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  • The day that flipped my world

    Note: In the stories that follow, certain names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.

    It started as a beautiful, ordinary morning.A wonderful animated Valentine’s Day greeting arrived in my inbox from a dear family friend in Hawaii.

    She had spent hours hand-crafting intricate pipe-cleaner flowers. The images flashed across my screen showing vibrant pink and red petals, delicate heart accents, and tiny plush owls nestled inside. It was a stunning reminder of creativity and care.

    It was the exact bright spot of joy that started my day. I was so excited by the beauty of the morning that I wanted to capture a moment of it myself.

    I stepped outside to take a picture of our blooming white azaleas.

    Then, in a split second, everything changed.

    My balance failed me.

    The next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance. I was rushed straight to the UCI Medical Center.

    The five-star room service was a small comfort, but my entire world had been turned upside down. My home for the next nine days was at 101 City Drive in Orange, California. It came with 24-hour medical attention and room service, but with a couple of major problems:

    1. That comfortable-looking bed with its fluffy pillows is not so comfy when you are laying in it 24/7 with a broken arm and a bad bedsore.
    2. At a busy trauma hospital, a broken arm is not a top priority. I kept getting bumped from my surgery slot. However, my surgeon, Dr. L*, was incredibly kind and dropped by my pre-surgery room to personally apologize for the delays due to incoming critical emergencies.

    After finally undergoing surgery on February 21st, I was homeward bound on the 23rd. Home never looked so good!

  • Home Again

    “There’s no place like home.” L. Frank Baum’s famous line from The Wizard of Oz took on a whole new meaning for me.When I first returned from the hospital, I dreaded the daily climb from the kitchen downstairs to my master bedroom on the second floor. Seeing my anxiety, my family stepped up with an incredible surprise.

    They completely cleared the downstairs family room of the large couch, computer equipment, pet rat housing, and other knickknacks. In their place, they set up my bed, a bamboo wall divider, and my large stand-alone screen featuring seven white cranes flocking in a river of green reeds. To top it off, they moved down my two nightstands and my vintage five-drawer dresser chest. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and a massive relief.

    Why does the word “Home” bring such a warm feeling to our hearts? If you had spent nine days flat on your back in a hospital like I did, the answer would be obvious. Perhaps Pierce Brown’s quote fits best here: “Home isn’t where you’re from, it’s where you find light when all grows dark.”

    There was, however, a fly in the ointment. While there was a bathroom downstairs, it only contained a toilet, cabinet, and faucet—no shower. None of us wanted a reality where I had to get by on sponge baths forever.

    The solution was clear: remodel the bathroom to maximize the space, relocate the toilet, and squeeze in a brand-new shower. My son interviewed five contractors who left proposals for us to examine. I ultimately decided on Elegant Kitchen & Bath. Though they were the second-highest bidder, the quality of their presentation stood out.

    Now that I had all my daily necessities downstairs—my bedroom in the former family room, a beautiful bathroom shower down the hall, and direct entry to the kitchen next door—my perspective changed. With my son and granddaughters promising to drive me to all my doctor appointments and pick up our takeout orders, it occurred to me that I really didn’t need to keep my Tesla Model 3 or pay its expensive auto insurance premium anymore.

  • Paradise Lost and a Search for Answers

    With my car keys handed over, my daily living needs met downstairs, and my family looking out for me, I had effectively built a secure little haven. I had a beautiful view of my room’s white crane screen, easy kitchen access, and a freshly remodeled bathroom.

    But as you know from reading the Bible, Adam and Eve lived in Eden—a literal paradise—and yet they still found themselves looking for the forbidden fruit. 

    I soon realized that something vital was missing from my own paradise at home.

    It wasn’t an apple! We had plenty of apples in our refrigerator, along with plastic canisters of fresh spring mix, cucumbers, and mini peppers.

    I finally figured out what was missing:

    A MENU!

    My research led to investigating assisted living communities and CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities).

    The lingering thought of walking into a beautifully lit dining hall at a premium senior living facility made my mouth water. Ordering dynamic, chef-prepared entrees from a changing dinner menu sounded incredibly freeing compared to relying entirely on my family fetching takeout orders.