I decided to share this on social media, even though it’s a personal reflection. There are folks who follow this page who might know my friend Charee. If you did know her, then you know that when Charee had your back, you could never fail. If you didn’t know her, maybe you have (or are) a friend like that.
When she was on KAFE radio at the end of 2010, she and her on-air partner Dave welcomed me to talk about GIMMEAMINUTE on the radio.
When Alzheimers came for her, her level of strength and joy was never diminished. I know her passing brought her peace.
Thank you Greg Tillotson for permission to post all this.
Hi. I’m Marla. Gimme a Minute. It’s Acoustic Neuroma Awareness week. If you know me, that’s like every day.
If you don’t know me and have never heard of an Acoustic Neuroma, here it is. An Acoustic Neuroma is a benign tumor that grows on the 8th cranial nerve, the vestibular or balance nerve. The tumor is an overabundance of schwann cells, so sometimes it’s called a vestibular schwannoma.
Yeah. It’s considered a brain tumor. Sometimes, treatment involves brain surgery. Sometimes Radiation. Sometimes, patients can just live with it.
Live with it!
If you think you might have an acoustic neuroma, or know you do, this is for you:
Dear Newly Diagnosed person with an Acoustic Neuroma, (and/or person who doesn’t have their MRI results back yet,)
DON’T FREAK OUT.
If you have an AN, freaking out is not going to make it go away. (If you don’t have an AN, you still don’t know what’s wrong with you.)
I’m saying this to you because I wish someone had said it to me.
All that being said, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND YOU FREAKING OUT BECAUSE I DID TOO.
Breathe.
There are a lot of us here on the other side. And we are ok.
Research. Ask questions. Make your decision. And be aware.
Hi. I’m Marla. I wanna talk to you about people in life that you rarely see, and hardly ever talk to.
But when you do, it’s magical, like no time has passed. Even though you may have a lot of catching up to do, there’s just a natural, easy way you relate to each other.
I’m not very good at making an effort to stay in touch on a regular basis and keep up with the day-to-day. I sort of suck at it.
I have my excuses, none of them are good, but it’s not that I don’t care…..
I have this one good, wonderful, close, and at times, best friend that I hardly ever see. We have so much fun when we’re together, we laugh so hard sometimes we cry. We can talk about anything.
We’ve known each other for years, yet it feels like our friendship is still new and exciting. We love spending time together. When we occasionally talk on the phone, or get together in person, we fall into an easy rhythm.
Saying goodbye is tragic, whether it’s after a good long visit or a short check in. Our visits and conversations make me feel refreshed and fulfilled for days after.
It’s a small world we live in, Disneyland notwithstanding, and chances are I know I’ll randomly or intentionally get to spend time with this person again….
And I hope I see you soon. I’m Marla. Thanks for listening. See ya.
Thanks to my dear friend Gail who wrote the text for this Minute and it CRACKED ME UP when I heard it in my head. I could not do it justice, but I did it just the same…just for you this New Year. Namaste!
Minute Text
Hi. I’m Marla. GIMMEAMINUTE!
I wanna talk to you about meditation.
Now breathe with me, inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
‘you are a leaf upon the current…
I Wonder if I’m a hawthorn leaf? I don’t think many people actually like hawthorn trees…I never knew what a hawthorn even was until I had one in my backyard.
‘you are a leaf upon the current.
‘I’m a leaf…relax…think nothing…I’m a leaf…I’m drifting on the current…why do I always have to pee when I start to try to meditate
‘BE THE LEAF…’
Right…the leaf…man…I need to spend this weekend doing yard work…(who am I kidding? I won’t do that. )
‘drifting on the current…’
Yeah…I’m drifting…I’m drifting…
ugh. Yard work. One time I was outside by the hawthorn tree and I got a whole bunch of these sweet green little flies in my hair. I don’t think they were hurting the tree, I think they’re feeding off the bugs that are bad for the tree, so I try to not bother them. But stay out of my house, or all bets are off and I’ll go after them with whatever it takes. I hate those green little flies…oh, my GOD–will you just BE the FRICKIN’ LEAF, already?!’
I was finished, anyway.
Meditation can be for crap.
I’m Marla. Thanks Gail, and thanks for Listening, See ya.
I’m from California, I know how to drive. I was driving Roundabouts in Berkeley before the ones in my home town were even placed in front of the planning commission. But people don’t know when to enter, which lane and even, simply enough, which direction to go. Pay attention. The life you safe may be your own, because if you hit my car, I may hurt you.
TEXT OF MINUTE:
I wanna talk to you about roundabouts. You know, those things that are built to be safe and efficient, but take weeks, sometimes months of orange cones, road construction and slow downs? There are still people over the age of 30 who can’t figure out how to enter a roundabout, which lane to use, and on occasion, which direction to go. Let me explain how roundabouts work, because apparently there are many MANY who do not know. In the old days, if you wanted to make a left turn, you turned left. Here’s why people get confused. The direction of travel in a Roundabout is counter-clockwise. Yield to drivers in the roundabout…Stay in your lane; do not change lanes…Do not stop in the roundabout…Avoid driving next to oversize vehicles. Always Please share this information with those otherwise uninformed of the workings of a roundabout. Basic rule of thumb, When entering a roundabout, the main reason to look to your left, is NOT to see if you have enough time to jut out into the circle and slow the path of traffic. Be patient. I’m Marla. Thanks for listening. See ya. And Drive Carefully!
Marla's Gimme a Minute 