I know that there are people out there that are suffering worse than I am, I know that this will eventually pass, and I know that in the grand scheme of things this is not a big deal. However, this is my blog so I am going to talk about it. I'll even throw in a joke at the end if you feel like you've wasted a couple minutes of your life reading about my silly problems. Deal?!? Okay, here we go.
Let me start off by saying that Easter is my favorite time of the year. From Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, it all gets a big :-) from me. Yet this year at 3:00am on Maundy Thursday, I was awoken by severe pain in my lower back. It was horrible! I thought that it was because I didn't stretch like I was supposed to in racquetball the other day, so I took some ibuprofin. That didn't work at all. It hurt when I sat, stood, laid down, or walked around. I decided that since I was feeling nauseaus, it must be flatulance. I tried going to the bathroom, but that made it worse. I was screaming to myself, praying to God, but the pain kept coming. Finally when I came into my parents room to get some more toilet paper, they asked if I was doing all right. I said, "No, I have really sharp pains in the lower right side of my back." My dad said that is where my kidney is. Then he asked me if I needed to go to the Emergency Room. He made the decision to, and I'm glad he did. I just didn't want to get there and have the guys be like, "Mr. Lemons, your son just has gas. Give him this bowl of chili, and he'll be fine!" After answering questions, giving blood, having great pain medication, getting a CT scan, and getting stronger pain medication (at that point I felt like little demons were dancing in my kidney), he told me I had a 2.5mm stone in my kidney and that hopefully it will pass in 2-3 days. So my Easter was spent basically lying on the couch in our living room, drugged, and drinking gallons of liquids with the end result...the little bugger has made himself comfortable and is enjoying the refreshments.
I went to the Urologist the other day, and basically we decided that the best course of action is to just ride it out. THANK GOD I got a perscription for more pain medication. However I may have this thing for more than 6 weeks. Just so you know, I took some medication at 3:00am today because the pain woke me up, so I may be rambling or sound somewhat incoherent right now. The hardest thing now is having the motivation to do homework and finish this semester strong. My motivation right now is to sleep. My dreams have been excellent lately, and the dogs have been by my side the whole time. I am just not motivated at all. Even right now I have two projects, some e-mails, a lifegroup lesson to prepare, and I need to clean my room. But I decided to blog.
I'm kind of upset. I feel like my Easter was taken away from me. Yes, I know how selfish this sounds. I know how much God has blessed me. I know that the pain I feel is nothing like what Jesus felt on the Cross. I also know that Easter is not about me (although the gift of salvation is given to all of us). Let me then rephrase myself: I am upset because I felt like I wasn't able to utilize all that this Easter week had to offer.
Once again, I am on pain-killers right now so this whole blog may sound completely not like me at all. It may sound like "Pot Scott" my evil drug-induced twin. So since some of you read this until the very end, here is a joke.
Q: "Where does the Easter Bunny get his Breakfast?"
A: "At the IHOP!"
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Reflections - Death/Life, Education, Reading
This blog is going to be comprised of me rambling about certain things that I have been thinking about lately. I decided to talk about three different things, even though there is a lot floating around up there. During my commutes, I have plenty of time to think and I sometimes turn off the radio and let my mind wander.
I was thinking about those movies and shows where people have been told they only have a certain amount of time to live. Why is it that everyone is so self-centered when they find out they will only be on the earth for a little while longer? Shouldn't that be a time to think about mending relationships, telling others about your faith, and just being recklessly compassionate towards others? It seems like every show I watch people decide to travel the world, buy lavish gifts for themselves, eat foods they have never had, do something reckless and exciting like bungee jumping, sky diving, etc. How many people do you see giving all their money to charity? What about people spending their remaining money to go overseas and help build schools, houses, or collect food for underprivileged children? I hope these thoughts will at least cross some people's minds if this ever happens to them.
