Glad to be Home!

by Julie Grenness
(Melbourne, Australia. )

"Whew! Glad to be home!" I told myself, I made it. Home in one piece, one minute before it started raining. Do you tell yourself that too? I had just spent an hour with my nurse, consulting with my GP. This was all funded by Medicare, a blessing, so no dramas.

It is the battle of my ageing. I have been treated for hypertension for over the past ten years now. My blood pressure level is stubbornly elevated. So my GP has thrown a new array of medications at me, drawing on a big cannon in his armament.

My health professionals even suggested I buy my own blood pressure monitor. I do not know about that. Sounds like "H" stands for Hypochondria to me. Anyway, after a tour of the pharmacy, boy, was I glad to be home. I could finally sit down and seek to be content in my own company, with a book and a cuppa.

"Don't stress!" my nurse told me at the local medical clinic. Yeah, right. I sat and read about the side-effects of this new lolly trolley. My doctor remains optimistic that he can overcome my hypertension. "Health is wealth," we all agree at our age. Apart from that hiccup, I am all clear, generally well.

I must say I reflected, feeling spoilt. I am being looked after by some lovely medicos. They are the human face of modern medicine. I have tried different approaches to this battle of hypertension. I meditate, medicate, have acupuncture, do daily walks, and practice calm deep breathing. So, on with the show, as I peruse my new medications. Impressive.

The next day, I planned a day at home. I caught up on housework sparkle, my gardener came around and mowed the lawns. I administered my new meds, and then sat down to let them weave their magic on reducing my hypertension.

While I was resting, I browsed on my phone, which is an addiction. I read a funny line, "What legacy are you leaving Willy Nelson and Keith Richards?" Good question, I considered, amusingly asked.

While being glad to be at home, I can still create a living legacy for these boomer dudes. I am growing a garden, and share blogs and poems online. Many boomers made a living legacy with their families, their own creations. They are glad to be home developing a rapport with their grandchildren.

So far, so good. I have not had any adverse effects from my new medicines. I heave a sigh guess I have lucky undies. What else would I be doing, now it is this time of day? Why, reading or crafting for charity. Craft is cool, keeps our brains active, sorting patterns and stitches. It is always good to be a bit active and creative.

It is good to wake up positive, at least we woke up. One day, time will stand still for all of the ageing, indeed, for everyone on Earth. I am glad to be at home here. I shall aim to slow down, not to stress, to accept the challenge of hypertension. My doctor and nurse are very kind. Kind people are my kinda people. I have a review appointment next week.

No doubt, then I shall be glad to be home!

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