Category Archives: Health

Around Here

Posted on by
6

Around here, mindfulness is the word as I try to slow things down, soften the edges of my own life, and remove myself from places where I do not belong. 

Around here, I’m holding onto my post vacation haze as best as I can and am working to follow through on my promises to eat better and enjoy more quiet time doing what pleases me.  Reading a book in bed has never been a bad idea.

It feels like fall right now and I’m loving every minute of it even though the forecast is for upper eighties next week. I’ll live in this moment and take my meals on the back porch. This weekend I made a hearty soup and began planning for more new-to-me soup recipes. Any dish that starts with onion, celery and carrots in a big pot is fine by me. 

Around here, I am suffering the consequences of reinjuring a knee that had been healing. This time, though, I’m taking it more seriously since the doctor has been more plain and scary with his language. I turned down a hike this weekend because a trip to the grocery store Friday night had left it too inflamed and angry to be out in the woods. 

Although, natural ground is quite pleasing as opposed to the harsh concrete and pavement that covers so much of our “civilized” world. What does that impulse to build and pave over everything that is natural say about our choices as humans? 

Around here, I’m making a conscious effort to leave the tv off and the smartphone out of reach. I watch very little tv but tend to turn it on for noise. I have been listening to more podcasts and music lately and have been reading more books. I have been better able to focus on what’s in front of me which is no small accomplishment in a world of constant distraction.

Around here, I’m enjoying more porch meals which are always accompanied by a show. An orchestra comprised of all the best things found in nature make an amazing sound track for even the simplest meal. I wish more people understood the beauty in being quiet in nature. The buzz of a hummingbird’s wings as it hovers over a flower, the constant thrum of locusts, chirps of crickets, the occasional tree frog, and coo of the Mourning Dove are just a few of my favorite sounds. Even the rustle of breeze through changing leaves sounds remarkable when you allow yourself to enjoy such small pleasures. 

Around here, it’s the start of another week. More busy days, more dr appointments, more meals to cook, and more meetings are the sort of toil sure to keep the week moving forward. I hope to squeeze in plenty of porch meals, reading time and other things that bring joy to my days. 

Around here, I recognize that this won’t just happen. I have to make it all happen so that around here is a place I really want to be. 

A Skip In Your Step

Posted on by
4

Yesterday I found myself standing in a store window watching a gentleman walk down the sidewalk. He first caught my eye because he was carrying a tennis ball.

And then he suddenly gave that ball a good bounce on the sidewalk.

He caught the ball, took a few more steps and bounced it again before walking some more steps and repeating the pattern.

I currently have some questions for this man. Does he always carry a tennis ball? Was he out on a walk and this is some kind of coordination exercise? Did he just find the ball somewhere? Did he plan to gift it to a dog? Is he going to play tennis? If so, where is his racket?

But, at the time, I was completely mesmerized by the sight of this older person walking down the sidewalk, idly bouncing a ball like a ten year old boy. He had a skip in his step and I got the impression bouncing the ball made him feel like a kid again.

We would all have a skip in our step if we stopped taking everything so seriously and tried embracing the things that make us feel young.

I watched the man step-step-step-bounce all the way out of sight and I admired him for doing his own thing amidst a crowd of people so intent on just moving forward. They had no skip and I felt no joy watching them.

It’s Sunday, friends. Why don’t we all try doing something that puts the skip back in our step?

Sometimes

Posted on by
4

Waking up to a snowy world on a day when you have no real responsibilities, a book to read and a pretty Christmas tree to admire is one of life’s great gifts.

The book I’m reading today is a kid’s chapter book but it’s exactly what I need right now.

Sometimes we all need to give our brains and bodies a break and stop trying to be so smart and productive. Sometimes, a fourth grade reading level is exactly where we need to be. Sometimes a sweet story about a diverse group of little animals who live and work together despite their differences is the perfect choice for a tired mind.

Don’t worry, friends. This adventurer will rest for now but has fun plans for later today. I hope you do as well.

Putting the NO in NOvember

Posted on by
8

November is a great time to start saying no to things that aren’t important or that don’t fit in with your life plan. It is NOvember, after all.

It doesn’t have to be drastic but small changes can be beneficial. This week has been challenging because I was overbooked and torn in a few directions every single day. With plans of some kind every night this week, there wasn’t much downtime or even time to keep up with daily chores.

Thankfully, every week isn’t like this in my world. The busyness did make it easier to say no to doomscrolling or to following a routine just because I usually do it.

Lately, I find my attention span suffering because there are lots of things and people at the ready to take my brain by the hand and lead it away to what they want me to do. How DOES one concentrate in that environment?

Today, I’m saying no to almost everything. I slept in. There are a few chores to be done. At some point I’ll take a shower and put on clean pajamas because, after all, I’m not saying no to personal hygiene!

Eventually, I will prop up my sprained ankle and read or watch a movie. I bought a new puzzle aimed at keeping me still. Perhaps that’s in my future as well.

I’m starting to transition into a quieter season of life as I lean into the colder, shorter days of winter. We’ll call this day one of appreciating how the cooler season can contribute to mental health and overall wellness.

Enough about me.

While my story may sound relatable, your story is probably completely different. What should YOU be saying NO to this NOvember?

