December 19 - Music and Memory

I like to sing - not for performance but just for enjoyment. Unfortunately the only songs I can sing are those where the words are in my memory. If I can’t remember the words of a song, I can’t see to look up a printed version.

Some of my favourite songs are from the 50’s and 60’s. Many songs from that era have a catchy beat and repetitive lyrics. It’s the repetition that keeps the words in my memory.

Then there is Christmas! On December 1, Lyle turns our car radio to a station that plays Christmas and winter time music exclusively. For one month of the year I can listen and sing along to almost everything that is played. This is also a great time for me in church. When we sing the carols, the words of which I have been hearing since childhood, I am able to join in the congregational singing of the familiar hymns.

I think that there is a strong connection between our brains and music. I have heard that when people lose the plot with other areas of their lives, they are often able to remember words to familiar songs. Even when my mother was unable to remember spoken words to identify everyday objects around her, she could still sing the words to many a familiar tune, even dating back to her high school days.

Music and memory aren’t only connected to words. When I spoke with George, a talented musician on our recent cruise, he said that his hands seemed to have a memory of their own in finding the notes on the keyboard. There was a connection between his brain or memory and his hands. Of course, George was pretty talented to start with! If you like you can check him out on Face book – George and Lina Music.

Lyle and I would like to wish you all the blessings of this Christmas and holiday time.  I hope that you will enjoy some of the music of the season and maybe even sing along!

There is one picture with this post. Lyle and I are standing by the ship’s railing on our recent cruise. While the picture provides a good memory for us, it’s also an inspiration to start planning our next getaway.

 

Sue and Lyle on ship deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 11 - Turn on the Lights

I don’t see in the dark. Nor do I see well in glaring sunlight. Shadows and moving light can also be a problem.  It’s strange how the absence or presence of light can so hugely affect my vision.

I know that light can be a factor for many people with limited or no sight. When Gerry lost his sight and could no longer tell the difference between light and dark, he had problems with sorting out night and day. I gathered that this phenomenon isn’t unusual for people who transitioned from partial sight to none at all. Conversely, Harold who was completely blind, had a minor surgery which restored his ability to distinguish between light and dark. Even this small distinction in an otherwise gray world made a big difference for him.

For most of us there is little we can do to adjust the light around us. In our house, I am constantly turning on lights – even during the day. Because I don’t see in the dark, I use a night light at night. This is a bit of a compromise between Lyle and myself. Lyle claims that he has thin eyelids and sleeps better in a completely dark space. We have made the adjustment at home but when we stay overnight somewhere else, we spend quite a bit of time adjusting blinds and perhaps bathroom lights and doors to suit us both before we actually are able to sleep.

Outside during the day, I will wear shaded glasses to cut the glare of the sunlight. We should likely all be wearing glasses that cut the ultra violet rays of the sun. However, I find this difficult when going in and out of bright sunlight to shaded areas.  My pupils don’t dilate and contract quickly enough to adjust to the changing light. This is when using my mobility cane is most helpful. It detects the ground in front of me even when I am unable to see it myself.

Then there are those places where I have no control of the lighting. Dimly lit restaurants rank near the top of my list. Candlelight dinners are out for me! There are other public places where lights are dimmed to suit a mood or occasion and those of us with poor night vision need to adjust and compromise. Sometimes I feel like asking out loud, “Could we please just turn on the lights!”

December 4 - Travelling

If you have been following this blog at all, you will know that Lyle and I both like to travel.  We enjoy seeing new places, doing new things and meeting new people.  Of course, we also realize that it would be a very different travel experience if we weren’t able to do this together.

Our latest trans Pacific cruise was a new experience for us.  If we ever had the time, money and opportunity, it is something we would enjoy doing again.  When our ship docked in Sydney we spent some time visiting family (always a priority) and a couple of days in Terrigal, our favourite beach town.  Then it was off to Queensland.  We flew into Coolangatta, located on Australia’s famous Gold Coast just south of Surfers Paradise.  

This was a trip into the past for us.  We had been here thirty plus years ago.  We were now amazed at the development in the area - new condo buildings, traffic, and lots of people.  We spent some time trying to find familiar places from the past.  We also visited an old school friend of mine, and then we just veged out on the beach.  We stayed at Tugun, which has a long, long beach, great for walking.

All told it was a great holiday, but we came to the conclusion that we liked Terrigal better.  There is a picture with this post.  I am sitting by the beach promenade, drinking take away coffee from my favourite Terrigal coffee shop - Free State Cafe.  The sun was shining that day and the sea gulls were swooping.  It felt a long way from the snow and cold back in Alberta.

 

Sue sitting at the beach with a coffee