Category: Choose Happiness

Tune in to the Birds

This time of year, I spent most of my time outdoors. On a daily basis, I am outside walking my dog and gardening. In my free time I love to be out at the lake, soaking up the sun, kayaking, hiking and biking. My honey and I did a beautiful hike last weekend at one of the local State Parks. It was a good loop with views of waterfalls and flowing water. Next weekend we plan on biking with my cousin on the Erie Canalway. I believe time spent in nature is time well spent.

I feel like the more time I am outside, enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer, the more tuned in I am to the sites and sounds. I get to see more of what is out there, not because I am outside more but because I have increased my awareness. Does that make sense? I miss a lot too, especially when I am playing on my iPhone or tuned into the chattering going on inside of my head instead of the beauty that surrounds me. We have to keep our heads up to enjoy Mother Nature!

We saw this beauty! Image by bapreston from Pixabay
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A Labor of Love – CCW

I am not a homeowner, nor do I own any property. My one attempt at owning my own home ended in disaster and although it took a long time, I have finally stopped beating myself up for that really BIG mistake! I thought I would never buy again and that renting was the way to go. Owning your own home is a lot of work that as a renter I don’t need to worry about. I don’t need to mow the lawn, trim the trees, or edge the sidewalk. I am not responsible for fixing the appliances, deciding what project to tackle next, or hiring the contractor. I don’t have to pay the property taxes, school taxes or to fix whatever needs fixing.

All of that is true, so WHY do I enjoy looking at houses for sale online? I enjoy looking at the pictures, reading the descriptions and calculating if it is affordable. I like doing drive bye’s, checking out the view and popping in on Open Houses. It is a bit of a time waster for me AND I really enjoy it!

Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay
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Caught in the Act

Spring has sprung here in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. People are slowly shedding their winter coats, hats, boots and gloves for t-shirts, flip flops and hoodies! In my world this means yard work and lake time! I am sitting right now, happily typing away at the cottage. Never mind that I am wearing heavy sweats, a fleece shirt, and wool socks. I am also wrapped up tight in a heated blanket. But trust me, spring is here!

This is my second overnight this month at the lake and I am looking forward to Cottage Clean Up Weekend with Child #3 and her honey in another couple of weeks. Being at the lake puts me squarely in my happy place. I caught myself speaking out loud this afternoon the word “blessed”. That is all, just “blessed”. At the time, I was standing in the kitchen, looking out the window at the lake and the hillside. After dinner, I took a quick 15 minute kayak ride and caught myself whispering “grateful”.

It makes me go AHHH! Image by Maciej Ostasz from Pixabay

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Not an Obligation but a Celebration!

Are you a dog owner? If you are than you know that taking at least 2 walks a day is the standard of care. Dog owners are more consistent than the Post Office Deliver guys and gals. We walk in the rain, sun, snow, sleet, and fog. We walk in the blizzard, hurricane winds and blistery heat. I don’t always look forward to my daily walks but I always feel good when I return. I just got home from my morning walk with Fenway and she is passed out on her bed. I am reflecting on the emotions raised by this simple morning walk that often feels like an obligation I need to complete before I get on to the important tasks of the day.

This morning while out for a walk, I got to see what Mother Nature had to share with me in the wild suburbs I call home. The calendar may say it is April and the season is spring but it is flurrying and the temperature is in the 30’s! Ah, life in the Finger Lakes of Central, New York!

The Wild Suburbs!                            Image by Ian Wilson from Pixabay

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Why Get Out of Bed at 91?

In an earlier post, I talked about the Health Puzzle and what each of its pieces looks like. That post stressed that in order to live a truly healthy life, it is critical that we address each area! One important pieces of this puzzle is “Engaging in Meaningful Activities”. I can’t imagine what life would look and feel like if the only activity I enjoyed was watching the boob tube. Don’t get me wrong, I have my favorite shows but there is nothing that I watch that I would seriously miss if my television mysteriously blew up!

The activities that are meaningful for me are unique to me and the activities that are meaningful to you are unique to you. What I find meaningful, you may find frivolous or unimaginative. What is meaningful for you, I might not value or see as silly. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it matters what you think. What activities bring you joy? What activities make you feel alive. What tasks do you find fully engaging?

