Mondays and Fridays

I'm still thinking about the great, warm, salt bath of May 18th.* I stayed in the tub for about 80 minutes and, mostly, read O: The Oprah Magazine and, of course, I just got reinforcement as far as doing more yoga.

In Martha Beck's column she writes:

Mindfulness and meditation -- simply focusing on the present moment, observing one's feelings without judging or reacting to them in any way -- have been shown to increase neural density in parts of the brain related to well-being and raise the happiness set point that determines how we typically feel. (O, page 24)

Took a vacation day and, first things first, went to yoga at 9:30 with Alison and I was, again, surprised that the class was packed. I wanna go to yoga on Friday mornings at that time. Night shift workers? Vacationers? Students? Guess that I could go to work, leave and stay later. Honestly, that's doubtful on Friday seems long enough as it is.

Yoga class was playful but a little bit more intense that I usually like but I totally put myself in child's pose when it was necessary...

After yoga I went to pick up contacts that I'm sampling. Asked the clerk how she was doing and she told me You know, Mondays and Fridays. She went on to tell me that she is the only one out of her group of friends who has to work. She's also amazed that her kids are growing up so fast...

Next up was lawn mowing then errands. I also decided to go swimming and it was pretty funny when the lifeguard told me that this Friday is the last one for open swimming because the summer schedule will start soon.

The lap lanes were occupied so I swam in front of the lifeguards and I had a moment when I felt totally self-conscious and imagined that they were critiquing my technique but I talked myself out of it. My final statement to myself was that the lifeguards are there to watch over me and to intervene if I get into trouble...

I was just thinking how well my Swimsuit for All is holding up but noticed wear and tear today. Kind of like this shortini and I'm in the mood to try new things so maybe I'll purchase one.

*Also slept like a baby that night.

Notions

Caught My Eye

Always have this notion that I will exercise more when I'm on vacation. Gosh (I've been waiting to write that), I'm not sure how the Biggest Loser and Extreme Weight Loss contestants exercise for four and five hours a day.

When I went for the Notable Burials tour, I also did yoga and went climbing (only four routes). I was knackered (thanks Charley Boorman, The Long Way Down) at the end of the day but I guess it's okay to be knackered on vacation when you still have time to recover. I did realize that I never found time to drink coffee and I'm pretty sure that was a contributing factor to my knackeredness.

I've been catching up on reading. I have about five items that can no longer be renewed at the library. One of those items is the April 2014 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine. Loved the 20 Questions Every Woman Should Ask Herself segment.

Question 10:  Am I Helpful? by Gloria Steinem

Big problems often have small solutions...The art of being helpful is behaving as if everything we do matters -- because we never know which things might.

Question 11: What Am I Afraid Of? by Michelle Wildgen

 ...and what calms me now in the face of my most profound fears is not reassurance that nothing bad will happen, but that some of it has, and here we still are. You do not self-destruct when your fears come to pass.

Question 14: Am I Strong Enough? by Brenda Shaughnessy

 But it doesn't take strength to love your child. It's the other way around: Love gives you resilience.

Better Circumstances and Bucket List, Weekend Edition

Fascinated by the concept of "hedonic adaptation."

Why does the burst of happiness you get when your life improves rarely last -- whether you start eating heirloom tomatoes, get a promotion, or marry your true love? The answer is "hedonic adaptation," the phenomenon in which you quickly get used to better circumstances... (Psychology Today, Dec. '13)

According to PT, there are four steps that you can take to help with hedonic adaptation: give it up (favorite food, activity), revisit your life without, take a break (TV shows, massage) and relish amateur status...

My upper body has been completely jammed (or jacked) up so I went to the library for the sole purpose of getting magazines for bubble bath reading. Hedonistic?

For the "unjamming" session, I chose the November 2013 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine. You know how people say it's never too late to do xyz? Well, Martha Beck explores the other side of the coin.

1). It's too late to get a completely different body.

2), It's too late to live without purpose.

3), It's too late to live on ego candy.

4). It's too late to turn toxic people into healthy ones.

5). It's too late to feel guilty about enjoying simple things.


Inspired by Beck, here's my weekend bucket list.


1). Watch a movie with The 'Fugee.

