I Can't Hold You And I Can't Leave You

"I can't hold you and I can't leave you,

and sorting the reasons to leave you or hold you,

I find an intangible one to love you,

and many tangible ones to forego you.

As you won't change, nor let me forego you,

I shall give my heart a defense against you -

so that half shall always be armed to abhor you

whilst the other be ready to adore you.

Then, if our love, by loving flourish,

let it not in endless fueding perish;

let us speak no more in jealousy and suspicion.

He offers not part, who would all receive -

so know that when it is your intention,

mine shall be to make believe."

Sr. Juana Ines de la Cruz  c. 1670

My Regrets

I've been told that my entry "Everyday Pain No More" upset a few people, though I've heard from but one.  Well, one person is enough - I've changed the title and ask that anyone who reads it please try to understand, I'm saying NOT to parent your pain, not to "baby" it or pamper it.  Do what you have to in order to live another day as completely as you can.  It seems the entry has been misunderstood.  I apologize to anyone in The Healing Garden who felt I was not being empathetic, that's not possible for me.  I only listed one of my disabilities because, as I said, the rest are negligible to me because I choose to see them that way.  Doesn't mean they aren't a pain, and a daily one.  But if this is a kind of ailment contest, boy am I in the wrong place!  My Journal should be private, then.  But I think people read that entry and simply didn't understand it, didn't think it was fair that someone could "think" away pain - I never said that.  Not the first time a person will be misunderstood, won't be the last.  I understand completely and still view those people, whoever they may be, as courageously trying to deal with unbearable pain.  But I regret anyone felt badly about my words, no one will always be agreed with.  YOU MAY NEVER BE FREE OF PAIN, BUT YOU CAN RELIEVE YOURSELF OF SUFFERING.  That's my belief.           

Happy Anniversary All!!

 Well, I may be a newbie of 4 months but I certainly feel at home!  Thanks and congratulations to one and all for such outstanding loyalty to JLand, my other home at home!  CATHY  ((((( Huggies to all )))))!!!!!! 

Thank you Attentive People

Thank you Jackie, Amy, anyone else who found the article.  Ever since I sat on my best glasses, everything looks....well, definitely not there anyway! 

No Article Found, Etc.

Just a quick blurb to let every caring, compassionate person who wanted details about little Polly left abandonded, I couldn't find anything in my local paper.  The other night, a couple only in their early 60's died in the night during the 112 degree heat here in Newark, hottest in the country, when they went into heat exhaustion then stroke.  The power was down in many parts of Jersey yesterday, there's always a surge in demand when people come home from work.  So the Sheriff's Office was starled to note all the windows were closed and basically this couple were mummified.  Their neighbors said they were paranoid of everyone, always thought young people were out to hurt them, which wasn't true it was a fine neighborhood.  But can you imagine what it must've been like for them, no power, no air, they just fell into heat exhaustion and it's a fine line from there to heat stroke.  The "cooling centers" all over the city are packed.  All these things happening because of our weather, all over the world, can anyone remember a time this happened?  I can't, we used to be able to depend on the seasons growing up.  And if children were being left alone in cars, or houses, or if pets were being ignored or thrown out, we never knew it.  Were we just not paying attention?  I just don't know.   

Frankly, I think the worldwide weather patterns changing so drastically like this is only the beginning.  The earth does go through normal fluctuations but not as quick as this one.  Now it's finally breaking with some thunderstorms in my area, but people are sick and some are dead. 

Think I'll have a meditative conversation with the Good Lord, just to relieve my heart of this pain.  God is the answer and love is the key.  I don't know why I should worry ..... but I do.       

Thank your Good God

Feeling a bit warm?  They just found a 12-year old girl in Newton, NJ, my State, abandoned in a house with no electricity, and she's been there alone for over a month. 

Why Do Men Have Nipples?

Over the years I've managed to collect a geat deal of minutia and factoids I thought you might find interesting.  See if any of these answers a question or two:

WHAT CAUSES ICE CREAM HEADACHE?  Actually, there's a nerve center at the roof and back of the mouth called the sphenopalatine ganglion, and when you eat something icy cold it constricts the blood vessels, causing your pain receptors to overload, sending the excess pain straight to your head. 

DOES EATING CHOCOLATE CAUSE ACNE?  No.

WHY ARE YOU HUNGRY AN HOUR AFTER EATING CHINESE FOOD?  The carbs are the culprits.  All that rice, noodles, they cause the blood sugar level to peak then plummet, making you hungry. 

