5 Helpful Distractions

It is election day here in the United States and the contentious presidential race is all over the media. Today, I’ve promised myself the following five distractions as a way to focus and stay positive:

1. Read a book. I’ve got a novel and two non-fiction books going at the moment, so I’ve got plenty of reading to occupy my time.
2. Turn off notifications. I turned off all news alerts on my phone, tablet, and computer so that I focus on whatever work is in front of me, rather than seeing yet another news story about how we won’t know the results of the election tonight.
3. Limit time on social media. Personally, I’m trying to stay off of Facebook as much as possible today. I’ve probably spent 10 minutes total – once to post my daily NaNoWriMo word count and twice to check out links sent to me by friends – one for a new Diamine ink, and another for an upcoming event. If I do go onto Facebook tonight, I’ll set a timer.
4. Spend time with someone you love. For me, it was a 30-minute Zoom chat with my step-grandchildren.
5. Watch a foreign-language movie. I have not watched the second season of My Brilliant Friend; I plan to start that tonight. If you read subtitles, you cannot search the news on your tablet or phone at the same time. Watching a foreign-language movie or show requires you to be present; if it is a good show, it will transport you.

The results of the election will not be clear for at least a few days, if not longer, so I may need to repeat these distractions.

What are you doing to stay distracted?

Wild Hair

Been feeling in the need of a hard reset lately – in fact, I uttered those very words to a friend recently.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken steps to recalibrate. One of the most helpful actions included making meditation and journaling daily practices again – meditation to ground me and clear the cobwebs; journaling to clean up the clutter. I find that writing helps me to clarify my thinking.

A few things emerged. Some may be temporary, but others I believe will become more permanent fixtures in my life. These include:

• Limiting how much time I spend on social media each day, especially Facebook, to an hour max
• Listening to NPR rather than watching the local and national news broadcasts every day or frantically checking every news alert that pops up on my phone
• Reading books every day before watching movies or television
• Investing time in self-care every week (for example, last weekend, I made bath salts and enjoyed a luxurious, fragrant soak in the tub after yard work)
• Engaging in something creative each week
• Practicing kindness in my communications and interactions with others and toward myself; reminding people who are important to me that I value them in my life
• Smiling (sometimes, it is only the dogs who see)

Today, I decided that part of the hard reset I desired was a haircut. I had another inch trimmed off the length and (drumroll) fringe. Been a long time since I had bangs – and even though these are long, I needed the change. So here I am, sans makeup but smiling at having bangs for the first time in several years.

Acting on a Wild Hair

Kindness is Key

Been a good long while since I last blogged. I could make excuses, but they would be lame, so I’ll refrain. Instead, I feel compelled to remind anyone making the time to read this that kindness is key.

There is so much going on in this world right now that we individually cannot control; however, now is not the time to despair. Now is the time to model the behaviors we value and desire. Now is the time to lead by example. I remind you: kindness is key.

In the time before Covid-19, before isolation or quarantines became a public health necessity, before so many lives and jobs and homes were lost, we could talk with our colleagues, check in with our friends, spend time with family members outside of our own homes. Today, as we hurtle toward the end of October, I feel as though we’ve forgotten the simplest, most valuable action we can take. In a world in which there is so much that we individually cannot control, we can each control how we interact with others. We can choose to be kind.

It costs us nothing to be compassionate and kind. I do not know what is going on in your life, and you do not know the details of what is going on in mine. That said, the small act of being kind, reaching out, making a connection, offering to listen if someone needs an ear – these small gestures may mean the world to someone feeling isolated, marginalized, dislocated, or afraid. Compassion is free. Kindness is key.

I encourage you to reach out to someone in your life – maybe someone you haven’t connected with in months – and let them know they are important to you. That small investment in time and energy may not break your emotional piggy bank but may pay it forward just enough to someone struggling right now. Kindness is key.

To those kind souls who regularly check in with me, please know your kindness is recognized and valued. I hope I’m doing the same, in my small way, for others. Lead with kindness; kindness is key.

When you can’t hug your people, hug your puppies

Confessions of a Lightweight

Long work week.

Did not get back to my parents’ house until later than I’d hoped, so didn’t complete all the things I’d originally wanted to do before heading to my sister’s house for the weekend.

She and her husband had family and friends over for a casual soiree complete with delicious cheese fondue (and chocolate later in the evening).  I grazed on the fruit and vegetables, dipping them into the cheese.  I also enjoyed a number of wine spritzers.

Too many wine spritzers, apparently.

I was sick overnight – my own doing.  Fortunately, I planned to spend the night at my sisters.  Unfortunately, I was still recovering this morning and missed my nephew’s hockey lesson.

Good thing I’m a year older and wiser today.  Think I’ll leave that party behavior to the young and just be my old, busted self.

