Days 16 — 30 of thanks

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

As a continuation of my 15 days of thanks post, here are the remainder of tangibles and intangibles I am ever grateful for.  Of course, there are countless more objects of my affection.  These are just the tip of the iceberg.

16)    One less thing to worry about (the rental property sold!).
17)    The relationship I now share with my daughter after years of struggling with the parent-child dynamics.
18)    Franklin, as in day planner.  Without it, I may forget to write my blogs.
19)    Words with Friends.  Great for vegging out while maintaining an active mind.
20)    Moisturizer.  Or I would look like a lizard 24/7.
21)    My backyard, a private oasis.
22)    Roof rat-free attic.  Knock on wood, or last year’s chewed water line.
23)    Short Arizona winters a.k.a. long Arizona summers.
24)    Kisses and hugs.
25)    Hot tea.
26)    A rare cloudy day.
27)    Happy memories.
28)    “Firsts,” even at my age.
29)    Chips and salsa.
30)    My dentist.

What are you thankful for today?

When your plans are derailed

[Image credit: samurai]

Every weekday morning my alarm is set for 4:30.  Recently, I turned off the alarm when it chirped its irritating wake-up call but, instead of rising immediately, I fell back asleep.  And woke up 45-minutes later.  That really put a crimp in my morning, which included making dinner for that evening as I would be home late from Yoga.  My only other choice was to quickly revise my plan (that’s really why I write everything in my Franklin with pencil, not pen).  I looked at the day and everything I hoped to accomplish, prioritized (Yes, I have to go to work.  Yoga is not negotiable.  Leftovers look good for dinner tonight.  Who says two rooms need to be dusted?).  Once I readjusted my plans, I regrouped, was able to get moving and do what needed to be “did.”  The day was salvaged (with little wiggle-room for anything more to be added) with just enough time to make my Keurig iced coffee.

How do you salvage a derailed day?

Cutting back to make room

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Usually, my Franklin is overbooked.  Six hours weekly at the gym had turned into 10+ hours once I added hot Yoga to my schedule.  Many days I’d overlap my workouts so that some mornings I’d spend at least 45 minutes at the gym and 90 minutes in the afternoons at Bikram.  But here’s the clincher: I still only have 24 hours in the day to work with.  And I realize that whether my body whispers it to me in the still of night or gives a shout out in front of my next-door neighbors, inevitably it will demand a timeout.  Rather than be forced to sit out, however, I decided to start cutting back.  Once a day — whether at the gym or at the studio — is plenty to manage my health concerns and keep me fit.  That also means more time to tackle other stuff on my list.  Or maybe just catch a few more minutes of shut-eye.

Do you need to cut something back in your life?

Ready or not, life goes on

[Image credit: Idea go]

Last Friday, I woke up and headed to the kitchen as I always do to fix a snack, and review and update my Franklin (day planner).  To my surprise, Friday was missing.  I jokingly posted on Facebook that without this page, I didn’t know what to do.  Responses ranged from opting for a play day to repeating last Friday’s schedule.  Thankfully, I maintain a different planner for work, so eight hours of my day were covered.  As for the rest, I guessed for the most part — a little practice for “flying by the seat of my pants” when I travel this summer.  On Saturday I found the missing page in my workout bag (long story).  It turns out the only thing that didn’t get accomplished the day before was dusting the living room.  But I did allow myself the luxury of an “unscheduled” nap and an evening to take it easy.  And now that I know the planets remain in their orbit and life goes on, ready or not, I may “accidentally” misplace a page or two every now and then.  After all, the dusting can always wait.

How do you deal with a “missing” day — with work or fun or a little bit of both?

Forget me, forget-me-not

[Image credit: Suat Eman]

Every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned
by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down.
~ Hector Berlioz

While I was vacuuming my tiles this past weekend, an idea for a blog post popped into my mind and before I even finished my task, I forgot what this “brilliant” piece of rhetoric was all about.  Ugh.  My dad would say the memory is the “first thing to go” as I approach the rusty, er, golden years.  I’d prefer to think I just have too much occupying my gray matter and that’s what Franklin (my day planner) is for … or my ever-ready post-it-notes on my desk at work.  Only I didn’t even have a chance to jot it down.  Obviously, my idea must not have been that important but, at the time I thought of it, it was enlightened and a topic I was eager to explore.  Hopefully the kernel of muse will germinate and grow into something even bigger and better.  And maybe when I finish dusting or wash the floors, it will pop back into my head with bells on.  Until then, when inspiration strikes, I need to key a few words into my cell phone’s notepad to help trigger the memory.  Wait, how will I remember to do that?

Do you have a fool-proof way to keep from misplacing a thought or two?