A photo of me at home

A photo of me at home
A new photo of me and Jean at home

Friday, 6 September 2013

Living with MND - 2010 - Part 2

This is a further update from Gordon's notes on 2010
 
Eating
Like most things I do, eating involves a strict procedure, focusing and concentration on my every move.

1)     Get seated comfortably.

2)     Ensure spoon, or fork are as near to right angles when entering my mouth so that food goes in cleanly ( this is usually quite hard to accomplish)

3)     Make sure there is no overhang of food on the cutlery, as lips and tongue now have a problem in collecting and retrieving any food that doesn’t go directly into the mouth.

4)     Chew food well and empty mouth before next mouthful. Chewing is mainly concentrated on front teeth as tongue is now unable to push food to the sides for chewing.

5)     It’s not uncommon for me at mealtimes to get a bout of coughing followed by a sneeze and “runny nose” this seems to act as a safety procedure for preventing food going down the windpipe.

Eating out in a restaurant is debatable, as I feel I’m drawing attention to myself, however if I choose selectively from their menu, like pasta or rice dishes, then I feel any shortcomings aren’t as noticeable.

Contentment
First let me explain my meaning of the word. For me, it’s a feeling of inner satisfaction accrued over my lifetime. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my 50 years in horticulture, from commercial growing through to management, and ultimately forming my own landscaping business. Over the 50 years I’ve been involved in numerous tree and shrub planting schemes, whether at the planning or supervisory stages. Finally it was “hands on planting” when in my own business. This started in the late sixties and ended in 2002. “ The icing on the cake” is to see them now maturing, some now over 30 feet tall.
 
I feel I’ve left my mark for future generations, and have done my bit for “the environment”-- What a grand epitaph eh!!

Like the song says (regrets I’ve had a few, but then again to few to mention). I’ve had a good and fulfilling life which has lead me in many unexpected directions, plus Jean and I are lucky that we have a supportive and caring family. What more could we ask for!!

Finally, contentment comes to “he who learns to bear what he cannot change". 

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