Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category
Posted by terrepruitt on December 6, 2014
In addition to oiling my buffet in preparation for Christmas Decorations, I also took down all the “Death Cards”. The top of the buffet was crammed full of cards I received because of the deaths that have occurred this year. If you have read my blog for a bit you probably know about my mom dying. She died in April. It was sudden to me, yet it dragged out for 10 days while she waited, with a tube in her throat, unable to speak, for the doctors to take the tube out so she could die. But then she didn’t die for another 11 days. I have a separate page here on my blog for her. You are probably aware of the death of our cat. She was so sweet. I like to think she was an angel and I will see her again. I know she did a lot for the people she encountered. But you might not know about my brother. Yeah, he was the first one to die. He died in January. I got a call from my niece saying he was dead.
Now, I haven’t mentioned my brother because at the time there was some legal issues or more accurately there COULD have been legal issues. My brother was a widower and a single parent. He and his daughter lived in another state and we needed to get her guardianship and all that stuff taken care of before word got out. My niece has life goals so she wanted to finish her school year up where she lived before she relocated. So she was top priority. By the time everything was straightened out AND I felt like sharing about his death, my mom got sick. I literally was going to post about my brother that week.
My mom was waiting to die for a long time (as I mentioned). She went in the hospital for one thing, she was told they could “fix it”, but then they decided they couldn’t and told her she had to decide when to die. Not an easy choice. She picked a day and it didn’t go as they had thought. So that was another process. During all of this I was focused on her. And I thought that (think that) the way people die in the United States is so horrific, I was writing posts about that. I was dealing with all of that. I was not sharing about my brother.
Then, our cat died. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am not really a writer. I had never really experienced the “release” people get from writing or journaling. But with posting about my mom and the cat I kinda understood. Plus, it is soooo amazingly helpful to get support from people all over, close-in-person friends as well as people who I have never met face-to-face but have online relationships with. So I was supported by that.
Now my mom’s memorial is over. People keep questioning me about getting another cat. With life moving on, I feel I am ready to share. I feel I need to tell the world about my brother’s death. Since I shared about all the other deaths, his should not go unmentioned.
I thought it would be appropriate to share now, while I am putting away all the cards of love — because that is what they really are. They are notes and cards of expressions of love ABOUT death. It was so heart-warming to have received those tokens. It is nice to have them still.
For those that want more details, because death makes us curious, my brother was 48, he was not in the best of health and he died of an aneurysm. It is ok to be curious. That is human nature. You are welcome to ask more questions if you want. I reserve the right to answer them in a reply on my blog or privately via e-mail, though. There might be more posts in the future . . . but for now here it is.
My awesome neice has since been relocated and is doing well. She is awesome because life at her age is “hard” enough without all the stuff she has been given to deal with. We have yet to see how it all turns out.
So, take a moment, if you knew my brother or not . . . . . thanks.
Steven L. Bacho 06.18.1965 – 01.17.14
Posted in Diane Bacho, Misc | Tagged: 2014 year of death, brother died, cat died, Christmas decorations, condolence cards, death, mom died, Steven Bacho | 28 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 4, 2014
Someone posted this on Facebook. I agree with it. I do feel that people need to set boundaries. I think that sometimes people drain themselves or let others drain them (of time and energy) and don’t take the time to recharge or rejuvenate. I think that sometimes situations like that can lead to “hard feelings” and resentment. Not all the time, but sometimes. I have seen relationships crumble because one person takes advantage of the other, but the one that was taken advantage of allowed it to happen. Of course, when I see something I like, like this meme, and I want to use it as a spark for a post on my blog I want to give credit for the person that created it. I appreciate it when all the information is there so it is easy to find the originator. This woman, Anna Taylor, has an interesting story. She is an international recording artist, a singer-songwriter, and speaker and radio host among other things. You can hear her sing and check out her story on her site (click here). I have seen this saying — or ones like it before, but this one ended up on my Facebook feed at a time when I was thinking the same thing so I save it for a future post. Today is the day.
Of course, everyone’s boundaries are different and there are different boundaries for different people, but I think it is important to set them and have them. At times they can even flex and move, but that should be up to you. Then it really is up to you, as the person setting, the boundaries to make sure that they are clear to the people you are dealing with. If they don’t know what they are it is easy for them to disrespect them.
