I am a big fan of little books filled with many little essays describing things that bring joy or contentment. Ones already in my library are The Joy of Small Things by Hannah Jane Parkinson, Delight by J.B. Priestley, and Joy in the Little Things by Kerrie Hess. This summer I discovered a new addition to the genre, Things to Look Forward To by Sophie Blackall. I wrote here recently that I have a few trips I’m anticipating with great excitement, the first of which happens very soon. But there are some little things that I look forward to each and every day, so I thought I would share some of them here with you today:
Wordle – yes, I am one of the millions addicted to this little game. I love that you can only play it once a day and I love that a few people close to me also play it daily. “Have you played Wordle yet today?” is a common text between my friend Beth and I. Chris and I always use the same starter word (“adieu”) and so it’s fun to see the different paths we take each day after that first guess.
Worldle – Similar to Wordle in that you get six guesses. Different in just about every other way. Each day you are given an outline of a country or territory. With each guess that you make, you are given clues in the form of how many miles off you are and in which direction from your guess the correct country is. Beth and I also both do this one and are so pleased when we get the answer without the use of maps!
That first cup of coffee – On a work day I wait until I’m in the office to have that first cup and it is hilarious to me just how much I look forward to it. Such a lovely, lovely treat.
Having a moment to dip into whatever novel I’m reading – currently Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (loving it!)
That moment at the end of the work day when I can change into “play clothes” and relax
I was thinking about the term “self care” this morning while I was on my Sunday hike. These days I walk at least 45 minutes every morning, and on Sunday morning my walk is a hike in one of the parks we are lucky to have nearby. I don’t always feel like putting my sneakers on each morning at 6 (later on the weekends), in fact about half the time I need to push back the “I don’t wanna” voice inside me. One hundred percent of the time, though, I feel wonderful during and after my walk. The “I don’t wanna” voice can also crop up at a restaurant when I have already decided earlier in the day that I would have the arugula salad with chicken but the people with me are getting pasta and meatballs, or when I am at the grocery store on a Friday after work and turn away with some effort from the margarita mixes.
I’m finding that, for me, self care is not so much the pampering of massages, mani/pedis, and bubble baths. Instead it is the hard work done every day to keep my mind and body as strong as they can be. It is clawing my way back from bad patterns and habits that never made me feel good (hello, pretzels and chocolate, I’m talking about you). Self care is telling my inner 5-year-old that a dish of chili pistachios will “ruin your dinner,” because the parent in me knows the child in me will not stop at that one “little dish” of nuts. Marcus Aurelius said, “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” I think in order to truly take care of ourselves we need that aspect of unflinching assessment of who we are and what we really need. I know that in order to feel mentally well, I need to feel physically strong. Sweets, junky food, alcohol, being sedentary – none of these things work for me in the long run. I will have the occasional (less than once a month on average) glass of wine or margarita, but honestly they make me feel like crap the next day – even one glass so that will most likely go by the wayside as well. I am truly a work in progress and always will be, but I feel like I’m on the right track whenever I address the physical aspect of my being.
I’m including my morning walk playlist just for fun. I have Apple Music and there are many curated playlists with titles like, “Sunday Brunch”, “Family Drive”, or “Yard Work”. I found a playlist called “Feeling Happy” that has 100 songs on it and whittled it down to 15 songs that energize me when I’m walking up that hill (apologies to Kate Bush) for the 10th time. I have to say that very few of these songs are ones that I would listen to when not exercising, but they do get me going.
I had my third infusion last week for my bones – three out of six, halfway there. I’ve started taking a Vitamin K2 supplement along with my daily calcium supplement (I try to get about half of my calcium from actual food though). I’m not a big fan of supplements in general because I think they tend to overdo it – why do I need 6000% of the daily recommended allowance of some nutrient? The key should be in the name: it’s supposed to supplement not supplant the nutrients we get in our food. Vitamin K2, however, isn’t in a wide variety of foods – it can be found in egg yolks, fermented foods, cheeses, and some other animal sources. The supplement I have started taking (Amazon link here) has 83% of the daily value for K2. I feel good about that.
