Sam has been feeling miserable all week and finally went to Overtake Emergency after not feeling like any Thanksgiving turkey, no sleep and shortness of breath. A cardiogram showed he had a Congestive Heart Issue with a defective Aortic Valve. After he gets the fluid off his lungs and they are able to determine if a valve replacement is possible; he should have more energy than he has had in a long time.
This morning, while I wait for the rice to cook so I can take it to the hospital, I am thinking of the Social Support we are receiving. My Masters in Psychosocial Nursing showed the more people with whom we can connect, the lower our stress. It does feel good to be able to telephone, text, email and talk.
What doesn’t feel good are a couple people who have their own agenda. Their agenda is to share what makes themselves feel good.
The medical help at Overlake is most impressive. When I worked in hospitals a lot of the rules and procedures were like laws. Now everyone is more trained to work with what makes each of us more comfortable - patient, spouse and visitors. For instance, the desk assured me it was no trouble for me to leave the car out in front of emergency and I could go right in with Sam to the room. They didn’t make us wait to fill out information.
![THANKS FOR FAVORITE CONNE...]()
THANKS FOR FAVORITE CONNECTIONS
This THANKSGIVING 2017 morning I am listening to the story about the North Korean that escaped into South Korea a few days ago. He knew the risk, was shot several times, and was desperate for freedom. I am also listening to the stories about refugees here in America who are being organized to have a Thanksgiving dinner with families who are willing to take them in for the day.
The idea is to share with these immigrants what it means to be American. I am third generation American with Japanese Heritage. My neighbor is first generation English. They came for work, but choose to stay in America. Another neighbor may be a third or fourth generation Irish and a third may be third generation Jewish. We all have a heritage of overcoming hardships.
What I see are the “young” who no longer appreciate what it means to be GRATEFUL for what we have. It is like it is their job to complain. Reporters have to come up with emotional topics to get attention. I also want to write something that will get attention. Gratitude needs more oomph!
HOW DO WE PRESERVE THE REFUGEE/IMMIGRANT SPIRIT AND GRATITUDE FOR FREEDOM?
![1937 BLUE CHEV FLATBED TR...]()
1937 BLUE CHEV FLATBED TRUCK
One rarely misses a Japanese community annual summer picnic. The 1937 picnic is at Redondo Beach on Puget Sound. K Tsukamaki brags about his preliminary trip earlier to Eastern Oregon, “Wait until you cross the Cascade Mountains. You won’t believe it. You can stand on one side of some of the farms and you can hardly see the other side! What we have here in Western Washington and the small plots we had in Japan are nothing! You should see their onions. Twice as anything we can grow here.”
The main conversation is that five families - K Tsukamaki, S Tsukamaki, Goto, Nakano, Maruoka - will all make the move together to relocate from Washington to Eastern Oregon. K Tsukamaki’s brother agrees, “We need to travel together because English is difficult and we don’t know how Japanese will be treated when we have car trouble or other problems.”
The menfolk talk about how to get ahead and had made plans all year as they helped each other with the lettuce farming in the Kent Valley. This is a chance for the womenfolk to say goodbye to each other. Japanese families, especially farmers, are used to moving almost yearly to find better situations, so the parting word is, “Gambatte!!” (persevere, overcome whatever obstacles you encounter, take care of yourselves).
A couple months pass. Sago comes home to the farm where they had raised lettuce this past year, next to the south end of Lake Washington in Renton, saying, “The Fall colors are already starting and particularly brilliant this year. I guess it’s because we had an extra hot summer.”
Sago tells his new wife Mary, “Mrs. Goto and Mrs Nakano with their seven kids will take the train and make the trip in December, after Mr. Goto and Mr. Nakano find places to live. Mr. Nakano will drive that 1937 blue Chevy truck they bought together last year. All together, we have four trucks and Uncle S’s car… It already snowed a little on Snoqualmie Pass yesterday. Good thing we’re leaving tomorrow.”