2). Sleep in on Saturday.

3). Ride my bicycle with Alison.

4). Do yoga.

5). Do yoga again.

6). Spend time with family.

7). Pet and play with Teddy.

8). Read

9). Walk

10). Play Running with Friends.

Beck starts her column by remembering a friend who refused to go out for three months while she attempted to reach a weight loss goal. After emerging, the friend died days later.

Self-acceptance can help you experience what Dr. Herbert Benson famously called the relaxation response. This is the state in which your body can calm down and heal. The alternative? More boring self-loathing, with its accompanying stress-related illnesses, compulsions, and addictions? We don't have time for that. (O...46)

Hope you have time to work on a bucket list this weekend...

Making It Work

Been trying to have a play date with Katie for a long time. Think the last time that I saw Katie was at my yoga birthday party last year. Well, we finally made it work and went to a studio, Practicing Yoga, new to both of us. Love the name and enjoyed the class which was a donation-based class with proceeds going to the service opportunity of the month, Hope for Young Adults With Cancer...

Things got heated right away and I wasn't the only one feeling the heat. Roxanne opened the door and we were immediately saluted by horns.

Stevie Wonder and the city -- you can't beat that..Roxanne said. And, somehow, the sounds of the city were not intrusive.

As we went from downward facing dog to plank to cobra, I could feel every route from yesterday's stint at the climbing gym. Of course, this did not stop me from going to my "traditional" gym after yoga which was literally across the street from the studio. I still had lots of energy but it seemed like I was on the dreadmill forever despite being distracted by the Miami vs. Memphis game and The Big Bang Theory.

Finished reading the October 2013 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine this morning and, no, I didn't start reading it last year. Out of 188 pages, I Survived...Getting Hit By A Car, stuck with me the most. Charlotte Rutherfurd says:

Now, just shy of a year and a half later, I still can't run. (My knees give out immediately). But I can bike, do yoga, and hike -- 35 miles on weekends. I'm addicted to exercise. Maybe I'm even a little crazy. And I feel too lucky to stop moving. 

Thanks for the motivation Charlotte Rutherfurd...

During savasana, Roxanne played What A Wonderful World. Now, that's something to ruminate on in the final posture plus how I felt so at home.

Leaning

Got to work on Wednesday and the building had no water. After returning from my second field trip, we got word that the building would close. One of my coworkers squealed and many smiled. Even though I had to do some work from home, I was happy too. I looked for a yoga class to jump into but the timing didn't work. Hashtag -- can't have everything.

But wait...the water folks wouldn't finish until noon the next day so we reported at 1. It was an unexpected gift that I appreciated tremendously since my reservoir was about depleted.

I slept beautifully, stretched like a cat in the morning then rolled out. I had time to make it to a yoga class and time to stop by Trader Joe's.

Alison had already given me intel on Jim, the yoga teacher. I wrote her back to say that, yes, he is a slow, smooth operator.

During class, I realized how much I like gate pose.

Poses that I remember that I like:

Gate

Fish

Half Moon 

Savasana

I've been reading an old O: The Oprah Magazine (June 2013). In that issue, Oprah interviews Brene Brown who talks about foreboding joy and dress-rehearsing tragedy. Brown mentions this man, married for 40 years, who never got too excited about anything because he didn't want to be disappointed but when he heard that his wife had been killed, he realized that he should have leaned harder into those moments of joy.

Maybe joy is what I was leaning into in gate pose...

Everything Is Okay

Blurred vision again. Admittedly, I wasn’t in a good mood today but if my vision blurred every time I was in bad mood, I’d have the episodes more often.

Hazira put her hands in motion and did energy work for me. As soon as she finished, the blurred vision disappeared. She did ask me, first, if everything was copacetic. Because I will keep working, she said. I love it when a Healing Touch practitioner sticks around until the job is done.

I like to think that with all of the self-care that I do that the blurred vision thing won’t happen but this passage from an O Magazine (March 2012) article, The Vacation that Will Kick-Start a Healthier, Happier You, rings true:

He (personal trainer Jorge) doesn’t say that everything is going to be okay – he says everything is okay. I give the workout my full energy. When it’s over, the foul mood is gone. I have my peace back. I finally grasp that keeping it isn’t effortless: I have to work for it. And I want to…

Hazira, thanks; I appreciate it. :)

Just Bounce It

Looking for something to do this afternoon? What about ab work? I used to avoid ab work but, now, I embrace it and since I do it more often, it doesn't hurt as much seem like such an onerous task.

