X Is For… A Blog from Madam X

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Contributed by Holly Kiely.

Hello Dear Friends and welcome to my essay on X.

I had so many things I wanted to talk about! I decided to keep it light and share an excellent mystery that I find myself examining closely. It all starts with an exclamatory dream that happened in February.

I was cuddled in my bed with my hubby and two dogs. I was sleeping peacefully but I began dreaming intensely. I was huddled around a book with two other women, one of which was holding a candle in order to illuminate the text we were reading in the dream. I heard one of the women say, “This is important, you need to read about Abelard and Heloise.” The idea took root in my mind and the words Abelard and Heloise were exclaimed over and over until I turned over in bed and sleepily googled the names.

I didn’t even know particularly that they were names. I do not ever recall hearing “Abelard and Heloise” before. I was relieved to find plenty of references on the names and feeling secure I would not forget, I went back to sleep. I woke early the next morning and felt I must immediately examine the google results.

I found quite an expose on the famous lovers. They were medieval monastic scholars and quite accomplished both in their own right. Abelard insinuated himself into the employ of Heloise’s Uncle as a way to be near her. They fell in love and she became pregnant but did not want to marry. She was excessively intelligent and educated and was whisked away to a nunnery. She bore a son, Astrolabe. He was named for the most excellent instrument the Astrolabe. There is little known of what happened to their son.

However, Abelard was attacked and castrated by a group of men when his love for Heloise was exposed. He returned to teaching and had quite a life of exposition on many philosophies. Heloise founded her own orders and became quite famous in her own right. Their letters endure and I am in the process of examining the letter for myself.

So, what am I to learn from this exciting mystery? Are we the reincarnation of Abelard and Heloise? I have no answers but their story exudes intrigue. I have committed myself to an existential examination of this excellent correspondence. So dear friends, “What say you?” Have you ever heard of Abelard and Heloise? Have you ever had this type of dream?

Signed Madam X

V Is For… Vehicle Preparedness!

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Contributed by Rachel Wilder.

At some point in our lives our faithful wheels are going to let up down. Right now, we might be thinking about what we could have had in our houses to make ‘sheltering at home’ easier but hopefully in a few weeks we’ll be back on the road. And, it’s not going to be a world-wide event that puts us in danger but perhaps a rusty nail.

Picture of wrecked car on tow truck with caption reading: Sad car sorry for letting you down.

First off, before you think about getting a kit consider making one yourself. It will be cheaper and you’ll have control over the quality of items in it. Also, you can get a few items at a time and tailor it to your environment.

Before a kit, though, make sure you have your car insurance in your glove box and towing and taxi service phone numbers in your phone, or old school and printed on a card. Make sure you have an extra phone charger cord in there as well. Consider joining AAA, they really are helpful for the low cost of membership. And all the proper tools to change a flat tire or jump start your battery, won’t do any good if you don’t know how. If you can’t find anyone to show you, then watch some YouTube videos.

You might not have the room or money for everything below, but even a few items could make a huge difference in your safety. Even if your kit doesn’t have items to fix the problem yourself, have items in your vehicle that make the wait for help better. Even something as simple as water or an extra old coat.

Picture of example car kit.

Car Kit

  • Small duffle bag to put this all in (Walmart $6-8) or a cheapy backpack
  • I have a small fleece blanket folded over the duffle to help hide it.
  • A blanket (mine is folded flat and used as a cargo liner)
  • A gallon of water
  • Easy to keep snack foods in the cooler months.
  • Empty plastic gas container
  • Jumper cables, long ones like 16-18 feet
  • A flashlight with fresh batteries
  • Head lamp
  • A tire pressure gauge
  • Good spare tire and know how to get to it
  • Good jack (Walmart has a 2 ton in a carrying case that could go under duffle for 24.99)
  • Lug wrench one looks like an X (Walmart 14.99)
  • Glow sticks
  • A first-aid kit (mainly blood flow stuff, medical scissors) latex gloves
  • Hand wipes & sanitizer
  • Ziplock bag w/ Kleenex
  • Work gloves
  • Extra hat & scarf (two hats for cold and sun)
  • Extra clothes
  • Walking shoes\boots (throw in those old gym shoes)
  • Cheap reflective vest
  • Basic tool kit (Flat head and Phillips head screwdriver, pliers) or multitool – Leatherman
  • A roll of duct tape
  • Small tarp
  • An ice scraper (more for cold weather)
  • Hand warmers
  • Small folding shovel (opt for cold weather but also for off road adventures)
  • Fix-a –flat
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Empty gas container
  • Roadside flares
  • Tow strap
  • Emergency escape tool with pocketknife
  • Firestarter/ matches
  • Maps, city and state
  • I bought a sun visor thingy that holds my escape tool in the sunglass slot, tire gauge, maps, chapstick and extra hair ties)
  • Emergency gas money (hidden in my car is a $20)
  • Most important: Keep your gas tank at least half full whenever possible.

