Happy Halloween!

Take a Time Out

Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.    

- Satchel Paige

 

Take some time today to just sits.  It's good for the soul.

Newspaper Boycott

Starting today, I am boycotting the daily newspaper for one week.   I have had it with all the doom and gloom.   Normally, I keep up daily with current events because I find it important to know what is happening in our world.  However, lately all that seems to be  happening is nothing but bad news.  Here is an example from yesterday's local headlines:  "Americans remain gloomy about the economy",  "State consumer confidence is no longer on the rise", "October is deadliest month of Afghan war", "Woman awakes to find gun pointed at head", "Man accused of molesting girl", etc, etc, etc.

I'm over it.  I am a realistic person who keeps a positive attitude yet doesn't look at the world through rose-colored glasses (and if you listen to the media, you couldn't if you tried).  But this is ridiculous.   So, with the exception of Dear Abby and possibly the comics, I am turning my back on the paper this week.  Enough is enough.  I will let you know next Thursday how my week went without the daily news.  By the way, the reason I am not boycotting the television news is because I did that years ago.  I figured that by reading the paper instead, I could bypass the really negative stuff by reading around it.  Now the majority of the paper is negative as well, so here I am.

Would someone please pass me their rose-colored glasses?

The Climb

 

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,

and endeavors to live the life he has imagined,

he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

-Henry David Thoreau

A Moonlight Bike Ride

Yesterday evening was rather serendipitous.  For some reason over the last week or two, I have been waxing nostalgic for the days when the kids were very small.  Maybe it's the season, or maybe I am often reminded how quickly the kids are growing up.  Usually we are so busy there's not much time to think of "the old days", and maybe that is exactly why I have been doing just that.  Little things trigger memories, like when I was in Target a few days ago to make a return and I decided to go ahead and buy the Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters while I was there.  As I hastily picked out a huge bag that was priced right and tossed it in the cart, I remembered it was not too long ago that the kids liked to pick out the candy themselves.   

On a walk I took recently I was on my usual path through a newer section of our neighborhood, and I remembered when it was still dirt road and trees.  When the kids were little, we would rent a flatbed trailer for Halloween, and buy a bunch of hay to spread around on it, then spend hours taking the neighborhood kids and parents on hay rides.  Now those same streets are paved with homes lining them, so we don't do the hay rides, but we do have pizza parties before trick-or-treating.  

So when yesterday evening rolled around, I announced that I was going on my walk since I had missed it that morning.  My youngest son very excitedly asked if he could go too and I told him sure, that we could check out the holiday decorations together.  We started out walking, but then decided to ride our bikes instead to cover more territory.  So off we went and the first thing we saw was the bold, orange sliver of a huge moon, the rest of which was still in shadow.  It was awesome.  I told him that I remembered the days when his dad and I would make a nest for he and his sister in their red wagon, and we put their big brother in the stroller, and head out for a moonlight stroll.  More often than not, all three would be fast asleep by the time we came back home.

But the little red wagon has since been replaced by a big green bike, and my little one is all grown up.  Sortof.  (He turned nine last week). He was full of conversation and energy as we cruised along under the moon and stars, and I loved every minute of it.   After seeing a brightly lit spider decoration, he enthusiastically shared with me every detail about tarantulas that he is learning about in his class.  It was pretty fascinating stuff.  He followed that up with some bicycle engineering ideas, and so the conversation went.  I was just happy to be with him, chatting like we used to when he was little and his brother and sister had gone off to school.  We even stopped at a park together to swing for awhile.   Just like the old days.  Except back then he couldn't yet ride a bike, therefore he would have fallen asleep in the wagon, and we would not have shared a conversation as we did tonight.   

I find that the different stages of life bring joy in different ways, and each has something special to offer.  The key is to enjoying each one and appreciating the shared, unexpected moments along the way.   

A moonlight bike ride is definitely one of those moments. 

Couples Retreat

My husband and I took our previously scheduled trip away this weekend, and today is our last day.  It was lovely and much overdue.  We had originally intended to spend it north of Florida, for some fall weather.  Since we could only take a few days this time, we came over to the beach, Atlantic side.  As much as I love the Gulf, it is always more mellow than the restless Atlantic whose waves are larger and noisier.  I love it.  I could listen to it day in and day out, and never grow tired of it.  The weather has changed this weekend, and grown colder, my very favorite time to be here.  In our room we light a candle, put on sweaters, open our sliding doors and simply enjoy it.