Chris and I have been watching “Doc Martin” these days. Neither of us had seen it before, so we’re starting with season one and working our way through the 9 seasons out there. I quickly became addicted – I just love everything about it. We’re also watching “Murder in Suburbia” – we do like a nice, gentle murder mystery, and this fits the bill. This week we also started watching a fascinating multi-part documentary called “Light and Magic.” It follows George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic company from its earliest days – the first two episodes cover how a team of honestly brilliant artists and cameramen (no women, alas) figured out how to create the groundbreaking special effects for the first Star Wars movie. Now, I’m not a big Star Wars fan, but I do love watching stories of incredibly talented and creative people (whether they be artists or engineers or scientists) overcoming challenges. It’s so inspiring.
Hello there, friends. Tomorrow is August 1st. Children in Ohio go back to school in August and I’ve been told Halloween candy can now be found on grocery store shelves. Yikes! I don’t have much to say this week but wanted to post some hummingbird photos. My latest plan is to try to put a blog post up once a week whether I have much to say or not. So there! 🙂 I hope you have had a lovely weekend and have something fun planned for the coming week.
It’s baby deer time and oh my goodness they are so adorable. I took the top photo this morning, standing in my driveway looking across to my neighbor’s yard. And yes, that is the sidewalk running between the two fawns. They were just hanging out while their mother foraged in the garden, sometimes munching on a mouthful of grass. They did not seem afraid of me, but did jump up and dance around a bit when a car drove by.
We have an abundance of chipmunks this year. Some might say an overabundance – I’ve found that many people view them as pests! But gosh, they are just so cute! I love watching them. For several days we also had a skunk in our back yard in the evenings, the only wildlife around here that I am actually afraid of as I’ve never been skunk sprayed and I’d like to keep it that way.
I’ve been trying to add a layer of difficulty to my morning walks by doing repeats of a bridge that goes over some unused train tracks (I wish I could do repeats of the hills in my little park at the end of the street, but at 6am that’s not an option as the park is deserted at that time of day). The timing of my walks has been perfect to catch some gorgeous sunrises.
The hummingbirds continue to be very active, but I didn’t take many photos last week. I just didn’t have the time or patience to sit around waiting for them to show up. I know they’ll only be around for another 6 or 7 weeks, though, so I’ll make some time this week.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in nature since my last post. I’ve fallen in love with the hiking trails at my sunset watching park. My favorite trail is 1.6 miles, rocky, largely unpaved, and fairly challenging. Now that Pokey is six months old, he’s proving to be quite a little mountain goat and a wonderful hiking partner. I’m trying to take advantage of these last few weeks before the clocks are turned back (sob!) to get in some after-dinner hikes.
I love hunting for mushrooms this time of year. Not to pick! I would never be so adventurous (foolhardy?) as to harvest any mushrooms for eating. No, what I enjoy is seeing how many different types I can find. It also forces me to slow down on my hikes, to go off-trail and be mindful. The more time I spend in nature the more I realize that I need to spend even more time in nature. It gives back to me everything that modern life takes away.
I’ve read two books in the last two weeks – the first, Still Life by Louise Penny, is the first book in her “Chief Inspector Gamache” series of what could be described as “cozy” murder mysteries. It was recommended to me by my friend Lori. The series takes place in a small town in Canada. After finishing the first book, I joked with Lori that I’d love to move to that little, fictional town and work in the bookstore with her. Her husband Mike joined in that he’d work in the boulangerie (there are some wonderful food descriptions in the book; I’m still drooling over a warm, thickly cut ham and slightly melted brie croissant sandwich). I’m on the waiting list at the library for book number two of the series and I can’t wait to read it.
The second book I finished is by one of my favorite childhood authors, Judy Blume. This is the first of her books for adults that I have read, and I was intrigued by the real-life incidents that inspired the book. Over the course of 2 months in late 1951 – 1952 three commercial airliners crashed into the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Judy Blume grew up in Elizabeth and was in middle school when the crashes occurred. I enjoyed the book, but it was also a bit too much of a soap opera for me.
