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.

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...