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Things That Make Me Happy #14

This is one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems (I apologize for the poor quality of the image – I haven’t figured out yet how to format poetry on this blog, so I have to resort to photos of poems). I’ve written here before that “Sun in My Face” was one of the names I considered for this blog. The sun makes me so happy – not just the fact that without it I wouldn’t exist, but whenever it decides to show its face it just makes my day.

I’m not what is typically considered a “sun worshiper,” although I was as a young person. I loved the deep tan – thought it made me look healthy, and let’s face it I thought it made me look more attractive. Oh well, the folly of youth. That particular habit is coming back to haunt me (hello, basal cell carcinoma), but that is an entire post in itself. No, I don’t sit outside in the sun unprotected for any significant length of time anymore, but I love the sun. It gives me such a feeling of well being even to look outside through a window and see that it is sunny outside. I know that this isn’t just me – we all feel better on sunny days than we do when it is dark and gray outside. Bright sun helps to regulate our circadian clocks, improves mood, and triggers our bodies to produce Vitamin D. It’s a good thing, as Martha says. Just don’t get too much of it.

I’m loving the weather we are having just lately here in northeast Ohio. Sunny, warm, but with an edge of coolness in the morning. To me, this is perfection. I am soaking in every one of these gorgeous days. Chris and I continue to walk three laps around the neighborhood every morning around 7, which is a highlight of my day. It’s quiet, except for the birds and the occasional cement truck (the city is replacing portions of sidewalk on our block that have been pushed up by tree roots, an endeavor which they undertook last year as well and which resulted in several trees dying).

We have put away the seed bird feeder for the summer and have put up a hummingbird feeder with the hopes of attracting some hummingbirds to our back yard. We’ve tried before – put up a feeder, hung out some red flowers we thought they’d like. That effort resulted in one very fleeting sighting of a hummingbird and a deer coming right up to our house in broad daylight to eat all the flowers. I could have shooed the deer away, I guess, but it was pretty hilarious. So, we’re trying again.

Sam and I have been on some bike rides around the neighborhood and through our little park. I love the incomparable feeling of freedom you get coasting downhill, but pedaling uphill reminded me that there are some muscles I haven’t used in a long time.

I hope you’re enjoying the weather where you are (sorry that it’s winter there, Chloe!) and that you have a wonderful weekend.

Love,

Michelle xoxo

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Things That Make Me Happy #13

These peonies took 4 days to open – definitely something I looked forward to all week

I saw a quote once, probably on a meme, that said that all you need for happiness is someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. Trying to get proper attribution for the quote, I saw it credited to sources as diverse as Elvis Presley, Rita Mae Brown, and Immanuel Kant. I’m pretty sure it didn’t originate with Elvis, but you never know. 

I’m a big believer in the power of having something to look forward to. I mentioned this a few days ago in my post about creating a positive work space. Another thing I do related to the work environment is make my password for getting into my work computer something I’m looking forward to. A couple years ago it was “London18Paris.” This year’s password, which I’m still using, also relates to a trip I was hoping to take in 2020. Needless to say it’s not happening, but I haven’t decided what I want to change the password to.

When Sam and I go on walks, we often talk of weighty topics – the state of the world, politics, etc. Usually after such serious talk, I change the subject by saying, “Let’s talk about things you’re looking forward to.” It never fails to lighten the mood and end the walk on an up beat.

With the virus still out there in full force, a lot of things on my list of things to look forward to have been erased. I’m planning to write next week about my “20 for 2020” list and how I’m having to revise it radically due to COVID19. But there are still things, large and small, to look forward to. Here are some things I’m looking forward to right now:

  • I have some bananas ripening on the kitchen counter. When they get all brown and mushy there will be banana bread
  • I will be talking to my mother right after posting this  
  • I broke down and did some retail therapy recently and there are a couple of packages slowly making their way to me
  • Saturday and Sunday!
  • We have daisies (my favorite flower!) growing along the entire side of our garage and they will be blooming soon

I read this article about having things to look forward to during this time of cancelled plans and an uncertain future. Maybe it will spark some ideas for you as well.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

Michelle xoxo

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Ancora Imparo

UPDATE: I am leaving the text of my original post here, but the more I read about racism in this country the more uncomfortable I am with the focus of my post on how I feel about what is going on in the US, what in fact has been going on since the first black people were brought to this country as slaves. Because the fact is that, although this blog by its very existence is about me, focusing only on how the state of our country makes me feel seems wrongheaded.

