Unwind Your Life

unwind August 17th, 2009

Okay…this will probably sound so weird…but making lists relaxes me!  It’s true!  When I’m really stressed out, I like to list things.  It might be my list of people I want to give Christmas gifts to and what to give them, or a list of my favorite songs in a certain category, or a list of “my favorite whatever.”  I just like to make lists!  Now don’t misunderstand…I never really accomplish anything in regard to the lists I make…I just like to make them.

I have a good friend who likes to sort Skittles or M & Ms when she’s stressed.  It’s fun to give her a bag of trail mix and watch her sort it out.

Do you have anything like that in your own crazy little mind?  Just something you do when you just can’t make yourself do anything else?  When you need a little respite?

Here’s a list I made today…just for fun…just to relax.  It’s a list of words that when I think them, hear them or speak them…they soothe me.

Ambiance,  Serenity, Serendipity, Bliss, Kiss, Resplendent, Mellifluous, Smooth, Iridescence, Enchanting, Breeze, Brook, Sweet, Soft, Hum.

What settles your nerves?

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unwind April 29th, 2009

Yesterday…as I was out watering my beloved violets and pansies…I was delighted with one of  “life’s little surprises!”   If there’s one think I love…it’s “life’s little surprises,” especially when they’re very simple…and beautiful!

There’s a pokey kind of green bush thing in our front yard…just a simple green bush…I hadn’t really taken much note of it before.  Everything’s desert landscape out here (which I love…but I do miss colorful flowers and stuff sometimes)…so a green bush is a big deal in itself.  Still, I really hadn’t noticed it much beyond the fact that Kevin said the drip line to it needed to be fixed.  Well, naturally I felt sorry for it…being that it’s drip line was broken and stuff…so I decided to put the hose on it for a while…you know…give the little desert bush a real treat!  Anyway…my attention had always been drawn to the drip line (which Kevin plans to fix this weekend…so don’t worry) instead of to the bush itself.  Well, yesterday…as I turned from my violets to the little green bush…oh my heck!  One of “life’s little surprises” just slathered me in delight!  For there…on the little green pokey bush…were the most beautiful little crimson and gold flowers ever!  Oh my heck!  They are absolutely precious!

I rushed into the house and instantly grabbed the ol’ camera because…hey…the pretty little flowers on the green pokey bush totally needed to be photographed!  Here are a few of the photos I took of one of “life’s little surprises!”  Don’t you just love them?

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unwind April 22nd, 2009

Oh my heck!  There’s a saying that goes like this:  “Never check your e-mail first thing in the morning!” The reason…because seeing all the negative or overwhelmingly demanding stuff your e-mail can bring will start your day off on the wrong foot!  I usually agree with this adage whole-heartedly…until this morning!  At 5:30 a.m. this morning, I checked my e-mail and saw a little something from a good friend waiting for me.  She sent me a YouTube video clip that is so hilarious and soooooo me…that my day is completely fun already!  My day thus began with laughter, laughter and more laughter (because I initially  had to watch it at least three times)!   Therefore, I HAD to share it with you!  In true “Charlie Bit My Finger” style…here’s your “Unwind in 31 Seconds” moment for today!  Let me know if you, too, are kindred spirits with me and the lady in this video!

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unwind April 15th, 2009

I remember a little incident a few years back…our family had scheduled a little get-together with another family.  However, the hours previous to our engagement had been very stressful (don’t remember why), so that by the time we were preparing to leave the house to meet with the other family, all of us were in pretty unhappy, rather foul moods.

As we grouchily piled into the car, my husband and I began to realize that the kids were going to pout the entire time, if we didn’t do something!  Thus, we suggested…”Just start laughing!”  The kids were doubtful…telling us that it wouldn’t help and anyway…what was there to laugh about?  We explained that you don’t need a reason to laugh.  It’s true!  If you just start laughing (especially with a group of people nearby to  infect with the laughter as well), suddenly your laughter is no longer forced, but legitimate!  Still, three skeptics between the ages of 6 and 14, sat sullen and frowning in the back seat.

Kevin and I were not daunted, however!  As we began to force our own laughter (remember, we were both in pretty bad moods, too), the magic and healing power of a laugh began to smooth out our bitter scowls and soften our perturbed hearts!  It only took a moment for the kids to join in!  Thus, when we arrived at our destination, our friend were puzzled as we all piled out of the car laughing so hard we couldn’t stop!

I believe in laughter!  I believe it is a God-given gift to help us endure the trials and hardships of life!  Can you imagine an existence without laughter?  Therefore, laugh…and laugh often!  Teach your kids to laugh…and laugh often…to find the humor in the smallest little experiences…to find delight in life!

