Spaghetti For Breakfast

Scott was away at a two week class on the east coast.  We were happy that he had this awesome opportunity to learn from the best at the FBI Academy.  We anxiously awaited his calls at  night to hear about his adventures.  And we missed him.

We missed him being with us, but decided to do things a little differently.  We decided to do some of the things that we don't normally do when Scott's around.  We watched shows that we liked.  We had a spa night without interruption.  And we ate spaghetti.  A lot.  Scott isn't much for red sauces.  He actually gets a stomach ache.  So, it would stand to reason I don't make much with red sauce.  This is a challenge for me, but I've gotten pretty good at avoiding and adapting.

Back to the spaghetti.  We made a huge batch.  You know.  The kind you make when you're starving and think that you'll eat more than you actually do.  This was fine for us.  We ate it for supper.  And a another supper.  I warmed it up for lunch again and again.  With all this noodle nibbling I thought the leftovers would disappear sooner.  They seemed endless.  And yet we didn't tire of this favorite meal.

One morning Gracie and I were getting ready for school.  I said what would you like for breakfast?  She looked thoughtful.  How about spaghetti?  Really?  Ok.  I don't see why not.  And we ate the final  helping of spaghetti.  I have to admit I was apprehensive.  Who eats spaghetti for breakfast?  Cold pizza, yes.  But this was different.  As we sat and ate I thought, who says we can't have this meal at this time of the day?  It's warm, it's nutritious and gave us the energy that we needed to start our day.

I thought this would be our little secret.  That was until I got to work.  I worked at Gracie's school.  I was barely through the front door and greeted by a member of the staff with, spaghetti for breakfast?  And then another and another.  Really?  Spaghetti?  And I found myself defending my actions.  We ate well, warm and have energy.  Lots of joking ensued and I have to admit it was all worth it.  Unusual news travels.  Especially when it comes from a giddy first grader.

I've pretty much stuck to actual breakfast foods in the morning since then.  But on occasion I will venture from the norm.  I think I'm better for it.  I'm not wasting food and my hunger is satisfied.  Like this morning.  I went to the grocery store.  As I was putting the groceries away I saw a small container of chili in the refrigerator.  It pains me to throw food away.  And I was hungry.  So guess what I had for breakfast?  Here's to spontaneity.  And here's hoping that we always leave ourselves open to looking at things differently.

Resolutions, Smetherlutions

Here we are about to ring in the new year.  Out with the old and in with the new.  So they say.  How many resolutions have I made and not kept.  Tons.  That's how many.  And then there have been the years that I don't feel it's worth it to even try.  Why disappoint myself?  I'm just setting myself up for a let down.

Do you ever wonder how much money is spent on stuff that involves resolutions?  All of the exercise equipment, juicers, magic diet pills, and the list goes on.  I'm not anti-resolution.  I fully support healthy choices and positive moves that make more time for faith, family and friends.

I've tried all of the promises to myself and they really haven't worked out that well. In fact I often do the opposite of what was planned.  So that's what I'm going to do.  The opposite.  Stay with me.  This  is a little confusing.  Here goes.

I am going to eat more and sleep less.  I am going to spend lots of money.  I will cut back on my exercise routine.  I will spend less time with family and friends.  I won't read as much.  I will cut back on my walks with the dogs.  I will watch more tv.   I hope I don't have to travel at all.

In my goofy way of thinking, I feel I may have discovered a new way to keep my promises, my resolutions.  They say that opposites attract.  Maybe if I resolve to do the opposite of what I say it will actually happen.  Yep.  A reversal of thinking.  I'm liking it.  I think this may actually work for me.  Oh wait, I'm pretty sure that this will be a complete failure.  Wink.

Color My World

So I saw my therapist today.  We spent time catching up.  Even when you've found someone that you can confide in, there are common pleasantries that occur.  How is Scott?  And Gracie?  How is work going?  You get the picture.

After that we get into deep discussions.  About life.  About the holidays.  How we celebrate them and what is positive and negative about this time of year.  We discuss holidays that have passed.  We talk about loved ones that are no longer living.

