Today I ate some really good chocolate - brought to us from California by my visiting sister-in-law. And read a trashy book that I really love - the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. OK - maybe it's not trashy but I guess you wouldn't call it literature and it was written for children. But I've already admitted that I am still one, and proud of it, so this really isn't much of a stretch.
I didn't do anything profound today. Nothing active or bold or creative or productive. And certainly not anything that made me feel connected to anything - other than my inner child I guess.
Today I ate some really good chocolate - brought to us from California by my visiting sister-in-law. And read a trashy book that I really love - the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. OK - maybe it's not trashy but I guess you wouldn't call it literature and it was written for children. But I've already admitted that I am still one, and proud of it, so this really isn't much of a stretch.
0 Comments
No - I did not eat dinner at 5:00 pm today. I woke up really early (actually I didn't sleep last night - so I guess I just got up early). It was 6:00 am when I finally dressed and tried to creep out of the hotel room to watch the sun rise.
Still being up north on vacation and being directionally challenged, I asked the lady at the front desk which direction was east. We discussed amongst ourselves and decided on a direction. I then waled around Blue Mountain Village looking for a good spot to watch the sum come up. Never mind the sunrise - the walk around the pond with not a single person around, no store open, just after a rainfall was so peaceful. I almost forgot about the sun. Today I had more pool time. But this time, it was with my son. Over the past few days that we've been on holiday with family (cousins, in-laws etc.), there's usually been a group of kids and various adults in and out of the pool and hot tub. For some reason, I ended up hanging out in the pool with just my son.
We played tag, which I never won because the steps were "safe" and my son was never more than two steps away from it. We played underwater tag - the steps were no longer "safe" but coming up for air was now "safe." Guess who always seemed to lose that game as well? We practised doing handstands - and counting how long we could stay in a handstand. We counted how long we could stay under water. We both wore goggles so we were able to look at each other - I counted with my fingers to 10. My son continued to 20. And one time I continued from there and got to 23. I explained how breathing out a little every few seconds helps you to stay under longer. It's important to impart the really important wisdom that I've accrued in my 39.99 years. At a narrow part of the pool, we practiced gliding under water to see if we could get to the opposite side - crashing in to unsuspecting swimmers. I remember doing all these things when I was little - and it was really fun introducing them to my son and doing them with him. You know - showing him how it's done. It's so great to be a kid! I'm glad that I am still one. I can't believe it's day 20 - I'm half-way there! Only 20 days left in my 30s.
Today I did an activity that I love to do - have always loved to do - but have not done in a long time. I swam laps. I have always loved to swim and have been told that I started swimming before I started walking. I very much doubt that is true but it would explain why I love to swim so much. I've often contemplated how much nicer it would be to "walk" places - if the streets had swim lanes and everyone could just swim everywhere. It's an odd dream, but it is one that I've had multiple times (and while awake). No Routine Is a Good Routine?Today I decided to focus on something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I keep struggling with the idea of creating a routine or ritual. After I became a parent, I realized quite a few things about myself - one of which was that I do not have a routine. I seem to not be able to do routines. I don't know why. I've just come to realize that this is 100% true. Another thing that I'm only starting to come to terms with is that maybe that's OK.
So trying to create a routine of any kind, not to mention a creative routine, is just never going to happen. So I've thought about trying something different - something a bit more fun and with a bit more variety. In the cold and the rain, with the wrong shoes, almost sliding down a hill and facing (or at least managing) my biggest fear.
This morning, at around 10:30 am, we decided to walk/hike up Blue Mountain – even though it looked like it was going to rain and the forecast called for rain all day. But when you’ve already told the children about an activity, well, you’re committed. Familly ValuesWhen I was a little girl, my parents talked to my sister and me about the importance of giving to others. Not just family, but your community - whether it was local or global. They also taught me that there are different ways to give: giving your time or giving money. That both were important and if one wasn't possible, than the other was good too. It was a value the instilled in me from a young age.
For a long time now, I haven't been living my values - and I have to say, it has made me feel very guilty. Right or wrong - that's how I was feeling. I would occasionally give a dollar or two to a homeless person or if someone I knew sent me an email about doing a run or walk for charity, I would give a bit of money then. But I still felt like I wasn't doing enough, in part because I never initiated the giving. I mean - I've been so fortunate in my life, even if I felt strapped for money or time, I could still have given something. So today, for the first time in a long long time, I donated my money to a charity I picked and that I really believe in. I should clarify - the money came out of my bank account today but it was something that I decided a few weeks ago. So today I had to clean my house. The in-laws were coming so a good, thorough cleansing was in order. I was not looking forward to it. Cleaning is not my thing, nor will it ever be. I did some good, honest procrastinating all morning.
Around noon my mom called to ask me if I wanted to meet her for lunch at our favourite spot. I told her I couldn't because I had to clean my house. I may have hinted that she could pick up lunch and bring it to me, you know, if she wanted. She agreed and added that she would help me clean. Not just that she would help me clean my house, but also that she actually wanted to help me clean! I mean - who's ever heard of that! She arrived carrying empanadas and fish tacos (mmm), we ate a quick lunch and we were off. We must have cleaned for about 4 hours - not straight - there was a quick pie break at one point. The music was on and we were chatting. We even cleaned the fridge, which I definitely would not have done had she not been there. In fact, I'm not sure my house has been this scoured in a long time. You could eat off my bathroom floor - I'll discourage my kids from doing so, but you could! Thanks mom! Do you feel like bringing me lunch next Friday? Note of warning: This posts contains multiple swear words. Only read if you do not get offended easily.
Well - today I hit rock bottom! I'm writing this post because I needed to let it all out. I hope this post doesn't land me in deep shit - but I just need to vent. You may be wondering what happened today. What did I do that made my day so shitty? Well, I did shit all. I repeat - I did ... shit ... ALL. Looking at the activities that I've done over the past week or so, I realized that I've done some active things, but nothing really sweaty. So I decided that today I would try a sweat-inducing activity that I've never done before. It's called Tabata or the Tabata Protocol.
I heard about it somewhere (OK - it was the Dr. Oz show - don't judge me). |
I want to feel...Creative. Connected. Bold. Active. Productive. Old PostsDay 36: Dancing After Dusk Archives
September 2014
Categories
All
|