Just what I needed

Usually Monday I get together with my online movie group. But this week I took Nancy and her husband Paul up on their invitation to meet for dinner. I'm so glad I did.

First of all, I'd just come out of a rough weekend. At the hospital Thursday, they installed a 10" ureteral stent. I experienced what the materials euphemistically called "stent bother." I was miserable. It was literally all I could think about for three days. I was bleeding, cramping, leaking, stinging ... the pain pills didn't erase the pain, they just made me care about it a little less. Monday morning was the first one in days where I woke up feeling human. 

Then there was the work thing. I understand and accept that this chapter of my work life is over, and I'm good with it. After all, I need to get healthy and I'm grateful severance affords me to do it without the stress of work deadlines. But I received some financial statements over the weekend and just got around to looking at them on Monday. Like everyone else invested in the stock market, the news was not good. So while I'm relieved about the time off, I'm less sanguine about no more salary after 10/27.

I hadn't been outdoors all day. Autumn is my favorite time of year, too! So it did me good to put on make up, get dressed, and walk up my neighborhood's main drag. The trees are still full and starting to change color. The sky was cloudless and a beautiful pale blue. It touched my heart.

This is just past the main library

I'm so comfortable with Nancy and Paul. They were amused yet shocked that I was, effectively, let go while on a gurney in the Recovery Room of Rush University Hospital. That kinda set the mood. Paul told the story of how he divorced Wife #1 shortly after their 25th anniversary and the judge made a joke about how instead of being printed on paper the decree should be engraved on silver. Nancy was telling a story about how messed up her work place is, and Paul was teasing her that she sounded like Columbo: "Wait! Here's another thing ..." I enjoyed this because you know how usually when you hang with a couple, you like one more than the other? While I'm closer to Nancy, it's so relaxing to be with a couple where you get along with them both.