I tried out Best Belly Blasters, a compilation of previous 10 Minute Solution DVDs, and made a few notes along the way.

Six Pack Ab Attack

Boot Camp like...

For instance, after getting into an elbow plank, you then have to crawl through the mud during said elbow plank.

The segment was tough and I had to modify certain tasks but I liked it.

Waist Slimmer

Felt like I should have earned a spot in a Cirque du Soleil production attempting some of the moves in this one. And, if you don't know it, I reallyreallyreally like Cirque du Soleil but who doesn't?

And, by the way, I so want to do what this woman is doing.



If I were in Seattle, I'd take a class. Please also note that clipping articles and saving them for a year is also how one becomes a mini-hoarder...

Belly Fat Burner

This segment left me with one question: Plank Bounce...Really?

You know me -- I felt the plank bounce and did it anyway.

Dancer's Abs

I'm not a huge dancer but it's nice to do something different even though I felt coordination challenged which is always ironic because I don't think that I'm uncoordinated -- maybe I'm just not graceful. I suspect that a lot of people will like this segment for the belly dance/Bollywood-like portion of the program.

Pilates Perfect Abs

Love the overall exercise in body control and the breathing and barefootedness of it all reminds me of yoga.

Bikini Belly

No mat but choreography required for this segment. You'll also get your cardio groove in during this one.

I Started...I Finished

There's been a lot of buzz about The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It got a mention in O: The Oprah Magazine. Need I say more?

I admit it; I was leery. The main character is able to sense emotions in food. Any talk of emotions and food makes me think about Like Water for Chocolate.

I started The Particular Sadness...and I finished. Because most of the Edelstein family has some extrasensory perception, it reminded me of that animated flick The Incredibles which I adored, by the way. Rose tells the story and is the super taster. About her brother she says:

Mom loved my brother more. Not that she didn't love me -- I felt the wash of her love every day, pouring over me, but it was a different kind, siphoned from a different, and tamer, body of water. I was her darling daughter, Joseph was her it. (48)

I also liked when Rose characterizes her father:

The best way I can describe it is just that my father was a fairly focused man, a smart one with a core of simplicity who had just ended up with three highly complicated people sharing the household with him...(103)

Lest you think that I kept my head in a book all day, I went climbing. As we were finishing up, Patti thought about climbing a few more routes since she arrived after Mike and I.

Mike: It's not a competition.
Patti: Apparently, it is.

See how I have to keep the peace?

Route Tally for Oct. 7th:

Slabtastic, 5.6
Oh My God! There Is a Crux!, 5.7
Grab the Jug, 5.8
Life in the Pack, 5.8
Steller's, 5.8
Photosynthesis, 5.9
Six Week Warrior, 5.9

Hope that you are or have been some one's it and that you don't live with too many complicated people.

Other People's Neatness

I didn't realize that Gail Blanke's Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life is like a workbook -- you're prompted to get rid of items while reading. No matter, things have a way of coming along when you need them.

I asked someone to come and help me unclutter my bedroom which I had lost the ability to be agile in. Translation: I could have easily sprained an ankle with all the crap that was in my room.

Asking for help was humbling and a bit (understatement) mortifying. I was properly and thoroughly embarrassed to have someone witness my slovenliness. My counselor friend said, "Don't worry, we all need professional help at some point."

The initial organization provided me with the incentive to take on The Fifty Project. Still, I wrestled mightily with the most insignificant items. Is it recyclable? Will I have a need for it later? Should I try to sell it?

I also struggled with things that people gave me -- even if it was an object that I didn't particularly like. I found things that I had forgotten about including license plate covers that my brother gave me in 2003. I also spotted, in the nether region of my closet, the toes of a tall doll, a childhood present from my grandfather.

