Meet my beloved Pink Floyd, purchased last August:
First (and last) time on the town dock. Kayaks and docks – not a good combo. I quickly learned it was much better to launch and beach Floyd a little further away, on the riverbank itself. ‘Nuff said.
Floyd and I go out on the ironically named Speed River.
Does this look like a speedy river to you?
My August/September ritual was to get up on Sunday mornings, pack a light breakfast and make a travel mug of tea, and wheel Floyd down to the river for a leisurely paddle and nosh before it got too hot. We usually ended up here before turning around and heading back home:
After the Black Bridge, the water got too shallow, even for Floyd.
Along the way, we would see things like this:
Waterlily
And this:
Cedar Waxwing
And this:
Egret
And this:
Swan
And of course, these:
Canada Geese
I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning. Or an evening. Or a day.
Hard to believe all this peaceful beauty is in my “backyard”. Pinch me!
This spring I purchased Floyd a little “sister”, yet to named. A bright green tandem (two person) kayak. So friends and family can come onto the river with me, instead of having to listen to my raptures about how wonderful it is out there.
I am looking forward to my first full season of this wonderful activity.
I spent some time orienting a newly hired work colleague a couple of weeks ago and she told me that I had joie de vivre. No one has ever said this to me before. I had a vague idea of what this meant…I looked it up to be sure.
Yes! I do have an exuberant love of life. But it was not always this way.
Like mostly everyone, I have had sorrow and hard times in my life. And looking back, I am grateful for the lessons learned and the growth earned by persevering when times were bad.
I think this focus on gratitude is what has kept me from becoming bitter about certain periods in my life. There is always some kind of gold to be mined from every human experience. Even if the only good thing you can say is that you survived it!
And I know that things can get bad so when times are good, I want to celebrate and enjoy them to the fullest! Because neither good times nor bad times last.
An introvert is what I am. As I suspect a high number of people participating in this challenge are. Blogging seems like such a natural fit for an introvert.
Introverts are the new black. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t see an article expounding on the glories of introversion and how the introverts of this world make excellent friends, co-workers, employees, leaders. Go ahead. Google “Introvert” and see where it takes you.
Introverts used to be viewed as shy and socially maladjusted individuals. Now, finally the truth is out there.
We’re not shy. We. Just. Don’t. Like. You.
Kidding!
Well, not kidding actually. Chances are high if an introvert is quiet around you it’s because they have already decided you’re not worth engaging. Or they are still trying to figure out if you are worth the energy it will cost them to engage you. Because most social interactions will do that to an introvert – drain them of their energy.
I had this problem in University. A very loud (and, I thought, idiotic – she actually carried a burning cigarette into a lab where ether was being used) fellow student once loudly proclaimed in front of a group of my peers that I should sign up for assertiveness training. Because I never talked to her, I suppose.
I was baffled by this outburst as were the few classmates who actually knew me. I never asked her how she came to that conclusion because I didn’t value her opinion of me or anyone or anything, so what was the point? Besides, I was still pissed that she could have blown me up that day.
Introverts are not any better than extroverts. The world needs both types. It’s nice that introverts are finally getting their day in the sun.
…Hiking! And Health, and Huffing & Puffing around Niagara region again today.
Behold:
Data from Hike #5Yet another waterfall. Stop. You’re killin’ me.Beautiful.Hiking buddies. Me and Mizz J.Resting those burning quads. Ouch.Well, at least something thinks it’s actually spring!
Another great day hiking. Is there any other kind?
I continue to work towards becoming a healthier Badass. I recently got “fired” as a patient from the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic. They told me to begone and trouble them no more. Well, alrighty then! Happy to oblige. Dietitian said the same thing, basically.
Continuing to take my meds, with a high degree of petulance, eye-rolling and sighing thrown in. Blood pressure is good but I want to lose a lot more weight before I kick those pills to the curb.
Next weekend I am on the schedule for an overnight sleep clinic. Should provide good fodder for the blog. Just sayin’.
