautious lives, doing everything by the book, but we are also supposed to live life to the fullest. Enjoy that milkshake eat those fries, you never know when life will end. We can't do one with out the other, there needs to be a balance, but where is that balance? Does the balance even exist? I don't think so. I think that at some point if you are healthy now and enjoying life without rules then it will catch-up to you in the end. Maybe that is just my biased opinion speaking.
The truth is you are born, you eat to survive, make bad choices, make good choices, then you die. But after that death you are to be worshipped. Well in most societies you are. In america we spend money to make the funeral extravagant and feed everyone. (Food really is comfort) You dress the dead in appropriate clothes that you hope they will like and have them in make-up because you want them to look good as they lay there. You hope that when they're looking down at you they're saying "at least I went out in style" And then you forget them. Not literally but life goes on. It has to. We bury them in the ground and get a fancy and beautiful tombstone that we rarely will see. Maybe on occasions like they're birthday or they day they died. But we usually bury the essence of the people along with the thousand dollar coffin they're in. I don't want to sound judgmental, because if I were then I would also be a hypocrite but I this is just the way things are. Well at least to me.
I think the" traditional" things about illness and death. Illness is miserable, you are sick and scared all the time. You don't know if it will lead to death or just more suffering. You just know that you want to stop suffering. Death is scary you don't know what is on the other end of the stick. We try to comfort ourselves by thinking that there is some sort of life on the other end of the road, one that is better then the one we're living now; but we will never know until we die. I think my life and the people in it helped form these ideas. My religion tells me to behave now and I will live in the land of milk and honey later. And I believe it. I believe that there is a meaning to this madness we call life and it is a test of our strength and faith, in ourselves. I like to think of it on a more personal spiritual level. Either way, with out a doubt I do not want to go suffering. I do not want to suffer for years the way my grandfather did because of his failing organs. I was five and he was my world. I loved my Papi. (That's what I called him.) I've seen a lot of family members go, and they all did so slowly because they were ill. I think it's safe to say that because of my family history and the things that I've read about doctors saying a lot of these diseases will be hereditary, there isn't much I can do but wait and see what the future brings for me.
In society we are told these things about living healthier and better lives. We are given statistics about how certain diseases affect our age, gender and race groups. Yet we all live the way we do...I don't think that these are 100% affective in preventing illnesses but they are helpful. We are supposed to live these cautious lives, doing everything by the book, but we are also supposed to live life to the fullest. Enjoy that milkshake eat those fries, you never know when life will end. We can't do one with out the other, there needs to be a balance, but where is that balance? Does the balance even exist? I don't think so. I think that at some point if you are healthy now and enjoying life without rules then it will catch-up to you in the end. Maybe that is just my biased opinion speaking.
The truth is you are born, you eat to survive, make bad choices, make good choices, then you die. But after that death you are to be worshipped. Well in most societies you are. In america we spend money to make the funeral extravagant and feed everyone. (Food really is comfort) You dress the dead in appropriate clothes that you hope they will like and have them in make-up because you want them to look good as they lay there. You hope that when they're looking down at you they're saying "at least I went out in style" And then you forget them. Not literally but life goes on. It has to. We bury them in the ground and get a fancy and beautiful tombstone that we rarely will see. Maybe on occasions like they're birthday or they day they died. But we usually bury the essence of the people along with the thousand dollar coffin they're in. I don't want to sound judgmental, because if I were then I would also be a hypocrite but I this is just the way things are. Well at least to me.
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