The Morning After

A wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving. The first I have spent at one of my children's homes. I loved to watch my daughter-in-law making dinner - she had a little recipe, printed from the internet, for each thing she made. She made some lovely food and I spared her my vast experience and expert advice. At one point, I sat on the sofa with the baby and actually caught a few minutes of a nap! This is very different from the meals I cook at home. It was nice. I am happy to be the older generation.

To watch my son with his daughter is the most amazing thing. I would never have imagined him as a caretaker to a tiny infant, but he is. So unlike his father! A generation ago, we still thought that women took care of babies and men were slightly effeminate if they took more than a passing interest in them. We gave lip service to being a new generation, with new ideas, but it was, at least in my life, lip service. I still took care of the children, alone. I will never forget one morning, getting my children ready to go on an outing somewhere. Three tiny children (twins and a brother two and a half years older), one mother. Their father's contribution to this effort? He went into the garage, into the car, and honked the horn -- to prompt me to put a move on it. Thank you.

I am suffering the lingering effects of the sedation I received at the dentist's office on Wednesday. I had no idea how powerful this medication would be. No Idea At All. My daughter picked me up after I was done at the dentist and drove me to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics. She brought me home and made me dinner. I discovered yesterday morning that I bit the hell out of my lip. I told her I was going to start my Thanksgiving baking. She urged me not to. I had no idea how out of it I was. No Idea At All. Thankfully I went to bed - at 6:00 p.m. I woke up at 10:30 and didn't know what day it was. It took me a minute to figure out if I had been to the dentist, if it was Thanksgiving, if I needed to get up and go to work. Yesterday I found out I had an entire phone conversation with my son on Weds. night of which I have absolutely no recollection. Yesterday I had feelings all day that were so similar to coming out of a blackout.

It was horrifying. Oh please Dear God, May I NEVER have to go through that again. I doubt I will have sedation at the dentist again - I do believe I made the right decision to have it on Weds. though. I guess if I need it again, I can make the decision then. No sense to make it now. But I do not like having a foggy head and a vague sense of unease about what I have been doing - who I have been talking to, etc. It has been a long time, and I don't care to repeat it.

It is now two days later, and I still don't feel exactly right. I am so very attached to feeling the way I feel - regardless of whether it is good or not. I know it is legitimate, not drug induced.

I am grateful for this and more things than I could begin to count.

I think I will see if I can get my daughter to go to the yarn shop with me today. That will be my contribution to the Black Friday economy. I just can't participate in this nonsense.

Happy Friday everyone. Thank you God I can be a sober woman today.