Month: March 2019

25 Years is a Long Time

On April 19 2014 I moved back to the Finger Lakes after 25 years in Massachusetts. Trust me, 25 years is a long time. Long enough to live in at least 12 different houses with many different roommates. Long enough to have a 20 year career and supervise too many people to count. Long enough to fall in and out of love a few times. Long enough to make wonderful friends that will last a lifetime, despite living 350 miles away.

Living closer to family and the lake is what drew me back to the Finger Lakes five years ago. I can’t believe it has been five years already! Five years is a long time too. Long enough to have a couple of jobs, move in with my honey, start my yard-work side-gig. Five years is long enough to have put down new roots and make more friends.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

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My Mini-Retirements Keep Me On Top!

Have you ever had the opportunity to take an extended period of time away from work? Away from your life? Away from Debbie Downer and Ned the Nosy Neighbor? Away from your cluttered home and messy yard? Away from your daily responsibilities? If you have never had such an opportunity, I highly recommend you do some thinking, introspection, detective work etc to figure out how you could make it happen. It can change your life!

Extended time away from life is refreshing, invigorating and good for the soul! If done well, it can provide greater insight into difficulties you are facing leading to better thought processes and better decisions. Time away can recharge your batteries giving you more energy for activities that have become a struggle. I know when I get into stressed out mode, I don’t have the mental or physical energy to do more than the basics of self-care and work much. When in that mode, there is little oomph for tending to all of the pieces of the health puzzle!

This is how I want to spend my retirement! Image by MonikaDesigns from Pixabay

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What’s Brewing Under the Surface?

A delicate balance is often required to keep me in my happy place. Not too much work as it stresses me out and not too little as that leads to anxiety and worry. I’m not sure if I am really weird, just a bit odd or totally normal. I write down my thoughts here at My Little Blue Kayak and then I hit the “Publish” button for the world to see. Generally my words are positive, express gratitude, and hopefully lead people to smile and nod their head in agreement.

I used to say I was a simple person but I am learning that is not accurate. I strive to be simple but on the inside there is a lot brewing. I tend to be introspective and am not a people person. I prefer to be alone or with close family or friends. I would be perfectly happy if I never had to attend a large social gathering again in my life.

Keeping it Simple Image by aalmeidah from Pixabay

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Improve Key Relationships

In a recent post, I talked about health as a puzzle with 8 pieces. Today’s post is all about “Positive Relationships” as one piece of the overall puzzle. Through my work as an Occupational Therapist, I have seen how having positive relationships in one’s life can improve health outcomes for my patients. When in a Rehab setting, patients are surrounded by people but it can still be an isolating experience. Those who receive phone calls and visits by loved ones have a big advantage over patients who have no support. Having someone to run errands, bring home-cooked meals, listen to concerns is incredibly important. Positive relationships are a two-way street and they don’t get built over night!

Positive Relationships are a two way street…
Image by 12019 on Pixabay

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Sharing Some “Tude”

 

I have been writing a lot lately about choosing health and how that means a lot more than simply eating a good diet and exercising. One of my goals for 2019 is to write a gratitude journal as a means to choose mental health! Expressing gratitude is a wonderful way to bring inner peace, to get outside of negative thinking and to simply focus on the good. It is too easy to get sucked into “Stinking Thinking“, negative energy, bad vibes and the horrors of the daily news.

Today, I want to share a gratitude letter that I wrote at the end of 2018 to a former boss and mentor. I mailed this letter to her and she called me within a few days of receiving it. We had a great chat, caught up on life and shared more than a few laughs. Maybe reading this letter will encourage you to share your gratitude with a special person in your life!

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Who did you follow around as a kid? Is it time to thank them?

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