Wednesday, December 30, 2020

2020 ... A Year of Embrace

 

Photo credit: Amanda Smith
(My grandson making his way to what he wants)
Every December I choose a watchword for the new year and review my previous year’s word choice. Last year, my word was embrace. It was a perfect word for what was to become a measured period of time. 2020 will be easy to remember in years to come. Did I embrace it? Mostly, yes. Even the pandemic. But truthfully, I’ve come to despise all things Covid. 

2020: What I Embraced

Trips to Denver. Friendships. Helping on local campaign for sheriff. Slowing down. Zoom. FaceTime. Chair time. Walks with my dog. Podcasts. Netflix. Hulu. Sunshine. Good food. Phone calls.

2020: What I Let Go

My friend, Linda, died in April. My border collie, Abbie, died. Facebook. Old ideas.

. . .

My watchword for 2021 is ASK.

Do you have a watchword for 2021? Tell me.

Love, susan



Monday, December 21, 2020

Winter Solstice 2020 thoughts .... I survived


Honest to Pete, I feel like I can hardly hold a thought in my head these days. So, I went out to the internet to snag some writing prompts for this post. Why not? Here they are .... 

The overall theme of the past year was a bit of gloom and doom. Everything was looking good until March arrived with the pandemic. My watchword for 2020 was “adjust”, and adjust I did. It seemed like I had to change my attitude on a daily basis. I did this by limiting my time watching the news and making the best of being stuck at home. Overall though? I’d choose the word survived as the theme.

Some of the most profound moments of 2020 involved time with my newest grandson in person and on Facetime. Spending time with friends. Just everything. It all seems profound.

What did you prove to yourself that you are capable of? I have not shied away from making decisions this year. Sometimes I have to sleep on them a couple of nights but then I have been able to get into action. Decision paralysis just might be in remission now.

What did you learn about what you need to take care of yourself?  This may sound petty but dude, I gotta get pedicures way more often than I have been. My feet get so dry they crack, and then I feel it every time I walk. Oh, does this question want me to go deep? Okay. Naps. I need naps and I take them. 

What did 2020 show you that you don’t want? I don’t want to keep running around like a chicken with my head cut off. This whole retirement gig has been harder than I thought it would be but I’m getting there. I definitely don’t want to spend countless hours scrolling FB, so I deactivated it after the elections. I don’t think I’ll go back for quite awhile, if ever. I hate to say never but it could happen. I don’t like the way I feel when I spend my precious life scrolling, judging, and having internal conversations about what other people are doing. Screw that.

What new parts of yourself did you uncover? What did these parts or part have to teach you? Hmm. I am not as patient as I would like to be. I started waking up in the morning and asking patience to enter my mind before I even let my feet hit the floor. When I’m my most patient self, love is mirrored back to me and I just feel better about the world. What’s the hurry, I ask myself constantly.

Where was ‘home’ in 2020? Home has been in this awesome leather chair that I moved into my dining room area. Living in a small house, I needed “my” space where I could read, write, and hit Zoom meetings comfortably. I used to think home was in the car, going on road trips, being with people but 2020 has crushed that. 

What thoughts or mantras supported you? Slow down. Do what you can. Only one appointment a day. Sleep on it. It can wait. Don’t procrastinate. Eat well. It’s okay to say no.

How did you support others? Phone calls, FaceTime, homemade hand-written cards. I’ve been volunteering at a local non-profit that transports elderly care clients to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, and food bank. 

Prompts for looking forward to the year ahead...

Who is the person you are stepping into 2021 as? Confident caregiver Susan.   

What incredible experiences would blow your mind in 2021? This is a difficult prompt for me. I am not much of a future tripper or a dreamer. But, if I could just make one wish it would be that everyone be not just a little, but a lot kinder to each other. Let’s make America kinder in 2021, okay?

What do you know for sure about what you truly want for the upcoming year? What would make you feel like the year, when all is said and done, that it was a success? I want to remain healthy. If I get to the end of 2021 without any major illness or medical emergencies, I’ll breath a sigh of relief.

Okay. There’s my thoughts. What are you thinking about on this shortest day of 2020? Tell me.

Love, Susan

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Currently .... FIND THE GOOD!

 

Hi. It’s me!  Long time, no see. Not gonna lie, Covid has been the bane of my existence for awhile. It hasn’t been all bad but definitely has been responsible for my lack of blogging. It’s been a job just staying positive every day. For the longest time, I have felt I don’t have anything upbeat to write about. Why add more gray to the world? 

But, I am coming around.

One of the bloggers I follow always did a weekly “Currently” update and I copied her format for a long time. It came to me recently (in the last 5 minutes, honestly) that I certainly can come up with enough positive current events to write about. So here goes. Paula, if you are still out there and still have me on your blog roll, this one is dedicated to you!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ... we have sunshine nearly every day here in Yuma, Arizona. We did get our first rain (since March) last Wednesday night. The numbers for this week are: 70, 64, 68, 66, 67, 69, etc. Sunny, sunny, sunny. 

PONDERING .... life in general. As hard as this year has been for many friends and family, I cannot complain. I have had it way, waaaaay worse. I’ve woken most days looking for the good, and there is plenty of it to be found. If I ever get a tattoo, it will read find the good and it will be on the inside of my left forearm where I can’t escape the message. FIND THE GOOD 💜

WATCHING ... this week I watched Under the Tuscan Sun for the umpteenth time. It never gets old. I started watching the series Lie to Me on Netflix. Have you seen The Queen’s Gambit? It is binge worthy.

READING ... my Alaska, book-loving friend sent me a new book by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) called Frontier Follies. It is a series of short stories from her life on the ranch in Oklahoma. Very uplifting! And, I just love the feel of a new book, don’t you? I am also listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, which is super interesting.

PODCASTS ... here is a list of podcasts I listen to on a regular basis. I am attracted to a certain kind of interviewer and captivated by the sound of their voices. 

    Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (interviews with fascinating humans)
    Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris (interviews with legendary meditation teachers)
    WTF with Marc Maron (interviews comedians, actors, writers, musicians, etc.)
    Literally! With Rob Lowe (interviews guest from movies, TV, sports, music and culture)

THIS WEEK ... I am volunteering in the office at Helping Hands. This organization transports clients to doctor appointments, assists with grocery shopping, pick up from food bank, and other crucial activities. Covid has curbed its services a bit but there is still a lot of work to be done.

FAVORITE THINGS ... 

    Cruise control ... Ninja air fryer ... iPad

EMBRACING .... last year I chose this word, embracing, as my watch word for the year. What I am embracing right now are all things up close and personal. I deactivated my FB account a month ago and after about a week of detoxing from it, I discovered I had time for other things I had let go to the wayside. I actually sent out Christmas cards this year. I can’t remember the last time I did that. I have been sending hand-written cards to someone very dear to me and she has been sending cards in return. I have had so many in-person phone conversations during this pandemic, how cool is that? I am embracing this pandemic and finding the good.

A QUOTE I WANT TO SHARE ...

    “The house doesn’t lose things” ~ Caroline Fergen (friend and former co-worker)

Hope you have your best week ever 💙

Love, susan

You Made My Day, Dude!

A couple weeks ago while I was driving back to Portland after spending the night on the Oregon coast, we came up on some road construction ...