Needless to say (yet I say it anyway), we haven’t posted in awhile. A few years back, I started a blog called “More to This Life” and, ironically, life got in the way. Since a lot of what I hope to say involves my family, I think I’m going to keep it all here on our “home” blog.
The last 4 years have been … chaotic, peaceful, awful, wonderful, boring, exciting, monotonous, tumultuous, happy, and sad. In other words, it’s been life. I’ve struggled with bad habits (who hasn’t?). I’ve struggled with figuring out what to do with my time and my life (who hasn’t?). I’ve found a few things that have helped along the way and would like to share them.
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For a while there, I was beginning to really worry about myself. I was having difficulty thinking of the right words to say – it was on the tip of my tongue and the best I could do was “whatchamacallit” or “thingamabob”. HIGHLY frustrating. Even worse? I’d tell Taylor to hand me a fork while pointing to the spoon in front of her or I’d call the washing machine the dishwasher (“I’m going to put a load of laundry in the dishwasher. Wait. That’s not right.”). The funniest one, in my opinion, was the time Brian was in the shower and Taylor came in the house looking for him. I said, “He’s in jail.” Yep. Good times.
At some point in there, I got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. For those who don’t know, it means I hurt. A lot. For no apparent reason. There are lots of things that can trigger it and, thankfully, mine is not bad – I can count on one hand how many times I’ve needed anything stronger than ibuprofen. I love my CPAP (gives me quality sleep) and have a new appreciation for naps (it’s amazing how just 30 minutes can help!).
But was there anything else I could do? I hated the foggy brain feeling!
I realized I was spending a lot of my time doing meaningless things like games on my phone and watching a lot of TV. Interestingly enough, when I started doing more meaningful things (e.g., reading, crosswords, listening to productive podcasts) I noticed the foggy brain feeling lifting a little. I think this is where Brian and I discovered a key difference we have. He has difficulty shutting his brain off. To that end, mindless activities (sorry, hon) help. My brain, on the other hand, needed more stimulation.
Let me try to redeem myself here. In his line of work, it’s easy to reach information overload so he needs less stimulation in order to relax. Brian doesn’t sit and stare at his phone or the computer. Okay, he does but it’s usually work and rarely ever a game. And if it’s a game, it’s football, baseball, or basketball (often work related) and not Bejeweled Blitz. I think I’ve dug my hole deep enough.
Moving on! Stimulation was good for me.
I was surprised that I liked crosswords. I had tried them before and hated them because the clues were too vague and I just didn’t get it. I preferred fill-it-ins. It’s like Tetris for words. You have a list of words and a blank grid that they will all fit in, you just figure out which words go where. They had become too easy, though. There are usually 1-2 really long words that are easy to place. Once those are placed, it’s not hard to figure out where the rest of them fit in. I gave crosswords another try and, for whatever reason, it clicked and now I love them.
I re-discovered my love of reading. I thought about listing off books I’ve read over the last couple of years, but some of them would be embarrassing to admit to. So yeah, some trash novels, but also wonderful books like The Lord of the Rings series and Sherlock Holmes. I tried Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but haven’t finished it because it just got weird. Though I still snicker and whisper “42” when someone talks about the meaning of life.
Podcasts are probably my new addiction. The Daily Boost, Unmistakable Creative, and Daily Knowledge Podcast are the three I generally stay up to date on. Others I listen to periodically are Meet the Composer, 99% Invisible, Grammar Girl, Slate’s Lexicon Valley, Arc Light Stories, True Story, and Selected Shorts.
It was on Unmistakable Creative that I “met” Toku. He talks a lot about the path to change, awareness, and making space to be happy. The next several posts will be in response to a “Happiness Challenge” I’m taking part in for the next month. I hope you enjoy!
You didn’t listen to Serial? I absolutely LOVED it.
Hadn’t heard of it, but will check it out!