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I don’t run, ever. I really never did but now I am physically incapable of running, at least very fast. I might manage a fast walk if I need to be somewhere in a hurry. Running is no longer an alternative for me.
I do get to the gym a few times a week. Lately, even that has been pushed to the side. I must get motivated again. When I do get to the gym I try to walk almost a mile on the walking track. Walking outside isn’t really for me anymore. I love walking outside but my hips don’t like climbing steep hills.
Going to the gym on a regular basis really helps physically all over the body. Certain machines help strengthen leg muscles and help to keep my knees strong and pain free. Painful knees is a powerful motivation for working out at the gym. Regular exercise helps fight arthritis pain.
So I hope to make it to the gym at least three times this coming week. I really do need to walk more. Hopefully, nothing comes up that I need to do instead.
I can answer that with a firm NO. I am not a leader and I don’t wish to be a leader.
My personality doesn’t fit the mold for being a leader. I am quiet and I don’t really like to socialize a lot. I am uncomfortable in a lot of social situations.
I often have many good ideas about how to solve problems and sometimes I even offer the solution. But someone else can take charge and implement the solution. I prefer to fade into the background and I am not a person who seeks attention. I would not be good at public speaking or addressing a group either. This is probably why I enjoy sitting behind a computer typing words onto a screen.
But I do admire those with the qualities that I lack. I think a real leader can stand up and take criticism. A real leader is someone who stands up for what they believe is right. They act for the good of all concerned. They aren’t afraid of other’s opinions. They lead by setting good examples and working alongside of their followers. They have the ability to listen to good advice and enjoy social activities. Good leaders have all the qualities I lack.
So I will continue being a follower instead of a leader. Not everyone is cut out for leadership positions. There’s an old saying: too many chiefs and not enough Indians. It might also be said: Too many leaders and not enough workers. In conclusion, we can’t all be leaders.
I truly wish I had the ability to be a leader. I certainly admire most people who have the personality to lead.
Elizabeth was born the daughter of Hannah Lane and Samuel Blackwell in 1821, their third child. She was born in Bristol, England. Her family enjoyed a prosperous lifestyle there. However, riots broke out and they lost their business. Her father made the decision to move the family to America while she was still a young girl. Samuel Blackwell felt he would have more job opportunities in America. He also wanted to support the anti-slavery movement and women’s rights movement for his daughters. The Blackwell family settled in New York in 1832.
Education
Samuel Blackwell did not want his children educated by the church. Therefore, they received their education through their parents and private tutors. Elizabeth could speak several languages, including French and German, as well as English. She also received education in music and literature. Elizabeth was fortunate that her father believed in education for his daughters as well as for his sons. This was a time when usually women did not have the same opportunities for education as men. In fact, it was rare for a woman to have access to higher education at all. For Elizabeth to become a doctor, she had to confront entrenched views. She had to challenge preconceived ideas about the roles of women in society.
First Work Experiences
When Elizabeth was eighteen, her father died unexpectedly. He left her mother, Hannah, with nine young children to support for. For some time, Elizabeth, along with her two sisters and mother, worked as teachers to support the family. Teaching was one of the few occupations that society accepted for women at that time. Together, the Blackwell women opened a private academy for young women in Cincinnati, Ohio. Elizabeth also moved to Henderson, Kentucky, to take a teaching position. However, her anti-slavery views clashed with the school’s teachings. She left after her first year.
During this time period, Elizabeth had a close friend who was dying of a disease that affected women only. This friend was the person who most influenced Elizabeth to pursue a career in medicine. She confided to Elizabeth how embarrassing it was for her to let male doctors examine her. Her friend wished that women were allowed to enter the medical field and treat women like her. This was the first time that Elizabeth had ever considered the possibility of studying to become a doctor. She had never considered medicine as a career. In fact, she had found the study of the body, diseases, and sickness to be appalling and disgusting. In honor of her friend’s thoughts and wishes, Elizabeth set her sights on becoming the world’s first woman doctor. It would not be an easy path to forge.
Elizabeth Fights for a Career as a Woman Doctor
At the beginning of her quest to earn a medical degree, many of her friends were against the idea. They tried to discourage her. They didn’t feel she had any chance of becoming a doctor due to being a woman. Elizabeth persisted even though she had no idea where to begin. So she began by studying with private doctors John and Samuel Dickinson, who were willing to teach her. She also spent a lot of time reading and studying on her own. From there, she began to apply to different medical schools. She was always told that they would not accept her because she was a woman.