I've been also thinking about gender issues in Elementary Education. You hear about these behavior problems and talk about teachers acting as parents during the school-days toward these children. If teachers are supposed to act like parents, where are the fathers in schools? Who is going to show these young boys how to act like men? Who is going to protect those young girls from making mistakes with the stupid boys? Yes, women have been doing a wonderful job in the teaching profession. It is important to have a nurturer during this time of development so that the self-esteem and person worth is understood and valued. Yet what is it saying to our young boys if they don't see any men teaching in their schools? There are some men, but overall the statistic is startling. Males comprise about 16% of elementary teachers (Strizek, Pittsonberger, Riordon, Lyter, & Orlofsky, 2006). Does anyone else find that peculiar?
Finally, I've been thinking about my thoughts and attitudes toward reading. I remember growing up always seeing a book in my sister's hand. My mom and my dad would sit at the table or chair and be reading. They would tell me to read a book and I would always say, "No, I'll just go watch T.V." It really wasn't until Junior High when I discovered Louis L'amour and the Left Behind Series that I become interested in reading. Since then, I have found and read books that have really made me think and have brought me new perspectives on issues. It has also helped to improve my vocabulary as well as writing. It makes me sad when I hear of future or current teachers that say they do not like to read. I can't comprehend why you would want to be a teacher (especially at the Grade-school level) if you don't like to read. Isn't that like the main thing we are trying to teach them? I think reading is amazing because it's like a movie going on in your head and you can revisit it any time you want. Good books will stay with you...especially when you're young. I re-read several children's books this past semester that I remember reading in gradeschool, and they are so much more meaningful now. Dr. Seuss for instance is way more profound than I ever thought.
Those are some of my ramblings. I hope you have a great rest of the week!
I was thinking about those movies and shows where people have been told they only have a certain amount of time to live. Why is it that everyone is so self-centered when they find out they will only be on the earth for a little while longer? Shouldn't that be a time to think about mending relationships, telling others about your faith, and just being recklessly compassionate towards others? It seems like every show I watch people decide to travel the world, buy lavish gifts for themselves, eat foods they have never had, do something reckless and exciting like bungee jumping, sky diving, etc. How many people do you see giving all their money to charity? What about people spending their remaining money to go overseas and help build schools, houses, or collect food for underprivileged children? I hope these thoughts will at least cross some people's minds if this ever happens to them.
I've been also thinking about gender issues in Elementary Education. You hear about these behavior problems and talk about teachers acting as parents during the school-days toward these children. If teachers are supposed to act like parents, where are the fathers in schools? Who is going to show these young boys how to act like men? Who is going to protect those young girls from making mistakes with the stupid boys? Yes, women have been doing a wonderful job in the teaching profession. It is important to have a nurturer during this time of development so that the self-esteem and person worth is understood and valued. Yet what is it saying to our young boys if they don't see any men teaching in their schools? There are some men, but overall the statistic is startling. Males comprise about 16% of elementary teachers (Strizek, Pittsonberger, Riordon, Lyter, & Orlofsky, 2006). Does anyone else find that peculiar?
Finally, I've been thinking about my thoughts and attitudes toward reading. I remember growing up always seeing a book in my sister's hand. My mom and my dad would sit at the table or chair and be reading. They would tell me to read a book and I would always say, "No, I'll just go watch T.V." It really wasn't until Junior High when I discovered Louis L'amour and the Left Behind Series that I become interested in reading. Since then, I have found and read books that have really made me think and have brought me new perspectives on issues. It has also helped to improve my vocabulary as well as writing. It makes me sad when I hear of future or current teachers that say they do not like to read. I can't comprehend why you would want to be a teacher (especially at the Grade-school level) if you don't like to read. Isn't that like the main thing we are trying to teach them? I think reading is amazing because it's like a movie going on in your head and you can revisit it any time you want. Good books will stay with you...especially when you're young. I re-read several children's books this past semester that I remember reading in gradeschool, and they are so much more meaningful now. Dr. Seuss for instance is way more profound than I ever thought.
Those are some of my ramblings. I hope you have a great rest of the week!
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