What steps are you going to take to improve your health this year?
Below are some suggestions (in graph form) from the American Recall Center:
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Be the Designated Driver for Your Health in 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Laughing Together Series (Vol. 6) Water Skiing Epic Fail
My mom and sisters noticed I was trying things when Kevin was around that I never would have done in the past—such as water skiing. I struggled quite a bit putting on the stupid swim goggles, a clear sign this venture would not lead me to a career in water sports.
Kevin’s advice to me the first time I tried to get up on skis was “just stand up.” It’s no wonder I never really mastered the trick. I asked if he could tell me a little more about what I should do, but he instructed me to do one thing and one thing only, and I couldn’t do it without falling over in a matter of seconds. I tried really hard over and over again, and though I did manage to stand up, I was never able to stay up.
In the process, my arms were almost yanked out of their sockets, and I lost a pair of goggles, which at present are likely buried deep under a sand bed in Lake Ontario. It didn’t occur to Kevin until days after my severe soreness had set in that he probably shouldn’t have started out going full throttle since I didn’t weigh much and had weak knees, not just because I was around him.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Memories, Dreams, and Reflections by Carl G. Jung
Memories, Dreams, and Reflections is the life story of Carl G. Jung as told by
him at age eighty-one. It was recorded
and edited by Aniela Jaffé. The writing
is very compelling and revealing about his life, thought processes, how he came
to develop his studies and theories about archetypes, the unconscious, and
conscious. He talks about how his life
experiences and academic influences shaped him and helped him to formulate a
general way of looking at, observing, and characterizing people’s thought
processes and dreams. I find it very
interesting and quite telling that he didn’t want his autobiography/biography
published during his life, because he expected much of his experiences, deductions,
thoughts, and theories would be largely misunderstood or ridiculed. He also had the compulsion and wisdom to
include very personal reflections, memories, and unedited dreams, believing
that these aspects of his life and work are integral to understanding his
theories, deductions, and leanings.
I found
myself often thinking that each person has different hang-ups, biases, triggers,
prejudices, areas of denial and blindness which prevent them from seeing the
whole picture clearly. No one person has
all of the answers, perspectives, experiences, and sympathies that another
person has. We might be able to go a
step or two farther than those who have come before us, because of our
different experiences and perspectives, but even then others can build upon our
ideas and accomplishments far beyond what we could have come up with on our
own. A great example of this in this
book is his research and relationship with Freud, who he greatly admired and
learned a lot from, but who he ultimately broke away from because Jung’s vision
and way of seeing things outgrew Freud’s in some ways. Jung realized that Freud’s personal
experiences and biases were dramatically affecting his research, theories, and
the conclusions he came to about human nature and what motivates and influences
the majority of our thoughts and actions.
The
following questions came to me to reflect on: who do we look up to, listen to,
and tend to believe without much question?
Who has a strong influence in our lives?
How? Why? To what greater
effect? How are our words, thoughts,
choices, and actions, beliefs, and motivations influencing others either
positively or negatively? What is the
best way to become a more sound, reliable source of wisdom, vessel of love,
model of mercy, and distributor of peace?
A closer walk with Christ, who has no darkness or biases in Him at all. Will we allow ourselves to be conformed to
this world, or are we willing to let God transform us into His image and
likeness to become the saints He has created and called us to be?
(This is one of the books I selected to read and report on as part of the two-year spiritual direction class that Kevin and I are taking.)
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Laughing Together Series (Vol. 5) "You're still pretty, though."
He’d been a great listener thus far—another attribute I noticed early on that no doubt helped win me over—but he certainly misquoted the weight conscious little old lady. That was one of those moments I played over and analyzed later for possible deeper meanings. Of all of the ones I came up with, I liked the ‘he thinks I’m attractive’ interpretation best.
On the way home from our rather brief outing, I asked Kevin if he would ever let me drive his car. He was very into his ride, so I was testing him to see if he’d trust me with one of his most prized possessions. I never expected his abrupt response. As soon as the words left my lips, he pulled over on the side of the road, got out, and let me drive. Not only that, but I didn’t give him the keys back when we returned to the cottage. That evening he went out to dinner with his dad, his sister Wendy, and her husband Bob. While they were gone, I moved his car to the crowded Crescent Beach Restaurant parking lot down the street.
