May 2019 Newsletter Edition
May 2019 has been a good month to me. This month hasn't been easy. It takes a lot of effort for me to accomplish my goals. But this is what makes it so rewarding.
The month of May 2019 started with a reassessment of my physical disability. After a fresh round of MRI imaging it had become clear why I've had and continue to have such trouble with my knee joints. What has been discovered is multiple tears in my knee joints. There is also comments that amount to my knee joints being over stressed by the doctor who read my imaging. Ironically a similar description was said to me in June 2012 by a 91 year old retired orthopedic surgeon who was familiar with the hip disease I had at age 2 and how detrimental the prescribed treatment at that time was. I am not surprised. My treatment has been forwarded onto an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee joints. I will be requiring 2 more surgeries on my knee joints.
I am continuing to make progress programming this web site. I took the next step by buying a generic brand tablet. I am using this tablet as a UTC clock to display the date - time. I run my servers on UTC time. It is helpful to have a screen showing me this time as I program, debug and plan the features for this web site. When the site is fully programmed this will be helpful for the routine maintenance the servers will require.
My new furnace has been installed. I am really pleased. It has had an unexpected benefit. The new fan is extremely quiet. This is improving the quality of my life. This new furnace provides a more gentle heat. I am liking this. It came with a WiFi thermostat. I am able to control the temperature using my tablet. It has proven to be a very helpful investment.
I am continuing to make progress with the deep cleaning of my home. I've come to really enjoy this. When I first started I didn't know what to get rid. After the second stint of cleaning I defined my goals in life. Then I've let my goals in life define what possessions I need. I am finding this rewarding. I just tackle a bit at a time. It seems every 5th cleaning stint results in a trip to the thrift store to donate what I no longer need. I am seeing progress frequently enough to keep me motivated to go through virtually everything I own. I am going to end up with a set of possessions I need for day to day living and another set of possessions for my pursuit of self employment.
Nature photography continues to be a wonderful and healthy outlet. It helps me co-exist with my physical disability and chronic pain. I get right into it. At least temporarily I am able to forget about my challenges. I am thinking of buying a zoom lens (55mm to 250mm) more conducive of nature photography. This would give me the ability to zoom in on wild life and capture inspiring scenery.
Another step I am taking to help myself is starting guitar lessons. I've used money from my inheritance to purchase a guitar. One of the young adults in the community is going to assist me. The creative part of music helps me co-exist with my physical disability and chronic pain. I expect others will benefit from this as well.
Overall I am really pleased with my progress this month. As I work through my projects I am that much closer to focusing my time and energy on my self employment aspirations. I am very hopeful of my future. I am looking forward to sharing the practical tips and life experience with others starting on their journey with a physical disability, chronic pain or requiring the use of a wheelchair to have the best quality of life possible.