I feel as if some people don’t respect their own time and energy so then others don’t either. That is a lesson taught and a lesson learned. I think sometimes people are also afraid to say “No,” for whatever reason . . . perhaps they don’t want the person asking to “not like them” or the person asking is family so there is an implied obligation . . . or it goes back to the person being asked just doesn’t respect or maybe even feel worthy of time to themselves. I don’t know . . . it is all very personal.
I just like to be the one that supports people when they share with me that they feel bad, but they just had to say no to whomever because “they just couldn’t do it”. Then they go on to explain how it would cause them stress. Sometimes you just have to say no. Sometimes there are already too many obligations on the schedule. It is ok to say no.
Love yourself, respect yourself. Understand that your time and energy are precious. Especially this time of year when there are so many things pulling us in so many directions. It is GREAT to say no to something so you can sit on the couch with your family and a mug of hot chocolate. Or whatever . . . remember . . . you get to choose. And you teach people by your choices.
Does it seem as if this time of year the demand on your time and energy is greater than all year long?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Anna Taylor, Christmastime, end of the year, Facebook, Holiday season, set broundaries, stressful time of year, take advantage | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 2, 2014
Ahhh, it is December, and by the pure grace of God we are getting some rain. We need a lot of rain. Our state is dry and the water is pretty much gone, but every little bit helps. And the latest storm is bringing in some nice rain. This year the “storms” we’ve had in the San Francisco Bay Area have not really been storms and have not brought rain. Some have even just been “mistings”. But this one is good. It is an awesome way to bring in a season of Joy! One way I like to bring in the season is by oiling my entertainment center and my buffet. I don’t always have a chance to do it, some years are more hectic than others, but it is one thing I like to do. I somewhat consider it part of decorating for Christmas. Since I don’t really do “Spring Cleaning” I like to oil the furniture before I decorate at Christmastime.
It used to be that the oil came in a plastic bottle with a top like the ones that come on salad dressing bottles. The oil had to be squeezed out or shook out. But then someone got the brilliant idea to put it in spray bottles. WOW! That was an awesome idea. It makes it much easier to get the oil everywhere. I did use an entire bottle on the entertainment center. I am not sure that I oiled it last year. As I said, I like to do it every year, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. So many factors go into what you time for and what you don’t have time for, as I am sure you know . . . different things going on make different things possible or not. Sometimes you just have to let things you want to do, but aren’t that important (like oiling the furniture), go.
I take everything out of the entertainment center except the TV, stereo, and what is in the cabinet. (Yes, we still have a stereo.) When I oil the furniture I put a good coat on so I like to let it dry. I usually let it set for a day or two, to make sure it is dry and all the oil is soaked in before I put the items back. And since it is Christmastime I will leave some stuff off so that I can have room for the decorations. At least one whole shelf on the entertainment center is left empty for my nativity set. With the buffet I take everything out of the cabinets and oil inside.
I was not planning – I know I always say this, but really – on blogging about this otherwise I would have taken a “before” picture so that you could see the difference in the wood. The wood gets darkened by the oil. I think it likes it. I think it helps preserve the wood. This is really important since I’ve had the entertainment center for almost 25 years.
The buffet I got at a consignment store not to long after we moved here. I do not know its previous story.
Getting this done makes me feel good. As I said I don’t do spring cleaning, I clean for the Holidays and this is one of the things I like to do. Helps get my decorating mojo ignited. I love decorating for Christmas. I like for everywhere you look to be at least a little Christmas!
Do you have any furniture that would like to be oiled? Do you oil your furniture? Do you use Old English?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmastime, coat of oil, Old English, Rain, San Francisco Bay Area, wood buffet, wood entertainment center, wood furniture up keep | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 27, 2014
You may know that I post on Thursdays. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday in the United States that means that I will post on Thanksgiving. I say that every year. Even though I know that the day is coming, I don’t seem to ever have a post well planned. I am usually sitting at my computer at 11:30 pm trying to come up with something that isn’t just me being thankful. But I usually just give in to the fact that I spent all evening eating and not thinking about my blog. This year we had dinner a bit earlier than normal because the 49ers were playing and someone had tickets to go see them. I was a bit resistant to the fact that we were having dinner at noon because of a sporting event. But it turned out not to be that early. I do believe the 49ers lost, though. We had a very nice early dinner. The group was smaller than it used to be due to the fact that a lot of the “kids” were off being adults. Always so sad when the “kids” aren’t around, but so exciting that they are off living their lives. Exciting they are off with other people who love them. So, instead of sitting at my computer at 11:30 pm, I am sitting at my computer at 9:30 pm. I just want to continue the gratitude.