Geneva Medical College
Finally, one school did admit her to their medical program of study. It was the Geneva Medical College in New York. Although she was admitted to the college, it was not going to be an easy road to her medical degree. The male students treated her as an oddity. They joked about her. Some went so far as to bully her. Some professors refused to let her in their classrooms and demonstrations. Elizabeth refused to give up no matter how much abuse she received and just worked and studied even harder. In Jan 1849, it paid off, and she received her medical degree and graduated first in her class. I wonder how chagrined and embarrassed those boys who had bullied her felt.
Continuing Studies
After graduating with her medical degree, she moved to London and Paris, where she continued studying. Here, she took courses in midwife studies. Unfortunately, it was here that she would be infected with an eye infection from one of her patients. She lost her eye due to the infection and thus ended her ambition of becoming a surgeon.
Doctoring in New York
Upon returning to New York, she set about helping poor women and children. She opened several facilities for women and children to receive medical treatment. She also opened the first medical college for women in New York. Elizabeth helped her younger sister Emily enter the field of medicine. Together, they opened and operated facilities for poor women and children, as well as supported many other causes. Doctor Rebecca Cole would be the first black woman doctor to work with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell at her Infirmary for women and children.
Civil War
During the Civil War, Elizabeth helped the Union effort with her knowledge of medical practices. This included advocating for clean, sanitary conditions as well as proper personal hygiene in Union hospitals and army camps. She also worked with President Lincoln in establishing The US Sanitary Commission. She trained other nurses in proper sanitary procedures for wartime. These trained nurses helped to reduce diseases from spreading through hospitals and among the men in the army camps.
Elizabeth Blackwell’s Achievements
First woman to receive a medical degree
Worked and studied at Bartholomew’s Hospital in London
Opened a private practice when no hospital would hire her
Opened the New York Dispensary for poor women and children
Opened the New York Infirmary for indigent women and children
First woman listed on the British Medical Register
Opened the first medical college for women
Worked with President Lincoln during the Civil War to establish the US Sanitary Commission in 1861
Lectured at the London School of Medicine for Women
Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame 1973
Founded the National Health Society in 1871. Its goal was to teach people about the importance of cleanliness and living a healthy lifestyle
This is only a short list of the achievements of Elizabeth Blackwell. I am sure there are many others as well.
Books by Elizabeth Blackwell
The Religion of Health
Essays in Medical Sociology
The Human Element in Sex
Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women
Medicine as a Profession for Women
Address on the Medical Education of Women
Again, this is only a short list of books and articles written by Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. I believe she also wrote many articles about women’s health, as well as articles about sanitation, cleanliness, and hygiene.
Elizabeth Blackwell: A Lasting Legacy
Elizabeth forged a path into the medical field for many other women to follow, including her sister Emily. The two of them together changed perceptions in the medical profession. They worked together or separately to advance the acceptance of women. The field had viewed women as inferior, ignorant, and lacking sense. It also considered women as not having the mental attitude for the medical profession. Elizabeth proved them wrong.
I find it hard to like people with aggressive personalities or rude personalities. I have often worked with people like that. I tried to steer clear of them. Some of them would do just about anything for money and position. Some of them intimidate me. The smallest thing can set them off and the next thing they are screaming and attacking you. Then there’s the rude people. They can be really nasty people. Recently, I went on a short trip with a friend who brought another friend. Her name was Karen, if you get my drift. Nothing pleased her about anything. The room wasn’t good enough. She demanded to see the manager. The food didn’t please her. She made the whole trip a bad experience for the other three of us. Everyone was on edge any time she was near. She won’t be going on any more trips with us.
I saw many rude and aggressive people in the years I worked in restaurants. They made the job hard. One instance, was when a woman almost came across the counter at me. Later, I did find out she had a mental condition and was off her medications.
Most people with aggressive personalities are harmless but there are those who have a streak of violence. I view aggressiveness with caution.
Aggressive and rude people raise a big red flag with me.
Daily writing prompt
What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?
I love English, Ireland and Scottish history. There’s so many great stories in that history. History of battles and countries at war. There’s stories of kings, queens and princesses. Some of those stories are sad and heartbreaking, others are inspiring. I particularly liked the stories of Margaret, and her granddaughter Mary Queen of Scots. Both of them had tragic endings. But one thing the royalty of those countries all had was beautiful castles.
I would love to spend a week traveling through any of them. But, I think Scotland would be my first choice to visit. Perhaps, because I know someone who did visit Scotland and I was impressed with their photos they shared.
My ideal week would be spent in Scotland at a luxury hotel. I would choose The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I would then plan to visit the Royal Residence of Balmoral which the British Royals own. The Balmoral royal estate was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852. The public can now tour the royal castle.
The rest of my week I would spend touring other old castles with rich histories. I would enjoy spending some time outdoors at a seashore in Scotland. There are marvelous castles and museums to visit in Scotland.