I am a white woman. I have never been followed around a store by salespeople predisposed to thinking I might steal something. The one time I was stopped by a police officer for speeding I did not fear for my life. So, my hurt at what is going on in this country is nothing next to what black Americans have gone through and are going through.

I am reading about what white people can do to help, and the thing I see most often are “educate yourself” and “listen.” So I am going to do just that. I am keeping the original content of the post below as a reminder to myself and anyone reading this that I can learn and I can be better. I am changing the title of this post from “Nourishing my Spirit” to “Ancora Imparo” because I just can’t let that original title stand.

“Ancora Imparo” is a phrase attributed to an 87-year-old Michelangelo. It means, “I am still learning.”

******************

The tagline of this blog is “Nourishing my mind, body, and spirit.” I have to say that my spirit has been laid low by the events of the last ten days. The country I love so much, the country I served in the Air Force and Air National Guard for nine years, is so broken that it hurts my heart.

Today we heard about a protest that was going to be held in the little downtown area of our city of 20,000 people. The idea was to stand along the main intersection during evening rush hour with signs as the cars went through our town into neighboring areas.

We walked downtown at 5:00 and stood along the road, keeping our social distance from the other protesters. I just stood there with my sign. I didn’t join in with the chants. I just stood there silently as a physical manifestation of my own beliefs. Many, many cars going by beeped their horns and indicated support with a thumbs up or some other sign.

Chris and I stayed until 6:00 and then walked home. I called my mom and then we had a birthday dinner for Chris at 7:00 with Chloe joining us via FaceTime (it being 11:00am the next day for her, she had brunch while we had dinner).

My heart still hurts, but my spirit was nourished by the belief and the hope I saw today that things can change. We can be better.

I wish you peace tonight.

Michelle xoxo

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Things That Make Me Happy #12

I love poetry. When I taught third grade, poetry was a big thing in my classroom. Every week my students would get a new poem for their Poetry Folder, which they would have to practice reading out loud to someone in their household each night. What I was trying to teach my students was a fluency skill called prosody, which is being able to use your voice to give meaning to the written word through intonation, rhythm, and emphasis. Have you ever struggled to understand the written word, such as perhaps in a Shakespeare play, and then upon seeing it acted out you completely understood the words? That’s the power of prosody.

On Fridays the students would perform the poem for their classmates, and the more shy ones were able to choose the “perform with a partner” option. In the month of April we would have Poetry Month, during which the students practiced writing different forms of poetry.  Poetry Month culminated in an event called Poetry Cafe. Students would choose two poems to perform, either alone or with a partner. The poems could be written by themselves, a poem we worked on during the year, or some other poem they found in a book. I staged it like a beatnik coffee house of the 1950’s – the students wore black t-shirts and sunglasses, and the audience was encouraged to snap their fingers instead of clapping. There were, of course, refreshments afterwards. What an absolute blast!

After I left teaching to pursue a less stressful job option (haha!), poetry kind of dropped out of my life for a few years. Then about three years ago, my brother Richard, out of the blue, sent me the collection of Mary Oliver poems called “Devotions.” Mary Oliver is the poet who wrote the poem “The Summer Day” which includes the famous phrase, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I savored the book from cover to cover. I don’t pray these days, but Mary Oliver’s poetry feels the way the best prayer should – it elevates my spirit, gives me hope, and reminds me that both all of us and none of us is alone.

When I mulled over the writing of this post over the last couple of days, I knew that I wanted to share a poem with you. The problem is that I have so many favorites! Then my friend Daniel, in his blog Dawn Reader, shared this post about the poem “Summer Kitchen” by Donald Hall. The poem describes a prosaic evening shared between a man and a woman – in the words of the poem they “ate, and talked, and went to bed. And slept” – then ends by saying, “It was a miracle.”

Because isn’t every day truly a miracle?

I told Daniel that the vibe of “Summer Kitchen” reminded me of another poem that I love, and that I was going to steal his idea and share that poem here. Here it is:

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. I’ll see you back here soon.

Michelle xoxo

P.S. This is my 50th blog post – which amazes me.

