Friday, November 03, 2023

13.3 A Year of Direction

I just finished a yearly project. Each day of the month I posted on a pre-determined theme. During the month of November, I'll post a collage of all my photos on the daily theme from the past year. The theme for the third day of the month was "Direction."

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One Fewer Worry - Ha ha ha! This is when the new director of the community center took the job that she then resigned from within months. Remember when I thought this was a good hire?
Our Ornaments Through the Years - Oh, this is such a lovely look at our yearly ornament tradition.
New Year, New Goals - In which I introduced my quarterly goals for the year. 
Hair Decisions - To color or not to color?
The Entire Store - When a trip to a home improvement store goes wrong. 
Election Day is Tomorrow! - Why am I always so excited about elections? They never really work out the way I want them to.
Aimlesss - Updates on the girls. 
So Many Experts - Listening to smart people talk about interesting things is always fun. 
Never Eat Soggy Waffles - My neighborhood by direction.
A Little of This, A Little of That - Life updates. 
Joymaking Habit - My girls.
Change in Perspective - In which I vow to be more optimistic on my blog. 

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Hannah count: 1
Artistic renderings of animals count: 5 (I counted the dragon as animal. Discuss.)
Sign count: 3
Community center count: 1
Blaze orange count: 1

I was hoping there'd be a theme with these posts, but there is not. Unless the theme is that I'm constantly thinking things will get better only to be disappointed later on. LOL. I love the post with all our ornaments, though. 

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Wednesday after dinner, I took myself over to the urgent care clinic to have my six stitches removed. To be totally honest with you, it hurt like the dickens. I was maybe in more severe pain than the actual slicing event because I had all those awesome painkilling endorphins to keep me unaware of how severe the cuts were at that time. ANYWAY. I closed my eyes, breathed deep, and tried to be as brave as I could be. I was joking with the nurses that they should treat me like a toddler and give me a sticker when I was done because I was so stoic. And when they gave me this Spiderman sticker and I laughed and laughed. Let's hope that in 2024 I start a new trend in which I do not injure a finger. Can this be done? Only time can tell. 

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Would you classify a dragon as an animal? What about Spiderman? Have you ever had stitches taken out? Did it hurt?

43 comments:

  1. I love that they gave you a sticker and 2024 WILL be the year you don't injure a finger or any part of you!

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    1. The sticker made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Full service over at our local hospital, I tell you!

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  2. Awww your poor finger! I had stitches taken out when I had my varicose veins stripped in 2011, and honestly, I can't remember. Probably they hurt, but I don't remember!

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    1. I don't remember having the stitches out when I had surgery on my leg. My husband says he remembers, but I must have blocked it out! Our brains really try to protect us from trauma, don't they?

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  3. Ugh. This sounds so painful and 100% on it feeling worse without the endorphins at the original time of injury.

    I've had stitches a few times; my first C-section was staples AND stitches; my second C-section was dissolvable stitches, I think. When I was a kid I had stitches in my chin, but that's too far back (or so traumatic I've forgotten) the details of getting them out.

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    1. Ugh. I guess I can't complain about my finger when people have stitches after birth - either vaginal or C-section, stitches after birth are BAD. Why don't they use dissolvable stitches more with humans?

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    2. I FORGOT ABOUT BIRTH STITCHES. Yikes. Those just... came out on their own, though.

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  4. Dragon- yes. Spiderman- not an animal. I've never had stitches! Glad they're out now and you got your sticker.
    I remember your ornament post- that was a good one. And I saw your comment that we "twinned" in Elisabeth's comments yesterday. That's so funny, but in a way inevitable- that quote is the best!

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    1. I guess Spiderman is a man. It's in the name. You are correct.

      I will have to write an ornament post soon! Also, I need to order an ornament for the friends who got married this year and for Humphrey's person (puppy's first Christmas!).

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  5. A dragon is definitely an animal. A smart fantasy one though. I have had stitches a couple times luckily they never hurt when being taken out.
    I had to laugh when i read you got a sticker. so cool.

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    1. I don't remember the stitches hurting too much when they took them out after my leg surgery. Maybe I'm just a big old baby now?

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  6. It's so fun that they gave you a sticker!
    I don't remember having stitches, but I was in the room when Mom had her staples taken out recently, and it made ME wince! And then the medical person was asking me if I could see, and I said, "No and I don't want to" and she seemed disappointed.

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    1. Medical people are So Weird. When I got my wisdom teeth taken out, the dentist asked if I wanted to see them and I was so grossed out. Why would I want to see that?!

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  7. The next time I go to the doc I want a sticker!

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    1. The secret is that you gotta ask.

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  8. I completely forgot about your stitches! My mom fell last night and needed stitches in her head. We stayed in the ER until after midnight. But she said it hurt so much when they gave her the shot in the head for numbing. I can only imagine how painful it will be when the stitches are removed next week.

    Here's to NO MORE ACCIDENTS. 🤣❤️

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    1. I hope your mom heals up ASAP. Head injuries are so scary because they bleed like crazy! The numbing shots (FOUR) on my finger did hurt a lot, so I can't imagine how much it hurt your poor mom (IN THE HEAD!!).