Mary questions with a puzzled look, “I’m surprised the Goto family and the Nakano family are so close!
Sago explains, “Maybe it’s because each family lost children in tragic accidents. It was a few years back while you were still going to school in Japan. The Goto two-year-old pulled a pan of hot water off the stove and died. The Nakano kid got run over by a tractor. That’s life. I guess that’s part of the reason they have so many kids?…”
“The Maruokas are coming with us,” Sago exclaims, as he finishes loading their International flatbed truck with the possessions of two families for the next day’s trip.
Mary worries, “How?! Their baby was born just 3 weeks ago premature and only weighed a couple pounds. I heard the midwife’s son made an incubator out of a shoebox with an electric light bulb. I don’t see how they can keep the baby warm on the trip? …Make sure the washing machine is tied down good. I told Mrs. Nakanishi, that present she gave us is the most important wedding present we got and I will take good care of it.”
Sago reassures Mary, “Well, Mr. Maruoka will drive their truck with his two boys. This way the baby and mother can ride in Uncle S’s car with little Mary and Aunt Asako. Mr. Goto agrees to drive the Tsukamaki’s truck with the Tsukamaki boys. The plan is to get to Pasco and stay over night at the Yamauchi place. I understand he runs a grocery/restaurant and has an extra room where we can stay and sleep.”
![They've been serving the co...]()
They've been serving the community since 1960.
Yesterday, Sam and I drove from Mercer Island to Wiseman’s Appliance on Admiral & California in West Seattle to buy a new washer/dryer because the store is an old fashioned owner/operated business that has served the community for decades. We’ve acquired several appliances from them through the last twenty years after some of the small appliance businesses in Bellevue closed.
As Mark was explaining our different options, it was impressive how much he knew about the products. So I asked, “How long have you been working here?”
Mark answered, “Only a couple years, but Dan recruited me from Sears where I had worked for about ten years. Actually, my dad had an appliance store as I was growing up in Tacoma. Dad and Dan’s dad, Cal, knew each other fifty years ago.”
We picked out a washer that was a couple grades higher than the cheapest model and a dryer that matched. Sam made sure the dryer door opened to the left and the dryer outlet duct would work with the hole from our utility room to the outside of our house.
Then, as we were making our final decisions an elderly, white haired gentleman walked into the store to pick up an appliance part he had ordered. Mark said to us, “Do you know who that was? That was King County Executive, Dow Constantine’s father.”
Sam and I both grew up in a small towns and we left with the warm feeling, “Life is about a beneficial exchange of services among friends.”
![What Can't I Live Without?]()
My parents packed two suitcases and left everything in their West Seattle house in 1987, flying to Los Angeles. Dad had a stroke and my sister agreed to have Mom & Dad come and live with them. Watching them leave everything was a totally freeing experience - "I can be fine even if our house burned down with all my stuff."
Giving talks in schools about those of us with Japanese heritage, incarcerated at the beginning of WWII with Japan, I ask, “What would you choose if you can only take what you can carry?”
“WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE??”
At age 78 and this 2017 year, a lot of my life is on my computer and on flash drives. Of course, I would take the hand written book Sam gave me for our 25th wedding anniversary. I would fill a suitcase with clothes. But, these are all material things I can live without.
Fun things give us short term and material pleasure, including many ‘drugs’ that are prescribed and available - these stimulate Dopamine, producing excitement and addiction.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR LONG TERM HAPPINESS?? The Seratonin effect - avoid sugars (especially artificial sweeteners); provide body good complete proteins. Lack of Serotonin creates depression, sleeping problems, etc..
Dr. Lustig suggests his 4 Cs:
CONNECTING - with family/friend activities.
CONTRIBUTING - help others.
COPING - read his book HACKING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, learn, grow spiritually.
COOKING - as raw and natural as possible and avoid sugars. Supplementing is necessary because we can’t get what our body needs from today’s sources for food. -dg
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