Good Job, Feet!

If your feet could tell a story ......

what would they say??

Would they tell of loves lost?

Loves found?

Would they tell of the hard work they have been through?

Every life has pains and sorrows,

mixed with joys and happy memories

and yet our feet continue to do their job

taking us from here to there and back again.

Thanks, feet, for always being there! 

Get Ready ....

I don't understand why people

have to "get ready" for bed --

I'm always ready for bed!

A typical Monday

means a long day

and extra busy at work.

When I get home

all I want to do is

collapse into bed! 

A quick hello to Sadie,

a simple, filling meal,

a cooling shower

and yep, I'm ready for bed!!

R&R

The mind

should be allowed

some relaxation,

that it may return

to its work

all the better for the rest.   

~Seneca








From mid-November til mid-January,

work is very intense in my position

at my BigBoxStore.  It has always been

this way, and I've become accustomed to

setting my mind to the intensity, and

tend to live and breathe work,

coming home to grab a bite, fall into bed,

only to do the same the next day. 

My one day off tends to be utilized in the

normal ways:  chores!

This was finally my weekend to relax.

To let my mind be away from it all.

My only chore today was to give Sadie

a bath, and then warm ourselves in the sun.

It's been a perfectly lovely weekend, and

tomorrow I return to the grind.  I know that

I will walk into a mess -- I always do.

But I won't let my mind think about it

for another 12 hours. 

My only job today is to relax.

In the last rays of the day

streaming in  my window.

Bare Footin'

"If you aren't grounded, you're like a leaf in the wind: 

very vulnerable and thrown off balance very quickly. 

But when you are well grounded, you are like a big, strong tree. 

If something happens around you, 

it doesn't influence you so much 

and you are able to feel much more peaceful 

and balanced in your daily life."

Some people call it grounded,

some call it centered.

Either way, it's not always easy to pay attention

to those little things because we find ourselves

too busy.

And when we begin to feel off balance, un-centered,

it makes everything else feel that much worse.

Or it could just be me.

I'm not myself if I don't take time for a walk,

just to sit and listen to birds, wind in the trees,

to watch the clouds, or the sun setting.

Today, I shucked off my shoes and socks,

stuck my feet in the grass.  When's the last time

your feet were tickled by blades of grass?

Do you feel the thrum of the Earth

when you take a moment to slow down?

Un-Wind

Color?   or Black and White?

Lately, all I've been is tired.

Bone tired.  Mentally tired.  Just plain tired.

And if you Google it, there are all kinds of "helps"

and reasons and excuses about being tired.

But when life becomes just a little bit too much

we all get tired!

It's challenging to have things constantly

bombarding us, changing up our plans for

the day, making us shift gears in the middle

of the racetrack.  I'm not only dealing with

the day to day things that need to be taken care of,

but also the "what ifs" and "whens" for the things that

will happen in the future.  Taking care of Mom is my

priority - I'm sure that's what Dad would want.

The rest of things are secondary.

I've a list of stuff that needs to be taken care of when

I visit Mom - check book signature card, banking and

medical information written down so I can deal with as

much as possible long distance, if need be.  And a list of

questions that need to be answered re:  their trust.  My sister

takes care of all that for Mom because she lives nearby.

But that won't always be the case ..... :/

And it will be my job to step up.

And I like to have answers to questions before I have to .....

thank goodness there's a weekend coming up, a chance to unwind!

if only for a few hours

Well Used Feet

Lately, I've been doing a lot of

walking - at work, with Sadie,

and anywhere else I can!

Wearing my FitBit means every step

is tracked, and added up into mileage.

My totals for 2016:

3,576,019 steps and 1,561 miles!  *pat on the back*

These are two tired and well used feet!

Tangled

No matter 

how tangled 

things get, 

there is always 

a lesson 

to be learned 

in the untangling 

of those things.” 

― Bethany Brookbank

Life can be funny sometimes - not haha - 

although there are those moments too,

but a weird kind of funny.  

I took this photo and was thinking all 

Christmas-y, and yet here I am, 

these lights and string of beads all tangled up. 

And it seemed a metaphor for what life's become.

With so many things pushing at us, pulling at us,

needing this, wanting that, there doesn't seem to be

an end of the things that direct or demand our attention.