I am very grateful for my family on my husband’s side who provide a yummy Thanksgiving dinner (or lunch) every year. This year was very simple and very yummy. It was perfect. We even ran out of salad which hasn’t happened in YEARS!!!
I hope that you can tell from reading my blog that all year long I am very grateful for my family. I am grateful for my husband. I am grateful for my friends. I am grateful for my students. I am grateful for Nia. I am grateful to have a job teaching Nia with the City. I am blessed and I know it. I hope that I show it.
I am excited to get started on decorating for Christmas. I wish we had a week in between Thanksgiving and December (as I mentioned in my last post about a Christmas card Christmas tree), but that won’t happen until 2019. We will have days in between in 2017 and 2018, and a whole week 2019. But for now, Christmas is four weeks away. I love Christmastime!
Well, I know, every Thanksgiving is the same thing regarding my posts, but really I do like to state it in case you can’t tell from my posts all year long . . . I am very grateful.
Ooooh. Thanksgiving fact according to the website CNN Living: TV dinners came from Thanksgiving. When someone at Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys they would sell in 1953, they decided to slice and package it up with the rest of a Thanksgiving dinner. Desperation IS the mother of invention and they had to figure out how to get rid of TWENTY SIX TONS (!) of frozen turkey!
Also remember, there is tryptophan (the stuff that people blame being sleepy on) in protein based foods eaten every day . . . so it is probably not the turkey making you tired.
I hope you all had a very happy and safe holiday.
What did you do? Did you celebrate? Was it Thanksgiving for you or just another Thursday? Pumpkin pie or pecan pie?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 49ers, Christmastime, CNN Living, happy holiday, Nia, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, San Jose City Nia, Swanson TV Dinners, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, tryptophan, TV Dinners | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 25, 2014
In January of this year my friend posted a picture of the Christmas cards she received. I loved what she did with them and asked her if I could post her picture and idea on my blog. She is super sweet and she said yes. She created a Christmas Tree with her Christmas cards! January is obviously after Christmas and I thought if I posted it in January we would forget about it come December. So I told her I would post it closer to Christmas so that we could use the idea for Christmas 2014. She had asked if I wanted a better picture because the one posted here I took off of FB. I said no. I do believe it is a bit blurry, but I think blurry is good so all the photo cards she received aren’t posted clearly on my blog. It is about that time of year when we start thinking about sending out Christmas cards. And here is a great idea of what to do with the cards you receive. In the past I have posted about what I do with my Christmas cards, I do put them on the wall, but I really like the idea of putting them in the shape of a tree. Thanks, CeCe.
Such a great idea. A lot of people don’t get or put up actual trees for a multitude of reasons, but this is a great way to still have a little tree spirit. It is also a great way to display the cards. I love it. I didn’t ask her how she did it, but I think if I were to do it, I would start with the top card and add a row as I receive cards. But my rows would start from the middle so I would always have a trunk. Yes? Does that make sense? Would that work?
Oooo! You could also attach some flat ornaments to the wall. Hanging them in between the rows of cards. Yeah, That would be nice. I might just do that.
I was a little sad last year because I estimated that we sent out twice as many cards as we received. While we do not send out cards just to get one in return, I just love cards and I was a bit sad that it seems as if the tradition of sending out Christmas cards seems to be disappearing. Although, it could also be that Thanksgiving 2013 was the very LAST week in November with no time after before December started. That always makes for a super busy Christmastime and I remember having not received a lot of cards when that happened previously. It is the same this year. Thanksgiving is the last week in November. Too close to Christmas. It would be nice to have at least a week after Thanksgiving before December starts. Or we should celebrate Thanksgiving in October, like Canada. That would give us enough time to enjoy it more. Anyway . . .
Last year we had a great Christmas tree. It was severely misshapen, but after we decorate it, it looked beautiful AND it lasted a long time. Even after we put it outside and my husband cut it up for collection, it smelled fresh for days. This year we might have two trees. A real tree and a card tree!