I often think of the scene in Mary Poppins…where Dick Van Dyke (who I ADORE) ‘catches’ Uncle Albert’s contagious laughter!  It’s a classic…and always makes me smile!  It’s also one of the songs I sing to my kids when they’re pouty!  It cheers them right up…works every time!  This little video clip takes about 30 seconds to get to the meat!  Hope you enjoy it…because today’s mantra is…”I love to laugh!”

…and just because I found this and it’s sooooooooooo cute…

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unwind April 6th, 2009

One thing I hate to see vanishing (and it’s vanishing at the speed of light) is the sending of handwritten letters and cards through the mail (”snail mail” as it has now been termed.)  With the availability and convenience of e-mail, text messaging and cell phones, it’s just too easy to contact someone with a quick question or information.   Thus, more relaxed, intimate communications are lost.  Compounded with the fast-paced, demanding lifestyle we all life…handwritten correspondence is a thing of the past…it’s already in the “vintage” category!

I love to read old letters…letters written by my grandparents, my mother, my friends!  So much was written in letters that isn’t written today…personal thoughts, statistics, loving words.  I guarantee that the world is worse for the loss of letters.  I treasure a little box…a little box of letters written by my grandma and mailed to my grandpa in 1937 while she was separated from him…waiting for my mom to be born.  How wonderful it is to read experiences my grandma had as a young 19 year old mother-to-be!  In these letters she tells my grandpa about her life away from him…about how much she misses him…about the things going on around her.  She tells him about heating and old iron to put in her bed to stay warm through a terrible winter.  She tells him about going to cattle auctions, about calling the local radio station and requesting a song, and about how much shortening costs!   She relates invaluable stories of family, her feelings about the upcoming arrival of the baby and her preparations for it.  She tells him she loves him, asks how he’s doing, reminds him to do things and sends a stick of gum to him in her letters once in a while.  Priceless!

I think it would behoove us to endeavor to sit down, relax and write a letter once a week.  Take some time for ourselves and to write one card or letter to a friend, parent, grandparent…or to someone whose day would be brightened by finding a rare piece of correspondence in their mailbox littered among the junk.  In turn, the recipient will be lifted, knowing someone has thought of them…they will be forced to take some time for themselves in sitting down to read the letter or card…and generally their day may seem a little less stressed and mundane.

Sure!  It takes a little effort…but it’s worth it!  Here’s a little quote a friend sent to me (via snail mail). (An excerpt from The Royal Gallery, 1897.)  I love it and think it makes a profound statement…one people have too easily forgotten:

“Never burn kindly written letters:  it is so pleasant to read them over when the ink is brown, the paper yellow with age, and the hands that traced the friendly words are folded over the heart that prompted them. Keep all loving letters.  Burn only the harsh ones, and in burning, forgive and forget them.”

Tags: Family History, Letters

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unwind March 31st, 2009

Days like today…when I’m stressed, and rushed, and out of time, and overwhelmed, and tired…those are the days when I have to randomly steal a few little things to help me quickly unwind!  Being a staunch believer in the old cliche, “Laughter is the best medicine,” I’d like to share with you now…one of those little things someone once shared with me…something that gave me an instant lift!

I’m sure most of you have seen this little clip…after all, statistics show it as having over 89 million views!  However, just in case you haven’t seen it…here it is!  It’s hard to verbalize why this is so refreshing…other than the obvious fact that little boys are adorable!  Voila!  Just a little something to help you unwind in only 56 seconds! (Unless your like me and have to watch it three or four times!)  Presenting the infamous “Charlie Bit My Finger!”

Tags: Charlie Bit My Finger, laughter, relax, Unwind

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unwind March 24th, 2009

I think every girl/woman ought to keep a marble in their purse.  Marbles are lovely little tokens of the past…gentle reminders of days-gone-by…of childhood, children and light-hearted fun.  Whether marbles remind you of actually playing “Marbles” on the playground, everyone’s favorite noisy children’s game “Kerplunk,” a “Marble Whirl” you may have built once, or watching the Mr. Rogers episode where we all toured the marble factory via one of Mr. McFeely’s films…marbles are a tangible piece of memory.  Thus, just like opening a can of Play-Doh will rocket you back in time for an instant, giving you an incredible momentary lift…so can finding a marble in your purse!

Imagine…there you are one day…stressed out…tired…in a rush…and digging through your purse to find your lip balm or the wadded up Wal-Mart receipt you need in order to return the package of light bulbs that were the wrong size for your ceiling fan…when, voila!…there it is!…your little green cat’s eye marble!