CAN CARROTS HELP IMPROVE YOUR VISION?  The Roman Emperor Caligula, a heck of a guy, believed carrots were the ultimate aphrodisiac and forced his court to eat a ton at banquets.  Just a little factoid there.  Actually, this started during WW11 when British pilots started shooting down German planes like crazy.  They bragged it was because of all the carrots they ate (remember "Victory Gardens"?  Everyone had one and carrots were a main crop).  The fact is they were right.  Beta-carotene is essential for sight.  The body converts it into vitamin A which is a nice friendly vitamin for all kinds of things.  But as with everything, there's a good side and bad side.  The bad is, too much vitamin A is toxic.  It causes many uwanted side-effects like yellow skin and fatigue.  Best thing?  A multi-vitamin daily.

WHY DOES SPICY FOOD MAKE YOUR NOSE RUN?  (So embarrassing....)  It's Capsaicin.  This chemical stimulates the central nervous system fibers that control fluid in the nasal passages and stomach.  The good side?  Research into Capsaicin is very promising in the treatment of nerve diseases.  Yeah!!!

WHY IS IT BAD TO CRACK YOUR KNUCKLES?  This isn't as harmful as some think.  Unless, of course, you're near someone who is irritated by the sound, then you might experience intense pain in the area where you were punched.  The fact is, popping knuckles does not cause arthritis.  Too much of it causes the ligaments to stretch making it difficult to grasp things.  So what causes that pop sound?  Bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid surrounding the joint.  Interesting, eh? 

WHY DO SOME FOLKS HAVE AN INNIE AND OTHERS HAVE AN OUTIE?  Contrary to most thinking it has nothing to do with where the umbilical cord is cut.  We just put a clip on, cut, and wait for the dried up cord tissue to fall off.  It's all purely random. 

WHY ARE YAWNS CONTAGIOUS?  Since we really don't know, the most common theory is that it's behavioral.  Humans tend to imitate other humans, unconsciously.  Even fish yawn, among many other animals.  I'm starting to yawn just thinking about it ......

CAN YOU LOSE A CONTACT LENS IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD?  Oh this is great I love this.  Many people come running into the ER screaming that they've lost their contact in the back of their head.  Most times it's found all folded up behind the eyelid.  But not always; sometimes it's nowhere to be found.  So where is it???  Probably at home on the bathroom floor.  There's no where else for it to go!

WHAT ARE THE STRONGEST AND LONGEST MUSCLES IN THE BODY?  Relative to size, most would say the tongue is the strongest, but it's not.  Wait'll you hear this.  First, the longest is the sartorius, which slants across the thigh onto the knee.  And the strongest are two, actually:  the masseter for chewing, and (get ready) the good old gluteus maximus.     ! ! ! ! !

WHY DO YOUR TEETH CHATTER WHEN YOU'RE COLD?  When the body sinks too far below 98.6 degrees F, it sends a message to the hypothalamus to start warming up.  Shivering is the rapid movement of the muscles to create heat, and teeth chattering is like shivering.

WHY DO YOU LAUGH WHEN TICKLED?  Laughter is a complex process involving muscles and blood pressure.  But scientists and researchers alike know that laughing is a bonding experience, a social act.  Ever see chimps laughing?  Studies show that people are 30 times more likely to laugh in a social setting than when alone (except crazy Aunt Mabel).  Reports also show that laughing may predate human evolution - remember the chimps?  So it's a form of making a social bond.  What about the tickling-lauging connection?  It's a reflexive action.  Scientists don't know exactly how it works because you can't tickle yourself but it seems to involve an element of surprise.  Boo!  Notice how we tend to laugh after someone surprises us?  LOL!

WHAT ARE THOSE LITTLE HALF MOONS IN YOUR NAILS?  They're called lunule and it shows where the hardening process is not yet complete.  Here's some good stuff about nails:

Nails grow .004 inches daily.

Fingernails grow faster than toenails.

Toenails are twice as thick as fingernails.

Nails grow faster in summer than in winter.

Men's nails grow faster than women's - and here's something I've noticed all my life:

The nails on your dominant hand are stronger and tend to grow faster.

OKAY NOW YOU WANT THE BIG ANSWER, RIGHT?  You probably already know most of all this stuff, so: 

Although females have the mammary glands, we ALL start out in the embryonic stage as female.  During develoment, the embryo follows a female pattern, or template, until about 6 weeks when the male sex chromosome kicks in to start developing a male embryo.  Men are thus left with nipples they have no real use for, like ear lobes or the tips of our noses, even the appendix.  These are called vestigial organs and tissue.  In about oh say, 100,000 years, these will start to disappear as we continue to evolve as humans.  Until then, at least there are plenty of nerve endings in the nipple area so they're not entirely useless.  Interesting.

Let me give credit to the book "Why Do Men Have Nipples" where alot more good stuff is found, I'll post more when I get new glasses lol!!