Did I mention I saw an Ear-Nose-Throat doc for a bump on my lip and he said I had a deviated septum? Will wonders (of finding new things wrong with my body) never cease.
Anyone who knows me has probably realized by now that I love gadgets.
If there is a gadget available for anything I am interested in doing, chances are high I have to have it!
I just can’t run. I have to track my runs with a Garmin Forerunner.
I just can’t walk. I have to track my steps with a FitBit.
I have an iMac, an iPhone, an iPad (mini), a MacBook Air…and an old iPod kicking around somewhere.
My kitchen is also full of gadgets including an assortment of cute tea strainers. I mostly use the prebagged variety when I make tea but for the few loose leaf teas on hand I clearly feel the need for a variety of strainers…to suit my mood? I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine as to why they continue to entice me. (Note to self: be sure to finally try out the floating rubber duckie strainer this weekend!).
The one gadget I cannot justify purchasing is a garlic press. Why I am obstinate about not cluttering up my kitchen with one of these when I have several sets of measuring spoons, 2 rice paddles, multiple silicone pot holders and oven mitts, and a plethora of bar ware for all of the cocktails I am going to make (someday!) is beyond me.
I even have 2 – not 1 – but 2 ice buckets. Matching, even! OK, to be fair the first one was picked up at Value Village and the second one was inherited.
But when it comes to dealing with garlic, smashing the bulb with a can of tomatoes from the pantry works just fine. Who’s with me on this one?
Last Saturday’s hike (Short Hills parking lot to Decew House) was the most gorgeous yet. Although we were ankle deep in mud and sliding (and falling) all over the place at times, we did manage to come upon 3 – count ’em – 3 waterfalls during the course of 2.5 hours!
Swayze Falls – Falls #1Forgot the name of this one. Terrace Falls? AKA “Dry Falls” as that’s the condition it is usually found in. Falls #2Falls #3 – by the Morningstar Mill.
I predict many more falls to come as we head north on the Bruce Trail. Er…I mean waterfalls…not literal falls. Hopefully.
Mizz J and I as foreground to the beauty of the falls.
Mizz J and I invested in gaiters after this walk. This spring is proving to be cold and wet and I’d rather not put the Bruce through my washing machine every week, thank you very much.
My graduate studies in Business Administration ended on February 28, but my learning journey most certainly has not!
Suddenly, on February 29th I was faced with seemingly endless hours of free time (after work, of course) compared to only the day before when I was cranking out my final 2,000 word paper. And the years before, when my free time could be counted in mere minutes per day due to the effect of JD’s OCD on our life together.
I am still in awe of – and in the process of figuring out what to do with – all of this free time. But for now, I am learning to accept that it is OK to spend as much of that free time as I choose just doing things that I enjoy. Period. Without guilt. Like a “normal” person.
The little voice in my head that says I should be doing something productive instead of “just” reading or catching up on Netflix or going for a walk in the sunshine is getting quieter and quieter. But it is still there.
So far I think my recovery is going pretty well, all things considered. I hope the voice shuts up for good soon. ‘Cos I got a whole lot of catching up to do in the Enjoyment of Life department and I’m done with feeling guilty about it.
I have spent a good deal of time and mental energy in the past 3 years trying to find the answers to a lot of things such as:
why did my husband have to get cancer?
why did he have to die?
why am I still here?
what do I do now?
what does IT all mean?
and,
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE????? 🙂
Going through JD’s things after his passing while cleaning up both properties created even more situations and information that needed processing and understanding. My husband was very secretive and I was not allowed access to his things while he was alive. I had to go through everything he hoarded piece by piece after his death as the “good” (family mementos, money, valuable papers, useable stuff) was lumped in with the “bad” (garbage, broken stuff, useless papers, more garbage) with no organization.
It was like an archeological dig, people. With just as many hypotheses, theories, assumptions and questions begging to be tested, confirmed, answered. Including that the person(s) with the answers were never going to be around to fill in the blanks for me.
These blanks were driving me crazy. So crazy that lately I felt I needed professional help to deal with the unanswered questions repeating like a broken record in my mind.