My big news is that I start going back into the office full-time on Thursday. I’m feeling a bit neutral about it – working from home can be a bit isolating, but I’m also an introvert and I feel like I get my best work done when I’m just left alone to do it. It is what it is, though. I’m grateful for the time I was able spend these past 18 months working from home.
Sorry for the rather uninspired title of this post!
Here I am nearly a month after my last post. I would like to say that I’ll be posting more frequently. I really would. I do have several photos I took on a recent trip, so I can do a sort of “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” post next. I also have several ideas percolating in my brain for future posts (and some pretty gnarly photos of mushrooms I’ve taken lately – you know how I love mushrooms). So yes, I will post again soon!
This post, however, is dedicated to “my” hummingbirds. Photos from my feeder here in Ohio and from outside my sister’s window in Connecticut.
You may know that only the adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have a red throat patch. The juvenile males’ throat feathers don’t turn red until after their first winter. The adult and juvenile females tend to have either plain white feathers on their throats or some light gray streaking, and the juvenile males have heavier streaking. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether the above are adult females or juveniles (I tend to think most of them are juvenile males). Also, the adult male’s throat patch can look black if the feathers don’t catch the sun. In most of my photos of adult male hummingbirds, they look kind of like dark blobs. Next year it will be my goal to get some better photos of adult males!
It will have to be next year, because I think our hummingbirds have begun their migration south. I haven’t seen any birds at the feeder for the last two days or so. There may be stragglers, but I’m sure most of them have gone.
In the last 48 hours we have had a scary thunderstorm (complete with tornado warning), rain, snow, hail, clouds, and gorgeous sunshine. I’ve gone out for my walks wearing anything from a short sleeved shirt to my winter coat, wool hat, and gloves. But out I go, because I need my daily dose of exercise, fresh air, and beauty. It is sustaining me in this crazy time, keeping the “blahs” from turning into the blues. I know I said I wouldn’t be back here until my Friday “Things That Make Me Happy” post, but I thought I would share this daily dose of beauty with you. See you again tomorrow, dear ones. xoxo
Sam and I went for our usual evening walk tonight and the sky was so lovely. I just knew it would be a good sunset today – I’ve learned that what differentiates a “blah” sunset from a stunning sunset is the quality of the clouds in the sky. Wispy clouds are best, apparently. These photos don’t do tonight’s sunset justice – trust me, it was gorgeous. And I wanted so much to be able to go to our sunset park to view it, but I knew that watching the sunset from the ledges at the park was not an “essential” outing. But, gosh, it sure felt essential tonight.
The first time I heard the term “forest bathing” it brought to mind people people bathing in hot springs. Then I heard there were such things as “forest bathing guides” and I thought, “maybe people need a guide to bring them to the hot springs?”
Turns out forest bathing has nothing to do with actually taking a bath. Instead, the term “forest bathing” is a rough translation of the Japanese term “shinrin-yoku,” a form of nature therapy that was introduced in the 1980’s as a response to fast-paced urban life. It is nothing more or less than mindful time in nature, emphasis on “mindful.” In order to forest bathe correctly, you must take your time and pay attention to everything around you, using your senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch to fully experience your surroundings. Running through a forest listening to a podcast or your favorite music might be a wonderful experience, but it doesn’t qualify as shinrin-yoku. You have to go slowly, looking all around you, stopping often, paying attention to the sounds and smells of nature.