We talk about how it is important to take care of yourself during stressful times.  We chat about the old example of the airplane emergency advice.  You know the one.  Where the flight attendant tells you that in case of emergency you should put your oxygen mask on before you help others.  We talk about how counterintuitive this sounds to us, how it is part of our DNA to help others first, even though we completely understand the deeper meaning of taking care of yourself so that you can help others.

And as the minutes pass and our time is up, I feel refreshed.  I feel like I've solved some problems.  I feel lucky to have someone I trust to bounce ideas off of.  I sort of feel like a new woman.   I'd like to think that I look renewed, too.

We bid each other farewell.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, too.  And I schedule my next appointment for six weeks from today.  In February I will do this again.  I will see my hair designer for another therapy session and coloring of the grays.  I look forward to it.  Always.

Owls

I'm not sure when my fascination with owls began.  I remember my Mom and Grandma making oil paintings that had owls on them.  The detail was spot on.  They would paint on pieces of wood and the end result was gorgeous.  I also love the fact that these creatures are nocturnal and can turn their heads up to 270 degrees around.  Phenomenal.  Maybe that's when it started.

Fast forward to now.  I have a few owl items dispersed throughout the house.  There is kind of an artsy one made of metal, wire and stones.  It's up high on a book shelf and surveys all of the happenings in the kitchen/dining room.  I have a picture of an owl in our bedroom.  I love the colors in this picture.  It matches our mossy greens, reds and blues. Perfectly.There are a few other owls in the house, but not many.

Then the catalog came.  Pottery Barn.  My favorite.  I found an owl in the catalog that is ceramic. The price was more than I was willing to spend.  Trying to be patient, I waited. And I waited some more.  Then I just happened to be at the mall.  The home of Pottery Barn.  I walked into the store and there it was.  My owl.  It was still regular price, so I pulled myself away.  Just then a sales clerk walked up to me.  Let me check on the price was what she said.  No discount.

The sales clerk then got very close to me and whispered, are you my friend?  Without hesitation I answered yes.  I'll be right back she said.  Within seconds she was back with a 40 percent off coupon.  For friends and family.  She said, I'm Sharon by the way.  I'm Ann, I said.

At the checkout she greeted me by name.  Hi Ann, did you find what you were looking for? Indeed I did, Sharon.  I handed over my 40 percent off card and smiled.  This owl was coming home with me.

This owl now sits in the middle of the dining room table.  It was made for this spot.  I really enjoy this ceramic owl.  I enjoy the journey I took in buying the owl more.  I met someone who has a great sense of humor and is spontaneous just like me.  Life can be a hoot.  I know that you get that.

60 Minutes

No.  Not the show.  Although I have to say I enjoy the news program.  I'm talking about an hour or sixty minutes of time.  What about it?  Well, I found myself a few weeks ago thinking that I had too much to do.  I had too many places to be.  And I felt overwhelmed by tasks I wanted to complete.

I decided to take one day at a time.  I would make my lists and take them slowly.  But even this was too much.  The defeat would set in before the day was done.  No, I didn't get my list finished.  And worse, my leftovers from the day before would be added to the next day making things feel out of reach.  And then a funny thing happened.  I broke my toes.  You know this already.  Some may think it was an inconvenience.  I choose to see this as a blessing.

If I hadn't fallen, I would have never been forced to take a break.  Literally.  I had to let others get things and do things.  I had to accept and be grateful for this.  I'm very independent and used to doing a lot for myself.  And for others.  Now it was my time to accept help.  Scott did more than his share around the house, with Gracie and to help me.  I love how we know each other so well that he can actually pick up on what I need and want.  Sometimes I found I didn't even have to ask.

I found that from the moment I fell, my girl could be there for me, too.  In fact the day I fell she was the first to respond.  Here she was, fresh out of shoulder surgery herself, hooked up to an ice cuff and rendering me aid. When I fell she unhooked herself  from her ice machine and brought me ice packs.
With her good arm she could carry a light basket of laundry to me and I could fold clothes.  Later, Scott would carry the basket upstairs.  Team effort.  We got things done and felt accomplished.