Picture of example car it.

Do some research for yourself- a great start is this link: https://bestreviews.com/best-car-emergency-kits

My motto is: Be prepared- not scared and consider yourself to be a…

Picture of Mad Max Road Warrior cartoon.

 

U Is For… Unicorns – a Search for Magic in the Madness!

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Contributed by Karen Ferguson.

So here we are in 2020, which couldn’t get more bizarre if it tried. One moment I was wondering how much I could squeeze into one suitcase as I packed to immigrate to a little island in the Caribbean, and the next I was sitting in the Kruger National Park of South Africa in a 5-week national lockdown. Boom. Talk about a change of plans.

But everything was going to be okay because I had unicorns around me.  And they brought messages for us.

Photograph of sleeping rhinoceros.

Derived from the Latin word unicornis, it literally means ‘single horn’ and it all started about 2400 years ago when the historian Ctesias laid eyes on an Indian Rhino for the very first time and described it as being the size of a horse, white in color with a purple head and blue eyes, and a single large horn protruding from the forehead.

Wait, whaaaat?

Yes, abracadabra, the unicorn is born and for centuries we’ve been enthralled. And why not? How could such a creature not be pure magic? The horn itself held its own powers and those who drank from it were believed to be protected from stomach ailments, epilepsy and poison.

Similarly, the rhino’s horn has been both its blessing and its curse and has made them a target for hundreds of years. Around 130BC it was widely believed in China that drinking from a cup made of rhino horn could literally save one’s life by detecting poison as the liquid would fizz. In today’s world it’s believed to be a cure for many things from impotence to cancer and rhinos are dying at an unsustainable rate.

*sigh

Back to the magic though. And the fact that I’ll never think of a rhino as a rhino again. Being largely solitary animals, these unicorns ‘listen more than they speak’. I’ve been around them more times than I can count and never have I heard them make a single sound.

The message…

Create a Space for Silence

‘The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.’ – Rumi

Picture of yoga matts on a wooden deck.

Find a space that can be dedicated solely to some daily quiet time. I picked an outside deck supposed to have been a bathroom for a treehouse, but nobody ever got that far and it’s now the loveliest yoga studio in all the universes. I keep my yoga mat ready and whenever I can, I take a few minutes to just sit and breathe. My 8-year old does it with me (for two to five minutes at a time) and so does my husband (we started with five and worked our way up to fifteen minutes).

TRY THIS:

Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your eyes closed. Breathe deeply and count slowly to three as you inhale and to four as you exhale. Extend that to five on the in-breath and six on the out-breath.

When you feel relaxed and your breathing is deep and even, start listening to what is around you. Identify as many sounds as you can. When you hear something pleasant, follow it for a few seconds before switching to another.

Picture of author seated on yoga matt, meditating.

Meditation 101.  Because the family that meditates together, stays together.

Seen as a symbol of stability, the African unicorn asks us to shift our thinking from a place of fear to one of adaptation.

The message…

Live with a Sense of Normality

‘Maybe it’s time to find a new normal.’ – Trish Doller

Picture of coffee and handwritten gratitude journal.

Because we simply feel better when our days have some kind of purpose. Make your bed in the morning, shower and get dressed just as if it was any normal day in the life of you.

Wear your bangles and put on a little lippy, and if you don’t have some kind of daily routine, create one!

TRY THIS:

When you wake up, pour hot water into a cup and squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the water. Sit in your favorite morning spot and drink your lemon-magic while pondering over three concepts. If you like journaling, even better:

 *Think of three things you’re grateful for.

*Think of three things you’d love to get done.

*Think of three blessings for specific friends or family members.

Picture of hot tea with lemon.

Keep doing the little things that make you feel in control like a simple morning routine.

Even though they’re gentle, unicorns are immensely powerful and they remind us that we’re stronger than we think.

The message…

Use your Strength Wisely

‘Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.’ – Unknown

Picture of hand with henna tattoo and drum.

