Tag Archives: self help

Word Of The Year: Rejuvinate

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If you were to choose a word to represent your values and intentions for the next twelve months, what would it be? 


It’s a growing movement, this idea that a word can be used to guide decisions and inform the way we live our lives. For scrapbookers, life coaches and others who mean to document life or live with greater intention, it’s a tool and something to explore for personal growth and wellness.

I have been thinking about this in the context of my goals, weaknesses and demands for myself  in 2024. It seems that a Word of the Year would be a fun way to keep me on track. 

Most people don’t think about their habits nearly as much as I do but I have this weird Puritanical worldview when it comes to work ethic and self improvement that causes me to think about this stuff frequently. 

After all, humans are the sum of their own habits. If your habit is to cook a nutritious meal after an hour at the gym, you’re likely to be a healthier person than most of us. If you are an impulse spender who shops for entertainment, you’re likely to have some money troubles. 

I used to have good habits. I used to eat a strict diet that made me feel healthy and strong. I used to drink three glasses of water every morning as soon as I got out of bed. Until the time change this fall, I was hiking a couple of times a week. Commitment to habits can ebb and flow with seasons and health. I know what habits make my life better but sticking to them can be a challenge. 

I suspect this is true for most people. 

January marks a new season in my life every year. This is when I start a big project at work and when I do my No Spend Challenge. If you’re not familiar, I have written about it here before and will talk about it again in the next few days. It’s colder and I am perfectly happy to go out in the cold for a nice hike and then come home to get cozy rather than run around a lot as I typically do in warm weather. 

In other words, late December is when I reach out and hit that big ole’ Reset Button and start again for a new year. Life becomes slow and it’s pretty good too. 

Keeping in mind that I have some habits collecting dust like those old home movies in your attic, I’m not really starting over. I’m just dusting them off and carting them into the living room where I can see them. 

So my word of the year is REJUVINATE.

I like this word because it can be applied to most anything. 

I can rejuvenate my good eating habits, my commitment to financial fitness, my devotion to hobbies and even my reading routines. I can rejuvinate my interest in work and in journaling or keeping my home tidy. Some of these habits even work together making rejuvenating habits a big picture, full circle activity. 

When faced with a decision, I will use this word as a kind of yardstick. Does this decision aid my desire to rejuvenate something important to me? 

Clearly, we don’t have the luxury of only doing the things we wish to do. Sometimes we have to do work we don’t like or attend a meeting set around someone else’s schedule. As grown ups, the expectation is that we will do what the rest of the world wants us to do. Let me tell you, the rest of the world will fill up every bit of your time if you let it and that’s not necessarily in your best interest.

REJUVINATE. If you play Scrabble, you’ll know it’s worth twenty points. If you know your Latin, you know that “re” means again and that “juvenis” means young. The word literally means “to make young again.” The online Oxford English Dictionary is pretty helpful in understanding word origins. 

I don’t wish to reinvent the wheel. I mainly want to return to some good habits, to rejuvenate my commitment to things that serve me instead of living a life where my role is to serve everyone else and to just allow things to happen to me rather than fully live my life. 

The more I think about it, the more certain I am rejuvenating habits is a good use of my time right now.

Now that you’ve had time to think about it, tell me in the comments a word you think would make a great Word of the Year for you!

When Your Body Asks For A Break

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There are some lessons that bear repeating.

1. The emotionally unavailable man will never change, not even for you.

2. It is impossible to open a package of Oreos and eat just one. You have to do an entire row or none at all.

3. Your body deserves better than you likely give it in an average day.

There are more but these are the big three.

I seem to swing between being ultra aware and responsive to what my body needs or I tune it out altogether. For the last couple of weeks, I have ignored my body as it has screamed for more rest, less stress, better food and much needed quiet.

I have this inner voice that’s constantly pushing me to keep going when I don’t want to, that tricks me into not hopping on the treadmill when I know exercise would be invigorating, and that tells me to eat the fries because that’s what I really want even though I know I’ll be sluggish tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my body is asking for a break, begging for good nutrition, movement and rest. And I ignore it.

I rely on my body to get me through the day. It takes me everywhere I need to go even when I’m mean to it. It has never failed me but I fail it all the time.

How to do better? That’s the $64,000 question.

This week has been stressful and tiring. Healthy eating, exercise and stress management are really just a pipe dream, something to be put off until the weekend when I undoubtedly will crash.

We all go through times like this and the best we can do is the best we can do. I’m trying hard to remember that good choices breed more good choices and that what I do to my body today will effect how I feel tomorrow.

I know that I’m approaching a breaking point when I simultaneously want to run away on a trip and also hide in my quiet house with a package of cookies.

A trip may be in my future but the cookies will not.

For today, I’ll just keep pushing forward and make the best decisions possible. And then tomorrow, I’ll wake up and do it again.

Things will be better soon.

A Funny Thing Happened On Day 29

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Whole 30 Day 29 didn’t go as planned. I took a trip to the Franklin Park Conservatory for a morning of art and flowers. The plan was to buy a salad and eat the fruit and nuts that I had packed.

That was the plan until I discovered the food truck served the Beyond Burger. If you’re vegetarian you know how exciting it is to find a quality vegetarian options on a menu. The Beyond Burger is amazing.

