Archives for March 2023

Retirement or Refirement

March 29, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

At a certain age, our minds turn to thoughts of retirement. How might living in our passion areas allow us to refire and finish well?

Dan is joined by his good friend Ronny Russell as they talk about the difference between retirement and refirement.

Refirement involves discerning your passion. What gives you joy and provides a sense of fulfillment? Imagine spending the final season of life investing in the people, causes, and projects you find most valuable.

Join Dan and Ronny as they share how your retirement years can be the most fulfilling and exciting season of life.

Learn how to refire rather than simply retire.

The soundtrack of your life

March 26, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

We all have one. A soundtrack made up of favorite bands and songs that capture different seasons of our life.

Your Life’s Soundtrack

I was eleven or twelve when my grandfather gave me my first radio. It was a simple am/fm transistor radio. My grandparents had upgraded theirs and thought it a great gift for me. I was thrilled to have it.

Sitting in my bedroom, I would search the dial for the latest and greatest of music. With no headphones, I would frequently hear my mom yell, “turn that thing down,” as she was working in the kitchen. I remember multiple conversations where mom and dad questioned my grandfather’s wisdom.

Over the years, the equipment has changed. Boomboxes, cassette tapes, Walkmans, CDs, iPods, and now Spotify. I can’t tell you how many times I joined and then re-joined those clubs where you got a dozen tapes for one penny. Change your first name from Dan to Daniel to Danny, and add a middle initial, even if was not mine. [the statute of limitations is up, correct?]

However you found your music, I am sure you can relate to the idea of a soundtrack for your life. [Read more…]

A Clean Stent

March 20, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com 3 Comments

A big piece of life in the past few years has been cleaning out the stent in my bile duct. It is amazing how much an ERCP changes life.

Signs of Problems

I have learned to discern when my stent is getting clogged. I become tired. Not your normal; I did too much and need a nap tired. The I just got up, ate breakfast, and am ready to go back to bed kind of tired. It is a tired that you just cannot shake all day no matter how many naps you take.

My brain becomes fogged. It takes longer to think through problems, and writing or reading is just about impossible.

My GI tract starts giving me signs as well. Enough to say that it shows up at both ends.

When things get really bad, my skin yellows, and the whites of my eyes turn yellow.

All of this is a sign that the stent in my liver is blocked and that an infection is taking hold. I have a standby prescription of anti-biotics that usually take the edge off of the worst side feelings. While I start taking those, I am on the portal with Dr. Leung working to get my next ERCP scheduled quickly. We have developed a great relationship, and it has helped keep me out of the ER for the past few times the stent has been clogged.

ERCP

The fix is simple. Well, maybe not simple, but it certainly has worked in my case. I just completed my thirteenth ERCP. It is normally a thirty-minute procedure where they put a scope down your throat and run a wire to the stent and clean it out.

The picture is part of how they accomplish the procedure. You can see the metal stent placed in my liver. The scope is directed down to the base of my stent. Then, Dr. Leung uses a wire to go up and clean out the stent.

Kind of amazing when you look at it.

Once the stent is cleaned out, all the bile from my liver flows freely, and I immediately feel like a new person.

On the way into the procedure I am dragging. Walking out I am just about skipping down the halls.

BTW – the other piece of hardware you see in the upper left of the picture is my port. It is where I receive chemo treatments. A fantastic device. I would love to meet the person who invented it.

Right now I need to have the stent cleaned out every two months.

I will feel great for about a month and a half, and then will slowly decline until it is time to go in and get “serviced” again.

Check out the latest episode of the A Place in the Conversation Podcast:

Sobriety thru Service

March 13, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Welcome back to the A Place in the Conversation podcast.

Today we are making a place in the conversation for Dan Fech. Dan shares his story of finding recovery from drugs and alcohol. He explains how a higher power and acts of service have helped him remain sober for over 25 years.

Stages and Phases

March 9, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Live long enough, and you realize life is filled with different stages or phases. It appears I have crossed into a new season of life.

Life’s Many Stages

Everyone loves that moment when a baby suddenly realizes there is a world to explore. Their eyes open wide, and rooms are often filled with smiles and laughter.

When Joseph entered kindergarten, he was ready to go. He had watched the school bus drive past our house with anticipation for quite some time. Nancy and I could barely keep up as we walked him to the corner for his first bus ride. We had entered a new phase of life.

As dementia slowly robbed mom and dad of their memories, I shifted from son to caregiver. Together we entered a new phase of life. Dad would consistently apologize for needing help. I reminded him that a few years ago, I was the one who needed help, and he always stood by me. I was simply returning the favor. It always makes him smile when I talk that way. Working together to navigate the different stages and phases of life.

My New Phase

It appears I have crossed into a new phase or stage of life. There have been different signs that I have crossed into a new season.

Sign One; people now hold the door open for me as I approach a building.

For the past six months or so, I have been using a cane. Neuropathy has left me with little feeling in my feet. The cane is an added sense of security. No, I am NOT a fall risk.

These “door holders” see me coming, step out of the way, and smile politely while ushering me into the building. I appreciate their kindness.

Just this week, on my way into chemotherapy, a woman at least ten years my senior held the door open for ME! You can see I am wrestling with going gracefully into this new stage of life. [Read more…]

Podcast – Luis Tovar

March 6, 2023 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

On today’s podcast, we make “A Place in the Conversation” for Luis Tovar. Luis shares the work that Kacie’s Cause is doing to help individuals and families address substance use disorder.

Luis serves as the executive director of Kacie’s Cause.

Kacie’s Cause is a group of volunteers dedicated to minimizing the effects of substance use disorder with love and compassion in a non-judgemental way through education, support, prevention, & advocacy. – Kacie’s Cause website