Tag: Shelley Baker

Daily Post · writing

I Wasn’t Trying to Be a Writer

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How do you write what people actually want to read?

Honestly, I started journaling when I was younger. I wasn’t aware of what or how I was writing, but I knew writing out my feelings felt good to me. Barely a handful of people read what I wrote and encouraged me to keep writing.

I decided to go to college for nursing and had to take an English class. At the end of the class, my teacher said, “I know you’re going to school to be a nurse but when you have time, I want to encourage you to take a novel-writing class.”

She taught me to describe something in a way that would help the reader feel what I was feeling. For example, instead of just saying it was a dark night and there was a white phone, I might say, “The dark night felt like a spotlight on the white phone.”

In this class, we also read a book. I had maybe only read two or three books, including the one she had us read, which was called Dead End in Norvelt. It was probably meant for ages 11 to 18, if that. Those books were easy for me to read, so if I was going to start writing, I decided I would write about things I understood, like lessons I’ve learned from things I’ve done, and I would keep it easy to read.

I don’t always know what someone else wants to read. I just know what I want to say. I write about things I’ve experienced, things I’ve learned, feelings I’ve had, and sometimes just a thought that gets stuck in my head and won’t leave me alone.

I try to write in a way that is easy for me to understand, because I figure there might be someone else out there who understands it too.

Maybe that’s what my teacher saw in me all those years ago. I wasn’t trying to be a writer. I was just trying to put my feelings into words.

And maybe you don’t have to know exactly what people want to read. Maybe you just have to be willing to tell your story and hope that somewhere in your words, someone finds a little piece of themselves.

Daily Post · writing

Maybe There Are Just Rules to Life

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Do you believe in karma?

I’ve been thinking about this one and I’m not sure I believe in karma the way some people do. I don’t believe that people are necessarily punished for the things they do. I think there are rules to life, and sometimes you just have to follow them.

For example, if you are driving and you are texting, talking, reading, or even putting on makeup, you are taking your attention away from driving. If something happens, I don’t necessarily see that as being punished. There are just certain rules to driving, and one of those rules is that you need to pay attention to the road.

Another example is something as simple as dusting your furniture. If you don’t dust a piece of furniture, it is not going to become clean. It’s going to get dusty. That’s just how it works.

I think life can be like that too. Sometimes our choices have consequences, not because someone or something is punishing us, but because that is simply what happens when we make certain choices.

I also keep thinking about the movie Set It Off. Sometimes people can be really good at breaking the rules and getting away with it. They can start become arrogant because they think they have figured out how to get away with things.

But eventually, you can put your hands into too many cookie jars. You get so busy trying to keep up with everything you are doing that you mess up. You forget something, make a mistake, and get caught.

So maybe I don’t believe in karma as much as I believe that there are rules to life. You can choose to follow them or not, but you don’t always get to choose the consequences.

Sometimes it’s not karma.

Sometimes it’s just breaking the rules.

Family · friendship · Home

June 16, 2026: The Day Everything Changed: Part 2

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This is a follow-up to my last blog post about my pulmonary valve surgery on June 16, 2026. Since that post was about the surgery itself, I wanted to write this one to keep track of what happened afterward and what my doctors found during my follow-up.

They found a leak in my new pulmonary valve, so the cardiologist here at OSF did an echo, X-ray, and some blood tests. Three of their congenital cardiologists think the other doctors who looked at the images probably got a little confused. However, they did request the imaging that all the other doctors saw to see exactly what they were looking at or what they saw. Then they are going to review it themselves.

I have an artery above my pulmonary valve that is enlarged, and when the blood flows through it, it swirls around before going where it needs to go. Apparently, that can make it look like a larger leak than what it is. Another thing is that my blood pressure has been higher than normal. When that happens, it puts extra pressure on the heart, almost like it’s squeezing it, and it may have been pushing a little more blood out of the valve at that time as well. I also had fluid on my lungs, which added even more pressure.

I saw my Peptide (BNP) number, which is something I’ve been keeping track of myself. That number helps indicate fluid buildup. When I went into St. John’s the other night, it had gone up to a little over 1,700. Even before that, it was around 1,200. Today, I noticed it was 400 when they checked it, which is the lowest I’ve seen it, so I was really happy about that.

They also told me that while 1,700 is an increase for me, they’re used to seeing numbers of 10,000 or even 15,000, so they put it into perspective for me by telling me how high the peptide numbers they’ve seen can get.

The doctor also said my heart function is wonderful, which they told me at St. John’s too. He said they’ll keep an eye on this mild-to-moderate leak, and if they need to, they can repair it through a catheter instead of open-heart surgery. They would not be opening me up again, at least not for a very long time.

As far as the fluid goes, it’s really about finding the right amount of medication to keep it off, and that’s what they’re working on now. He doesn’t think the fluid will last much longer, but if it does, I can call them. They can either see me in the clinic or prescribe an extra water pill if needed. Of course, if I’m ever gasping for air, I should go straight to the ER.

Family · Home · memories

June 16, 2026: The Day Everything Changed

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My Open Heart Surgery was on June 16, 2026. I’m writing this a little while after the surgery, but I wanted to go back and share what those first days of my recovery were like.

My surgery went pretty well. It was nerve-wracking, but I got through it. Most of my family was in the waiting room, and I was awake just long enough for my immediate family to come in and say hello before they took me back.

They gave me a lot of fluids in the ICU, apparently to support the right side of my heart. I don’t remember all the details, so I’m not exactly sure why they were needed. The surgeon put in my new valve and said everything went well.

