Lost Flowers Enroute to a Friend

 Dear Readers,

I admit, I have been absent from this blog for a while, and for that I am sorry. What happened, you might ask? Well, life of course.

Knee surgery last December, a full summer of activities, concerts in the park, other concerts in the big city, and really GOOD food at various restaurants. Just to name a few things that kept me preoccupied. But, with "prep-tober" for Nanowrimo upon us, I am relaxing into "Fall mode," enjoying the scant appearance of Autumn leaves that are emerging here and there in Southern Ontario, and revelling in everything pumpkin spice.

Now, to get to the latest fiasco that happened yesterday. Lost flowers enroute to a friend. I'd used Teleflora to deliver birthday flowers one day early to a dear soul sister of mine in Pittsburgh. Simple enough, right? Browse the many gorgeous arrangements on the colorful website, click on "pay now" and voila! Flowers delivered within five or so hours to my pal.

Simplicity? Ease? No complications? In MY world? Okay, not to mock the universe, because yes, I do count my blessings, and AMAZING things DO occur for me on the daily. I say this in jest, because as a fiction writer, what would life be without a minor roadblock or hiccup in my heartfelt quest to send a sentimental gift to a cherished person? I expect these minor delays, because well, to quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

Okay, back to the flowers. They were a magnificent Autumn arrangement with fall-themed accents, black-eyed susans with that yellow pop of color, and vibrant orange roses, along with a pretty ceramic pumpkin vase! Heart-stopping, right?

I'd gotten an email notification that the flowers had been "delivered by hand" to the recipient at 6:43 p.m. Excited for my friend, I texted her to see what she thought of them. Flowers? What flowers, she asked. She had just left her house and run to the store for some errands. NOTHING was on her front porch. I was crushed.

Calling customer service at Teleflora, I connected with a soft-spoken woman named Theresa whose voiced sounded like butter, setting me at ease a little. She put me on hold, investigated, and got back to me. Apparently, the flowers showed at her end that they HAD been delivered to the recipient. My friend lives in a semi-detached house and shares the porch with her next door neighbor, so she inquired with that person. They'd only seen two Amazon deliveries that day, no flowers.

Again, I was disappointed, angered, that my friend did not get her birthday parcel and I had spent $103.00 USD on something I had purchased to brighten her day.

Being one day early with my friend's flowers, there is ONE positive aspect of this kerfuffle. Now I get a chance to remedy the situation and go with one of the other florists in Pittsburgh. Theresa, the customer rep, was so accommodating, that she offered to COMPLETELY refund all my money. But wait, my friend's birthday is the next day, Sept. 28th. She needs and deserves a pretty floral package in which to celebrate her special day!!! 

We agreed on the 50% refund on the lost flowers, Theresa re-ordered a NEW autumn bouquet from a different florist, and now the wait. I sit here Saturday Sept. 28 at noon with coffee in hand, eagerly waiting on the replacement flowers to safely arrive at my bestie's front door. I also got a 30% off coupon for my future order of flowers! How synchronous! In my circle, there are two important birthdays in October!!! This was music to my ears! Thank you, Theresa from customer service at Teleflora! You are a gem of a human!!! (Side note: the expiry on the 30% coupon for future use just happens to be March 27, 2025. My favorite singer Mariah's birthday!!! Synchronicity is SOOO WONDERFUL!!)

Coffee nearby, Aretha singing "I Say A Little Prayer" on my earbuds (totally random You Tube selection by the way. They are choosing songs based on my previous selections of the Three Degrees "Long Lost Lover" and the Stylistics "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)." I sure love me some Aretha singing Burt Bacharach on a sunny Saturday! Wow!!!

At any rate, I await the grand arrival of my friend's flowers. I will keep you posted! Thank you for listening.

Isn't that how life is, when you view it in the broader sense? "Lost Flowers Enroute to a Friend" can be an analogy for most of the missed chances we have in this universe. Or for the things we intended to say, but never delivered, to the ears of those we love. All the potential good and inspiring things that we so DESPERATELY wanted to say in the moment to the one we loved, yet we missed the chance because our foolish fear and lack of courage stood in the way, blocking the blessing. Or we were apprehensive because if the words HAD been uttered on our lips or rendered on some pretty stationary with roses, would the recipient laugh at us and toss our heartfelt scrawlings into the trash bin? Would they broadcast to their circle how "weird" and outlandish our gesture was?

Nothing haunts us like the things we wish we'd said, when that person was standing there in front of us, right there in all their glory, waiting to hear our life-changing words that would mean so much. Or perhaps the hug we wish we'd given them and the "I LOVE YOU" that should've left our lips while they were still alive. THAT one is my biggest regret by far (Miss you so much, George Watson).

