>--> Quoting Tom TO Rick 04-16-96  22:50
Hi!
Just thought I would get on here and see if I can generate a little
bit of traffic. Don't think though *sigh* that you'll need to get
out a stop sign. Now if there was some way that I could post my
picture here then maybe as I'm a real looker ;-). I can't help but
notice the looks that men send my way. Opps! wrong conference ;-).
 TM> Ahhhhh.. Nooo... and Never did.. 
 TM> I am an Aerospace Engineer, retired on disability.. :-)
I hope that you were prepared for retirement with plenty of hobbies
to keep you busy. There are 24 more days then school will be out and
I'll be out of a job until Fall :-). I have to talk to the Principal
before school lets out to see if come Fall she can work things out
so that I spend less time doing playground supervision as the lunch
hour is just too difficult for me. Especially in the wintertime when
I'm out in the cold and tramping through the snow. I wouldn't mind
doing the first 15 minute recess,one of the half hour recesses
during lunch and then the last 15 minutes of recess which would
give me only 15 minutes less recess than I do now. I have to admit
that doing the recesses are a lot easier on me than Crossing school
children. But they seem to take more energy than working in the
workroom or the classrooms.
 TM> * WCE 2.1G1/2037 * Yield to temptation, it may not pass your way
 TM> again. 
Hehehe...this is at least the second time today that I've run across
this tagline. HMMMMM....maybe some one is trying to tell me
something.....gotta go and check out that chocolate chip cookie that
is calling me....just hang in here for a moment.
Oh drats! someone beat me to it...so will just have to chomp on a
carrot stick.
Hope you don't mind a little bit of my humor. If I'm being out of
line do be sure and tell me. But I've read articles about how
beneficial it is to laugh and smile and my experience is that there
is a lot of truth in that. Besides my philosophy is that life is too
short to be spent in feeling sorry for myself or railing against the
unfairness of it all. It seems so unfair that having once gone
through Polio now I have to go through problems with it all over
again. The Polio may eventually claim my body but there is no way
that I'm going to let it claim my Spirit and my Mind. I'll fight it
until I take my last breath. Yes,I'm strong-willed but perhaps that
is why I've survived.
For awhile the area where I lived had a Polio Support group but it
disbanded. It was only meeting four times a year. I went to a couple
of meetings but it was so depressing...I've never in my life met
such negative people. I know that pain can make it difficult to be
positive but still I'm going to try to stay as positive as possible.
Anyway I was told at one group meeting that I should quit ice skating,
quit hiking,quit biking,etc. All the things that I enjoy right now
doing. The woman told me that if I didn't quit that I would end up
in a wheelchair like she is unable to even take a load of laundry
out of the dryer. I don't know how much truth there is in her advice
but I decided to go ahead and continue doing the things that I
enjoy until I'm no longer able. At least if at a later date I'm
incapacitated my son will have good memories of times spend with me.
A friend of mine who is also a polio survivor made a 3,000 bike
trip last summer and for me he is an inspiration. I never push
myself however to the point of being in pain. I try to listen to
what my body is telling me and pace myself accordingly. I have to
admit that after riding my bike today I did find myself having to
come home and take a nap.
Well,I've rambled on long enough and it is *sigh* once again past my
bedtime. I got a message from you the other day but it will be
awhile before I'll get around to answering it. I'm only 60 to 80
packets behind or just about a month behind. :-(
                                  Beth :-)
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