Pamper-U: April 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015

10 Things To Do For Yourself

On my wishlist for someday to help attain my photography dream.

I saw a list of "30 Things to Start Doing For Yourself" on this website. That got me thinking of my own list. (I shortened it up some to get only10.) Here is what I came up with:

1. Live in the present
I sometimes have a hard time with this. I multi-task a lot and so I am not always in the present. I find myself later wondering if I had completed a certain task because I wasn't really paying attention. Obviously some things aren't getting accomplished the best. Really gotta work on this.

2. Enjoy the things you have
So often we are always wishing for something bigger and better instead of being content with what we have. For me this is learning how to use my current camera equipment better before buying anymore lenses.

3. Exercise and Get Enough Sleep
Having both moms in the hospital needing care has given me a renewed sense of how important it is to take care of our bodies. Jerry's mom was attending exercise classes at her assisted living facility. The PT gal was impressed that she could move her legs and feet as well as she can and gave those exercise classes credit. Exercising and sleeping are so important to maintaining good health.

4. Look for the silver lining
This can be incredibly hard especially in a crisis situation. However in most other situations there usually is a silver lining if you look hard. For my mom, falling and breaking her shoulder could have been worse. The silver lining here--she didn't hit her head, she didn't break a hip, there were kind people to help bring her home after her fall. In caring for both of our moms our respective families have really stepped up to help out.

5. Surround yourself with positive people
Nothing can bring you down faster than to be around people who are negative. Having people around you who can see the goodness in a situation and in others will help you do the same. My best friend is always upbeat and I love when that rubs off on me.

6. Set goals, have a dream, work on it everyday
We all need to have a reason to get up in the morning. (Being retired now this has really hit home.) Having goals and dreams to work on doesn't need to stop when as we age. My dream is to someday take photos that look as good as my favorite photographer. (Lacey Mayers) While that is a pretty ambitious dream for me, I try to take photos most everyday, read photography tutorials and follow professional photographers' blogs and websites. I'm excited to be going on a Photography Walk this Sunday with some local photographers.

7. Be willing to forgive yourself and others
I have done some things in my past I am not proud of. For a long time I would beat myself up about them. I can't change the past but I can forgive myself and learn from my mistakes.
Forgiving others can be very difficult too. I personally know a gal who holds a huge grudge against someone and she lets everyone around her know this. It makes her a very negative person and I'm sorry she can't forgive and move on. It must be a heavy weight to bear.

8. Find time to nurture your spiritual life
Whatever your faith I think it's important to nurture it. Especially in times of trouble it can be a source of comfort and help to lessen your stress/pain. I have seen both of our moms use their faith to help them get through these past few days.

9. Pamper yourself
I think especially for women this can get lost on the back burner
as we care for others. I feel it's really important to take some time to pamper ourselves. A hot soak, a manicure, a massage, time alone to read a book, going for a walk, eating some dark chocolate from a personal stash...something that is just for us.

10. Find some quiet everyday
Our days can get quite busy with jobs, family, social media etc. Just as exercise and sleep are important for our body's health I think finding some quiet each day is important for our mental health. For some people meditation works well. For me I could never quite get into that. Instead I find quiet in working in my flower beds or even a few minutes working on a jigsaw puzzle by myself.

What kinds of things do you do for yourself? Anything to add to the list?
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Thursday, April 2, 2015

Keep It or Get Rid of It

Spending time at my parents' house as my mom recovers has led me to the conclusion that I am SO like my mother. She is a saver and so am I. Looking around her home there is so much stuff! Certainly most of it is needed and used but really they still have a full set of encyclopedias in the closet.

That is only one closet! Downstairs we found one closet chuck full of...all kinds of things such as holiday decorations. There are miscellaneous items in dresser drawers, closets in back bedrooms, china hutches...Some might be antiques, treasured heirlooms and some is just plain old.

So now I come home to my house and I see an enormous three ring binder of bulletins and files from when I started my Master Gardener program. Now I wouldn't think of paging through that stuff when I can look online. Have I gotten rid of it? Nope!

In back bedroom closets I have holiday decorations, photo albums, treasured heirlooms and a lot of stuff that is just plain old. In my personal closet I have three blazers that I wore when teaching but haven't worn since I retired. I have cowboy boots that my sister gave me for my 40th birthday. Why do I still have this stuff? Cuz I'm a saver!

Seeing what we will have to sort through when my parents die has made me realize my children will have to do the same when I go. I should take the time to sort through my possessions and really decide if I should keep them or get rid of them. It doesn't seem like it should be that a hard so I will just have to set a goal and timeline to get it done. Maybe posting here will help keep me accountable.

Just to clarify--I'm not a hoarder! :-)

How about you? Are you a saver or a purger?

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