This morning finds both the sky above and the restless water below it a cold, steel gray.  Because of the cold air coming in, the waves are churning, and above them as far as I can see are pale gray sprays of mist, adding an eerily beautiful perspective to the picture.  If I were an artist, I would take out my palette and recreate this serene setting by painting on canvas.  However, since a writer paints with words, the keyboard is my palette, and the computer, my canvas.

I have heard some people say that the constant sound of the waves falling upon the shore is unsettling and distracting.  To me they are healing, therapeutic.  Some prefer the quiet serenity of the mountains, to which I can't argue.  The mountains offer their wonders as well, how can such stunning, ageless monoliths not?  From the awesome, in your face majesty of the Rockies to the more subtle, quiet majesty of the Smoky mountains, this earth is full of incredible places.  But for me, of them all the ocean is where I always come back to.  No matter what else is going on, it never fails to calm me, and help me put things into perspective.   The vastness of it reminds me to focus on the big picture and not to worry too much about the small stuff. 


And this weekend I was also reminded to take more time away with just my husband.  We had a great time, and as it turns out, we had our fall weather right here in Florida.

To Reminisce

This morning I went out for my walk and the sky was gray and overcast, and while I can't say there was a chill in the air, there was a nice breeze.  It felt very much like Halloween was in the air, so I tuned my iPod to my Phantom of the Opera soundtrack.  Perfect for the feel of the morning.

As I walked, the music and weather reminded me of the week my husband and I spent in Toronto, Canada a number of years ago.  I already knew the music of the Phantom by heart, and we went to see the production two times that week, at the historic Pantages Theatre.  It was wonderful.  We attended a party at wonderful old castle known as Casa Loma, and stayed at the elegant Royal York hotel (as it as known at the time when it was owned by Canadian Pacific Hotels).  We also stayed at the Sky Dome hotel and were stuck in an elevator there for an hour and a half.  We went to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, and discovered the enchanting town of Niagara-on-the-Lake along the way.

It was a fun, action packed trip, and remembering it during my walk was a nice time-out from the busy pace of the rest of the day.

A Healthy Diet Includes A Little Junk Food

I hate diets.  I really do.  While I do have the discipline to exercise regularly, that same discipline does not seem to extend to my eating habits.  The fact is, I enjoy food too much to worry about gaining a pound or two every time I digest something yummy.   But yesterday I was inspired.  I was reading the Lifestyle section of our local paper because Tuesday it is all about health.  I turned to Marilynn Preston's column, Dr. Jock, and read the headlines:  "The Mediterranean Diet:  Up close and personal".  This caught my attention because as much as I enjoy a little junk food, my main source of nutrition is of the vegetarian type.  Now this is not for an impressive reason such as it's against my religion or I'm a health nut.  The truth is, the thought of eating meat just grosses me out.  It's that simple.  The last bite of meat I ever had was when I was 17, and I can assure you, that was more than a few years ago.

So here's the thing.  I was reading Marilynn's list of what constitutes a Mediterranean Diet, and found it includes many foods that my own diet consists of.  Number one on the list is Olive Oil, something I use all the time, in just about everything I cook.  Also mentioned is fruits, veggies and legumes, all of which I love.  During the summer I can consume an entire watermelon in one day, I kid you not.  As for veggies,  I consider a big salad a perfect meal all by itself.   Non-refined carbs were also on the list, and because I don't eat meat, I don't cook it often.  I do, however, cook with pasta, rice, bulgur wheat and couscous.  Goat cheese made the list as well, and I happen to keep a tub of Feta in my frig just to pull out and snack on because I find it very tasty.  Apparently the Mediterranean folks also enjoy snacking on nuts, which is just one more thing we have in common.  There were a few more items, but you get the point.

So in many ways, I have healthy eating habits.  The question is, if the Mediterranean Diet is considered by many to be the "healthiest diet in the world", and I eat a very similar diet, then how come some of my pants are still hard to zip without a good bit of struggling?   I'd say it's probably that perhaps the Mediterranean Diet does not include potato chips, pastries and chocolate, all favorites of mine along with the healthy stuff. 

I like sweets just enough to keep from fitting into that one size smaller than my current one.  In my younger days, walking and yoga would have been enough to stay at one weight.  What am I saying?  In my younger days, not exercise at all would have been enough to stay at one weight because that is the magical way the body's metabolism operates when we are young.   Anyway, I suppose I can consider myself a somewhat healthy eater.  Now if only I could bid farewell to chocolate, sweets, chips....... 