For a moment, you might think, “What’s this doing in here?”  You know, because you have all that other junk in your purse and you just don’t need one more thing cluttering it up.

Yet, as the marble catches your attention…as you notice the swirling colors and the tiny little bubble trapped in the middle of the your pretty marble…you sigh.

The thought, “I used to love marbles,” skips through your mind and you plop the tiny glass orb back into your purse as you step in the mile-long Customer Service line in Wal-Mart.  Then, as your waiting the 30 minutes it takes to get to the Customer Service counter to return your $1.99 worth of light bulbs that didn’t fit your ceiling fan…what is your mind lingering on?  That’s right!  Marbles!  Childhood!  Simpler times!  Gradually you begin to feel your anxiety dissipate…your heart slows to it’s normal pace as you remember the marbles your mom used to find around the house and deposit into the junk drawer of her kitchen.

One little marble kept in your purse then takes you back to the serenity and security of childhood…to your mom making cookies…to your dad reading the newspaper as you and your little sister sit on the floor counting marbles, rolling them back and forth, or simply sorting through them.

Little things are often the most important, most helpful things to us in this retrace we live in.  Anything that can offer us solace is worth seeking.  So, as silly and sappy as it sounds, keep a marble in your purse…it’s like storing up a delicious little giggle for a rainy day!

Tags: marbles, relax, Unwind

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unwind March 20th, 2009

I remember the day the epiphany hit me…there I was…standing in my friend Amy’s newly painted red kitchen.   We’d just enjoyed a delicious little lunch together (leftover chili a la Amy…if I remember correctly), when all at once, and much to my surprise,  Amy started to unload her dishwasher!  (I’m always amazed when someone does their dishes right after a meal…I never do!)

“Two minutes flat!” Amy said.

“What?” I asked.  It had been like 30 seconds since we’d finished our meal and I needed my “something-sweet-to-keep-me-from-eating-anything-else” fix.

“That’s my goal this time,” Amy explained.  I watched for a moment, enraptured as Amy began unloading her dishwasher at the speed of light!

“Your goal?” I asked, glancing around the lovely red kitchen–wondering where Amy kept her dessert stashes.  ( I knew she had them!)

“Yeah,” she said.  “Depending on the size of the pile of dishes in the sink…I set myself a time limit!  If I hit it or beat it…I reward myself with a treat!”

“You mean like a Scooby Snack?” I teased.  “Or like a cookie from the cookie jar?” I added, having noticed the yummy-looking chocolate-chip-drenched cookies the size of frisbees in her cookie jar.  (Actually, I guess a frisbee-sized chocolate chip cookie would be the equivalent of a Scooby Snack in mine and Amy’s world.)

“Exactly!” she said.  “Or…sometimes…if I’m feeling really overwhelmed…I’ll turn on a Christmas show for half an hour or so,  just stretch out on the couch and reward myself for hitting my time goal.”

Voila!  Epiphany!  I was inspired!  What a fun!  The ultimate sport…Extreme Dishwasher Unloading and Loading…with a fabulous prize at the end of the game!

Please understand that I hate doing dishes!  Even when I have a dishwasher!  It boars (or is that bores) me to tears…and frustrates me at the same time.  Amy, however, is a spin-doctor…and managed to spin the task in a different direction…a positive direction!  (I mean, really…we all know that if you attach a Pavlovian response to something…it’s way more motivating!  Do the dishes…eat a cookie!  Clean the bathroom…watch an episode of Psych, and so on!)  Suddenly, I knew…this would work for me!

Oh, I did refine the idea to fit my own needs and personality…sometimes I actually force myself to take 10 minuets to load and unload the dishwasher…simply to slow down my hectic pace…settle my stressed-out heart rate.  Still, the concept is the same…attach personal Scooby Snacks to mundane household chores and reap motivation and productivity!

I swear it works!  Not if you overdo it, of course…but if you implement your personal Scooby Snack System…it really does wonders!  Below, I’ve listed a few suggestions of tasks with corresponding personal Scooby Snacks:

Straighten your office…work on your blog for a while!

Clean the bathrooms…enjoy a little refreshing stroll!

Fold the laundry…take some pretty photos of the pansies on your front porch!

Vacuum the house…call a best friend for kicks and giggles!

And my personal favorite…

Do the dishes in under 2 minutes…eat a cookie!

I’m telling you…the Personal Scooby Snack System works!  You’ll have to I.D. the tasks that frustrate you individually of course…and you’ll have to discover your personal Scooby Snack motivators…but give it a spin!

That Amy…you gotta love her style!

Tags: Add new tag, no stress, relax, Rest

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