So there you have an idea of how to creatively display the Christmas cards you receive and have a “tree” at the same time!
What do you think? What do you do with the Christmas cards you receive?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas card tradition, Christmas Card tree, Christmas cards, Creative Christmas Card Display, Thanksgiving | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 22, 2014
I sometimes think life is always trying to teach us lessons. I admit that sometimes I am oblivious to the lessons. But I also think that sometimes I can see them. I also think that sometimes the lessons are a practice. It is not as if I go through life, have something happen, see the thing I am supposed to learn and then – BAM! I got it. Lesson exposed, lesson learned, I’m good. Nope. Sometimes it is a practice. Just like yoga and Nia or learning an instrument. Continuous or multiple exposures helps you learn the art of it. Last month I wrote about “The Art Of Letting Go“, where I went with a friend to an evening event called Paint Nite. The idea is to paint something in two hours being led step-by-step by an artist. My idea was to just let go. To know that my painting was not going to look exactly like the original, but it would look like something. It would bear a resemblance to the one I was taught to paint. I liked it because it was blue. Well, I have been doing things that remind me to concentrate and be in the moment. Yes, I write about this often because it is something I need to be reminded of constantly. I need to live in the moment. I need to concentrate on what I am doing. I need to enjoy what I am doing. I need to fully sense and experience what I am doing.
I think my first post about this was me talking about brushing my teeth. I stated that I brushed my teeth while doing a lot of different things — all the time. I am better now. I used to think that if I brush my teeth while doing something else I could save time, but what ended up happening was that I was concentrating on the other task so much so that I didn’t know if I brushed the upper left side so I would do it again. Then wonder if I brushed the bottom right . . . the point is, I think I ended up brushing a lot longer because I was not concentrating on just brushing my teeth, than if I would have JUST brushed my teeth. I am better at that now. I start to step away from the sink and I remember that I will be done faster if I just get it done than if I go . . . do whatever.
I did another Paint Nite and I really had to concentrate on what I was doing in order to keep up with the artist. It is my opinion that she was going really fast. I couldn’t keep up, so listening and talking and participating in what was going on around me put me WAY behind the instruction. I just had to buckle down and concentrate on what I was doing so that I could listen to what she was saying so that I could do the next step she explained. I was concentrating so hard on what she was saying that I took a swig of paint water. YUP! I was listening to her, I reached behind my canvas, grabbed the cup and brought it to my lips and took a sip. I realized it tasted odd and spit it out – mostly in my cup, partially on my friend. (Thank God, she is so understanding and forgiving.) That was me not paying attention to the cup I was grabbing.
But I like this creation better than my last. I learned so much from my first time, that I was able to do this one better, but I actually had the opposite problem. I wasn’t using enough paint. But I think — still not, sure it was the water I need more of. Regardless, I learned some more and I really like this painting. No, it is lacking the soft lines of the original, but I like it.
One of the other things I am doing that requires one to clear one’s thoughts is archery. I wanted to see what shooting a bow was like. I wanted to use a “regular” bow, but that is not the popular bow to shoot. We were shooting one of those fancy things with what remind me of pulleys on each end. We weren’t even using what they call a “recurve”. Whatever bow you use the target is the target so learning how to get the arrow where you want it to go was the interesting part. Not that my arrow always went where I wanted to go, but I was taught the premise. But the instructor (Mike at Predator’s Archery) really emphasized concentration. He shared his (award winning) techniques regarding targeting and shooting the arrow, but he emphasized again and again how you have to concentrate. And you might be surprised on what you concentrate on, but that is not the point of this post, the point is you have to not think about distracting things. Live in the now and focus on the task at hand.
Focusing and concentrating really goes a long way in getting things done. We are always multitasking because that is just how life is. In most situations you cannot not think about more than one thing, but sometimes just DOING one thing really helps you get it done quick and with focus so that you can move on to the next thing. Things like to have your undivided attention. I will continue to practice focus, concentration, and living in the now even though the world around me as a whole thinks I need to do fifty things at once in order to be productive.
What do you thing? Do you think that less can be more? Do you think sometimes if you just do ONE thing (instead of multitasking) you can get it done faster and better?