So, why would you want to experience nature in this way? There have been several studies measuring the body’s response to forest bathing and the results are impressive. Reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, lower heart rate, reduced risk of coronary heart disease, and improved immune response. All of those indicators are noteworthy, but the improved immune response really got my attention, so I did a little google research and found a few articles, including this study. What they found was a 50% increase in natural killer (NK) cells for the subjects engaged in forest bathing. NK cells are the cells that attack cancer cells. By anyone’s measure, this has to be a good thing, right?Â
Now, forest bathing is not being touted as a cure for cancer by any means, and I wouldn’t be so irresponsible as to suggest it might be in the future. Instead, I think of it as one of many lifestyle choices – like getting 8 hours of sleep, exercising regularly, and eating my veggies – that could work in synergy to help maximize my health. And it’s not like spending time in nature is any hardship. It’s not like gagging down a smoothie made of broccoli sprouts because they’re supposed to be good for you (guilty!). I’m sure there must be people out there who truly don’t like spending time in nature, but most of us find spending time in nature a reward in and of itself. All of these physical benefits are just icing on the cake. So, win-win!Â
I wondered how much time I would have to spend forest bathing in order to reap any benefits, and found this article that showed that two hours a week (cumulative) is the threshold point at which benefits can be measured. I was glad to hear that you don’t have to do two hours all at once, but that every little bit helps.
On Saturday morning I went for a walk in the little park at the end of my street. It’s not the park with the dramatic sunset-watching vistas. It’s just a small wooded area with a .6 mile trail running through it. The ground was icy, so my planned power walk turned into a tentative stroll. Aha, I thought. Time to try out this forest bathing thing.
These tracks reminded me of those old-timey dance step diagrams.
Nature cooperated in spades. So many birds singing up a storm! Animal tracks easily seen in the thin layer of icy snow on the ground. I saw an owl in flight and locked eyes with her as she perched high in a tree. An enormous pileated woodpecker doing what woodpeckers do best (gosh it looks like a lot of work for whatever food they get from all that pecking). The air was crisp and smelled fresh and clean. I could definitely feel my body slowing down and relaxing. An hour later I returned home, feeling rejuvinated.Â
When I take my morning walk, I usually do laps around the neighborhood. I start my weekday walk at 6ish, and walking alone through the woods at that time would probably be foolhardy. I also like to go as fast as I can and listen to podcasts or music. So, any future forest bathing will have to be done on the weekends, as my after-work hours are pretty much spoken for. But I will definitely be trying it again.Â
In which I see an owl and reveal just how goofy I am. 🙂
I love when nature reminds me that I’m sharing the neighborhood with more than the expected assortment of humans, dogs, cats, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds. These moments fill me with joy.
Take the photo above. I was on my usual before-work walk through the neighborhood one day last spring when I heard a strange noise. It sounded sort of like a baby crying. I looked up to see a fawn being chased by a fox across a neighbor’s front yard. When the fawn and fox saw me, they both froze and eyed me warily. I loudly shooed the fox away (although he didn’t immediately go, bold fellow that he was). That left the fawn standing in the middle of the street, seemingly not knowing what to do next. The fawn eventually scampered into another neighbor’s yard, leaving me behind with an enormous smile on my face. Our neighborhood is small enough that I knew mama and baby would be reunited soon.
We don’t live in a rural area, but there are woods and forests close enough that we see a certain amount of wildlife. Deer are fairly common. Foxes are less common, but have become a more frequent sight in the last year or two. We’ve seen wild turkeys in our backyard, and one time Sam and I were walking in the little park down the street and happened upon a single wild turkey walking alone (which is unusual since they seem to always travel in groups). This week my husband Chris looked out at our back yard and said, “What’s that?” It was a coyote.
One evening last year Sam and I were going to our favorite sunset-watching spot (the same spot shown in yesterday’s photos). We had misjudged the timing and arrived after the sun had slid below the horizon and all the other sunset watchers had left. It was on the edge of dusk and dark, and as we arrived at the overlook we saw an enormous owl perched right on the edge of the stone ledges. I’m sure it sensed our presence and took flight over the valley as we watched in awe.
One summer night a year or so ago, I was sitting on the bench in our back yard and some movement caught my eye. It was an old opossum with a crooked tail slowly ambling across the yard. I think his name was Bert. I invited him over for a drink, but it was past his bedtime (yes, I know opossums are nocturnal, but work with me here, I’m being whimsical).
Have a wonderful weekend! I will see you back here on Monday.