Being the queen of trying new things, I think I’ve done them all. And most of it in my forties! I took drumming lessons and found yoga. I taught myself to sew with Aunty Google’s help, started an art journal, and went back to school. I got a helix piercing, immersed myself in sound healing and the art of manifesting, hosted five spiritual retreats in distant places like Morocco and Mykonos, and learned how to cook. For real.

TRY ONE OF THESE:

*Do an online course on something you’ve always been interested in, or finally take the time to practice the art of practicing: drumming or baking or yoga or cross-stitch or a French braid (yup that was on my list).

*Declutter your home by doing one room or area or drawer every day.

*Make your own body lotion.

*Learn to paint with watercolors.

*Plan a herb garden.

*Teach yourself tai chi.

Whatever it is you’ve always wanted to do… do that!

None of us know how this is going to end. The only thing we have is today. For some that looks better than for others, but in the midst of it all the sun still rises and sets, our children still can’t find their shoes, dishes need washing, and how we deal with one of the biggest challenges we’ll ever get to face during this lifetime still remains a choice.

Photograph of napping rhinoceros.

I choose to search for a little magic in the madness. Just me and the unicorns.

T Is For… Talent – Natural or Learned?

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Contributed by Leisa Bye.

Talent. Do you think you ‘have a talent’ or are ‘talented’ at something? I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t feel as if they do. However, I believe that everyone has talent, some have many. Talent comes in various forms. The Arts, sport, academia … life!

What is YOUR talent?

Some would say they don’t have a ‘talent’, but even if it’s not something that stands out as what you would perceive as a ‘talent’, there are people who are just better at some things than others. To me, this is talent. YOU are talented. I may even argue that your specific talent is that you are you!

I sometimes wonder is there a difference between a natural talent, or a learned talent? Is talent something we naturally have? We’re born with it – some may use the term God given. Or is it something we can learn over time. I think both kinds exist. But even if you’re born with it, you still need to craft it, right? Still need to learn ‘how to use it’? Still need to put it into practice so you get better at it? A violinist may have the natural essence of a player, and play with feeling and have an ability on picking the instrument up, but they still need to learn ‘how’ to play it, right? An athlete may be naturally gifted, but they still need to train, right?

Using myself as an example. I’m an award winning singer and yodeller … now! I’ve been singing since I was 12. But I wasn’t always able to do what I do now, I didn’t always win awards. When I first started, I was terrible. Actually, I was TERRIBLE. It deserves the capitals! I couldn’t sing in key, I couldn’t sing in time, I had no idea how to stick to a melody… but when it came to stage performance and confidence, I had tonnes!

I was told by a number of people that I should just stop singing. That I wasn’t talented. I actually had people tell me I was terrible. To be blunt it was quite obvious that I wasn’t good. But I had confidence on my side, and I didn’t think I could be as bad as what everyone was telling me I was, surely! So I kept going, I didn’t give up. I knew I wasn’t good, but I wanted to do it. I had the drive to do it. I practiced, I probably should have had some lessons, but practice I did. For three whole years I competed in singing competitions without winning a single award, then one day, they gave me an encouragement award – for yodelling!

I had two people in my life who were the major reasons I continued to persevere to learn my talent. My mother, and the president of the country music club we were members of. My brother was a fabulous singer, he was able to just sing, he had a beautiful voice. So we were always around music. But this man told my mother that ‘if that little girl wants to sing, we’ll do everything we can so she can sing’. And once a week she took me to his family’s home and he tried to find keys, helped me with timing, made me feel like I mattered, and that me wanting to sing also mattered. Someone took the time to want to help me. He told me as an adult that he wanted to put the guitar down and give up sometimes, but he’s so glad that he didn’t, and so am I. Thank you, Hughie.

As an adult I am the prime example of someone who people perceive as being talented. Yet I didn’t always have it, I learned it over time.

My mother is also the same. She sings and has a beautiful voice. But when she was in Year 4 at school she took up the violin. The Nuns at her school hit her hands and told her she wasn’t allowed to continue as she was tone deaf. It wasn’t until she was in her 40’s that she tried music, this time singing, again. She has now been enjoying performing (singing and playing guitar) for over 25 years. And she is wonderful!

It makes me wonder how many out there have been told something similar in their lives. That they’re not good at something, so they don’t continue with it. Yes, talent can be natural, but it can also be learned. Our world is enriched by the talent of others.

So next time you think there’s something you don’t like that someone else does, maybe keep that opinion close to your chest, as you never know talent you may stifle in someone.