On this glorious September 28th, I wish you goodness and laughter, loving moments with those you hold dear. Keep shining bright, like that Autumn sunlight beaming through my curtains right now. Love yourself a little harder. Never let anyone steal your joy or cancel your biggest dreams.

Cheering for you always,

RR xo

The Importance of Legs!! Total knee replacement

 Dear Readers,

With the New Year now upon us, and the recent surgery I have survived, I wanted to share with you the importance of legs. 

Now, you might laugh or scoff at me, say I am silly or redundant. But the truth of the matter is this: legs are life and life is legs.

People around me declared with a big smile and filled me with hope, stating "oh, you'll be fine! Total knee replacement surgery? Piece of cake."

One guy named Bob who is 80 said "They had me up and walking right after surgery and I walked right out of that place."

Another woman in the euchre circle who my boyfriend knows at the Wednesday night card games said "You have Doctor Chhirba? Oh, he's great. You just take the pain meds for three days and you'll be good as new."

What this woman failed to tell me was her dosage of pain meds and what medication was it? Because 5 mg oxycodone gave me a fever, sinus headache, nausea and did not fight the pain. My nerve block apparatus catheter running into my thigh to stop the pain post-surgery had mal-functioned, causing DEBILITATING pain in my knee and entire leg. I experienced pain on a scale of 10 out of 10 and likened it to the intense agony of being in labor with my first child.

December 28th was the surgery and by December 29th I was in full-blown agony that I called the ambulance to take me late Friday night. By 12:51 a.m. December 30th I arrived at the ER to find only one doctor on duty and over 70 patients in the packed waiting room. Running on 26 hours no sleep, I was finally seen by Doctor Adam and sent home with a needle of morphine in my left bicep and prescription for 1 mg morphine pills. There WAS, after all, a God! Ten hours from signing in to the time we called an uber, my ever-patient and kind boyfriend helped me into the car and down the steps (OUCH!).

I've been housebound since Saturday morning, and that is just fine.

Brother James has been a massive help, bringing me water bottles, herbal tea, snacks, and a big red pail to empty my bladder in. "You should've had it by your bedside since day one. Why are you killing yourself running to the bathroom in the middle of the night with that walker? You could fall and hit your head!" His concern was justified and warmed my heart.

Seriously, I've struggled so hard to walk in the last few days. Yes, I am doing the physio exercises just like the book tells me to do, and the first physio appointment is January 5th, but still, the pain and stiffness feels like my knee and entire leg is locking up on me. I feel so helpless! So useless! The simple tasks I did every morning, like wash some dishes, scrub my coffee and tea mugs, prep the hot water with the kettle, and make breakfast for my partner and I...well it's annoying and aggravating that I have to be knocked down a few pegs and basically be stuck in my room 90 per cent of the time.

Icing the knee every hour or so, yes, that too. It works wonders when I start to feel that familiar twinge of pain coming back. It's a nagging ache, especially when I've been on my feet a few minutes and worse at night when I lie down to sleep finally. 

What has saved me? Morphine pills. Oh God, what a lifesaver. Also, the constant support of my partner, who just today ran errands about five times. My phone charger failed, so he ran to get me a new one at the corner store. I had a craving for those soft and yummy Voortman blueberry cookies, well he went out just before his euchre night at the Legion and got me cookies. An hour before that, he went to the pharmacy to pickup my re-filled prescription that my surgeon's office had faxed in today. 

Last night, my guy was wonderful and brought us home takeout dinner of delicious roasted sirloin, complete with a homemade beef vegetable soup. The side dishes were mashed potato and gravy and peas. I'm immensely grateful that God sent me an ideal partner who not only loves me, but has the kindness and willingness to take care of me when I am down and out.

Legs! So important! I want to emphasize how crucial and vital they are. It's not as though I took them for granted, but this experience has been such an eye-opener to what patients must have suffered through during recovery. I mean, what a MAJOR surgery! Total knee replacement. OUCH!

Being housebound isn't really all that bad. I can watch old re-runs of my favorite Chicago PD shows, catch a cheesy Hallmark Christmas film, black and white Perry Mason episodes, or to update my blog. Yes, I am missing my independence of just putting on shoes and painting the town for karaoke. But those days will come again. For now, I need to hydrate, eat, practice self-care and show myself SO MUCH GRACE and compassion for the limited mobility I am currently addressing.

Remember, if you've got legs, never take them for granted and always take good care of them. Your legs are your ticket to a better life, to countless adventures, taking you so many places you have never been before.

I sure hope you enjoyed my spiel and wish all my good readers a Very Happy New Year as you embark on your own exciting times ahead.

Cheers,

RR xo