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The Power of Music

Chris in his natural habitat
Working on one of the Hunger Games movies
Composing
My first chemo, listening to Chris’ CD “Secrets” and reading messages from well-wishers
At my side through it all
Chris’ app TMiM being used in a local hospital’s palliative care unit

The Power of Music

My dad filled our house with music when I was growing up. Tony Bennett, Glen Campbell, Ed Ames, Montovani and his orchestra, Mason Williams – this was the initial soundtrack of my childhood, before I started listening to the radio, and before my older siblings introduced me to Jesus Christ Superstar, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, Manhattan Transfer, Blue Oyster Cult, and on and on. In my early teens I discovered The Beatles and went into full obsession mode. Around the same time, I was learning to play the flute and singing in my school choir. Music has always been a friend to me, has always soothed me or lifted me up when nothing else could.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, it truly felt like the bottom fell out of my world,  and I was desperately trying to grasp on to some sort of normality, some sense that things might possibly turn out all right in the end. Again, music stepped in to help. 

My husband Chris has a pretty cool job. Since the early 90’s he has been part of the music production team for over 200 major films – his particular job is to ensure that the music recorded actually fits perfectly with what is happening on the screen – he uses a program called Auricle to help the conductor pace the music so that, for instance, the crescendo in the music perfectly coincides with the crescendo in the action onscreen. So, that’s his day job, but he is also an incredibly talented composer in his own right, and during my chemotherapy sessions my favorite music to listen to was a CD he recorded called “Secrets.” I used the music to help me visualize the chemotherapy healing my body. Listening to the music also helped me jump start something that kept stalling out in my heart – positivity. 

Chris and I spent many long hours in the hospital during my 10 months of treatment and along the way Chris came up with the idea for what has become Therapeutic Music in Medicine (TMiM), a 501c3 public charity. TMiM consists of a music streaming app, free at the point of use, that Chris has made available to local hospitals here in Northeast Ohio. It is currently being used in oncology and palliative care settings. The music he composed for the app runs the gamut from soothing “chill” music to fast paced, energizing compositions, and is organized among ten themes. I usually use the app these days when I wake up in the night and can’t fall back asleep, or when I am feeling anxious. 

Although TMiM was created to be used in a clinical setting, Chris would like to make its music available to anyone who reads this post by providing a password that you can use to access the app. Directions on how to access and download the app are below. 

It’s sure to bring a measure of calm to your day.

Love,

Chris and Michelle xoxo

Enjoy!
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Creating A New Workspace

The two photos above were taken by me on March 13, because I knew that a future “Things That Make Me Happy” post would be about my work cubicle. Three days after the photos were taken I spent my last day in the cubicle for a long while, having no idea I would be away so long. As far as I knew at the time, we would be transitioning to a skeleton crew for two weeks or so and I would go in to the office two to three days a week.

I love my cubicle. I miss it. It’s tiny, sure, but cozy. I’ve personalized the space so that I have calming objects in the background while I work. My seniority scored me a coveted window seat, and I don’t even care that the window looks out onto the parking lot. There’s a lovely tree right outside the window, and I focus on that rather than the parked cars. My cubicle feels like my home away from home. To be honest, if I was offered an office I would stick with the cubicle, I love it that much.

When I first started working from home, I wasn’t thinking long term. I still thought it would only be a few weeks – a month tops. I set up shop on the dining room table (where I remain) but I didn’t make any effort to truly make the space my own. My work files shared space with my 12-packs of diet ginger ale and fizzy water. It was cluttered, but I was still in make-do mode. Now that it looks like I’ll probably be in this space most of the time through the summer months (I’m not really sure – no definite pronouncements have been made, but it feels like it will be that way), I decided to claim the space as my own little cubicle.

I have a friend at work named Anne who I miss like crazy. Anne sits in the cubicle in front of me, and she just has a great vibe about her. We both have a desire to make work a place of calm and soothing flow, and over the years we have shared ideas on how to create a positive space in which to work. It was Anne who gave me the idea of posting pictures of things I am looking forward to in my cubicle. In late 2018 and early 2019 I posted a photo of the Duomo in Florence, Italy. Chris and I went to Florence in March 2019, and the photo in my cubicle helped extend the pleasure of that trip through anticipation as well as providing a tangible reminder of what my job helped provide (especially needed on those thankfully rare days when I wondered what the heck I was doing there).