The next day, they took me off the ventilator and, as I remember it, sat me up in a chair. That felt wonderful. Over time, my lower body became very swollen, probably because of all the fluids I had received. They started me on Lasix, and the swelling slowly began to go down. I took a walk down the hall either later that day or the next morning. I can’t remember exactly when.

They placed me in the PICU because the surgeon who performed my operation is mainly a children’s heart surgeon, although he also operates on adults. I believe he prefers his patients to recover on the pediatric floor. The nurses there were incredibly attentive. You really couldn’t ask for better care.

Around the third or fourth day in the hospital, though, I started feeling guilty. Because I was taking Lasix, I had to use the bathroom constantly and needed the nurses’ help every time. I felt like I was taking time away from the children who needed them.

I was also healing from a sheath they had placed in my right groin. The doctor wanted to leave it in a little longer to give the area more time to heal. While I was taking Lasix, fluid was leaking from the opening where the sheath had been. For a couple of days, I was a hot mess and felt very needy. They eventually removed the sheath, and although a little fluid continued to leak afterward, it finally stopped. That was such a relief!

I’ve been home for a while now, but I’ve been lagging behind on my walking. I have been walking, just not as much as I should. At my follow-up appointment, they found some fluid around my left lung and a small infection where the sheath had been. Those bumps in the road have made me pretty nervous.

After my appointment, I walked around the block once. Yesterday, I walked around the block four times. My doctor also prescribed another antibiotic and more Lasix, hoping the fluid around my left lung will continue to improve.

Recovery hasn’t been a straight line, and there have been a few setbacks, but I’m thankful for how far I’ve come. I’m taking things one day at a time and trusting that, with patience, walking, rest, and the treatment my doctor recommends, I’ll continue getting stronger.

Daily Post · memories · writing

Are You Still Mine

shelie274 Comments

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

That night at a friend’s house,

I reached for your hand — you froze,

our fingers clutched

and you glanced up, smiled, and said, stay here awhile.

As the night went on, we were stuck like glue,

and those feelings of being inevitable were so brand new.

When we laid down, you kissed me goodnight

and asked me what about you did I like.

The way you looked out the front door

when the oven went ding,

for the cookies we made that New Year’s Eve.

The rest of the night we made out;

Unchained Melody played in the background

as you stole all my doubts.

When the night was over and we said goodbye,

you called for a week to say more than hi.

I came to see you for two whole days;

we slept on a mattress and floated into space.

The evening I left, the rain came down,

the leaves were all wet; we were a mess.

I heard from you a few more times,

and Unchained Melody plays in my mind.

Now, all these years have gone by,

and I’m still back there, without a goodbye.

Daily Post · Home · love

King Of The Jungle

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Write about your dream home.

My dream house is a ranch-style home on the outskirts of a small town. The porch wraps all the way around, and it’s concrete and flat to the ground. Soft, dim lighting lines the porch, giving it a warm glow in the evenings. There’s a big willow tree in the front yard, and the front yard is bigger than the back. I have a few wooden rockers, a glider for two, and a large wooden chair. There’s a small side table on the porch, perfect for early morning coffee or a refreshing drink on hot summer days.

The house is modern. The living room and kitchen are open, with a small amount of counter space separating the two, but you can see both areas clearly. My living room has just enough shelves built into the wall.

We have three, maybe four, bedrooms, but they are not huge — just big enough for guests to have a bed and sleep comfortably. The master bedroom has only about four stairs leading up to it. It’s a decent size, big enough for a king bed to sit in the middle of the room and still have space to move around.

The window in our room is on the right side of the bedroom. It’s rectangular and opens outward instead of sliding up. You can see most of the weeping willow when looking out. Every night before bed, my husband climbs up the tree in his boxers and swings down like Tarzan!

Uncategorized

The Past

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Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I spend a lot of time in the past, mainly thinking about my late high school days and my mid-twenties. I think about the girl I was, because I didn’t really know her until I was able to look back. She was a bit shy when meeting new people, but not with her friends she’d known since grade school. She loved to skate, walk, write, and sing, and she had the energy to do so. Walking helped her focus on making the right decisions and drew her closer to God. She spent a lot of time daydreaming about her future. Life was on her side, as was time and the way she chose to spend it. She is missed.

friendship

A Piece of Me

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Every week- Three questions about you to tell us!

What is the silliest thing you have heard people say about you? I’m sure there are lots of silly things people have said to me. A time that comes to mind was when some friends and I played a game called “Sad and Solemn Occasion” in high-school. I can’t remember how the whole game went, but, you had to be truthful to your opponent. My opponent told me, she thought, I should be a bushman with my head of hair!

 

Which of your personality traits have been most useful? I would say my gift of discernment. My boss and I have a decent relationship. She tries not to wear her feelings on her sleeve. I will ask her how her day is, I can tell though, if she’s lying, about feeling fine. I will ask her again, what is really going on. She sometimes gets upset because she doesn’t understand how I can tell something is bothering her.

Another time, I let my son go down the street from where we lived, to play. I told the other child’s family, I would come back in an hour to pick him up. I started doing my dishes and a picture of my boys  face kept going through my mind, I called their number twice and no answer, I hung up the phone and could barely breath. I took off out the door, got in my car, and drove down their house.

Low and behold I was right on the money.

 

Are you an early bird or a night owl? I have worked the evening shift for years. When I come home at night, I like to watch a movie on Prime or read all your blogs, while the rest of the house is sleeping. I hit the hay around 1:30 or 2am.