Mary Oliver

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"









Saturday, January 17, 2015

Still January

I don't remember struggling through a January as much as I am this year; maybe I should read my archived posts and refresh my memory. I am having trouble finding my joy right now and I don't know what I need to do to change that. The weather has been pretty bleak, so I know that's one reason. I'm hoping to take a hike at a local state park today and see if that helps, as I'm sure it will.

My knitting isn't exactly a cheery color either, as I'm working on a sweater using a charcoal gray yarn. I think it'll be a great neutral piece to add to my wardrobe, but exciting it isn't. I wonder if I should start something in a brighter yarn choice to break up the relentless gray of this January.

***After writing the above this morning, I did indeed have a pretty good day. Steve and I walked for an hour in First Landing State Park, but instead of walking on soft trails, our walk was on hardtop, mainly because we missed the turnoff for the trail we wanted and by the time we walked back, I was done. We went to a Whole Foods and got lunch from the salad bar, and then went home. Steve got his nose out of joint at me, so rather than hang around the negative energy, I decided to hang out at the new library. I parked quite a few blocks away so I could walk a bit more, then just puttered around downtown, and ended up with a trip to Target. I wanted to buy the book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying-Up, but couldn't find it. All in all, a nice way to spend my Saturday, especially since I have Monday off.

I want to thank my cyber-friends for the comments and support of my new normal. My dietary restrictions aren't that awful; from what I've read, a Mediterranean diet and limited sugar will be the best way to allow my liver to heal. In other words, a diet that I should have been on already and isn't that difficult to maintain. It's just that I want to eat like I'm still twenty. I think having to face my age and body limitations is the bigger reason I'm struggling, but as I'm an optimistic person by nature, I know I'll come to terms with it all sooner rather than later. I just finished eating a can of garbanzo beans that I roasted at 450 degrees and were delicious, filling, and easy as pie to make. I've rediscovered the taste of frozen fruit in sparkling water, and am trying some new teas, such as a chocolate chai that almost satisfies my sweet tooth without any calories or sugar. And as I said, living this close to the beach in a climate that is temperate means that getting outside to exercise is not really a problem, so all in all, my life is still a good one.

 

 

5 comments:

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  2. Hopefully you can chalk it all up to after-the-holidays/January blahs, and you'll feel more yourself as the month goes on. And it sounds like you are making progress with your new diet, so things are moving along. Take care, though, and I hope you feel better soon!

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  3. Ah Rose my friend. We all have difficult times where we don't feel light and bright, and we all have times with our husbands where we don't mesh. I guess that is life, just remember when things feel a bit down that they will soon feel better.

    Wishing you a peaceful and healthy week,
    Meredith

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  4. Diet changes and cutting out sugar can definitely contribute to the 'blahs' as well. Exercise and adding a vitamin D supplement (especially if you don't drink milk) can really help in the winter, when exposure to sunlight is limited.

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  5. It is amazing how many parallels our lives have. I have had so many conversations with friends about the difficulty of accepting our aging bodies. I am terrible at cutting out sugar, but I do feel better after a week without that addictive stuff. Hang in there.

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