Eating and Sleeping is not enough!                     Image by suju from Pixabay

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Nudge the Happy Needle

On a scale of 1-10 how happy are you? What would it take to move that number to the right 1 or 2 digits? Seriously what would it take? Would you need to win the lottery? Would a vacation to a beach resort do it? How about coming home to a clean house and dinner on the table?

These all seem like they would help, however in reality, I am willing to bet they don’t move the needle in the right direction for more than a hot minute. Winning the lottery is out of my control and as I rarely even bother to buy a ticket it, is not likely to happen. Vacationing in a beach resort sounds great but is not in my budget and although the needle would move, the minute I returned home, I bet it would fall back to its starting point. Coming home to a clean house and dinner on the table – yup that would help. That would even help even if I did all of the work!

Would this help? Image by ardoramanda from Pixabay

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Spring Has Sprung

If you have been reading my recent posts, you know I got away from winter for the entire month of February but March came in like a lion and left like a lion. We had lots of snowy days with minimal accumulation in March. It would look ferocious outside but when I left to drive home at the end of my shift there would be nothing to brush off my car much less to shovel! I guess if we have to deal with winter, this isn’t half bad!

On April 7, my honey and I drove to the cottage for the first time this year. I always approach this day with an odd mix of excitement and dread. Mostly excitement but still a healthy dose of fear! I never know if the driveway will be passable and if there will be damage to the house or to my beloved “condo”. Luckily, there were no real issues this year and we had time for a little bit of raking, lunch on the deck and a quick kayak ride. We wrapped up the day our first visit of 2019 to a favorite ice cream stand. My honey got a chocolate peanut butter cone and I got my soft-serve chocolate with chocolate sprinkles (jimmies to my New England friends).

Sprinkles please! Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

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25 Years is a Long Time

On April 19 2014 I moved back to the Finger Lakes after 25 years in Massachusetts. Trust me, 25 years is a long time. Long enough to live in at least 12 different houses with many different roommates. Long enough to have a 20 year career and supervise too many people to count. Long enough to fall in and out of love a few times. Long enough to make wonderful friends that will last a lifetime, despite living 350 miles away.

Living closer to family and the lake is what drew me back to the Finger Lakes five years ago. I can’t believe it has been five years already! Five years is a long time too. Long enough to have a couple of jobs, move in with my honey, start my yard-work side-gig. Five years is long enough to have put down new roots and make more friends.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

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What’s Brewing Under the Surface?

A delicate balance is often required to keep me in my happy place. Not too much work as it stresses me out and not too little as that leads to anxiety and worry. I’m not sure if I am really weird, just a bit odd or totally normal. I write down my thoughts here at My Little Blue Kayak and then I hit the “Publish” button for the world to see. Generally my words are positive, express gratitude, and hopefully lead people to smile and nod their head in agreement.

I used to say I was a simple person but I am learning that is not accurate. I strive to be simple but on the inside there is a lot brewing. I tend to be introspective and am not a people person. I prefer to be alone or with close family or friends. I would be perfectly happy if I never had to attend a large social gathering again in my life.

Keeping it Simple Image by aalmeidah from Pixabay

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Persistently Yours!

My job as an Occupational Therapist at a Nursing Home has taught me to be persistent. If I am scheduled for 75 minutes with a patient, my boss doesn’t want to hear that I only got 60 minutes. Sometimes, I want to listen to my heart when someone starts complaining that they didn’t sleep or are in pain or that they have company. Quite often though, I have to listen to my head.

Getting out of bed may sound like the worst possible torture to someone who doesn’t feel well, but in reality, it is often exactly what they need. So, I often need to go back to see the same person 3x during the day in order to get my 75 minutes. I have to bother them despite the fact that they have tried to refuse me, I have to ask them again to get out of bed, to sit on the edge of the bed or to lift some light weights while in bed. Some days, I walk in someone’s room and before I even introduce myself they groan or roll their eyes. They know I am a therapist before I say a word and they know I am going to be pushy.

My patients give me looks like this!

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