Some of the museums I would enjoy visiting during my week in Scotland include the following.
So this is my idea of an ideal week spent soaking up Scottish history in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visiting old castles and enjoying good Scottish food and beautiful green hills and gardens. Too bad it can only be for one week.
I know very little about professional athletes. I am not into football, golf, basketball or any other sports. If I had to choose a sport to follow it would be baseball. I also don’t watch much of the Olympics although I can enjoy figure skating and gymnastics. Actually, I would rather read a good book, have some chocolate chip cookies and chips. Television and sports for many of us have ended with some of the athletes kneeling and disrespecting our country.
But if I had to choose a professional athlete that I respect it would be Riley Gaines, the swimmer. And it’s not her swimming ability that I respect and admire. I admire her for her courage. She raises awareness about the unfairness faced by women in sports. These are women who have spent their lives training in their sport. Now, they have to compete with men who aren’t capable of competing against other men. During the last Olympics I watched a man punch a woman in the face and take the gold medal. I stand with Riley Gaines against men competing in women’s sports.
Riley Gaines has spent the last several years advocating for women’s sports to be for women only. I respect her because this hasn’t been an easy position for her to take in a WOKE society.
Daily writing prompt
Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.
This is a true story. The story of the dead woman in the bathroom. Two of the ladies who were there told it to me. Years later all but one of these women have passed on.
In our small town, just about everyone knew each other. They worked together, went to church together, or had some social events they were involved in. This led to close friendships for these four women, Gertie, Maggie, Ginny, and Martha. All of them were retired. Their friendship included afternoons of getting together and playing cards. All of them had been married, raised children, and assisted each other when they lost their husbands.
Martha was a retired elementary school teacher, greatly loved by her former students and the community. She was in her seventies but continued to be very active and healthy. She still continued donating a lot of her time to church activities and helped any children with schoolwork difficulties. She had recently started a part-time job in a small restaurant. This helped fill her time after her husband’s death.
Maggie had worked as a secretary and clerk until retirement. She was the one who was full of laughs and told some off color jokes in private. She usually kept the card group laughing at some of her stories she liked to tell. She also was still active in church and community activities.
Ginny was the quiet serious one. But like Maggie she had a few good stories of her own. She had worked for the local doctor for years and still occasionally filled in when he needed her. She was the oldest member of the ladies card club, but still stayed busy with various activities.
Gertrude (Gertie) was a combination of all the ladies. She had been quite popular with the gentlemen in her youth and she had some wild tales of her own. Gertie had been a nurse at the nearby hospital. After retiring she had worked as a private nurse in some of the wealthiest homes in the surrounding area. When anyone really needed her help she would still step up and help.
One day in early September the four friends gathered in Martha’s spacious dining room. The house smelled of freshly baked bread, and cookies. Moreover, each of the other three women had brought food and snacks for lunch. The smells gave the promise of an awesome lunch. Good food was as important as friendship, gossip and card games.
The four women quickly settled in the dining room. They began playing cards. They laughed and caught up with the latest news and gossip around town. There wasn’t much news or gossip and the conversation lagged as each lady focused on winning the card game. After the first game had been completed they took a break.
Maggie announced that she was going to use the bathroom and disappeared down the hallway. The other three ladies continued chatting and shuffling the cards, getting ready for the next game. Ten minutes passed and still Maggie hadn’t returned from the bathroom. Gertie, Martha, and Ginny looked at each other and wondered what was keeping Maggie so long in the bathroom. They patiently waited another five minutes, then Martha was sent to check on Maggie. The others were getting anxious to start the new game.
Suddenly Martha came rushing back into the dining room. She said there was something wrong with Maggie in the bathroom. Maggie wasn’t responding when Martha attempted to wake her. Maggie was just sitting on the toilet with her head resting on her chest. They needed to call the doctor right away. Gertie, the nurse, promptly went to check on Maggie while Martha made the call to the doctor.
Several minutes later Gertie returned. The other three women were stunned and unbelieving as Gertie said that Maggie had died in the bathroom. Martha and Ginny were confused and frightened by the sudden death of their good friend, Maggie. They clung to each other, cried and grappled to understand how this happened. It just wasn’t possible they said, Maggie had just been sitting at the table with them. They found this too hard to be believable.
The doctor’s office was close by and he arrived within a short time. After a quick examination he confirmed Gertie”s verdict that Maggie was indeed dead. She had suffered a massive heart attack. The funeral director was called, who also lived a short distance away. He arrived and transported Maggie to the funeral home, leaving behind three very shocked and shaken card players.