When we have too many things going on, 

life can feel like a tangled mess. 

Lately, I've been sorting things out, and declaring "war"

on the tangled mess of things around me.

Every day off, I've been minimizing my :::stuff:::

Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger, 

and life needs to be simpler now!

Untangle the mess!

Happy with Me!

Crowds.

Noise.

People.

These are the stresses, the triggers,

that drain me by the end of the day.

Go Shopping?  Go to a party?

Those aren't things that bring me a lot

of joy or happiness.  Sure, I've done my

share of both,   But knowing now that I'm

a sensitive person, in an empath sort of way,


that looking back at the hours I would spend

at the mall - I was never in the center of things.

Parties?   You'd have labeled me a wallflower

back in the day.  And even just wall-sitting, I'd

go home exhausted, without knowing why.

It was easier not to go at all.

Thankfully as I get older, I don't go to parties,

or hang out at the mall, just to please a friend.

I go when I need to, or want to.  And the rest

of the time, I don't care if people label me "odd"

(or any other adjective) -- I'm happy being myself!

Rest

The Day is Done

The day is done,
and the darkness

Falls from the
wings of Night,

As a feather is
wafted downward

From an eagle
in his flight.

― H.W. Longfellow







I'm sitting here chuckling as I read this

I was looking for something about "rest"

and if any of you were fans of the Brady Bunch

as I was in the 70s, you'll recall this poem being

read by Mike Brady during a talent show,

while his sons accentuated parts of the poem

with humorous bits of reality .... in this first

stanza, someone drops feathers on his book.

Ok, I admit it, I'm nerdy to remember that skit.

You can watch it here ... its 3 minutes. 

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. 

Use both and overlook neither.” 

― Alan Cohen

Thank You, Feet!

My feet are made for walking; 

they take me here and there, 

up the hills and down again, 

they take me everywhere!

Lately, life has been busy,

and one of the things I've wondered

is "How much walking do I actually do?"

I bought myself a FitBit just to see that

very thing ... and let me tell you, I put on

some miles!   I average just over 10k steps

a day -- a really busy day is aobut 12k and

my best day ever was over 17k.  When you 

think about it, that's wearing out a lot of shoes!

I started tracking back in September and since then:

Yearly Totals
2,513,944 steps for a total of 1,101.44 miles

Do you do a lot of walking?
If you do, you're like me and you've learned
to appreciate every step your feet can carry you!

Dancin'

Just a month away

until the Big Day

so I had to try on my

Anne Klein's and see

if I can actually 

stand wearing them

on my feet!

I'm not much in the 

way of fancy shoes,

too impractical for

work!

Just walk, and be.

“Go outside. Don’t tell anyone and don’t bring your phone. 

Start walking and keep walking 

until you no longer know the road like the palm of your hand, 

because we walk the same roads day in and day out, 

to the bus and back home and we cease to see. 

We walk in our sleep and teach our muscles to work without thinking 

and I dare you to walk where you have not yet walked and I dare you to notice. 

Don’t try to get anything out of it, because you won’t. 

Don’t try to make use of it, because you can’t. 

And that’s the point. 

Just walk, see, sit down if you like. 

And be. 

Just be, whatever you are with whatever you have, 

and realize that that is enough to be happy. 

There’s a whole world out there, right outside your window. 

You’d be a fool to miss it.” 

― Charlotte Eriksson

There's a whole world out there,

and these feet are tired from all

the walking lately.  I'm averaging

11k steps per day, 5+ miles a day.

So I took a few minutes 

to pamper myself

and decorate my toes.

Happy Walking! 

Be Drawn

☆'•.¸✮' Lєt чoursєlf вє drαwn 

вч thє strαngє pull σf whαt чou lovє ~ 

ít wíll not lєαd чou αstrαч 

~ rumi ☆'•.¸✮'

Toes

Quick post.....

painted up my toes

before heading

out of town

to see my daughter

and help with

wedding plans!

It was a productive trip -

More on that soon......

Happy Sunday!

On Being Tired

“I'm smiled out, talked out, quipped out, 

socialized so far from any being, 

I need the weight of mortal silences to get realized back into myself.” 

― John Ciardi

in other words, just plain tired.

