Tag Archives: daily life

WHEN I FEEL LEAST LIKE IT

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Warmer temperatures does not always guarantee well being and energy for me. After a day’s rest I wasn’t that keen to hit the ski trail again. I did anyways. It’s my exercise regime this winter. I have given up my aerobics class and swimming due to Covid. There’s no Sheba to walk any more. Now it’s 10-15 minutes of walking to and from the park and 20-30 minutes of skiing. It’s hard work moving my arms and legs as fast as I can on sticks. To motivate myself, I time each lap. Though I am no Speedy Gonzales, I am not slipping. My time gets better or stays the same. It’s usually better on the 2nd lap after I’ve warmed up. I’m also a little faster in the opposite direction when it’s a downward slope. Figures, eh? To compare, I did the first lap up slope for a time of 10:36:14 minutes. The second down slope was 9:45.38 minutes. I skipped the third lap. Tomorrow is another day.

My worse/groaner time is after I come back from skiing. I’m tired, hot and sweaty. Then there’s all those lunch dishes staring at me. I hate it when there’s pots included. Making soup is wonderfully easy with an Instant Pot. I threw everything in – the chicken broth I made yesterday, a leftover potato, some mashed potato, a couple sticks of chopped celery, part of a rutabago, and the last of the carrots from the garden. Put the lid on and press soup. Cleaning up was not so easy – all those containers that held the leftovers, the pot, bowls, plates and utensils. Then there’s the fridge. I could close my eyes but I’ve done that for a few days already. It was mostly empty, a good time to wipe off. Now all that is finally done. I’m sitting, sipping my last cup of tea for the day. It’s good to groan and sigh it out. To be repeated tomorrow.

Sometimes I feel that life is dang hard. But really, my life is a piece of cake. Feel good doctors say, Don’t watch the news at bedtime. I say the news last night -the storm in Texas, the Covid outbreak in Newfoundland, the vulnerable people during this pandemic, the crack down of protestors in Myanmar – made me feel so grateful. This morning I listened to Melissa Fung talk about the young girls that were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria. I have nothing to complain about, not even the bitter cold and Covid. I have food, warm shelter and safety. When I feel that life is hard, it would be good to remember last night’s news and be grateful for what I have. Even when I feel least like it, I just do it.

SUNBEAM ON A SPECK OF DUST

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Sunday morning. The sun is coming through a smoke filled sky. Grass fires were burning outside the city yesterday. I hope they are under control. I guess we are into the brush fire season. I am stiff and sore from my efforts cleaning the deck yesterday. I have this urge to sit and lounge. I don’t but I am not in a rush. I am my usual slow motion self. Slow and steady can work miracles. I suprise myself at how much can be done. It encourages me to carry on with what brings results.

Sometimes I have to work harder to stay with it. The urge to revert to the old and familiar is strong. I try to do my morning and evening stretches to limber up and down. Mornings are easier. Evenings are not, now that the urgent need of pain relief is gone. How quickly we forget pain once relieved. Perhaps I need to change up to a late afternoon stretch instead. By evening I am quite happy to be just a couch potato. Timing can make or break a habit.

Can you believe it? I am already getting sleepy. It is not yet 10 am. Time to stand up, stretch my legs, make my decaf and maybe do my index card art. A change of posture is what is needed at this moment. See you later.

It is after lunch. The dishes are dealt with. I can’t say that I’m more wakeful. The sky is still grey. Sheba is curled up on her bed. I feel the pull towards it myself. I’m sounding like a bore, droning on and on about the same stuff daily. Sorry! But this is my sounding board, my to-do list and my decompressing room. It’s my think tank. I’ve met some awesome fellow bloggers through this room.

Today I’m reading Julie Yip Williams’ chemo experience. She has passed away in March/18. No, it is not depressing but rather enlightening and inspiring. It is learning about life. Dying is part of it. We can learn and gain much from those who went before us. Another brave journey I have followed is Stage iv. I’m not obsessed with death. Just getting serious about living and comfortable that nothing is forever. Maybe it is the nurse in me, the one who have seen death many times. Even after all that, I have not really understood that part of living. Now I am getting acquainted. It makes life all the more sweeter as they say. All those every day small moments are as precious as a sunbeam on a speck of dust. Can you see it?