Thankful Thursdays

I'm just going to spout out some more random thoughts tonight, because that's all I can seem to muster. This has felt like an extremely long week. No one event has been bad, but small stresses at work and at home pile on top of each other until you feel completely burdened with them all. Yikes!

And during all of this, I've IMMENSELY enjoyed reading the Facebook updates of a woman at my old church who I consider part of my extended family. Every night, she is inspired by a church friend of hers who continues to see life in a positive, uplifting way, even though she is a 15 year survivor of colon cancer and now is battling another cancer. (I don't mean to suggest that being a cancer surviver is bad, but surely this woman has earned the right to gripe now and then!)

This inspiring woman has encouraged my friend (and many others!) to take the time each night to reflect on the positive things from each day, instead of dwelling on the "should-have's," "need-to's," etc. With her spirit in mind, I'm installing a new series: Thankful Thursdays! Hopefully, I'll remember to share them here. But if not, know that I'm making a stronger effort in my own life to linger longer over the joyful moments from each day.

Today I am thankful for:

• the arrival of spring & the first farm harvests coming very quickly
• my fabulous husband
• a beautiful afternoon walk with Lucy the Miniature Schnauzer
• some time alone to read and reflect
• a visit from my mom (tomorrow-yay!)

10 Things I Learned About Myself This Week

1. Angry drivers make ME angry.
2. Compassion drives me to stay on the phone for 27 minutes too long (in a 30 min. convo) even when I'm getting yelled at the whole time.
3. I LOVE visits at work from my youth kids!!!
4. When I don't turn the TV on, I don't miss it.
5. I am addicted to my ipod, which was discovered when my ears started getting sore from too much earbud time.
6. Small, happy surprises go a long way to cheering me up.
7. Dancing to music is more fun than sitting still.
8. Life is hard. Having patience is harder. Being patient with God is hardest of all.
9. Puppy kisses are the best.
10. Laughter makes every moment more magical.

No Impact Life

Have you heard of the No Impact Man? He and his family embarked on a one-year adventure to remove all aspects of negative environmental impact they have on the world. Thankfully, they didn't just go cold turkey, but they slowly transitioned out of things over time. This includes eliminating trash, finding fuel-less forms of transportation, eliminating chemical usage (cleaners, cosmetics, etc.), removing electricity in their New York apartment, etc. I read his blog occasionally, and I've just watched the documentary of his project. I appreciate that he says the whole point of the project is not to keep his family from doing things but to find ways for his family to continue their everyday lives with as little environmental impact as possible.

Chris and I do some of these small, everyday things already. We live in an apartment, which lowers the acreage required to house families in a neighborhood. We are participating in our third season of a local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), which provides local produce, meats, bakery items, pastas, and canned/preserved foods. We've changed out our lightbulbs, Chris walks to work everyday, we recycle every square inch of waste possible, and we try to nudge our thermostat a little higher each summer.

After seeing the NIM documentary, I am now thinking of other small ways I can lower my impact on the environment. I like the idea of a daily electricity fast when it's daylight - there's obviously no need for lamps when there is plenty of light coming in through the windows. I would love to switch all of our food to local meat, cheeses, etc. Unfortunately there is a big of a cost dilemma there, and I'm not sure it's possible. I could turn off my work computer when I'm not working, which seems like such a pain. I'm sure I can wait patiently for the 5 minutes it takes to really get into gear each morning.

The ultimate problem with the issue of lowering our negative environmental impact is that every so often, we reach a point where our good habits become routine. We no longer have to think about whether to recycle something instead of throw it in the trash - it's habit. Because it's a well-trained habit, we don't think about why we're doing it as much as we used to. Comfort becomes a crutch, and that's when we think we're doing everything we can. Not true.

Carpe diem. Take today, think about it, come up with one small thing you can do in addition to what great things you do already. And do it. Make it a habit, talk about it with your friends. This is a recipe for change!

