Just Five Things

I have joined a week long exercise in mindfulness and community expansion this week. Created and run by Michelle GD, The Just Five Things Course is asking me to pause three times a day and list five things based on the prompt word of the day. I must admit that “Gratitude” was a hard prompt for me to be inspired by yesterday. However, what came to my attention is that maybe I truly need way more intentional time carved out for myself for my well being. My boundaries are a little wobbly sometimes. Today is Home and I wanted to share my submission with you…

“Home”  for Tuesday day May 19th 

Morning
– Comfort and space as cats await my exit from my bed
– Lack of time to myself and chatter and coffee
– Doingness, planning, managing, and watching the redhead’s mood
– Rifle through clothing that I’d rather burn than wear
– Bandits escape and return from shopping to unpack back into kitchen space aka my home office

Afternoon
– Dance of devices in silent and interrupting circles
– The smell of Homemade Chicken noodle soup and lemony clean kitchen floor
– Another escape and return, a walk about a town where my kids grew up noticing every abandoned plant,
– Collage art and blog posts written in my craftroom, a mostly unoccupied space just for me
– Safe inside with windows open watching the winds tear at the world

This evening, I want home to hold me still and keep quiet while I spend some time alone.
There’ll be a bath time but I may be released from my duties.
There’ll be a dinner. I’m voting leftovers. The proof that I have had a purpose even though there’s seemingly nothing to show for it. There’ll be my people around me laughing and being them while I be me.
And hopefully I can take a journal and a book to bed and relax into sleep.

Plus, I made a list and did both the things on it. Technically I am no longer listless. Hope this inspires you to stop and look at your day in a different way. 

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

What’s a Sunday Feel Like?

My son said he wanted the weekend to feel like a weekend. A Sunday to feel like a Sunday. Because when you’re home bound, the days can start to feel the same-ish.
So today, I made sure we didn’t wake him up. He had a “real breakfast” as in not cereal or frozen microwave breakfast sandwiches. And we didn’t give him too many chores.

I asked him if it felt like a Sunday. He said “yes”.

What is a Sunday supposed to feel like? I have always been a big supporter of special food and lots of luxury and doing what you feel like on Sundays. Wearing your jammies all day however becomes less special when you do it all week because you aren’t going anywhere anyway.

I am Julie Your Cruise Director (The Love Boat ref.) and it’s my job to keep the fun alive aka direct. We had a fire-pit on Sunday night and today’s my son’s birthday so chocolate cake and take out sushi are our feast! This week my husband thought up Room Day where everyone picks a room and stays in it and if you have to pass through someone else’s room, you have to ask permission. Luckily we have enough neutral rooms and bathrooms to make this pretty easy. I can’t tell you how much I am craving alone time.

We’ll be doing a Asian night with homemade Chinese food (our local takeout is closed down) and perhaps watch a Kung Fu Panda or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie. A game night, a music jam, and a picnic are all shake it up options. Trick is to put it on the calendar so that everyone can look forward to it. Because we’ve got many more weeks to go and the only way to get through this and maintain our sanity is to adapt proactively.

Any other ideas, please share in the comments!

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

Stories of Us in Captivity

The complete halt of our lives has given over to some super awareness of family life. Mindfulness on steroids. As the tension subsides and we do find a rhythm, I am also watching and noting how lovely the weather is turning. And how wicked lucky we are.

I hope that you are feeling grateful for what you have today too. Happy Easter Weekend!

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

Keep Safe and Keep Walking

Besides wanting to fight off the extra pounds that will be attempting to attach themselves to my butt during this plague season, the reason that I exercise regularly is so that I can sleep harder and better. It’s good to alleviate stress and get me away from my family who is getting on my nerves and, Yes, I know it’s good for my heart and essentially will allow me to live longer to see my kids grow up. But I hate not sleeping well. It’s a waste of downtime.

But with the recent restrictions piling up about keeping distance away from people, we all start to think that we need to stay inside where it’s “safe”. In fact, when I went out walking, I found it equally odd that people refused to meet my gaze. You know you can’t get this virus by eye contact right? I began to question if exercising was verboten and banned as well and we were exercisers were all guilty of some crime.

Then I came across this article today on Medium titled This Is the Exercise Your Body Needs During the Coronavirus Outbreak written by science writer Christie Aschwanden, which spoke to the exact issue of exercise. I’m sharing what I read to empower everyone out there who values exercise as much as I do. (As for those who don’t really want to exercise, I wonder whether they’re just happy to have an excuse not to have make any more effort than obsessively worry about the end of the world.) Seems that we need to alleviate our stress with exercise.

“In this time of danger and uncertainty, we all need to engage in self-care, and exercise is one of the best tools we have to keep ourselves well.”

“You can exercise outside while still adhering to social distancing guidelines. Even under California’s “shelter-in-place” order, going outside for a walk or exercise is allowed, as long as you keep six feet apart from other people. No matter where you live, whether walking, running, or cycling, if you come upon another person on your path, move away to maintain a distance of at least six feet as you pass. Avoid touching things like jungle gyms, parcourse equipment, or gates that could have come into contact with someone carrying the novel coronavirus.”

And PS, speaking with people, as in saying “HI!” and “How are you?” is actually a considerate thing to do when you walk by someone, even 6 feet apart. And making eye contact and smiling is always the respectful way to meet people. So many people need hugs right now and smiling and acknowledging people is a way of giving mental hugs out without touching.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

The Gift of Me to Me

The holiday has been holding me hostage, as it does. Asking me to do be do be do be do all those Christmas chores that I find necessary. Buying presents, decorating the tree, sending cards, while all the while keeping up with the regular boring chores that I haven’t enough money to hire out. You know, life plus the Christmas special event planning.

And what I realize, as I missed one day of blogging for all of this, is that I am an everyday hero. I show up to the laptop and this community with honesty, integrity, and intention to be myself. And what more can we ask of ourselves? If we don’t do this, we don’t feel right. Misaligned, anxious, and untethered.

What is the most me I can be today? And this question needs to guide my days to come with such clarity that no one can push me off of my high horse. The gift of me to me, devotion to my joy and clarity is something I have awaited for a long time.

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey so far. The future is looking brighter than it has in a long long while.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.