2025- The Tronson Year in Review
2025- A year full of life’s little lessons. I was going to write down 25 lessons which seemed so appropriate at the time but apparently I forgot the lesson about remembering to write things down. So here is what I remembered. Stop a second. Was it 25, 20, or 15 I was going to include? I forgot.
I continue to discover life’s little lessons that I never thought would become important to my life and my survival. Bingo players at senior living communities can get angrier than a Tasmanian Devil when their bingo game is interrupted and a jackpot is involved. Take my advice and keep a low profile. Likewise, their only reaction if someone yells “fire” during a game is to grab their cards and wait for the next letter to be called. No one is to leave until the game is over. Period. No excuses. Messing with their cocktail hour runs a close second to disaster if interrupted and could lower your life expectancy if you screw up. Keith continues to flourish at the community but I must warn you that he cuts no slack for anyone who messes with either of the above activities and is a staunch supporter of certain life lessons. He keeps his Goggle Calendar full with dinner outings, concerts, wine and beer tasting events, festivals, daily walks, boxing- just to mention a few. He does have a tricked out motorize wheelchair that could probably leave rubber if he decided to dial it up to full speed which we strongly discourage. Technology has not left him behind since he keeps in touch using FaceTime and Texts. If you would like to be added to his contact list be forewarned that he likes to do FaceTime at random hours and uses his contact list like the wheel on the Wheel of Fortune. It is a mystery who will be contacted and and what time that would happen. But he is always pleasant to talk to so that is your reward. His senior community should be called the Ritz Carlton because of their outrageously high prices but it is just known as Carlton- the Ritz part is in the monthly bill. However it meets most of the care he needs and he is in an environment which he enjoys. The most important part is that it is a safe place for him- as long as bingo and cocktail hour rules are observed.
My life lesson for the year took me in a direction I had never gone before. I ended up in the hospital for a period of time with an infection that had gotten out of control. The chaos I experienced at Kaiser was similar to third world countries we had visited in the past. Wheelchairs, carts, nurses, family members—all competing for limited hallway space. Not to mention the confusion, the noise, and questionable food. I had no idea what was going on most of the time but eventually discovered that making friends with the nurses is imperative since it appeared that the doctors are sporadic visitors. After being attached to all kinds of alarms at the hospital, I asked if I would be getting a lollipop or at least a sticker if I survived but I was told they would get right back to me. It has been months now and no lollipop or sticker yet but I haven’t given up hope.
I am a strong believer of support groups so I facilitate a Parkinson’s Support Group in Keith’s community. The group is small and a number of people who attend just want to learn about Parkinson’s which I find very touching. At the beginning of next year I am officially retiring as a facilitator of another Parkinson’s support group that I have been with for many years. This group has grown to over 200 people on my email list and continues to grow. For my replacement they decided on an Executive Committee of 6 people. Another reason to believe in life’s little lessons. A low profile always keeps the Tasmanian Devil away. I remain a member of a book club that I have belonged to for years. I have a number of groups I frequently go to lunch with and have to admit none of my groups have solved any world problems- just too many life lessons to tackle. I was asked to participate in a clinical trial concerning macular degeneration, a condition I have had for a number of years. It sounded exciting until I realized it involves eye charts, bright lights, and people saying, ‘What’s the smallest line you can see?’ So now I squint dramatically for effect when I answer that question. Yep, I do have a little bit of drama in my life.
And what do we learn from life’s little lessons? You discover the ultimate truth: life doesn’t hand out perfect answers or lessons—just entertaining plot twists. And that, in its own ridiculous way, is how life keeps us learning… one funny little lesson at a time be it at bingo, cocktail hours or any other life’s little lesson you may face.
Wishing you the happiest of holidays.
Betty and Keith