Posted in Misc, Nia | Tagged: archery, concentrate, instrument practice, life's lessons, Mike, multitasking, Nia, Nia Technique, Paint Nite, Practice, practice painting, Predator's Archery, The Art Of Letting Go, Yoga Practice | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 15, 2014
Once a month or so . . . I think my last check was September . . . I like to check in on your Good Things Jar project. Are you putting things in your Goodie Jar? If you are not participating the actual container do you take time out of your busy day, your busy week, your busy month to thing about the good things? Do you have a moment when you are grateful? I always have good things, but I will admit, last month for some reason I was really “busy” and I didn’t put much if anything in the goodie jar. This month -so far- I did stop and put a few things in. I was able to make note of a few things at once. One of my latest documentations for my good jar is a Nia Class I just did on Friday.
I have a student who really likes Nia and
she wanted a class closer to her home. So she approached a gym or actually a club near her home and asked them if they would consider having Nia classes. Well, we met with the club and we agreed to have a “demo” class. A regular Nia class but one that would I would do free of charge and they would allow anyone that is not a member of the club to attend and they would invite their members. Well, first of all, I am thankful that I was allowed this opportunity. At this point we don’t know that we will have another demonstration there. Along that line we don’t know if Nia will ever be a class that is offered there, but it was nice to have the opportunity. It is always nice to introduce people to Nia. This was probably the first time many people had heard of Nia or even seen the name.
But I am especially grateful to and for the five students of mine that showed up. Actually there were five regular students, one who is a Nia teacher herself and another Nia teacher in addition. So six showed up from what I am thinking of as “Camp Nia”. I am so honored to have such wonderful students that they came to support me and Nia. They came to help show the members of the club how great Nia is. So that list of people is going in my Goodie Jar.
I have another thing associated with this class that I will make a note of and put in this jar. This is something I have never put in the jar . . . but I am grateful for EVERY DAY! That is the bodies amazing ability to heal. While I was leading the class I scratch the back of my left hand. I didn’t really make contact with my right thumb very hard, but it was hard enough to draw blood and it was at just the right angle and spot that my left hand went numb and tingly at the same time. One of the next moves was a fast small chop that we do from the wrist, somewhat as if you are giving someone a “karate chop massage”. Well, I could not do that with my left had without a lot of pain. So I didn’t.
I finished the routine and was only slightly aware of the odd pain-numb sensation until I went to get up on the floor and push up with my left hand. OOOOO! That didn’t work.
The rest of the day I was VERY aware of my hand. It started to feel better than I would do something and realize it was not better. But as the night wore on it got better and better. I am convinced I hit my hand in such a way that I temporarily injury a nerve. I am soooo grateful that it is almost 100% back to normal. So THAT is going in my goodie jar. WHEW!
What about you? Thanks for listening to my good things. I would love to hear about yours? What have you got? C’mon, if you are not doing the Goodie Jar project perhaps you would like to make note of the good things here?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Bay Club, club, good things jar, Goodie Jar, gym, nerve damage, Nia, Nia class, Nia demo, Nia student | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 11, 2014
It is Veterans Day today. A day where we stop and thank our Veterans. Many thank our Veterans all year round, but this is the day that the government and some stores are closed, other stores have sales, cities have parades, and Facebook feeds are full of black and white pictures in a proud display. I am grateful for the freedom that has cost so many so much. Thank you, Veterans, for your sacrifices and service. Since it is a city Holiday the community centers where I teach my Nia class and yoga class on Tuesdays were closed. So I decided to take advantage of my morning off and attend a class. I went to Tai Chi at the YMCA. The schedule indicates 30 minutes “Intro to Tai Chi” followed by 45 minutes of “Tai Chi”. My plan was to attend the first one then I would just hang around for the second one to see if I could do it without disturbing the class too much. Well, at one point several people exited the class. But the other woman who was new to the class stayed . . . so I thought, “Ok, I’ll stay too.” We didn’t really follow the clock. The first portion of the class seemed as if it was Tai Chi exercises, then the second portion was the actual Tai Chi moves. I learned that there are different styles of Tai Chi.