This story sounds like it could have been an episode of (The Golden Girls). I assure you this is a true story.
Maggie’s death ended the card game that day for the women. It would be some time before any of them recovered from the shocking death of their friend. As they say, life does go on. In the small town where the four friends lived, life went on. However, not one of them ever forgot the day that a friend died in one of their bathrooms.
In 2004 I had the opportunity to move to Florida. Friends invited me to come stay with them and stay as long as I wanted to. At that time I was in a relationship I no longer wanted to be in. I had a job that I was not happy with. I was working as a waitress in a local restaurant. I realized that working in the public gave the other person many opportunities. He could and did harass and embarrass me every day at my place of employment. I chose not to face that humiliation. I packed a few of my belongings and moved about twelve hundred miles away to Florida. A friend from Florida flew up to meet me and together we drove to Florida.
I loved Florida. I have heard people complain about the humidity in Florida but that was no problem for me. I enjoyed the smell of the Gulf of Mexico, the beautiful white sand and the sea breeze every morning. I was near a beach, so we usually had a, nice breeze in the mornings and evenings. There were a lot of new southern foods to sample and I learned to make Jambalaya. I loved that I was able to go the beach when I wanted to. We also traveled to neighboring states Mississippi and Alabama. It was all new and exciting for me.
Nevertheless, I had trouble finding a job in Florida. I didn’t know very many people so I didn’t have connections. I couldn’t even find work at a Wal-Mart store and there were several in the immediate area. I finally ended up working as a waitress again. Then eventually I found an office type job. But I wasn’t making enough money to support myself. So I lived with a roommate. I just happened to get into a relationship with him.
My family was twelve hundred miles away so after six years I returned home to be with them. The person I was living with had a very dysfunctional family. I decided I didn’t want to be part of the craziness I was witnessing. That family would make a good book which I may write someday. I do stay friends with all of them but at a distance for my own sanity.
So Florida is as far as I have traveled from my home state of Pennsylvania. I loved Florida and I did go back to visit a few years ago. But I plan on staying near my family in the future other than short trips.
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
My ideal home would be very much like my home that I presently own. I love my home. It’s a large four bedroom home with a wrap around porch. And I really enjoy that porch. In the mornings, I can spend time reading on the shaded side. In the evenings, I can move to the other side to enjoy the shade. It’s old, over one hundred years old now. I love older homes. They have character that new homes lack. They bring back memories of growing up in a home akin to the one I now live in.
Of course, my home isn’t perfect and being an older home needs some repairs. But it is large and spacious and has everything I need. Still, I would make some changes to make it ideal.
Changes I would make
I would like to have a bathroom downstairs and move my laundry upstairs from the basement. I know there will come a time when stairs become a problem. My upstairs needs painting and some updating, ceiling fans would be nice. I would also add bigger mini splits for air conditioning upstairs. I would like to update the bathroom upstairs. But too many modern changes would lose the old house charm.
The Kitchen
They say the kitchen is the heart of the home and I believe that to be true. The kitchen is large but can use some modifications. A large modern kitchen mixed with an open design into the dining area would be nice. Opening the wall into the dining room, a counter looking into the dining area would work. When I first moved into this home, the kitchen was nothing but a huge room with a single sink. Thanks to my sons, we have modernized the kitchen. I now have two sinks, counter space, and a dishwasher. Opening up that wall into the dining area would be nice addition.
Family in the kitchen praying before eating
Family
An ideal home would include family gatherings like the gatherings which I grew up with. The family would get together regularly to enjoy meals, cookouts and family fun. The children would be out in the evening catching fireflies. The adults would enjoy sitting on the porch with some wine or coffee sharing news and stories of the past. This is what my parents did when I was a child. Someday, hopefully my home will truly be idealistic.
I am a caregiver for the elderly. I help them stay in their own homes. I do things for them that they are unable to do. I help with their personal care, medicines and keeping their homes clean and safe. Many have become lost in the depths of dementia and lose their memories of who they are.
It brings tears of joy to my eyes when they can remember happier times. The smiles on their faces make me shed tears of joy. So many of those with dementia have families that have forgotten about them. Some end up in almost total isolation because it becomes difficult to have conversations or deal with their childlike personalities. I love it when I can make their day a wee bit happier.
On the other hand I shed tears of sadness when it comes time to say that final goodbye. I spent six years with one lady until her family put her in a nursing home. Many tears were shed when I had to say goodbye. The first lady I took care of suffered a heart attack and only lived for three days afterwards. This broke my heart and I shed many tears of sadness.
Being a caregiver is filled with joy. There are good days and bad days. The good days are full of happiness, smiles and tears of joy. I love what I do.
History Lovers Corner 