I'd say "very tired" but that's 

redundant, and lazy.  So maybe

exhausted is the word.  

I've been working every day

for days on end now. 

Only four more days and 

it's a weekend for me. 

Hoo Rah!

The weather matched my mood

today, we had layer over layer of

clouds - and a few showers as well.

I was born during a midwestern

summer thunderstorm and I have 

always liked shower-y weather,

especially storms. 

I grabbed my "blankie" and curled

up in a chair on the back patio, 

watching the clouds skate past,

feeling the wind rushing around me,

and smelling the damp earth as

rain fell.  It was wonderful! 

Earthing

The practice of earthing basically involves coupling your body to the Earth’s surface energy by walking, sitting or sleeping outside in direct contact with the Earth.  It is known that the Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface. When you are in direct contact with the ground (walking, sitting, or laying down on the earth's surface) the earth's electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth. Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.



While that's a lot of fancy talk
what I've learned is that just
a few minutes at the end of the day
can make me feel that much better!

Besides, its easy and cheap!
I mean.... it can't hurt, right?

So I slip off my shoes,

and head out into my own

backyard, and plant my feet

onto the ground (being mindful

of sharp pointy rocks or cactus thorns!)


There.   LSNED (Learn Something New Every Day -- that was my motto when raising kids!)

Now go out and try some Earthing of your own!

Foot Soak

Having a foot soak

with epsom salt

is an essential part

of my routine.
















and you may be wondering why.  Epsom salts are made from the mineral magnesium sulfate, an essential mineral for the body.  Add that to the fact that I'm delving into learning about empaths, and how a good soak can make a person feel better.

"Have you ever wondered why people who are strangers or people you hardly know open up to you and share their most trusted thoughts? Do you have an instant connection with animals? Are you unable to watch violence, cruelty, or tragedy on television or in the movies because your soul just can’t bear it? Do you have an instant knowing about the character of the people you meet upon first meeting them? Are you highly spiritual and find the physical world and everything in it heavy? Are you often tired and have physical ailments that cannot be medically explained? If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions you may be an “empath"."  (quoted from The Mind Unleashed)

And I answered yes to a few of those, but they're a little vague so I found another place to take an empath test ( here )  I am intuitive, love nature, and at the very least, I have empathic tendencies (is that a word?)  I'm sure my doctor would not agree with this assessment, but I've known for a long time that I'm not 'normal' in many ways.  Maybe there's something to all this.  And maybe its hooey.  But its worth a little exploration!

This is the Valley of the Sun.   Sedona specifically is known for its spirituality and vortexes of energy.  Me, I find peace and grounding when I am at Superstition Mountain.

Here's some Q&A:  I visited Arizona back in the 90s (Tucson, specifically) and hated it.  Lived in Ohio for 10 years, and visited the Phoenix area in 2007.  The second day of my visit, I knew I needed to move here.  I went home, packed up, lived with stuff in boxes while I waited for a transfer to come through (a year is a long time to have your belongings in boxes!).  I have been here for 7 years now (boy how time flies!) and love it, can't imagine living any where else.

Go Walking

“If you seek 

creative ideas 

go walking.

Angels whisper 

to a man 

when he goes for a walk.” 

― Raymond I. Myers

Yes, I am a walker. 

There's nothing better

than being the only person

out walking their dog at

4am, before the roosters 

begin to crow, before the

hum and buzz of traffic

drones in the distance.

The moon dances in and

out of clouds, and if you're

lucky, you will look up and

see a shooting star! 

I recently started wearing a pedometer 

because I walk a lot at work...

today's my all time high:  12,008 steps! 

Pedicure'd

ahhh, feet!

“Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.”

-- Irish Proverb

I haven't posted in a while
my feet and i have done some
traveling ...  there's nothing like
a good vacation to bring you back
to where you want to be, yes?
Life is good and relaxing for the
moment, and that's just how i like it!

I took an early morning walk through this grove of trees.... 

it was a gorgeous morning!

and yes, i had a pedicure right before i left :)

Sandals

A new anklet .....

A sparkly dragonfly

on a silver chain

and a new pair of

sandals.

Sometimes a gal

just needs a little

treat....

obviously in need

of a pedicure.

Or time off my feet.

They sure take a

beating when you're

on them all day long