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  9. Stickers make everything better! My kids are always disappointed if they don't get a sticker at the Drs office. A dragon is a mythical beast, not an animal.

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    1. Oh, you're going to have to fight it out with other commenters about dragon as an animal!

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  10. So sorry about the pain! Never had stitches taken out - not yet anyway #knocksonwood

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    1. HOW ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T HAD STITCHES?! I think I'm just way clumsier than the average person. *sigh* Have you ever broken a bone?

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  11. When I got my covid and flu shots yesterday, the guy said, "good job!" in kind of a joking way, like you'd talk to a toddler, which made me laugh. I then said, "Do I get a lollipop??" ;) He laughed and said, sorry, all out. haha. Maybe I should have asked for a sticker. ;)

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    1. Your ask was far too great, I guess! LOL.

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  12. Can I just repeat how impressed I am that you blogged daily for a whole year and came up with so many things to write about based on a daily word prompt? Kudos to you! I loved the post about all your ornaments.

    You totally deserved that sticker. Do we ever grow out of "little rewards" like that?

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    1. I blogged every day for a whole year!! I can hardly believe it myself. I don't think I'll ever do it again.

      I mostly appreciated how amusing the nurses were about the whole thing. I can imagine things get Very Serious in the ER and they were fun. I honestly didn't need the little reward (the reward was taking the splint off!), but I just enjoyed the camaraderie of it all.

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  13. I'm having a terrible carpal tunnel flare-up right now AND bashed my hand in a door this week, so I will make that pact with you about not hurting our digits.
    My daughter asked if she could have the last kiddie bandaid at one of her Covid shots and the nurse happily gave it to her - who doesn't like a sticker?

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    1. Hey, I don't know anyone who doesn't appreciate a fun bandaid or sticker!!

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  14. Stitches do hurt when they come out... you've healed around them, so (sorry) they kind of tear the skin (again) when they are taken out. Not much, but it definitely hurts.
    Also, what would a dragon be if not an animal? I'm with you.

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    1. Yeah, it makes sense that stitches hurt when they come out, but I was unprepared for the level of it all. Oh, well. It only took a few minutes. The worst part was definitely how stiff my finger was (and still is!) from being in the splint that whole time. If this is what arthritis feels like, I don't want any of it!

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  15. A dragon is most definitely an animal. And stitches are the worst; I'm sorry you had to go through that. A Spiderman sticker is really necessary in that situation.

    I have had stitches once in my life, and I had 70ish of them. But I also had whiplash at the time, and that was the more painful of the issues.

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    1. Ugh!!! 70 stitches!! Did they all come out at once? How did you even survive that?!

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  16. I got stitches below my chin as an adult, but I don't recall getting them out. Maybe I didn't? Maybe they were the kind that dissolved? Apparently, it was not as traumatic as your experience was. I'm glad you got a sticker. I gave stickers out to my highschool students all the time and they loved it. They got very competitive about them, and when I allowed them to PICK THEIR OWN STICKER, THEY LOST THEIR MINDS.

    I feel like lizards, snakes, and dinosaurs are all classified as animals, so dragons (although technically fantastical) are animals, too.

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    1. Isn't it funny how stickers work for toddlers and high schoolers? When I taught high school, there were different stickers for different things (regular assignments v. tests) and I think some of them did well just for the sticker - they didn't really care about the grade.

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  17. Hahahahaha– the sticker!! I haven’t had stitches as an adult, but I am sure getting them out would be the pits.

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    1. Oh, to be one of those adults who isn't clumsy and doesn't have any memories of getting stitches! Count yourself as gifted!

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  18. I had a wart burned off of my finger once, right next to my fingernail, which really hurt. And it came back. So I went to a different doctor who told me he was going to have to do it twice...once like it had been done before, and then again a couple of weeks later. Oh goodness, that second one put the first one to shame. I remember thinking, "I've given birth with no anesthesia, I can get through this", and I did. But if it had gone on much longer, I'm not sure I would have made it without passing out.

    That's a long way of saying 'no' to stitches, but I hear you sister.

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    1. My sister had to have warts burned off and we made fun of her because she was such a baby about it. Ooops. Maybe I should have been more sympathetic!!

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  19. I'm sorry it hurt, but I'm so glad the stitches are out, NGS. I hope you heal right up. (And please, may 2024 be the beginning of an era of safe fingers!!)

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    1. No more finger injuries is going to be my 2024 mantra, for sure.

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  20. The collage is a great idea. Your poor finger!! Hopefully you won't be visiting any Doctors in the near future.

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    1. No more doctors! This is an idea I can get behind.

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  21. Omg, Engie, I had the same experience when they took out my stitches for my mole removal earlier this year. I was not expecting it to be so painful, and then the area was tender for at least a day. I've had stitches removed before and they didn't hurt nearly as much. I think some stitches just hurt more, especially if they have to put in deep stitches.

    I LOVE that they gave you a sticker!!

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    1. I couldn't believe that no one warned me about how painful it would be. I think it also depends on how many nerve endings are near where the stitches are and your fingertips are full of nerve endings. I was so amused by the sticker and love it so much.

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