Probably not going to happen. 

Swine Flu, a Missing Hamster and a Power Walk

Sometimes you just have one of those weeks, and last week was mine.  First I lost all access to my original A Native In The Sun blog, then, after diligently saving her money, my daughter bought a hamster that escaped a few days later after the top to the exercise ball came off while he was in it, my youngest son got the swine flu, which meant cancelling a weekend getaway with my husband, a week home from school, lots of TLC and several trips to the store for our staple sick food and drink around here, popsicles, saltine crackers, 7-up and Gatorade.  It also meant cleaning.  I  purchased a large can of Lysol and plenty of Clorox wipes.  I washed clothing, bedding and towels daily, along with cleaning floors and bathrooms over and over.  I wiped things down relentlessly with the antibacterial wipes and I put a box of them in every room.  The computer keyboard and mouse are like new.  Although I am a normally a neatnick anyway, Iast week I kicked into overdrive in the cleaning department.  I don't think my house has ever been sanitized this well. 

One day as I was wiping things down yet again, I said to my son that I think that maybe we are all so busy cleaning everything that we will lose our immunity to germs, and he told me that I certainly would because I clean more than anyone he knows and way more than necessary.  He wanted to know why he had to wipe things down every single time he coughed and sneezed, anyway?

During the week I didn't take any power walks or go to my yoga class because I was, quite frankly, pooped.  I have trouble sleeping when the kids are sick, so I spent the late nights creating a new blog (this one) and catching up on paperwork, etc.  I was too tired to exercise and really didn't care.  

Thankfully, my son is back to his funny, feisty self this week- I love a child's amazing ability to bounce back from things wholeheartedly.  To celebrate, I took a wonderful, 4-mile walk this morning and although the mugginess and humidity were so thick you could cut them with a knife, it was exhilarating.  Freeing.  Liberating.  I cranked up the i-pod and fell into step with nature and the music, oblivious to everything else.  What a great way to start the day, clear my head, and let everything go, appreciating that things are returning to normal for now in our home.

By the way, my daughter finally found her hamster, alive and well. 

Stephanie and Oprah

When I read Stephanie Nielson's blog last week, the Nie Nie Dialogues, and saw that she and her husband would be on the Oprah show, I made sure I tuned in even though I don't watch talk shows.  There are a few things not mentioned in the interview that I think are worth mentioning.  Stephanie set and accomplished certain goals in the year following the plane crash, which included returning to writing her blog and also hiking the "Y" on the anniversary of the accident, no small feat after the incredible challenges she has bravely faced since it happened.

Her blog is the first one I ever read, back when I still didn't really know what a blog was.  I discovered the Nie Nie dialogues during a time of transition in my own life.  I saw the headlines of the accident and was curious to learn more about this blogging mother who loves her career as an at home mom.  So I went back and read her archives and discovered why her words are popular with so many.  Her posts are genuine, uplifting and inspirational.  She is doing exactly what she wants to be doing without self doubts, and with a joyful heart.  I think this is a great attitude for any of us, not matter what direction we choose for our lives to take.  Even now, after all she has been through, she reminds us not to worry so much about what was or what will be, but instead to appreciate what is. 

A wise woman, that Stephanie.

A Native In The Sun Starts Over

My original blog, A Native In The Sun, is sadly lingering in cyberspace, waiting for me to sign in and write a post, which I am no longer able to do.  Although I can link over to it from here, (see Link To in sidebar),  I no longer have access to it due to something fishy going on with what I believe to be a phishing incident.  Or not.  I may never know for sure, but here is what happened:

Last weekend I was typing along happily when I had to break for a short time.  When I returned, I saw that I had been signed out of my account.  So I attempted to sign back in and in doing so, realized my password was no longer accepted.  Just like that.  Very big bummer.  In the next few days,  I spent as much time painstakingly investigating every detail in hope of re-enabling my account as I had spent deciphering how to get it started to begin with.  All to no avail.  I was angry at the injustice of it all for a short while, then a bit clueless as to what to do next, and finally I realized what the answer was.  Just start over with a second blog, and hope that my readers from A Native in the Sun (the first) somehow find me over here, because I cannot access that website to re-direct them.  Oh, and also change the passwords to any online accounts I have.

So to anyone who is new to A Native In The Sun, first or second, welcome!  My plan is to continue on  as before to complement my original blog.  Please be sure to check back in for more thoughts and observations about life from a beachlover's viewpoint.  And feel free to comment if you feel so inclined.