A GOODtime Out Chair? Just Out of My Grasp

07/25/2014

Good morning!  I’ve decided to use my blog not only to writing, music, and other facets of entertainment, but, also to share my journey. I’ve had significant health problems for almost two years. Initially, my rheumatologist diagnosed me with systemic lupus (SLE) on June 19, 2013. However, the medication wasn’t working and I kept getting worse and developing new symptoms. So, after second, third, and fourth opinions, my neurologist believes instead I have fibromyalgia. 

In April 2014 I visited yet another rheumatologist who I hoped would be familiar with autoimmune disorders. Following an extensive intake during my initial appointment, I found a place where the doctor also listened to me. Based upon my blood work, the doctor believes I have Sjogren’s Syndrome. She also made the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and pre-lupus. I’ve never heard of pre-lupus, but, hopefully it stays in the “pre” category.

Thank you for listening, each week I will have a new installment chronicling my journey- Which is now more frustrating than ever. I test positive for ANAs in my blood, but, the lupus tests are negative. There are several varieties of autoimmune disorders, with different caveats and health variations. Learning to live with the unknown has become my routine.

A GOODtime Out Chair

I have an obsession with #Ikea, I admit it. It’s almost an addiction that makes me giddy with excitement thinking about my next trip to our Euro-Texan Megastore. I hate to tell you, because I don’t like sharing the information, but, the second Wednesday of each month is their scratch and dent half-price sale day! ZOINKS!  Which means, the already marked down as-is items are further marked down like half of the sale price! I’ve had carts and carts of merchandise and taken three trips one time to get it all home. True. Story.

What this has to do with my disease is that mental health is just as important to me as my physical health. They are dependent on one another for me to lead a successful life. I try to think of ways to minimize stress and bring smiles and happiness as often as I can. I started thinking about a recent purchase I made and it made me stop and ponder.

One of my absolute favorite people in the world is a pre-schooler who’s stolen my heart. I love him so much that when I think of this little guy, I can’t help but smile from the inside out. I mean, look at this little face:

I call him my quasi-grandchild. His name is Landon. 

So, I buy Landon things from time to time and I found him a chair at Ikea during one of the scratch and dent days. It’s green and just his size and the cutest thing. I need to put his name on the back of  it, and will do that as soon as I can decide how I want to do it. For some random reason, the chair crossed my mind this morning as I sat on the bus headed to work. I thought this chair would be the absolute opposite of a discipline spot. So, definitely not a time out chair. But, what about a goodtime out chair?

The wheels begin to spin and I thought of my years growing up. We had the stool in the corner and the whole dunce hat stigma of being sent to the corner at school. When I became a parent, we had the whole time-out phenomenon to hit the parenting scene and remove the child from the situation. (personally, I still believe a spanking is appropriate- but this post isn’t about that).

Did we ever have a chair that would be a place of happiness, joy, success, or virtue measured by our good deeds, thoughts, and behaviors? No, I cannot remember one.

So, I decided to make Landon’s new chair a GOODTIME out chair. That will be its purpose. When we catch him doing an act of kindness, joy, chivalry, or whatever, he can be rewarded by sitting in the chair and receiving praise or equally recognized attention. Could it be the new craze? Why even be a craze when it should be routine.

How about when we catch someone- friends, coworkers, kids of all ages, family, etc doing something kind, noble, or generous we say how proud we are to see it? It isn’t condescending or rude, it’s affirming and bolsters a person’s regard for others. What makes me smile is the look I get from someone when I acknowledge or appreciate them. It is warm and fuzzy and certainly not something I’ve always done or maybe even do enough now. But, I’m trying to do better.