I scaled my lists back.  It wasn't reasonable to keep going at the lightning pace I had before. Then about a week into my injury I scrapped the lists altogether.  Who needs them anyway?  What needed to be done and addressed was attended to.  Others did these things just as well as I did.  In some cases even better.  It was a time when I became very grounded in the fact that my team works like a well oiled machine.

I have shed the walking boot I needed to wear.  I'm still taking things slow.  I come home from work and soak my foot and elevate.  And I'm still taking one hour at a time.  I do this not to avoid being overwhelmed.  I take 60 minutes at a time now to enjoy and to embrace my team and the time we have together.

Look At What Happens When You Skip A Step

I have been known to take shortcuts.  I love it when I find a quicker way through town.  One that skips a few lights.  One that takes me on roads less traveled.  And the end result is that I usually get to my destination sooner.

I have not always been very patient.  With others, I generally am very patient.  Not so much with myself.  Yes.  I'm the one that likes the shampoo and conditioner combination.  It's quicker that way.  I like the clothes that don't need to be ironed.  I use the laundry soap with softener in it.  I am constantly looking for ways to be quicker in things and more efficient.

I have had some success and some failures in cooking.  There are times when the recipe should be followed to a "t".  And if the recipe says you should sift your dry ingredients, you should follow this direction.  I have also had some success in using substitutes.  But it hasn't worked out well every time.

So this weekend, I did all sorts of rushing around.  I finished cleaning my upstairs in record time.  I was celebrating this accomplishment by whistling as I walked, ok bounced, down the steps.  Almost to the end I missed the second to last step and fell.

After a couple of hours the pain had not subsided.  In fact it was getting worse.  Even after icing it.  And elevating it.  I needed to go to urgent care.  Luckily my sore foot is my left one. I'm still able to drive.  An x-ray was ordered.  My doctor said it looked like a sprain.  The x-ray said it wasn't. In fact three toes are broken.  Pretty badly, too.  Home I went with a fancy new boot and a pair of crutches.  And now I get to have a follow up appointment with a podiatrist.

All this for skipping one step.  Just one...

47 Things I know...

Ok.  I'm not actually going to type 47 things that I know.  The reason that I used the number 47 is because that's my new age.  I like the sound of that...my new age.  It's mine and I'm going to own it and tell you a few things that I do know.

I like to spend time, not money.  Any day of the week.  I have money.  I need money.  But the things that mean the most to me don't cost a thing and are yet priceless.  Spending time with a friend over a two hour cup of coffee.  Visiting family and laughing at the jokes that only your family understands.  This is the stuff that life's made of.

A good meal made by someone you love, or for someone you love, nourishes the stomach and soul.  On my birthday Scott made steaks.  With sautéed mushrooms and onions.  It was a meal that pleased my palette.  More than that the company, my man and daughter, made me feel full and loved.

Surround yourself with young ones.  It makes you remember that you're not always right.  It keeps you fresh.  In ideas, humor and language.  It will challenge your brain.  And they will drain your energy and help you sleep well.

If your clothes don't fit, quit wearing them.  I did another major purge this summer of drawers and closets.  Seriously.  It's amazing what I really don't wear.  In my world a good fitting pair of jeans is worth a million bucks.  Ok, not a million, but they are worth a lot.

Moisturize.  On the inside and on the outside.  I recently read a statistic about how Americans are often not hydrated well.  This makes a difference in organs functioning properly and how your skin appears.  Of course there is the need for topical moisture, too. Especially as one ages.  Find one that works.  Your outer shell depends on it.

I don't feel 47.  And I don't feel 21 either.  I feel content.  I feel loved.  I love and laugh.  Like all of the time.  Perhaps this is what keeps me feeling younger than my actual new age.   Or maybe it's all of the lotion and the young people I surround myself with.  Whatever it is, I'm going to keep doing it.