Menopause for Dummies

by Marcia Jones, Theresa Eichenwald, and Nancy W. Hall
Hennepin County Library paperback 342 pages
genre: non-fiction health

I wanted to know what was "normal" as I head toward my second half-century on the planet. I feel a lot better knowing that my current symptoms aren't really very troublesome at all. I am also confident that I will NOT be a good candidate for hormone therapy (because of my Factor V Leiden clotting issue.)

page 48 - "Fuzzy thinking is common when you're deprived of sleep or your hormones are in flux. When we say fuzzy thinking, we mean the feeling that you're just not with it today - as though you're walking through a fog or you just can't concentrate on what you're doing. Fuzzy thinking can be the result of interrupted sleep (which is extremely common during menopause)." I'm glad it's not just me losing my mind . . . I hate the feeling of fuzzy thinking! And it has been happening all too often lately.

page 120: "Water-based lubricants, such as Astroglide, are healthier for vaginal linings. Avoid petroleum-based products." Not an issue yet, but good to know!

I marked pages 236-7, but I'm not sure why . . . it's dealing with "controlling cardiovascular disease" and most of this info is old news to me. Perhaps it was the section on dealing with bone loss . . .

page 271-280 - great info on warming up and cooling down / hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds

• walk or cycle for 5-10 minutes to get warm
• stretch upper torso and arms by clasping hands above head, interlocking fingers / push palms upward / stretch until you feel tightness and hold
• clasp hands behind back / slowly and carefully life arms, stretch until you feel tightness and hold
• stand close ot a wall with one leg forward / bend front leg at knee and keep back leg straight / put hands on wall / stretch forward keeping back foot flat on the floor / switch legs and repeat
• lie flat on back / stick one leg up in the air / grab thigh of that leg / slightly bend leg on the floor / gently pull leg toward chest keeping leg straight / switch legs
• sit on floor with both legs extended straight out in front of you / bend one leg so your knee touches your chest / lean forward, reach out, and touch your toes / switch legs
• lie on back / raise legs in the air and bend at the knees / grab both legs behind and below knees / keep back flat to the floor while pulling thighs in toward chest 

Flax seed is highly recommended . . . buy in small amounts because it has a short shelf life. Use a grinder to grind it over foods. Very good for bone density and heart health!

Same Kind of Different as Me

by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent 

Hennepin County Library hardcover 235 pages 

genre: true life story 

subtitled: a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together 

 

Amazing. Absolutely incredible story told in alternating chapters between Ron Hall (the art dealer) and Denver Moore (the black homeless man). This book had SO much going on that I want to own a copy. I love the life lessons that Ron learned. I cried. It is a beautiful book. Everyone in book club today enjoyed it. Excellent read!

 

<Above posted 3.26.2012. Below added 12.08.2020.>

 

I thought about buying a copy of this to own, but decided to re-read a library copy instead. (I've been trying to decrease my possessions . . . ) This is truly an amazing story. 

 

The pieces of Denver's story told in his youth in Louisiana really struck me. The time three white teenagers roped him and dragged him because he was helping a white woman change the tire on her car. Why didn't she speak up?! And seeing the house burn with his grandma inside, not being able to wake her up. How awful!

 

There are so many times that Ron's attitude and language bug me, but I appreciate that he is honest about his own skewed perspective. And I love the truth of what believers can do - share their own story. Amen! On page 61, I loved this observation:

Looking back now, I mourn the mutual wounds inflicted in verbal battles with the "unsaved." In fact, I have chosen to delete that particular term from my vocabulary as I have learned that even with my $500 European-designer bifocals, I cannot see into a person's heart to know his spiritual condition. All I can do is tell the jagged tale of my own spiritual journey and declare that my life has been the better for having followed Christ.

 

 All of Debbie's cancer journey was so very hard to read . . . the pain, the faith, the prayers, and the challenges. I loved how God spoke to and through Denver throughout this journey.

Page 143 has an example of Deborah's faithfulness. What an amazing woman!

"Let's praise God," she said.

"For what?" I thought without saying it.

"Let's forget what he (the doctor) said about only living one year, and let's just trust God," she told me. "Dr. Goldstein is just a doctor. We serve the living God, who knows our number of days. I intend to fulfill each one of mine."

There was some humor mixed in, mostly from Denver's perspective. At a fancy dinner honoring their work with the homeless, Denver made this observation (page 200-1).

When the food come, I took my cloth napkin and put it on my lap. And I kept a eye on Mr. Ron to make sure I was usin the right fork. I had learned by then that rich white folks got a lotta rules 'bout forks. I still ain't figured out why they got to use three or four different ones and make a lotta extra work for the folks in the kitchen.

Page 211 at Deborah's funeral from Denver's perspective (my bolding):

Then I felt like the Lord had given me a word for the people that was gathered there. And when the Lord say "speak," ain't much you can do but get up, open your mouth, and see what comes out.

Here's what come out that day: "Miss Debbie was a close enough friend a' mine that I prayed and prayed for her, day and night - even to the point of offerin God life for life. 'Let me go in,' I said to Him. 'Let her stay here, 'cause she more worthy than me to stay here on this earth, and I would be better off to go on up to heaven 'cause I ain't had no kinda luck down here.'"

Finally, on page 230, Ron's humble honesty resonates with me.

The pain of losing Deborah still brings tears. And I cannot mask my profound disappointment that God did not answer yes to our prayers for healing. I think He's okay with that. One of the phrases we evangelicals like to throw around is that Christianity is "not a religion; it's a relationship." I believe that, which is why I know that when my faith was shattered and I raged against Him, He still accepted me. And even though I have penciled a black mark in His column, I can be honest about it. That's what a relationship is about.

After re-reading this, I went online to "catch up" with these people. Ron Hall has remarried. Denver died in 2012. Ron's and Debbie's kids have families and careers of their own. Life goes on. God is good.