Tag: journal

friday’s “secret”: know the things that are saving your life

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What's Saving My Life, Write Now

Too often, we go through life knowing exactly what is ruining our life, what is messing everything up, what we need to change in order to make everything better. I know I do. On any given day, at any given time, I can tell you what I wish was different in my day-to-day life without much thought. What I can’t tell you is what is saving my life, what things are making my life easier, happier. Today’s “secret” is that in order to be happy, I should focus on what things are saving my life, what is working for me today.

Anne Bogel feels that February is “the cruelest month”. I would feel the same except my hubby and I celebrate our wedding anniversary at the end of it and we try to take a trip someplace warmer and sunnier than our home. This year, we plan to return to the scene of the crime, Las Vegas, Nevada, where we were married ten years ago, after exactly three years of dating. Thirteen years with this guy; can’t believe it! “Time flies when you are having fun.”

In spite of the Blizzard of 2016 (view of said blizzard from my front window pictured above), we have had some remarkably nice days with sun and warmth. This has allowed me to take my half marathon training outside and running outside always saves my life. I love listening to the sound of the birds and the bullfrogs that live in the mini pond in our neighborhood.

And nothing is so good after a cool run as a hot shower when it’s all said and done. Being very cold natured, I am always so grateful for running hot water and heat in the winter time.

And finally, writing (how many of you caught that intentional misspelling in the pic; like my play-on-words there?) both here in the blog and in the journaling that I have started doing again in the mornings is saving my life write now. It feels so good to put pen to paper and write through my thoughts and feelings, getting clarity in the process. And by the way, this is my 50th post on this blog! Hooray!

All in all, I feel like I am doing pretty good with staying relatively happy and contented this winter. Seems like changing my mindset about the cold, as discussed in this article about the Norwegians, may actually be helping. I think I have only asked my hubby if we could more further south one time so far, a remarkable feat for me.

In addition to being Friday’s “secret” this post is a very special link-up with Modern Mrs. Darcy especially for all of us who abhor these dreary and cold winter days and long for spring time and sunshine and warmth. Check out what other people are doing to enjoy life this winter here.

What is saving your life, right now? Oh please, do tell.

enjoy life…

what i learned {january 2016}

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Beach. What I Learned

“The body keeps score and it always wins.” -Brené Brown

I was sick for a week this January. I had pushed myself hard in December: not sleeping well, getting up early, pushing my body and working out harder than I have been in a while, a lot of responsibilities and guess what, “the body always wins.” When you don’t take care of yourself, the body will make you take care of it.

First, I learned that I whatever I do, I must keep up, what Gretchen Rubin refers to as, my foundational habits: Getting proper rest, staying hydrated, eating better, and keeping my stress levels down. These habits allow me to be at my best self and able to function at an optimal level.

Simply TuesdayAnd second, while I am doing that, I must always stay in the present moment. Living too much in the future and in the past ruins the present, and surprisingly, increases my stress level! Who knew? So while, I was sick, I did everything that I could to listen to my body and rest. I drank hot tea, read, and caught up with my favorite television shows.

I am currently reading Emily P. Freeman’s book, Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World. I am finding it to be a great book to start my day and I am enjoying savoring it slowly. I am linking up with her and others to tell you what we learned this month. Check out all our collected wisdom here.

What have you learned recently?

enjoy life…

friday’s “secret”: intend to remove things

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One thing that I have discovered about myself over the last few years on my journey to “comfortable being”, is that I absolutely dislike, maybe even hate, spending an exorbitant amount of time taking care of inanimate objects. I don’t want to spend hours cleaning my house – thus, my home is only 1400 square feet. I don’t have a lot of knick-knacks on my shelves because I do not want to to dust them. I cut my hair because I disliked spending hours doing it every week. I personally believe that “the more possessions you own, the more your possessions own you.” There so many other things I’d rather be doing that would make me so much happier.

So, 2016 is the year that I commit to my version of a minimal lifestyle: if it is not useful, beautiful, or loved, it’s out of here! Thus, one of my Intentions for 2016 is to “remove anything from my life that is not useful, beautiful, or loved.” And I am focusing on my stuff during these weary dreary winter months and into the traditional time of spring cleaning.

People generally describe me as a “neat” person; I would describe myself as “neat-ish”. Mommy ingrained in me the habit of making my bed every day (Thanks, Mom!) and I generally put most things away by the end of the day. But I know where the bodies are buried: the desk top that covers the mail and receipts that I haven’t dealt with in a week or more; the closet full of boxes that contain papers that need to be sorted, filed, or trashed; the clothes in the closet that I can’t fit into any more, or can I? All of this weighs on my all ready busy mind. As William James has so famously stated: “Nothing [is] so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an incomplete task.”

Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying UpLast year, I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō, a Japanese organizing consultant and author. I have read a number of organization books and articles in the past and have even done wardrobe and closet consultations in another life – pre-Buddy Man. What appealed to me specifically about Kondō’s book was her claim that using her method, the KonMari method of tidying, none of her clients have ever reverted back to their untidy selves. “Yeah, right” was my immediate reaction. I have organized before, many times in fact, but have always discovered that I have to do it again within a few months. This year, I am committed to doing it her way and seeing what happens. I plan on sharing my journey with you; you guys will keep me accountable!

Marie’s first step, before you throw anything out, is to visualize and describe the life that you want to have and what you want to feel in your home. Well, as I stated before, I don’t want to spend time dealing with my stuff; I want to spend my time being a good mom to the Buddy Man, cooking wonderful meals, reading, writing, and running. I want my home to be a source of nourishment for me and my family; a place to rest and to prepare for our lives outside of the house. I want to feel tranquil in my home, everything having a place and everything in its place and my knowing where that place is would be awesome as well!

Over the next few months, I will share my process, my observations, my successes, and my setbacks. So, let’s begin.

Has anyone read the book? Have you tried her methods or any methods to stay organized? Tell me about it.

enjoy life…