I didn't think that I would have has many mental throwaways as I did but once the ball got rolling, it really got rolling. I have the feeling, though, that it's going to take more than one trip to the trashcan for the mental throwaways. Throwing out non-mental stuff became somewhat infectious as well. I was searching for a place that might recycle photos and I came upon good advice: Sometimes you just have to throw stuff away.

Here's the big qualifier. If you threw out fifty cups, it only counted as one item and on and on -- 50 books = one item. And magazines, they belong to the same tribe as books. I thought I might never make it to 50 but here's the list:

1) Bath Sponge
2) Bedding (unused for nearly a decade)
3) Being verbally abusive to myself
4) Beverages, Old or Unwanted (Pimpjuice and Propel)
5) Bike (Old One)
6) Book bags and satchels
7) Books and magazines
8) Candles
9) Candlestick Holders
10) Cardboard Boxes (lots of them; what was I saving them for? plus, my friend has this situation below)


11) Catnip (G’ma gave it to me for protection from mosquitoes)

12) Christopher Gruver’s Flowers: A Universe Revealed -- 2006 Wall Calendar

Significant Events in 2006

Dinner at Stir Crazy, Cirque de Soleil & Memorial Service; October 12th, 14th and 15th

Jury Duty; L’Enfant and Akeelah and the Bee released; Drivers License Expired; Tape Oprah: April 14th & 18th; India Arie: July 15th

13) Clothes (Goodbye to those of you that I outgrew)


14) Contact Paraphernalia (Expired -- in 2007 -- Rewetting Drops)
15) Cups (‘A’ cup, tiger mug, white cups with white tea)
16) Declarations of war i.e. getting my feathers ruffled over small stuff. (Bye bye)
17) Expired Food (Pomegranate Fruit Bars et al.)


This is your brain on expired sugar


Why do I still have crystallized ginger? Have not made cookies in over three years.

Ginger Lemon Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, cut into 1/8-inch dice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl twice. Add egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add zest; mix to combine.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger; add to butter mixture. Mix on medium-low speed to combine, about 20 seconds.
3. Using two spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of batter on baking sheet; repeat, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

From Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1995/1996

18) Eyeglasses (Old Prescription; Donated)
19) Feelings of guilt (over throwing away food that I bought but didn’t’ like, of throwing away stuff that may or may not be recyclable etc.)
20) Graveyard Ribbons
21) Hangers
22) Jewelry
23) Latex Swim Cap (Unused)
24) Old Dietary Supplements
25) Paper (Old Notebooks and Newspaper Articles)
26) Percussion Egg (Don’t Ask)
27) Perfection
28) Perfume (Expired)
29) Photo Album
30) Photos
31) Picture Frame
32) Potpourri
33) Purses
34) Smiley Face Bank
35) Soap & Bath Stuff (Old)


36) Speedo (First One)


37) Squirrel Knickknacks
38) Stuffed Animal
39) The feeling that I’m this poor little girl from the wrong side of the river. (gone)
40) The feeling that I suck (because I forgot someone’s birthday or to pay a bill)
41) The feeling that I’m not good enough. (Throwing that out felt really good.)
42) The feeling that I’m not smart enough.
43) The feeling that weird things only happen to me.
44) The nagging feeling that I don’t belong. (out)
45) Tins (Altoid tin good for holding pepitas and peanuts but did I need two?)



46) Tweety Birds (gift)


47) Underwear (seldom worn back of the drawer rejects along with the need-to-be darned)



48) VHS Tapes (Biggest Loser with Helen, Sione and Tara; The Amazing Race)
49) Wall Décor


50) Wallets (Black and Green; I bought the brown replacement wallet a year and a half ago)


This whole uncluttering project that I have underway takes the burden off my friend Lori who was to come in, should I meet a sudden demise, and clean up for me so that I would not die again of shame.


Resources:

Can I Recycle Old Photographs?

Can Used Photo Paper Be Recycled?

Recycling Photos

Stop the Souvenir Insanity

The mess he made: A life-long slob decides it's time to get organized

The Story of Stuff

Best quote: "It's rare that a sloppy person is made uncomfortable by another person's neatness," she says. "Part of being a sloppy person is that you just don't notice." Arlene Kagle from "To Clean Or Not To Clean, That Is The Question," O: The Oprah Magazine, March 2010