Neti Pot: 3, Becca: 1

I used to make fun of my college roommate who used a Neti Pot to stave off sickness and congestion. I have a friend in Nashville who loves using one, and it's great to joke with her about the experience of using it.

As of today, I have finally given in and purchased a Neti Pot.

This was actually spurred on by my doctor's visit from yesterday. She said that in a recent ENT conference, a panel of three ENT specialists were all commenting of the severity of allergy symptoms in the Nashville area. Each of the three suggested nasal rinsing as the easiest, cheapest, most fool-proof way to maintain and ease allergy symptoms.

So, after getting my grubby little hands this one from Bed, Bath, and Beyond...

Photo: www.bedbathandbeyond.com

...I rush home to test it out, and the current score is 3:1 in favor of the NP. I have pretty severe allergies. I would hate to actually count the number of times I sneeze or blow my nose each day (and yes, this is with allergy medicine of various kinds). If I did, I would estimate 50-75 times on an average day!! It truly interrupts my life, not that I let it keep me from being outdoors.

After 3 failed attempts to use the NP successfully this afternoon, I did a little research and discover that it just won't work if you are congested. So I'm not really sure what good this will do for me in the long run, but I'm not giving up hope yet!

Working Through a Crisis

Do you ever have a day or a week when everything seems to be spiraling downhill? I am now on the upswing of one of those weeks.

To begin with, we heard the news that my husband's VERY elderly grandfather had a fall and broke his hip, which required surgery to repair. He is 96 or so, and there were a number of complications based on his age, blood pressure, etc. Thankfully, he is doing as well as can be expected, given the circumstances. Unfortunately, because of his age and health, it's entirely possible that his days with us are numbered, so it continues to weigh heavily on us.

About 15 minutes after hearing that news, I got word at the office that two of our church families were experiencing a crisis of sorts. I work at the church, and anytime any church member is ill, dies, or experiences some kind of life-altering event, we feel it very deeply. Everyone in the office continues working, but we're all actually thinking about the news and what we might need to do next. Before working at a church, I never realized how crucial a role the church plays in many people's lives. While the hospital or a close family member is usually the first phone call during a crisis, the church is often the second. And it sometimes takes the coordination of several staff members to establish who will be able to help and in what way. The day-to-day business of the organization dictates our task list, but stopping everything to aid a church family is our purpose. I think it's pretty cool.

And of course, somewhere in the back of my mind over the course of the week are the terribly annoying mundane things which naturally cause more stress than they should: lease renewals, vacation plans, doctors appointments, kennel arrangements, etc. etc.

Strangely, I noticed that during the stress of this week, I hardly took two seconds to stop everything and pray. Instead, I felt like everything I did and said was a prayer. Sometimes God knows our prayers even when we don't stop to speak them aloud.

Need 2 bucks for free shipping?

I may have heard about this on npr, but I just can't remember. Anyway, say you've clocked over an hour wandering on amazon.com doing a little unnecessary shopping, but it's all going to be okay, since you'll get free shipping! And then, SURPRISE, you are 2 bucks short from the magical number that will allow your carefully chosen merchandise to travel the country in search of your doorstep at absolutely no cost to you.

What is one to do?! Well, there are two options:

1. keep shopping, and spend way more money than you intend to in order to meet the dollar amount needed.

2. go to http://www.filleritem.com/

Filleritem.com will let you pop in the exact amount needed and search the amazon site for an item that costs EXACTLY the amount you need. It's genius! I haven't used it yet, but I think it's worth sharing!

Random Spring Thoughts

Craving: fresh, local vegetables.

Hiding from: Pollen - it's everywhere! I imagine it coming after me in an adapted version of The Blob.

Excited about: Harvesting fresh spinach from my balcony for lunch tomorrow!

Want to eat: Coleslaw with almonds and sesame seeds.

On ipod: Harry Potter IV read by Jim Dale.

Thinking about: Summer trips to Honduras and Alaska.

Wishing I could: Go on a clothing shopping spree!