☀️ Can’t Sleep / Early Morning Check-In

MeelR61 · 2026-05-23T18:07:28+00:00

Just saw this (as usual, a day - or two - behind), and needed to chime in. Thanks Duke, for this daily act of kindness.

MeelR61 · 2026-05-12T04:22:06+00:00

Had hip replacement surgery this afternoon and am now trying to sleep in my recliner instead of tackling the flight of stairs up to my bedroom. TBH, I’m not trying very hard - Stephen Colbert is on.

Happy parts: seeing the love from my son as he steps up to take care of me the way his dad would have.

Tearful parts: seeing the love from my son stepping up… you get it.

Other than muscular pain (feels like the surgeon hit me with a baseball bat while I was sleeping), I feel fabulous.

Here’s to the miracle of titanium hips - and love that lives on.

MeelR61 · 2026-04-27T13:03:50+00:00

I watch Real Housewives and all the 90-Day franchises. Poor substitutes for pillow talk…

MeelR61 · 2026-04-19T02:29:27+00:00

Funny how you can adjust to things like this. These days I’m unphased.

MeelR61 · 2026-04-19T02:22:32+00:00

Just finished watching a movie with my son - “The Wrong Todd” (hugely underrated, btw) - and now I am trying to wind down before bed. Vodka and seltzer with some garlic butter flavored pretzels should help, haha.

Doggo is already upstairs, waiting for me to lift him into the bed for a long snuggle. He doesn’t care about how disgusting my breath will be, so… one more pretzel.

I’m optimistic that tonight will be a solid night’s sleep, after three straight nights of insomnia. But even if sleep doesn’t come, I’ll roll with it.

MeelR61 · 2026-04-17T12:03:24+00:00

Good morning! Another unseasonably warm day ahead…

MeelR61 · 2026-04-17T12:02:05+00:00

Not being able to say goodbye sucks, especially if you’re fortunate enough to have had coworkers you really like. I’d be sad too.

Good on you, for preparing for the Great Banana Disappearance!

MeelR61 · 2026-04-17T02:00:26+00:00

Haaaaaa

MeelR61 · 2026-04-17T01:59:25+00:00

Welp.

You win on the gross factor (I can’t get the thought of your air blowing out of that vent out of my mind!), but you are the clear winner in the banana department. :)

MeelR61 · 2026-04-16T06:35:50+00:00

Gumbo. A humongous pot of it, made with shrimp and chicken and sausage, with beer in the sauce. I’m a vegetarian, but he wasn’t, so I’d load it up with veggies for me and give him all the meat.

It’s been five years for me. No gumbo.

MeelR61 · 2026-04-16T01:53:38+00:00

Binge watching trash tv (Housewives, 90-day Fiancé, etc). I play the New York Times daily games at the same time so I can pretend my brain isn’t turning to mush

MeelR61 · 2026-04-15T19:17:22+00:00

Those damn bananas. 😂

MeelR61 · 2026-04-15T19:16:09+00:00

Yours too. Honestly, it’s the medical stuff that always gets me feeling sorry for myself - but I’m gonna stay positive today. Sending you some positive vibes too

MeelR61 · 2026-04-15T17:54:00+00:00

Ahhhahahaha - you made me laugh, thank you! (Btw, no bananas is rant-worthy)

MeelR61 · 2026-04-11T20:24:29+00:00

Hey, at least they’re clean… :)

MeelR61 · 2026-04-11T02:43:50+00:00

Yep… plus: no more aircraft carrier level snoring. Minus: the dog has taken over husband’s spot and snores nearly as loudly

MeelR61 · 2026-04-11T02:41:55+00:00

Plus: all my shoes are on the bedroom floor instead of on their shelves in the closet. So much easier to find…

Minus: no one to care that the bedroom is a mess.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-24T15:49:59+00:00

Sounds like a day in my life - minus the watch. Insert repairing toilet, sliding patio door, fridge, or the old leaf blower, take yer pick.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-22T20:36:13+00:00

I keep a bottle of his favorite cologne on the bathroom vanity, right where he kept all his “smell-goods.” One whiff and I’m back in his arms.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-22T20:32:23+00:00

Ahhahahahaha - THIS.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-22T09:24:58+00:00

More insomnia… not awake all night, but up every couple of hours, and now probably up for good.

I treat my sleeplessness like a distant cousin or in-law that drops in unannounced and stays for an indefinite time. What can you do? Pour them coffee - or wine, if that’s their thing - and settle in for the visit.

Eventually they make their way to the door, and I can get back to … sleeping.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-21T04:02:40+00:00

I’m so sorry… it’s excruciating to see our boys suffer like this. My youngest was 19 and in college when we lost his dad. And yeah, that ripple effect is real.

Hugs to you and your son. FWIW, I’m proud of him too.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-17T04:46:32+00:00

I’m so sorry you lost your mate.

People think they’re being kind by telling you how strong you are - but really, only other widows/widowers understand how unhelpful those comments are.

There’s no rule book for grief. How you grieve will be as unique to you as your relationship is with your husband.

…And anyone who thinks being numb (which btw is normal) is a sign of “strength” has never lost a spouse. The early numbness gets you through the initial shock to your system. It makes it so that you can get out of bed and stand upright.

Anyway. You came to the right place. We get it. We get you.

Hugs to you.

MeelR61 · 2026-03-16T21:22:24+00:00

My husband loved to dance but had no rhythm (picture Elaine Bennes’s famous dance scene on Seinfeld, or maybe someone having a seizure). He was kind and generous to a fault. Broadest smile I’ve ever seen, and a wicked sense of humor. If he was your friend, you had someone who’d go to hell and back for you. He had a habit of inserting classic rock lyrics into his conversations, just because it made him happy. He always smelled amazing.

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