As I stood there studying the menu, a part of me demanded that I order the salad and be happy about it. Just a day and a half to go and I could say I’ve successfully completed four rounds. But there was another voice. It was the voice of a person who has done a few successful rounds and who feels she has nothing to prove.

The goal of the Whole 30 for me is to reset my bad eating habits and to acquire a taste for whole foods that are good for me.

Would a day make a difference?

If you’re a beginner, yes.

If you’re trying to identify foods that cause your ailments, yes.

If it’s important to you personally that you accomplish the thirty days – you bet.

But for me? No.

I have done a pretty good job ridding myself of bad habits and there was nothing wrong with eating the Beyond Burger topped with onions, cabbage, peppers, mushrooms and the best tomato jam I’ve ever tasted.

It was a delicious experience eating my burger and feeling the breeze in my hair and I do not regret this decision.

If I were trying to complete a round, tomorrow would be a restart. Day one again. With Whole 30, you restart every time you stray from the rules. Every single time.

But for me, it’s not about the round. It’s about good health. So tomorrow I will simply continue making the best possible decisions, eating clean and feeling good about it.

A year ago, I would have felt like a quitter.

Today, I feel accomplished for knowing that goals and priorities change and that I’m capable of adapting rather than blindly following a rule.

Isn’t this what the quest for personal growth is all about?

Mental Health Day

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The last few weeks have been challenging on a number of levels so I took a mental health day yesterday and pursued an adventure with a friend. I’ll tell you that story soon. Meanwhile, here’s a picture from said adventure and a little giggle to start your day.

Mark Twain had a way with words but when you know the context you might consider it in bad taste. Stay tuned for the whole story.

The day off was a big help and I would recommend taking a break to anyone who is feeling stressed.

Whole 30 Has Begun!

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July 8 is a date that’s been circled on my calendar for some time now. That’s the day I was supposed to start a new Whole 30 round with my pal Sarah.

Whole 30 is pretty intense and it seems like every 30 day round is tougher than the one before so it’s a good idea to have a buddy.

Unfortunately, it seemed that I kept eating crap with the reasoning that I won’t be able to eat it after July 8. And you know something? My body has been hating me for all the mistreatment.

When I eat well, my mind is clearer, my body stronger, my endurance impressive. But when I eat sugar and processed foods, I’m tired, sluggish, temperamental and simply feel bad.

So I decided on a whim Monday that my Whole 30 round was starting right that minute. And I’m so glad!

The anticipation was literally killing me and there was no reason to hold off since I know the rules and how to eat. I just need to do it.

Funny thing though – within an hour of saying “today is the day,” my mother texted to say she’s having a holiday cookout and wanted help with making an ice cream cake. Not long after that, at work, we scheduled an event with a lunch later this month.

It just goes to show, there’s never a perfect time to do what’s good for yourself. But if you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

I’m taking my own food for the cookout – grilled fish, baked potato and a nice salad. Dessert will be fresh fruit. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? And as for that work function – I’m there to work, not to eat, and can do lunch on my own later. It will be ok.

Not sure what the Whole 30 is? I wrote about it here and here. It’s actually meant to help people identify foods that cause digestive issues, intolerances and other health problems. However, it’s a great way to refocus your attention and your taste buds using clean eating and real food. It is not for everyone but I feel amazing when I eat the Whole 30 way.

And, as for Sarah, I’ll just be a week ahead of my friend but intend to extend this round by a week so she won’t be in it alone. I’ll give you an update a little later and let you know how it’s going.

Don’t Let Fear Slow You Down

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I encountered a group from Maryland on last night’s hike. They were extremely friendly and thrilled to be hiking in the Hocking Hills.

For some, it was their first time on a hike. A few seemed to marvel that I was out there alone. This isn’t an uncommon reaction.

I hike alone a lot.

This is partly because there is nothing like the serenity of the woods and having people around is disruptive. It’s partly because I refuse to miss out on experiences simply because there is no one to go with.

This wasn’t always the case. I didn’t pick up solo hiking until last winter. My relationship of many years had just ended. I was working on accepting the idea that it will likely always be just me and I refuse to spend my life at home simply because I’m single.

So I started hiking in the well trafficked areas of local state parks until becoming comfortable enough to venture out on longer hikes where there are fewer people.

It was intimidating to put it mildly. But once I got used to the uneasiness, it became an experience that I crave.

I breathe better in the woods and despise having a lot of people around when trying to enjoy my surroundings.

Those visitors yesterday marveled at my bravery. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I feel safer by myself in the woods than walking down the street in a city like their hometown. People are nuts and scare me far more than wildlife.

But I’m not stupid. I’m always prepared for something bad to happen and grateful each time I make it out safely. Of course, after the spike in crime in the town with my favorite TJ Maxx, I feel the same sense of relief every time I leave there without incident too.

The bottom line is that you can’t let fear prevent you from living. Know the threats and prepare to avoid or face them the best you can. But you still have to live and enjoy life.

And I’m not just talking about hiking.

Wherever you are right now, you’re probably letting fear hold you back in some way. Fear could even be running your life or preventing you from doing what’s best for you.

It’s ok to be afraid. It is not ok to let fear prevent you from living the life you want and deserve.

Go for the hike. Take the leap, whatever it may be.

You may be surprised at how good it feels.