We are nearing the end of the month but it’s never too late to start! Is it an expensive vice like vaping or energy drinks? Should you be saying no to the PTO president who has learned to guilt you into submission because the other parents scatter into the wind when there’s work to be done?

Maybe there are tasks you do because you’ve “always done it that way.” Now that’s a terrible phrase. And just how much time are you spending binging tv or scrolling on your phone when you could be playing with your kids, traveling or doing all the things you say you want to do?

What is it that’s distracting you, eating up your money and robbing you of precious time? Life is so short. Bad habits, energy thieves and people who steal time will make it seem shorter.

Time is a trickster. We all get the same 24 hours in a day but, when you’re little, the days feel so long and like they’ll never end. Christmas will never come when you’re a kid and it’s only June. As you age, time speeds up until life feels almost like a runaway train. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Time will continue to march on with or without permission. Saying NO to what we can allows us to say YES to what matters most. In my case today, that will be my mental and physical health. My yes may be different every day and yours may as well.

It’s Saturday, friends. It’s as good a day as any to start saying no!

The Thing That Sparks Joy

Posted on by
3

Fall vacation is finally here and I couldn’t be more pleased. Exhaustion had set in so I’m relieved for some R&R at home and for some adventure days out in the world.

It’s a fine line to walk. I’m tired on most average days but life is more than sleep and work. The thing that brings me the most joy is something that many would consider an afterthought or altogether unnecessary. 

Going out to explore the forests, the back roads, cities, museums, bookstores and all the other fascinating places that make this world amazing is the thing that brings me the most joy. 

It’s the thing that infuses me with enough energy and enthusiasm to face another day. 

The above picture is from Pittsburgh. There’s a walking trail that my friend introduced me to partly because she wanted me to see this place. It’s private property and is the site of a fabulous collection of vintage signs and assorted fun stuff. It looks like the guy who owns it ran out of garage space and his wife told him to move it somewhere out of her way. .

It’s a fun surprise and a feast for the eyes. It’s the kind of thing that sparks excitement in my heart and spirit. 

I hope there’s something in your life that brings you such joy. If so, go embrace it! Even if no one else understands.

Thoughts On Slowing Down

Posted on by
4

Thoughts on slowing down have created a pattern this week in between work and naps.

When I was a kid, if you went to the doctor for something like bronchitis, you would get an antibiotic and orders to take it easy. Plenty of rest, fluids and something nutritious were the most common orders. 

Today, they call in a prescription for a Z Pack and some Prednisone and send you on your way. Maybe they think I’m old enough to know I should be resting and drinking lots of water but I’m not so sure. After all, prednisone, meant to help relieve inflammation, is a steroid that will wire you up so badly you wonder if you’ll ever sleep again. 

It provides artificial energy that makes it hard to rest. A couple of nights this week, I went to bed so exhausted I could hardly hold a toothbrush. Yet, the moment my head hit the pillow, Prednisone Brain would say “hey, you wanna do some jumping jacks? Let’s clean the house! Maybe I’ll just lie here and vibrate for a while!”

Nope: Rest didn’t come easy at all even though that’s the one thing I desperately needed. 

On Friday after work, the house was quiet and dark thanks to a bad storm and power outage. So Scout and I laid down for a little nap. I didn’t set an alarm and ended up sleeping about three hours. The only reason I woke up is that my phone kept buzzing. The rest of the world was going on about its own pace, texting and facebooking, emailing and calling while my body enjoyed a well deserved slumber. 

I got up, fed the cat and went back to bed only to sleep through the night as though I hadn’t slept in weeks. 

Glorious rest is so important to a body. 

I awoke Saturday to the sound of generators all around. Still no power. Drats!

But I spent my morning enjoying the slowness. It was too dark yet to get up and do anything. With a well, there’s no running water when the power is out so I couldn’t clean or do anything useful. No television meant no noise in the house. A desire to preserve my cell phone battery left me alone with my thoughts. 

Those thoughts wandered back a lot of years to when I was a child enduring power outages that, back then, might have lasted for hours or for days. I remember evenings sitting on the porch in good weather and gathered around lanterns in the poor weather months. 

When I was real young, those were kerosense lanterns that eventually gave way to battery operated. Now we have some with rechargeable batteries and led lights that illuminate the room and even charge your phone. 

As a kid, I remember snack foods and board games, grown up conversation and toys and books. 

Life slowed down – if only for a little while. It was a license to break routine and to embrace a quieter side of life that our ancestors knew simply as the way it was. 

Now, whole house generators make the transition so smooth some folks might need reminding they don’t have power. There’s no need to break up with our tv, air fryers, and Facebook because there’s a back up to insure no one is even inconvenienced. 

A small generator here requires manual start and is gas operated. We don’t run it all the time but instead focus on just keeping food cold by running it a few hours at a time. I keep my devices charged, including a couple of portable chargers for my phone. 

This isn’t Little House On The Prairie after all. 

Yet, I rather enjoy being able to unplug, disconnect, disengage and live the slower life. Of course, it was well timed given that I really do need the rest this weekend. 

I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy but when your body is sick, it’s telling you to slow down. When the power goes out, it’s an opportunity to relax and enjoy something outside the machine of our routine. 

Are we all so busy and important that we can’t have a break? Is it so important that it makes sense to  keep propelling ourselves through the world going this way and that, determined to keep doing what we do? 

Prednisone brain wants me to do jumping jacks. I think I’ll settle for a nap!