I decided to make a little bulletin board for my new home work space upon which I would pin pictures of places I still want to visit and pictures that I find calming or beautiful. Working with only items I had on hand, I hot-glued some leftover linen material to a stretched canvas and used straight pins to attach my photos. To be honest, it’s not the best bulletin board – I would need to attach some cork to the back or maybe some criss-crossed ribbons to the front, but having neither on hand I improvised and it works in its own way.

I cleared some shelves in a bookcase adjacent to my end of the dining room table (Sam works on the other end) and put my work files and my new bulletin board up. I’m sure I’ll tinker with the set up over the next several weeks, but for now I feel like my mission has been accomplished – I have a workspace that feels comfortable, uncluttered, and tailored to my work needs.

Now, if I could only get the new computer I was issued last week to hook up to the internet, I’ll be all set. 🙂

xoxo

Iceland, Croatia, London (my favorite city), New Zealand
My new and improved work home
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Catch Up

Hi, friends! I know Friday is my usual “things that make me happy” or at least “daily dose of beauty” day, but after the week I’ve had I just want to sit down in front of the computer with some ginger ale in a wine glass and a lovely vase of yellow freesias nearby and catch up with you. I’m worn out and in serious need of all the rest and relaxation that this three-day weekend promises to provide.

I think International Pickle Day (May 16) was my last day chalking messages on the sidewalk outside my house. I’m pretty sure my source for holidays was wrong about Pickle Day (the internet wrong? no!) because I’ve since seen that November 14 is actually the correct date for Pickle Day. For some reason it makes me smile that I got it wrong, because the whole project was pure whimsy anyway. I don’t want it to become a chore, so I will put away my chalk for now, reserving the right to go back out there if the spirit moves me.

I’m done with my portion of the statement generation at work! The first four hundred or so were so easy, but the last hundred were brutal. Soul destroying. You get the picture. Yesterday I had a Teams meeting (like Zoom but a Microsoft product) with my boss and she helped me knock out the last painful dozen or so. I can’t tell you the relief I feel to have that behind me. I worked several hours off the clock on this project, something that goes against my belief in work-life balance, so I’m going to have to figure out how to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Did I tell you the baby robins left the nest? We didn’t witness the event, but after a day or so of not seeing any little heads popping up from the nest, we carefully looked inside. Empty! I would post the photo here, but an empty, used robin’s nest is not very aesthetically pleasing. Now we look at every robin youngster (they are easy to spot – they’re slimmer than the older robins) and wonder if it is one of “ours.”

Most trees around here have fully leafed out, and jackets are usually not necessary for early morning walks now. Sam and I went to the park at the end of the street last night to see if we could go on the trail without risking exposure to, you know, people. We were greeted by the sign you see above, indicating that the trail is now one way. Of course it’s going in the opposite direction of the way I usually go! That’s ok, it will be good for me to change my perspective.

Something that did make me very happy this week was a Zoom call a college friend organized for another friend’s birthday. It was so much fun! There were nine of us on the call and we talked about everything and nothing, as we are wont to do whenever we get together. I hadn’t seen some of the friends since our last college reunion in 2015 (this year’s reunion, which was supposed to be in a week or so, has of course been cancelled). Such beautiful and beloved faces. I’m hoping we can do another call in June for our friend Jean’s birthday.

The final picture above is a sneak peak of a little project I am starting this weekend. I will post more later. I hope now that work is settling down you will see more of me here.

Have a safe, restful Memorial Day weekend if you are reading this in the US. I will see you soon!

Love,

Michelle xoxo

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Things That Make Me Happy #11

I’m happy to say that when I look at the weather app on my phone (which has a 10-day forecast), there are no longer any snowflake symbols, and the projected daily lows are no longer sub-freezing. Progress! There are, unfortunately, some more rainy days in the mix, including today. Still, doesn’t it look all green and lush and lovely out there?

Surprises make me happy – the good kind, of course. This week I had three happy surprises. The first was a letter from my dear friend Heidi. I’ve written here before about how I am always on the lookout for what Anne of Green Gables calls “kindred spirits” – people with whom you just click. Kindred spirits can be hard to find, though, and sometimes you don’t realize a person is a kindred spirit until you get to know them better. Such was the case with Heidi. We met in the first of my five years living in Illinois, and found out we were kindred spirits about half-way through year three. That’s another thing – I always seem to meet a kindred spirit right before moving away. But still. We are friends forever now, and I know that someday we will see each other again.

