March 1: score of 34

Okay. My coachman -- Mike -- seems to be a very nice sort of person. He is a smoker but I was not able to detect any unpleasantness during our ride in this morning (and you know my nose was on alert). He is a buyer for a company that builds embassies overseas and has two degrees, one in engineering and one in biometric security, not that that is important. I am keeping my virtual fingers crossed.

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It may be time to consider getting a folding wheelchair for use when I am out with the kids. When Jenny and Becky were here this past weekend we had to run some errands. I managed to make my way into Lowe's, CVS, and Target without incident but, when I found something to be funny (which I always do when I am with my daughters) the uncontrollable and enthusiastic laughter was enough to make me lose my balance; I actually fell backward into a rack of shoes! I did not fall to the ground, but I did bump my back. The laughter notwithstanding, a wheelchair would speed me up a little.

My fits of laughter are becoming well known at the office, too. When trying to tell a few coworkers about a silly dream I had, I started laughing and was unable to speak. Thank goodness I was already sitting. Knowing that this episode might last some time, my coworkers amiably beat a hasty retreat.

What really freaks people out is when the laughing is punctuated by bursts of tears. There are times when I am crying and it turns into laughter and vice versa. Overall I prefer the laughing, despite the loss of balance. Ha ha, I am sure people think I am completely unbalanced with all these crazy emotions, so the imbalance is probably totally appropriate.

So, the new coachman and the possibility of a wheelchair...what other adaptations do I have to report? Oh, right, there is a new grab bar in the bathroom. Getting up and down from a seated position has not been so much fun in a very long time. One must find the gift in all things, remember?

It's a real balancing act.