The instructor went through the beginning slowly as we all followed along, a couple of times. Then he told us to do it on our own a couple of times. I couldn’t remember the moves so I was following my neighbors. Then the instructor did it again with us, then he said to do it on our own without watching our neighbors. Well, that kind of worked. Then he asked another woman in the class to take the intermediate people and he would take the beginners. I felt bad because if there had been a cut and dry end and start I would have left so as not to disturb the intermediate people. But at the end of class, as I was leaving I thanked the woman who took over the intermediate students and she said that it was ok that is how they do it. So I felt better.
Right before we broke into the two groups the instructor asked us if we had any questions. I was going to ask how many moves he had just shown us, but I let it go thinking it was about five. Then the instructor said to us (me and the other newbie), “So those first two moves are called . . . “. And I laughed, because what I thought was about five moves was actually only two. He also explained that he practiced and taught the Chen style.
Just like yoga there is more than just one type of Tai Chi. In looking for the names of the first two moves (I forgot what he called them. “Pestle Warrior” did not bring up the move.) I came across this explanation on WikiHow:
#5 of part 1 of 4
“Experiment with different styles. Because all Tai Chi is good, it’s more important that you do any rather than worry about which style is right for you. But once you get immersed in the world, you may want to experiment. Here’s a brief rundown:
—-The Chen style mixes up the tempo, going very slow and then being explosive. It can be difficult for beginners.
—-The Yang style is the most popular. It has a steady tempo and, as discussed above, uses large frame movements. It’s probably what you think of when you think of tai chi.
—-In Wu, the movements are almost microscopic. This makes it easy to do, but difficult to master — there’s a lot of focus on powerful flows of energy and inner, pressured movements. The movements are very slow and deliberate.
—-The Hao style isn’t very widely spread. You probably won’t find a teacher that practices it.”
So as this says I DO think of the Yang style when I think of Tai Chi. However, I think the Chen style with mixing up of the tempo is good. It really aligns with the “balance” of it all. Fast – slow. Hard – soft. Steady – explosive. Reminds me of the song in the Nia Routine, Zensation, where the focus of the Kata is Tai Chi and we move fast and slow. We change the tempo. That is the Chen style of Tai Chi.
I was very happy I was able to take Tai Chi class. I even came home and practiced. I don’t know when I will be able to get back to the class, but I want to try to remember the first two moves. I am not certain I am doing them exactly right, but I will practice what he said was the most important part and then if I need to be corrected at least I will have a solid base.
And thank you again to ALL the Veterans!
Did you know there are different styles of Tai Chi? Do you think that you think of the Yang style (as the article states)? Have you ever taken a Tai Chi class?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Chen style Tai Chi, city Holiday, community centers, Facebook, Hao style Tai Chi, Nia, Nia at the YMCA, Nia class, Nia for the City, Nia routines, Tai Chi, Veterans Day, WikiHow, Wu Tai Chi, Yang style Tai Chi, YMCA, Yoga, Yoga class, Zensataion | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 4, 2014
I don’t know about you, but I seem to use the time after I get in bed before I fall asleep to think about all that I have to do the next day. I lie there and prepare my to-do list. Often times it has “roll-over” stuff. Stuff that I didn’t finish during the current day so I need to roll it over onto the next day’s to-do list. Sometimes my to-do list includes grocery shopping so then I might be mentally preparing a grocery shopping list. Sometimes my to-do list includes learning or doing a Nia routine . . . so then I am thinking about that. Sometimes the schedule of the day might include writing a blog post so then my mind goes into what-to-write-mode. As you can imagine with all that planning other things pop into my head too. Planning of menus might turn into reminders that I need to contact a friend to make plans for lunch or dinner. Thoughts of a Nia routine might have my mind wandering to that song I heard on the radio earlier in the day . . . what was it? Coming up with an idea for a blog post can have my thoughts all over the place. While this might seem very productive . . . . all this thinking and planning . . . it is not because I am in bed and I should be going to sleep. I recently read something about what productive people do that helped me get to sleep.
I can’t even remember where I read it, but it was a list of things successful and productive people do. Ya know, the usually list that includes “have your staff do all the things you would like to get off your plate.” Yeah, ok. Well, in addition to the things on the list for people WITH staff there were a few things that people without staff could do. One of them, of course, was make a list of things you need to do. Well, I think we are all familiar with that. In fact I have a lot of lists. And as I said, one of the things I do when I am supposed to be going to sleep is mentally move the things from my current to-do list onto the next day’s to-do list. But – to me – the key thing the article said about the to-do list was to let is be a tool to let you concentrate. Allow the list to take all the things you have to do out of your head so you can concentrate on the one thing you are doing at the moment.