We need to celebrate everyone’s unique abilities – their talent!

Image of author as a young person with two band members.

Thank you, Hughie, for sticking with me!

Image of author as a young person at table with multiple awards.

That very first award, a yodelling encouragement … after competing for three years.

Image of author a little older with more awards.

4 years after that first award.

Image of author as an adult with awards.

And MANY years on from that first award.

S Is For… Solution Focused!

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Contributed by Coach Jonni.

You might have heard all the kerfuffle in recent years about Positive Psychology and happiness.
Good stuff! And let’s be realistic,  happiness is internal; it comes from within you right?
Even though happiness can show as a smile on your face, a brightening of the eyes, happiness is all about your body naturally producing pleasure chemicals to make you feel extra good.
Okay, so, since we cannot always control what’s happening around us (like a pandemic,  for instance), how can we dwell on solutions rather than focus on problems?
How do you create your positive solution focus?
Move toward instead of away from something.  Instead of I don’t want to feel cooped  up during shelter-in-place, how about I will be energetic and joyful during quarantine? Picture yourself being energetic and joyful and then live it.
Or use an if/when then statement:  If I get stuck during a work assignment then I will take a 20 minute break in order to get back to productive work.  Or When I catch myself reaching for an unhealthy snack then I will go for fresh fruit instead.
Proven effective,  reframing a negative goal (I want to stop doing something) to a positive statement (I am going to do something) tells your brain chemicals to be more positive.
Have a wonderful time creating your own internal positive solutions instead of concentrating on negative problems!

Bio:

Jonni Lukenbill-Bowles is a Career Counselor and Lifestyle Coach in the midwestern United States. See more about Jonni on sageprairie.net and her blog at sageprairiestudio.com . Write to Jonni at CoachJonni AT CoachJonni DOT com.

R Is For… Reiki – Reality or Rubbish

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Contributed by Victoria.

I am Victoria.  I am a Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher.  I am.

Reiki is a word comprised of two Japanese words, Rei – meaning Higher Knowledge or Wisdom and Ki – Life Force or Light Energy.  Reiki, the technique I am discussing, is a form of vibrational healing.

When I began my journey into the realm of Reiki, I truly thought it was rubbish… I found myself unable to come to terms with anyone not medically trained being able to promote healing in themselves or another living being.  But I wanted to believe!  I was open to sitting amongst other men and women of varying ages, listening to stories about fasting, and messages from the Divine.  I was fascinated by the prospect of someone running energy through their own body to benefit another person.  Part of my training included a process called an Attunement… Where Source Energy that has been passed down from Teacher – to Student, who becomes Teacher – to Student (Reiki Lineage) was then shared with me.  The Student.

I half expected nothing to happen – I half expected my world to turn upside down.  What happened was somewhere in the middle.  During my initial Attunement, I felt awash in a feeling of safety and well-being – of what I imagine Peace to be.  I witnessed my first Animal guide – which, I have to say, I was initially quite disappointed with.  As the Attunement was being done, I saw multiple colors then quite clearly, a Salmon jumped before me…. You read that correctly.  A Salmon.  Not a Dolphin, or Whale, not a Bear or a Deer or an Eagle.  A Salmon. I quickly realized this was a wonderful gift, but my initial reaction was more along the lines of “Of course it is an animal that spends it’s time swimming up-stream – how fitting” Alas, that is a story for another day.

I began practicing the skills I had been taught, breathing exercises, visualization, meditation, hand placements… and I realized I felt better than I could ever remember feeling.  I had suffered chronic headaches since I was a child.  Not a day went by that I didn’t suffer with head pain… sometimes at the base of my skull, sometimes directly behind my eyes, sometimes Migraine.  Every. Single. Day.  After a week of daily practice, my headaches were gone.  For the first time in my memory, I didn’t wake up and immediately grab for my medication.

Normally Students will take 6 months to a year between Reiki I and Reiki II trainings however, I was determined to learn as much and as quickly as I possibly could.  I began my Reiki II training just 3 months later.  I learned various techniques and experienced feelings, visions, emotions and knowing such as never before.  I have always been intuitive, sensitive / borderline batshit crazy (and I say this with love and affection, as I know Mental capacities are different for everyone) – I began experiencing all those magnified.  Reiki opened a door I had long ago closed.  I began to see things in my life as they were, not as I had wanted them to be.  This started me on a journey of self-discovery, of facing hard truths and of the most amazing, soul deep healing I never imagined.

