I’ve enjoyed good health for most of my life, with the exception of a few occasional aches. That is, until that health scare mentioned in last month’s column. I realize now that I’m not as infallible as I thought I was. I can have things go haywire like everyone else.

No more will I assume that any recurring ache or pain will go away if I just wait it out. I now realize that waiting it out could lead to my going away permanently.

I began to think about other habits I could break that might have brought this on, and what I could do to lessen the chance of it happening again.

Needing answers, I went online and typed in “Type A personalities,” a label that fits me pretty well. Up came one article that described both positive and negative traits.

I wrote down three negatives that fit me to a T and then pledged to work on changing them — or at least curbing them. I knew it would be a challenge after all these years, but “you’re never too old to learn something new.”

First, I took a look my eating habits. For years, I’d grab a bite on the run and more often than not my only real meal would be dinner. Now, three meals a day are a must, no matter how busy the day might be. Already I’m experiencing more energy and I’ve even gained back a few of several pounds lost leading up to and during that health setback. I’m also doing a few low-impact stretching exercises every morning before starting my day. My body may not show it, but my outlook on the day ahead certainly has improved.

Next on the list is a habit I’ve tried many times to break without much success — doing two things at one time in an attempt to save time. That usually leads to disaster followed by frustration and jangled nerves.

An example of this is one day when friends were coming for dinner. All the ingredients for a special recipe were out on the work counter except for one spice. As I reached up into the cupboard with one hand to retrieve it, I also was stretching across the counter below to pick up a glass bowl with the other hand. The one spice I needed tumbled out, followed by three others bottles that I accidentally bumped. One hit the edge of the bowl and both broke. After cleaning up broken glass and mopping up spice from the floor I had no desire to make that recipe. I settled on something much easier and faster and though my friends enjoyed it, I felt uptight and terribly disappointed in myself.

No more of that. By paying close attention to what I’m doing and doing only one thing at a time, I’ve discovered I get more done in a shorter amount of time and without mishaps and frustration — and best of all, without any messes to clean up.

The third thing on the list is a biggie: impatience. I am impatient not only with myself and others, but with events that I have absolutely no control over.

For one, I’m punctual and have always expected everyone else to be the same. If someone didn’t arrive at my door exactly at the time they were supposed to, I’d fret and pace and I’m sure my blood pressure soared. Now, I watch TV, read a magazine or just keep busy until they arrive. When they do, I greet them with a warm welcome and our visit is far more enjoyable and relaxed and so am I.

Then there are stop lights! Oh, the headaches I’ve brought on over the years because red lights at intersections didn’t change as fast as I thought they should. I’d just sit and glare up at them with hands tightly clinching the steering wheel. One day, my daughter was with me when we had to stop at one. Noticing my agitation she said, half jokingly, “Mom, why are you in such a hurry to go nowhere?” I had no answer for that, because there was no reason!

That one I’m really working hard on, but have yet to conquer. Though my reaction has toned down, I still have an aversion to stop lights when traffic is held up for several minutes and not one car is approaching from any other direction. I haven’t given up yet. I now smile at the person in the car next to me or listen to the radio or sing along to a favorite song. I admit I’m finding errands are going more smoothly and I’m not nearly as exhausted on my return home.

The transformation continues. Maybe one day I’ll be a totally new woman. Well, probably not totally new — it’s too late for that — but with some rough edges smoothed out. At least there are enough encouraging things happening that keep me working at it.

Right now, it’s time to bring this to an end and have lunch, a bowl of soup and a sandwich ... prepared one at a time.


Sacramento resident Joey Franklin, retired from more than three decades of full-time work in the newspaper business, now writes a monthly column for Spectrum.