The second surprise was a small package with my name on it that arrived from Amazon. I hadn’t ordered anything, so it was a bit of a mystery, and an even bigger mystery when I opened the package to see a book on minimalism accompanied by a sweet (anonymous!) note inside expressing gratitude for my blog. Fan mail! A book to read! I was thrilled right down to my toes. I’ve since found out who sent the book, and having that mystery solved makes me even happier.

The third surprise was a text from my brother suggesting a podcast he thought I might like. We’re not in the habit of texting each other on a regular basis, so it was especially nice to get that text out of the blue.

After a long work week, the weekend stretches out enticingly before me. There will be

long walks,

jigsaw puzzling,

take-out from a local wings place,

some Detectorists,

an episode or two of Tales from the Loop,

a podcast on Monarch butterflies,

and a book on minimalism.

I can hardly wait.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

xoxo

Posted on : By : Michelle Posted in : Uncategorized

Hello Again, Friends

This is a crazy time, isn’t it? It’s like a roller coaster ride. I remember back in early to mid-March, when we were getting very nervous about what the virus might do. At that point there were some people saying this was no big deal (no, I’m not talking about him – that will never be a topic here), that it was all much ado about nothing. So there was this friction between those who felt that way and others who thought this was something new and different and very scary. Then right after the stay-at-home orders were issued around most of the country, and after we started seeing hospitals overwhelmed by gravely ill people, it felt that most people were in agreement – staying at home, protecting yourself and others, was a good and necessary thing. There was a short period of time where it felt like we were all united toward a single purpose, and even though the virus was still scary I felt warmed by that unity. But then, gradually, it started falling apart. I suppose it was inevitable, especially in these politically polarized times. But that doesn’t make me any less sad to see it go.

This week has flown by. Usually on Mother’s Day Sam and I go for a hike and a picnic in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This year the combination of coronavirus and cold, rainy weather led to us having an indoor picnic while we watched old episodes of the PBS children’s television show “Arthur.” Yes, as in Arthur the aardvark. Earlier in the day I made a loaf of this bread, which is both fool-proof and fabulous.

Work has continued to be full-on, and although I am so very, very grateful to not be among the huge numbers of unemployed people in this country, I am also tired. I’m looking forward to a little less job stress as we finish up generating statements next week. And maybe I’ll be able to spend a little more time here at that point.

Remember the robin that made a nest on our front door? We’ve been carefully watching the chicks grow. There were four eggs and it looks like three of the four hatched. Now they’re getting big enough to start leaving the nest. We have love love loved the experience of watching first the mother robin tending so diligently to her nest-sitting duties, then the constant back and forth-ing involved in feeding three hungry mouths, and now seeing the bright-eyed chicks sitting up in the nest. Still, it will be nice to use the front door again. Sort of like that end-of-summer-break-feeling you get as a parent. It’s bittersweet, but you know it’s time for them to spread their wings.

I’ll see you again tomorrow!

Love,

Michelle xoxo

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Daily Dose of Beauty and Some Happy, Too

On Fridays I usually do a “Things That Make Me Happy” post. I just started writing a post about a television show that I am currently in love with. It’s called “The Detectorists” and it is a comedy that ran on BBC 4 from 2014 to 2017 (we’re streaming it on Amazon Prime). Here’s a link to a trailer on YouTube. There are 19 episodes in total and I am savoring each one. The problem is, I can’t write an entire post about the show without it turning into a review. All I really want to say is that it is funny and lovely and will fill you with joy.

The tulips that I bought a week ago (and which were the subject of last week’s “Things That Make Me Happy” post) have opened up and are really quite stunning. When they first started opening up I thought they had a bit of a venus fly trap vibe and were kind of creepy looking, but as they continued to open up I’ve come to appreciate their unique beauty.

The weather here has been schizophrenic – warm and sunny one day, cold enough to wear full winter gear the next. Today it actually snowed. Trees are leafing out, lawns are looking positively lush, and we had the most gorgeous sunset the other night.

This was another full-on work week. I had a personal milestone yesterday – the first day since I started working remotely that I actually wore work clothes instead of yoga pants and sweatshirts while working. It was also the first day since working remotely that I weighed myself.

Yeah – the two milestones are related.

Have a great weekend, friends. I’ll see you back here on Monday.

Love,

Michelle xoxo