This second course hit me so intensely in fact, that I shut it down after about 3 months of intense daily work.  It frightened me.  The strength of my own experiences was simply too much.  For almost two years, I waited.  When I contacted my Reiki Master / Teacher to ask about additional training, she wasn’t surprised.  She had been waiting for my call.  She knew I would be back when I was ready.

Ready.  I was ready.  I was hungry for more.  I felt called to pursue the ability to share my experience with others… I also figured if I was going to be seeing, feeling, hearing, and knowing things, I better figure out how to work with them.  That’s exactly what I’ve done.  I am now a Certified Reiki Master and Teacher myself.  While I still live with migraine headaches, I don’t have a continuous headache every day.  I am no longer afraid of my own Shadow – theoretically speaking, I like her!  I have a keen connection with animals and have been able to assist many of them past issues that had kept them from experiencing the trust in humans they so desperately need.  I see people for who they are – not as who they present themselves to be.  I can speak publicly without crying.  I assist others on their own journey to sort or their own rubbish to the reality they were born for.

If you doubt the ‘power’ of Reiki, do what I did…. Learn it, practice, then tell me what you’ve decided.

Find Victoria online, here.

Q is for Queer (Sci Fi)

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Contributed by J. Scott Coatsworth, author, publisher, and community organizer.

When ACatherine Noon asked me to write something for the Writer Zen Garden, I had no idea what I should write about. And she was no help whatsoever, giving me only the letter Q as a prompt.

Fortunately the word “queer” came to the rescue.

Queer has a long history in Western Culture. Probably coming from the German word “quer,” it meant something odd or perverse. It wasn’t until the 1900s that it became attached to sexual orientation, specifically gay men, and by the 1950’s it was a fairly widespread slur for men who preferred the company of other men.

As such, it became a source of great pain for gay men who grew up in that era, and who heard it sneered at them by straight men, often accompanied with threats of violence, or worse.

I was born in 1968, and grew up after the word queer had fallen out of general use as a slur in most places. The word faggot took its place for my generation, and I still have a hard time even writing that vile word. So it gives me a window into how the word “queer” makes the baby boomer generation feel even now.

In the 1980’s the gay and lesbian community (later the GLB, GLBT, LGBT, LGBTQ, and LGBTIQA, but that’s a whole ‘nuther conversation about evolution and inclusivity) decided it wanted to reclaim the word, and began using it themselves to remove the sting. Even so, it’s still fraught for many folks to this day.

Marissa Higgins at “Bustle” describes the inherent difficulties in the use of the word well:

“As I remarked before, whether or not someone identifies with and uses the word “queer” is an intensely personal decision. For myself personally, the word ‘queer’ is one I use comfortably when it comes to academic discourse and discussing the ‘community.’ I avoid using it as a way of describing others, and generally avoid using it as a way to describe my own orientation, as I prefer a more specific label. Admittedly, as a woman of the Millennial generation who grew up in a relatively liberal area, I never experienced ‘queer’ as a slur, so I have fewer negative feelings attached to it than many of my peers, especially those in the older generation.”

When I created Queer Sci Fi in 2014, I was looking for a word that would encompass the entire community. I chose “queer” because “rainbow” and “lavender” were so overdone, LGBT seemed insufficient for inclusivity, and LGBTIQA was such a mouthful.

But the generational divide over the word is real and persistent. I’ve had some of the older folks in the community take great offense at the use of the word “queer” in the Queer Sci Fi moniker. It hasn’t happened in a while, but a discussion in 2018 about which words we should use as a community showed that there was still a fair amount of disgust with the word “queer” among our elders.

I am a big fan of reclamation, and also of inclusion. “Queer” serves both those purposes, and so It works for Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink.

But we must always be mindful of the history of it, and the harm it once did to our community.

We still have a lot of work to do.

P Is For… Poetry! … Or Is It?

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Contributed by Jessica Lea.

P is for poetry, my current passion. But, of course, P also stands for PANDEMIC. Which I don’t want to write about…but how can it be avoided? Worlds turned upside down – or inside (not out).

Everywhere I turn, there it is. An infestation tainting art, music, poetry. News. I am just so tired and want to escape, read my books about the fae and dream about hiding in a forest wearing these incredible handcrafted shoes I can order from Australia that look like leaves.

My seven-year-old daughter and I are roommates now because she can’t fall asleep, stay asleep, or have a good night’s sleep without waking with nightmares. I am in an alternative universe – the separation of work and home gone replaced by four furry co-workers and two students. Everything is in slow motion. And I don’t have extra time on my hands – just extra responsibilities. And anxiety.

