Tag: quiet time

Life in the Burbs

Why are some people so obsessive about their lawns? I don’t get it. I mean, I like our lawn to look nice; it gets mowed and occasionally weed wacked. But it often looks shaggy with its share of dandelions and weeds. In my humble opinion, lawns are not meant to look manicured! If I wanted manicured, I would live on a golf course.

The guy who lives behind us works on his lawn all of the time. I left the house the other day at 7:00 (still pretty dark out) and he was out there raking the handful of leaves that had fallen overnight. Every time I manage to mow my lawn or simply tidy up the front yard, my next door neighbor comes out and does his. Just once I would like to not have the saddest looking yard on the street.

They sure are pretty! Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
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Keep Your Bubble Close

My alarm went off this morning at 5:45AM which is pretty typical. What happened next was not at all part of my normal routing. First I hit the snooze button and cuddled up closer to my honey. I was not ready to start the day. Then I reminded myself I had to work at 8:00 and I better get moving. I reached for the phone to turn off the alarm and hit a glass of water. I knocked it over and heard the gentle pouring of the contents all over my nightstand. “Shit, shit” I uttered and tried to get myself up. I was moving in slow motion and having trouble opening my eyes. By the time my feet hit the floor the water was running off of the table, over my journals and onto the floor.

Maybe I should use him as an alarm… Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
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My Racing Mind

If there was an Indy 500 for minds, I bet I would be a contender. My mind likes to race, to get a thought and run with it. It doesn’t have to be a good thought, just a thought. In the past, I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and my racing mind contributed to the problem, hell, it might have caused the problem. I haven’t had a panic attack in about 5 years, but they aren’t really gone. I have learned to identify what triggers them, what mitigates them, how to deal with and how to avoid them.

Does your mind race? Image by skeeze from Pixabay
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Brilliant Sparks… Not

When you are feeling stuck in a rut what steps do you take to get out? I am discovering the steps that work for me but am wondering what works for others. I have been in a rut before and know the signs. When I am in a rut, I feel listless and dull. I have no energy and dread the day. I start believing everyone feels the same and that we are dragging each other deeper into the rut. Deeper and deeper, making escape seem impossible. I avoid people, I avoid social situations, I even avoid conversation, as they all irritate me. I try hard to not let others see my irritation but am not always successful.

Yes, when stuck in a rut I am not much fun to be around. Hey – don’t judge, I bet when you are stuck, you aren’t much fun either…

Image by rihaij from Pixabay
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All You Need is a Fraction of a Second

Regardless of whether you are bold, strong, arrogant or brash. Whether you are meek, mild, timid or passive. Whether you are foolhardy, risky, daring or crazy. Life is going to knock you down. Other people are going to pull your kayak off-course. People you love are going to hurt your feelings. Your boss or co-workers are going to bug the living crap out of you. Accidents will happen, mistakes will occur. When life knocks us down, some of us whimper and cry, some of us swear, some of us yell. Some of us shrug our shoulders and move on.

I get knocked down but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down.

Chumbawamba
Life is about to knock them down! Image by Christian Dorn from Pixabay
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Can You See the Beauty?

On Thanksgiving Day it easy to get caught up in the meal preparation, the company, the house cleaning, and the football game. It is hands down one of the best meals of the year and it is hard not to get pumped up for that. But Thanksgiving is really all about sharing and community; it is a great time to express some Tude (with a capital T). No -not attitude but gratiTude.

Thanksgiving is here and that means it is time to express some gratitude. One of my goals for this year was to keep a gratitude journal and write down at least three things every day that I am grateful for. I have done a good job writing in it every night before bed and the more I write in it, the easier it gets to think of three things.

Happy Thanksgiving! Image by Annalise Batista 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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My Mini-Retirements Keep Me On Top!

Have you ever had the opportunity to take an extended period of time away from work? Away from your life? Away from Debbie Downer and Ned the Nosy Neighbor? Away from your cluttered home and messy yard? Away from your daily responsibilities? If you have never had such an opportunity, I highly recommend you do some thinking, introspection, detective work etc to figure out how you could make it happen. It can change your life!

Extended time away from life is refreshing, invigorating and good for the soul! If done well, it can provide greater insight into difficulties you are facing leading to better thought processes and better decisions. Time away can recharge your batteries giving you more energy for activities that have become a struggle. I know when I get into stressed out mode, I don’t have the mental or physical energy to do more than the basics of self-care and work much. When in that mode, there is little oomph for tending to all of the pieces of the health puzzle!

This is how I want to spend my retirement! Image by MonikaDesigns from Pixabay

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Flip The Switch

In the past, I tended to get in a groove and just flowed from one activity to the next. I would go to work and stress out about it. I would grab a beer with friends and complain about it. But I wouldn’t spend much time thinking about what I wanted or how I could make life better. There is something to be said for being in the groove but it can lead to complacency.

Even now, I get comfortable working a few shifts, doing my yard work on the side, cooking awesome meals for my honey, helping Child #1 and her honey with some small projects and writing my blog posts. I like my life and tend to get comfortable sitting on my couch. But as we know, life doesn’t get better while simply sitting on the couch.

To keep from getting too comfy on the couch, I have been spending some time thinking lately. Can you smell the smoke? See the flames? Hear the crackling?

For me, thinking is a powerful but underutilized tool!

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Heads Up!

You know that feeling when you get into intense concentration mode? Your head is down and you are focused on the task at hand. You have a deadline to meet, a goal to reach, a task to complete. You don’t have time for anything else and you do not want to be disturbed. You won’t stop to stretch, to pee or even to get a drink of water. Depending on what you need to get done and how far along in the process, this can be overwhelming or satisfying.

Some of us are so stressed we never get out of this mode. We always feel under the gun, far behind and unable to catch up. Can you think back to a time when you felt like this? I know I can and my stomach turns just thinking about the pressure. When I am under a great deal of pressure, I start to shut down. I am unable to think about anything other than completing the work.

Heads Down leads to stress…

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