It only took one session with a counselor, really, to help me get off of the mental merry-go-round I was on.
I have stopped trying to decipher my husband’s OCD-addled thinking. I have stopped feeling the need to get the answers I will never receive.
I’ve learned to be OK with that. I’ve learned to stop investing energy where I can get no return. It is what it is and it was what it was. I can’t change it but I can change my thinking about it.
Way before I concluded my MBA studies, I had a plan in the back of my wee mind to shift my focus back to improving my health and fitness once school was done. Then I had a TIA two weeks before school finished so this plan became even MORE important to me.
So now it’s been about a month since school ended and I have dramatically increased my daily exercise. I make it a point to hit at least 10,000 steps on my FitBit everyday. So far I have a perfect score in that regard. Yay me! And I am hiking every weekend now too.
I am also being more careful with my food intake. I rediscovered the account I had years ago at My Fitness Pal. My last login was the week of JD’s cancer diagnosis. Hmmm. Isn’t hard to figure out why I stopped logging at that point. Put on 22 pounds since then. Hmmmm. Again, not too hard to figure out why as my whole world has been turned upside down a few times since then.
Yet with my increased exercise and decreased food intake, I am a bit disappointed to have lost only 4 pounds in this past month. However, people are noticing a change in me – that I look smaller and my legs are becoming more toned. (This thanks to my habit of wearing leggings and boots often this winter!)
I retook my measurements last week and I have already lost 2 inches off of my waist. How can this be with such a relatively insignificant number showing up on the scale?
The only possible answer is that I am condensing. Yes – like a dying star I am becoming a black hole, human-version. 🙂
This week I will begin a weight training class for women. And next week begins a 5K learn-to-run class. Why, after 5 half-marathons under my belt, am I signing up for a beginner running class you may ask? That is a very good question! The answer is that I have never been coached by a physically present person as to how to run/train-to-run properly. For my first half, I benefited from virtual coaching via teleconferences but that has been it.
I think this will be fun and probably enlightening for me, and I have no problem entering this class with a beginner’s mind. I might even gain some speed!
About a year ago Mizz J and I were invited to one of her colleagues’ wedding, on the island of Barbados. Not a destination wedding per se, as both bride and groom are Bajan – born, but we were both stoked to be going there for this event. We booked our hotel and tickets last March, with additional travel plan cancellation insurance, because my mom was struggling with her health already at this point so we had no idea what the future might bring.
Well, Mom came to my place to die last October…and we still had no idea if this trip was ever going to happen. Mom made it clear that if her wishes were to be heard and considered she would either leave us before the trip or a few weeks after we got back. She did not want to mess with our travel plans!
On December 18 Mom got her wish and 2 weeks later to the day, Mizz J and I were in the air on New Year’s Day, flying south. We went with mixed feelings and a sense of duty – to Mom, who wanted so bad for us to still go no matter what, and to the bridal couple, who were expecting us. After spending January 2 attending the nuptials, we were free to relax and enjoy. So that is exactly what we did.
Here is where I could be found every day……reading books and gazing at this (when not frolicking/swimming in it!)Check out the beachy hair!
I did not feel at all like exploring the island – which was kinda unusual for me, but attributable to all that had gone before, I suppose. We did book a catamaran excursion online a few weeks back, to swim with sea turtles and go reef-snorkeling, so that was all I did other than walk down to Oistins for a nightly fish dinner, and relax under my favourite palm tree.
Pardon the crappy disposable underwater camera photo. This is one of the beauties we all swam with.And this is the beauty I personally swam with!
We were sorry to leave the island but are committed to making a return visit. I would love to make this an annual event. It’s a wonderful slice of heaven. The weather was perfect – hot and sunny, tempered by just the right amount of ocean breeze. The hotel we stayed at was just our style. Small, quiet, friendly, laid back. We would have no problem going back there.
Slurping up Bajan ice cream AND Bajan coffee on our last day. Thought we would change things up from rum punch and Banks Beer…hehehe!
Do you have a favourite tropical destination? Do tell.
