Do something .. anything will do when you feel stuck.
I clean because I have it in my head that even a spontaneous solution to being stuck, should be productive. So, if I am going to do something, anything, at least I will come out with a clean space. Cleaning and moving things around makes room for more ideas, possibly different stuff and easier movement. Don’t you feel calmer, or even more creative in a cleaner, lighter space?
Tonight, 1/11/25, I stopped eating at 6:30 and then found one tiny piece of sourdough, which I defrosted to have with some topping, making for a satisfying, non-sweet chew after a soup and salad dinner.
Tonight I bought a kilo of millet and searched on YouTube about its benefits and how to prepare it. Somehow the 6-minute Vimeo led me to the Focus on the Family channel. I immediately recognized the voice of the man being interviewed and even the aged version of his familiar face.
On 01 of 01 2025 at 11:00 pm I staved off the sleepiness that was claiming my eyeballs and my energy by deciding I wanted to spend some time deleting Facebook ‘friends.’ I went at it using the quickest method I had found, to date. The friends who fell came from past networking events, friends … Read more
If we are the average of the 5 people closest to us, I need an upgrade.
This warning that we are the average of the 5 people closest to us is well-known in circles dedicated to helping us find the clues to success in life, work and community.
For me, since I chose to lessen my workload while suffering for a year or more and then waiting for surgery, and then letting it dwindle down to a single contract, ‘my 5’ have now dwindled also.
This year I unexpectedly saved a fortune on new fashion, not because of Black Friday, but because I discovered the nearly new treasures at the back of my closet.
Seems like the holiday season sales started in my neighbourhood a day after Halloween’s sweet treat debauchery ended. All I needed was to replace my pants. The two pairs of pants in rotation for when I left the house for provisions, endured with me through the COVID-19 lockdowns and then hung in, all puns intended, in the year-long wait for hip surgery.
Dateline: Kitsilano and Kerrisdale, Vancouver
I rose for part one of the day at 4:00’ish, made tea, prepped a salad for later and was still around to join at 6 a.m. Zoom meeting for which I had submitted a question. Mine waited between #24 when the Ask Me Anything session stopped with 59 waiting in total for the same 90 minutes with Dr. Tim who came late. He was told 9:30 Eastern time.. but 119 of us showed up at the 6 a.m. LA time and waited until the author of the error logged in.
On Monday, I hoped for a glorious adventure others might have judged as mundane. On my mission, I would have to tolerate possible crowds, fatigue, surprise vertigo and general overall weakness. It would be me, a bus pass, a cellphone back up and the walker with hand brakes and basket I still needed to rely on for walkabouts farther from my home.
Also, the day’s plan had a pick-your-own-path component like in stories where the reader determines the next choice of action and outcome.
It’s a cold day in Vancouver at 8 C and 46 Fahrenheit but it is walkable in sufficient comfort. I venture out with my cotton mock turtleneck, cotton striped hoodie and fleece vest. New wool socks trap the heat I generate in the runners who have just one more season left to them due to rebuilt old orthotics. It radiates upwards under the polyester pants and I ambulate through the streets. The bearable chill and early darkness make space for reflection.
It’s all I can manage for now. Simply writing this confession on the computer screen.
Admitting that for a writer who has written a gazillion words for others in numerous styles and tones of voice, it is anxiety-provoking to write my own life stories.
They are meant to share my experiences, even if they serve as ‘cautionary tales’ that might help others. And, to ‘exorcise’ the stony bits that still manage to gather memory moss, despite the aphorism that promises they won’t if they keep rolling.