Another mostly non productive day. Just didn’t have much energy today. I did walk both dogs for 3/4 miles each this morning. Roxy was hard to handle but Sophia did well. Both did their business.
I went to Emporia late morning to meet up with Tagen so we could get his summer school fees paid. We went to the Vo Tech together. When I had called last week they told me an approximate amount. The amount he had to pay today was about 1/3 what they had told me. I have a feeling they will be calling him soon to let him know he didn’t pay enough. The person that helped us today didn’t have any power to do anything except accept a check for the amount on the screen. The people that needed to fix it were not available. Hope they will let him start classes later this week. We shall see what happens.
I hung out with Tagen for a bit afterwards as I had an hour to kill before it was time for me to do exercise. I always enjoy visiting with him so that was a fun hour. We stopped and got him some lunch and then took it to his house so he could eat.
I went to exercise and did my 45 minutes of stretching today. They are fairly easy this week and are working my arms and legs. The time goes fast and we don’t have to do a circuit of them which is nice.
I stopped afterwards and had lunch and then came home and took a nap. This has been a low energy type of day for me. Maybe the emotion of yesterday caught up to me and what my body seemed to need today was extra rest.
After my nap I went back to Emporia with Roxy, She has a rather large lump on her chest. They stuck a needle in it and got some fluid out and tested it. Luckily it is a fatty deposit and nothing to worry about. They can take it off if it starts to bother her but so far she doesn’t seem to mind it. She did well at the office and getting in and out of my car.
I will qualify for additional social security benefits since Craig died. I thought I needed a copy of his death certificate. When I went to order one, the form said if I was not related I needed a letter from the government agency explaining why I needed a death certificate. I called the Salina Social Security office to request a letter from the social security department. The lady that took my call at Social Security said she could look it up for me. She found it and I don’t need to provide a death certificate. I have a phone interview with Social Security the middle of June to complete the application. I have to send the original copy of the divorce decree to them before the phone date. I found the documents I need to send and have them ready to mail by certified mail tomorrow. That was much easier than I expected. I only had to hold for about five minutes.
When Craig and I first had the stores he received a pay check and I didn’t. His social security is much higher than what I get as a result. Since we were married for over 30 years, I qualify for his higher level of benefit. This will be most helpful to me as it has become a challenge to live on my social security amount.
It’s funny how little decisions you make at the time have such an impact on your life years later. I didn’t realize by not earning any money for about ten years under my name and my social security account, the amount I could claim when I retired would be so drastically reduced. I’m grateful for the system that will allow me to make up for that now that Craig has died. I’m just sorry that he had to die for that to happen.
Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia at 10:00 for a meeting with my accountant. I have lots of things going on with the sale of the house, moving into one of my rentals, etc. that may or may not impact my tax liability for this year. I want to touch base with her to make sure we are on top of all of it so I don’t get hit with a tax penalty next year when I file taxes for this year.
Tomorrow afternoon I have an appointment to get my driver’s license renewed. I need to change the address on it and since my license expires in August, I am going to go ahead and get it renewed early.
The meeting I had in Emporia tomorrow evening got moved to next week so I only have to make one trip to town tomorrow instead of two. I’m grateful for that. Friday I will have to go again for exercise class in the afternoon. I won’t be surprised if I will need to go by the Vo-Tech and pay some more for Tagen’s classes.
So far I don’t have anything on my calendar for the weekend. I’m hoping I will get to stay home both days but we shall see what happens.
Hoping tomorrow I will be able to get some things done. I seem to move forward two steps and then fall back three. This was a fall back day. I will offer myself some grace and allow it to be what it is and allow myself to take a day of rest. Everything that needs done can wait another day or two or three. Grateful I have the freedom to be able to take a day off if that is what my body is asking for.
I finally got the information about the trip to Costa Rica. It is a bit more expensive than I had hoped but I am going. I need to take good care of myself and this trip will help me do that. I need something to look forward to after all the changes I have been through these last couple of months. It will be an intense trip but know that it will hold some learnings for me in a very good way. I don’t have to pay for the trip until the first of June so will wait till then to send my payment.
Sitting on the edge of being above the neutral level. I have slipped below a couple times today. My reserve tank is empty and I have no patience or tolerance for anything that goes the least bit wrong today. It will take me some time to completely refill my tank and then to be able to keep it from draining quickly. I’m grateful I know what is happening in my body and spirit and that I know how to offer myself some grace during this time. It doesn’t make the between time easier but since I understand what is happening, it does make it more tolerable.
Grateful for an easy phone call to Social Security today, grateful Roxy’s lump is not serious, and grateful I can take a day and rest and allow myself to not push beyond my limits.