He sought me out right away when he didn’t see his car in the driveway. He asked me where it was. I shrugged my shoulders and handed him the keys. Visions of an accident danced in his head. He continued interrogating me, and I told him I’d lead him to the general vicinity of where it was. As Kevin, Theresa, and I were walking down the street, I yelled “Oooooaaaaahhh…psht!” and ran into him sideways, pretending we were two cars crashing. He laughed and shook his head. I led him to the hotel parking lot. He pressed the button to disarm the alarm, and the headlights flashed. Dead giveaway. The hunt was fun while it lasted.
Check out the rest of the series so far Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4.
Check out the rest of the series so far Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Owl Love You Forever!
I had so much fun creating this family of owls for my sister and family who are fans of birds in general, owls in particular. I used scrapbook paper of a variety of different types, special edge scissors, photo paper, and an orange textured gift box, then I added coffee beans for eyes and tiny shell beads for beaks. When asked where they should put it, our nephew suggested the nook, which seems like a good fit since they already have a bird theme going in there. I don't get on Pinterest, because my typical way of avoiding addiction is to not get started, so I was excited that I came up with this all on my own. Wooohoooo for creative outlets!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Feast of the Epiphany, Activity Ideas, and Some Wise Guys
Stories are fascinating.
As a writer, I’m very interested in how they develop, who writes them
down, what they emphasize, include, and/or leave out. The Feast of the Epiphany is on January 6. In the US, the feast is typically celebrated
at Mass on the second Sunday after Christmas which in 2015 fell on Sunday January 4.
The Gospel account of this story appears in Matthew 2:1-12. Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait.
Interestingly enough, in this passage, there is no set number of wise
men, the only person specifically named is King Herod, and the places from
where they traveled afar are vaguely described as “from the east.”
We know from Scripture that the magi were foreign
astrologers from distant lands. They
studied the sky and were all drawn to one particular star. It was a common ancient belief that a new
star appeared at the time of a ruler’s birth.
Though we aren’t told how many magi there were, the tradition of having
three originated, in part, because three different gifts are given: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. (My favorite variation of this is: gold, common sense,
and fur, though those three are also an unlikely grouping.)
The representations of the three wise kings are meant to
symbolize that Jesus was born to save people of all races, ages, and locations. It’s possible there were more than three wise
guys who spotted the star and followed it to the most logical place to look for
a new ruler of the Jewish people, at the current ruler’s palace. Some traditions indicate that there may have
been as many as twelve magi.
This was one time when stopping to ask for directions would
lead to trouble. King Herod was angry at
the thought of someone else serving in his place as “king of the Jews.” He tried to get the wise men to come back and
tell him the exact location of this newborn, but after having a dream that they
shouldn’t return to Herod, they went home by a different way than the one from
which they came.
In some cultures and families, it is customary to exchange
and open gifts on Epiphany instead of Christmas. Click here for some fun activities to celebrate with family or friends.
Epiphany Feasting in France
In France they have special
cake for Epiphany called a galette des rois. This King Cake is baked
with a little figurine inside of it or a bean. Whoever discovers the
bean or figurine in their slice gets to be king or queen for the evening. The
inedible item I recall finding in one of the galette des rois was a tiny porcelain-like castle
of sorts. Here’s a galette des rois recipe in English.
During our January term
while studying abroad in Paris, I volunteered at a food pantry through the
local chapter of Secours Catholiques at a spot near where my host family lived. I would
help stock the shelves with canned goods, some fresh fruits and vegetables,
dairy products, and baked items, then I’d assist people who came through with
their cart to do their “shopping.” We had so many galettes
des rois left over, I was able to take some home with me. Stale galette
des rois don’t taste all that great, especially when you’re in France,
where all of the bakeries have superior standards for their fresh bread and
pastries.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Laughing Together Series (Vol. 4) "I Wish You Could Be the One."
Even so, I didn’t feel as comfortable talking with other people. Frequently, I was discouraged from sharing because people didn’t listen very well. Other times it was because I had it ingrained in my brain that what happened in our family should be kept secret. For a while, I’d convinced myself others not only wouldn’t understand or care enough to learn about the real me, but also that they’d judge my family and me if I were completely open and honest with them.
There were so many reasons why I didn’t want what had been one of the best weeks of my life to come to an end. I’ve always hated not knowing what would happen next, many times, because in the past, major decisions were made without my input, and I had to deal with the consequences. I wanted to hold on to the memories, the closeness I’d felt to someone else, and the abundance of laughter and silliness we shared. Kevin had said he’d never been good about writing letters, and I knew my mom wasn’t okay with us spending hours and hours talking on the phone. I hoped something would change so we wouldn’t lose touch.
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