Former in person meetings and classes are now on Zoom. All screens flash with free art and writing classes, museum and zoo tours, authors reading their work. Expectations that we artists should be (even more) productive proportionate to the increase in free time due to being “stuck” at home. So many options to spend this elusive increase in time being creative that it is completely overwhelming.

It’s National Poetry Month and I had a very serious goal to write at least one poem. Every. Single. Day. Newsflash: goals may not reflect reality despite the encouragement and good intentions of books, blogs, social media, email lists, and meditation apps. I am not helping to pave that road.

So, I have done some things. Maybe not as much as I expected or pressured myself to. I am enough. I am going to go at my own pace – and this is your permission to go at yours.

O Is For… Out of the Box!

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Contributed by Suzie Brown.

I grew grew up very much in the box, many of them actually. The Christian box. The perfect daughter box. The A student box. The best friend sister box. As I grew older, it seems, I grew more boxes too. The perfect mom and wife box. The nurse box. The martyr for everyone box.

There were always little cracks in these boxes and I worked hard to hide them, to fix them. I had premarital sex, bad. I hated housekeeping and cooking, so bad. I cheated on my husband, practically evil.

Until one day my boxes just exploded. I left my husband in a spur of the moment decision. My kids stayed with their dad and I was no longer behind any walls. I started drinking, doing drugs, and sleeping around, a lot. I was so far out of the boxes of my past that I got totally lost.

After about a year Walter and I found each other. I truly believe we saved each other. With Walter and I there are no more boxes. I feel free to do and study whatever I want. I’m free to re-invent myself and my world however I want. I’m now the wife, the mom, the nurse, and the spiritual being I’ve always wanted to be. I’m doing, learning, and believing many things that those still in their boxes don’t understand.

The best thing about about being out of the box is that I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m free to be me without walls and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier. So if you, too, are peeking out of the little cracks in your box, trying to find the real you, I hope you find the strength and courage to explore the world outside your box. If you do or don’t know that I will love you just as you are.

Peace!!

N Is For… Needs, Noodles and Nowhere…Living in the time of COVID-19

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Contributed by Piper Strick.

First, let me tell you who I am and what I do for a living. That will set the stage for what’s to follow. At my core, I’m a helper! I try to help people see new perspectives, try new behaviors, examine their thinking, be more effective…essentially become a better version of themselves. My job requires this of me as I’m responsible for talent management and development. Even some of my friends and family have come to rely on me for these skills. What’s been interesting recently is the need to learn to help MYSELF. For some reason, that’s harder…much harder. So I’ve employed a journal and some guided exercises from the experts. Here are some of my lessons from working in a world with Coronavirus over the past several weeks.

Needs

At the start of all this, five weeks or so ago, I found myself whining a bit. My mental monologue included statements of fact like, “But I NEED to be with people!” “I need to wear all the cute shoes in my closet.” “I need to be somewhere other than my house.” Pretty quickly I found that my perspective was quite negative. And upon examination, I realized these weren’t actually needs but wants. From then on, when I feel like I’m missing out on something I ask myself, “Is this a need to have or a nice to have?” If it’s merely a nice to have, I put it on a list to keep track of it for when I can do that thing or have that thing again. If it’s a need to have, I ask the next question. “Do I need this now, or in the near future?” If now, I figure out a way to get it, or at least something close to it. These questions have allowed me to let go of the expectations that aren’t realistic during a time of crisis and stay at home orders.

Noodles

I’ve found food to be important for my mental health as well so with NO guilt, I’m eating what makes me feel good (in moderation). What can I say? Noodles are delicious and make me happy. So do nachos, nectarines, and nuts. I make sure to get the healthy stuff in my diet regularly, too, of course. Recognizing how the foods I eat affect my mood and my body has been quite helpful. When I know I feel better after eating a salad than I do after eating a toaster strudel, I make a better, more conscious choice. But, don’t get me wrong, noodles are necessary!

Nowhere

Often these days I feel like I’m going nowhere. I’m sequestered and feel that my freedom has been taken away. What has helped with this is taking a few minutes at the end of each day to write about what I’m grateful for in my journal. It helps me realize that I DO have choice, over many things. And whenever I feel stuck I go outside because nature is beautiful. Soak it in. Recognize it. Revel in the wonder of a night sky. I hope this post has given you something to noodle about (see what I did there?).