Well, I have never used a to-do list like that . . . exactly . . . that I am aware of . . . but maybe . . . it sounds right, right? Sometimes I think I fret over my to-do list, but perhaps, sometimes I do allow it to help me concentrate. But one night I was so busy mentally reviewing my to-do list as I laid in bed needing to go to sleep, I thought, what if write it down right now? Yes, I do have a to-do list on my desk, but what if I write down all my thoughts now so I can get them out of my head. So I did. Some of the things I wrote down weren’t even necessarily “to-do” items, they were just thoughts. But I needed to get to sleep and not think about them so I jotted them down too.
I liked it. It worked. I bet this is not new to many of you. As I said to-do lists are not new to me, but writing it down to empty my thoughts right before I go to sleep was new to me. I hadn’t thought of doing that before. Especially because I have a to-do list. But when I go to bed and start reviewing it, that is not helpful. So re-writing it and any thoughts that interrupt my relaxation really helped me.
Do you have to-do lists? Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you feel you think too much about too much when you should be sleeping? Have you ever wrote your thoughts down to help you fall asleep? Do you think this might help you fall asleep?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: cure for not being able to get to sleep, insomnia, making lists, need to sleep, Nia, Nia routine, sleep, successful people | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 23, 2014
I was looking around WordPress one day to see what other blogs I could read – besides Nia blogs – in the areas that I am interested in. To me the way to peek around and search for other blogs used to be much easier. I used to be able to go to a WordPress home page and the page would come up with options to search. Now when I go to that URL it takes me to one of my admin pages. I imagine that if I signed out I might end up at a page I could search, but the whole reason I am searching WordPress blogs is because there has to be ones I would be interested in and when I am signed in it is so easy to comment. I have to go to a URL that I have bookmarked because it is not one that is easily remembered just to get a search field. Anyway . . . I was looking at different blogs and I came across a post with a title that caught my eye and made me laugh so I clicked on the blog to check it out. The post was about tea with oregano in it. That got me thinking about the benefits of oregano.
First, the title that caught my eye was Sick People Tea. Ha, ha, ha. I thought that was very funny. Sounds pretty accurate to me. It is tea people drink when they are sick. Still makes me laugh. The recipe consists of lemon slices, fresh ginger, fresh or dried oregano, and water. The instructions are found on Ali Does It Herself (click here).
I have not tried the tea. I am not a fan of oregano. But more importantly I have not been sick since I discovered the recipe a few days ago. If I can remember (one reason I post things) when I do feel under-the-weather I will give this a try. Even though I don’t really think of oregano as an herb I like. I like its relation; sweet marjoram.
Oregano contains very high concentration of antioxidants – according to an article published in the Journal of Nutrition about the assessment of “the contribution of culinary and medicinal herbs to the total intake of dietary antioxidants”. As a reminder, antioxidants help keep other molecules from oxidation (which can produce free radicals). Further reminder from WebMD: “Free radicals” is a term often used to describe damaged cells that can be problematic. Because oregano is an antioxidant it can help boost your immune system.
Many sources state the oregano is a good source of Vitamin K (needed for blood and bone health).
WebMD states that Oregano might possibly help lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The site states there was clinical research that showed this occurred after taking oregano after each meal for three months. The same page states that oregano oil killed parasites in the intestines after taking it for six weeks.
Many sites claim that oregano is helpful in the treatment of asthma, allergies, bronchitis, colds and flus, coughing, acne, dandruff, toothaches, bloating, indigestion, menstrual cramps, arthritis, headaches, among other things, but more research is needed to prove treatment with oregano and/or its oil is effective.
There are so many variable when using herbs and things, I think it could help for some people for some issues and not others.
You may have seen the “life-hack” that states oregano oil will help deter insects. I have haven’t tried it but it sounds great if it works.
Do you like oregano? Do you think of Italian Food when you think of oregano? Do you cook with oregano? Doesn’t the Sick People Tea sound interesting?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Ali Does It Herself, antioxidants, free radicals, indigestion, Journal of Nutrition, life-hack, lower LDL, Nia, oregano, oregano oil, Sick People Tea, WebMD, wordpress | 6 Comments »
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