Chupacabra

All the winter critters in the Mitten love my parents.

This week, while I’m in town for work, I have the luxury of staying with my family.  My parents took pity on all the local wildlife struggling this long, cold Michigan winter and are not only feeding the birds, squirrels, bunnies, and chipmunks, but added deer, opossum, and skunk to that list.

Playing ‘Possum

Last night, we saw several deer, a wee rabbit, a skunk, and an opossum.  I made a comment to my Mom about  the motion lights detecting the wily, rare chupacabra, but I’m afraid the reality is far more mundane.

The bunnies, birds, and other beasts seem to enjoy the yummy seeds, nuts, deer carrots, apples, and even the heated water my folks have in the yard.  Tonight, a deer selected sweet seeds and corn from the bucket Dad set out at twilight.

Seeking Seeds

I joke sometimes about being a midwest hippie, but my love of flora and fauna was nurtured by my soft-hearted parents from a young age.  Mom is an avid gardener and my father, despite his grumpy, surly posturing, is devoted to filling the feeders with fresh seeds and nuts each day.  He spends hundreds of dollars each season on seeds and Mom keeps the bird houses ready for occupants.

As for me, I’m just hoping to spot that chupacabra.  I’ll keep watching every time the motion-sensors turn on the floodlights!

Sports Saturday

Spent a fantastic day watching my young nephews show off their athletic prowess.

My seven-year-old nephew is takes hockey lessons. The kid lives for hockey, so getting to watch him today was great fun. He loves to skate and loves to ham it up on the ice.  I even saw him talking trash to one of the instructors!

After lunch, we went to my nearly ten-year-old nephew’s baseball scrimmage. The team played indoors and the lighting was horrible in the middle school’s gymnasium, but it was great fun to watch the boys play ball.

These boys have so much energy – it is a joy to watch them play.  What a great way to spend a Saturday!

Cold, Cold Rain

Today we received a good, strong rain but with it came cooler temperatures.  This evening is cloudy and colder, but the sun is trying to assert itself before it sets for the night.

The temperatures dropped enough that I closed the windows, put on a sweatshirt, and even lit the fireplace.  The past several weeks of mild temperatures and sunny weather certainly made this cold snap harder to bear.

The dogs want to walk, but the ground is so wet that we didn’t make it far.  Instead, I’m buttoning up a few necessary tasks around the house and trying to keep warm.  Hopefully the rain will make the flowers grow!

Limits

Most days, I love living alone.  Today almost was not one of those days.

I am able to do a lot of things for myself, but there are limits.  I’m not very good with heights, so I mostly prefer not to climb ladders.  Even step stools give me the jitters.

The beautiful house I rent has high ceilings.  I love this feature because the rooms feel spacious.  Today though, when all of the fire detectors began going off in series while I was working, and I wandered from room to room trying to determine which out-of-reach device I would have to try to reach to install a new battery, I realized I might not like high ceilings quite as much as I’d originally thought.

Fortunately for me, the culprit was the fire detector right outside the laundry room – one I can reach with a step-ladder.  I disconnected it, ran up to the market to get some 9-volt batteries, and was able to finally get the alarm to stop screaming.

Heaven help me if any of the others go off – I’ll need to call the landlord for help!

Sunday Chores

Sunday is the day I usually accomplish laundry, yard work, and house cleaning.  Today, after my Zumba class, I pooper scooped, mowed, and edged the back yard; finished the laundry; remade the bed; cleaned the main bathroom; wiped down the kitchen; scooped the litter box; and took out the trash.

In addition to finishing my chores, I also managed to enjoy the glorious day by taking the doodles for a walk around the neighborhood and nearby parks.  Unfortunately, my grandson had a tummy ache, so we were unable to walk as much as I hoped, but I still managed to capture a few fantastic photos before we made our ways back to the house.

When we arrived home, I realized that the cat decided that the tablecloth better graced the floor than the dining room table.

Luna Boo’s Dining Room Decorating Tip

So some chores on Sunday required do-overs.  Hope your Sunday was as sunny as mine!

Snow Business

Got a text message from my sister today complete with a photo of the view out her front door.

Snow Business

It actually took me a bit to realize that this was not the back yard, but the front since I could not see the street!

All day I thought about the winter storms my family endures in Michigan and felt so lucky to live with mild temperatures and a healthy helping of sunshine.

I called my parents late this afternoon to see how they were coping with the winter weather.  My seventy-year-old father was out snow-blowing their rather steep driveway while Mom confessed that they are “over” the snow.

I secretly hoped they’d decided to come visit me soon since the weather was so rotten, but they are tough.

While they’re digging out from this latest storm, I’m still trying to lure them with images of sunshine.  Just say “no” to “snow”.

Happy Flowers

Tree in Bloom