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.

Grounded!

"There is only one

true love affair;

the one with yourself.

All others are

expressions of it."

- Hemal Radia



Get grounded!

"The surface of the Earth holds subtle health-boosting energy.

All we have to do is touch it and become truly alive.  

Simply by getting outside, barefoot, touching the Earth,

and allowing the excess charge in your body to discharge

into the Earth, you can alleviate some of the stress

continually put on your system."

None of this is new to me, but today I just had to put it

in practice.  Stress levels at work seem to be rising --

of course, that could be all the stuff for Holiday rolling in --

and I haven't been sleeping well, either.

So I took myself outside after the sun had set (it was 107 today)

and now that the ground was cool enough, I set myself down

and took deep breaths, breathing in clean air, and letting go

of all the "dirty stuff" of the day.

Here's hoping for a better night's sleep!!

Relaxed

A fav shot of mine!  I feel like I look ... relaxed. 

Lately I've been doing a lot of reading.

I know I've talked about being an "old soul"

before, and its a topic that continues to 

fascinate me.  

"Have you always felt older than what your age reflects? 

Are you solitary, thoughtful and intuitive? 

Do you feel like an outsider constantly looking into a society 

that doesn’t feel like your home? 

If so, you may be an Old Soul."

I observe my family, and sometimes am a part of it all,

but most times, I am on the outside looking in.

There are parts of me that know that I cannot live my life

as they live theirs.   I'm ok with that, but there's a small

part of me that wishes I could.  I've finally come to the

conclusion that it's ok to be different; sometimes life makes

us feel like we're missing out on something important.

But I've found that in reading up on the topic, I feel at home

with those who describe themselves as introverted, eccentric,

preferring solitude and/or non-attachment,

where empathy and quiet wisdom have meaning and context.

And maybe that's a little too much for this blog,

but ... it's me, being me.

Just Jeans

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: 

the most spectacular, the most practical, 

the most relaxed and nonchalant. 

They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity

- all I hope for in my clothes.

Yves Saint Laurent

Someone said

"Denim is a way of life"

and to be frank, it's my

go-to nearly every day.

Nothing else says comfort and ease

(and who doesn't love all the pockets!) 

Just sportin' an old comfy pair on this

Superbowl Sunday while I zip around

getting chores done. 

If you're into the game, 

I hope your team wins! 

Taking it Easy

There is virtue in work

and there is virtue in rest.

Use both and overlook neither.

-Alan Cohen

Just taking it really easy 

for a change .....

Sadie... shhhhh.... i'm resting! 

I'm going to add a little Q&A to this post

I'm resting because I've been under a bunch

of stress lately, my doc's office called with a

referral to another doc because they found a

nodule on my lung.  So for 2 weeks now, it's

been rough on the old nerves wondering 

"what now?" and of course, the usual worst

case scenarios!   Thankfully, it's nothing

terribly wrong, a little scar tissue left over 

from what the doc assumes was a bout of

Valley Fever.  Of course, he asked if I could

remember having VF a few years ago.  I just

gave him and look and said "I'm old!  and 

I'm lucky to remember a few WEEKS ago!"

hahahaha 

Just Bein' Me

"You are a beautiful creation

perfectly imperfect...

a work in progress...

you have everything you need

to fulfill your purpose...

don't dilute yourself for

any person or any reason...

you are enough... 

be unapologetically you."

~Steve Maraboli

just a lazy Friday for me

so i "un-assed" the couch

took Sadie for a walk in

the park first, and later

took myself off to the pool

for some time to relax. 

Do Nothing

There's never enough time 

to do all the nothing 

you want.  

~Bill Watterson

 

sometimes it's important

to take time out

to just breathe

relax

enjoy the sunlight

in your favorite chair

that perfect corner

and watch the world

slip past

even if its just for

a few simple moments

Silence

Learn to get in touch 

with the silence 

within yourself 

and know that 

everything in this life 

has a purpose.  

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross






some weekends are

very quiet for me...

this past weekend was one.

Nothing scheduled,

nothing pressing,

just time to sit quiet

if only for a brief time.

Wild Side

ahhh Fridays -

time to relax and unwind

from a very hectic work week


As a teen, I used to look

forward to Friday Night--

that was "date night"

 

I don't know about you,

but that whole

"date night" ritual

is pretty scary sounding

when you're about to turn 54!

so here it is,

a very warm

Friday night

here in the

Valley of the Sun --

I hope you're

enjoying whatever

you're doing --

Happy Weekend!

Rocker

Relaxing after a

long hard week,

I worked 11 days

in a row, 80 hours

from start to finish ....

and it makes me batty

could you hear me

mumbling to myself??

*giggles*

At Rest

It's important to be heroic, ambitious, productive,
efficient, creative, and progressive,
but these qualities don't necessarily nurture the soul.
The soul has different concerns, of equal value:
downtime for reflection, conversation, and reverie;
beauty that is captivating and pleasuring;
relatedness to the environs and to people;
and any animal's rhythm of rest and activity.

Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)

Relax

“Learn to relax. 

Your body is precious, 

as it houses 

your mind and spirit. 

Inner peace begins 

with a relaxed body.”

-Norman Vincent Peale






This week was a photography study in "lens flare". 

Sometimes I enjoy the challenge of a topic presented

and working it in to this blog :)



Can't you just feel the worries melt away

as you relax on this park bench,

shaded from the sun?