Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Mess & Progress

In looking around my yard, I could say all I see are the weeds that need to be pulled or the dozen other projects that need attention. 

If I’m honest, that has been my default reply for a while when someone says, “Your yard looks great.”

It does. It does look great, and I am happy with my space. 

I do what I can, when I can. And that is not a bad thing. That’s actually quite a good thing. 

How often do you look at your…whatever. Life. Health. House. Goals. Pick one! How often do you look at whatever that is and think, “I have so much left to do!”

Do you ever stop and think, “Gosh but I have made progress! I’m not there yet, but I’m closer than I was.”

I have this thought often when I am weeding. The weather here has been…less than conducive to enjoying being outside. I’ve made time on nice days, after rain especially (and that’s been a whole different challenge), to get out into my yard and do SOMETHING. I’ve even, usually, remembered to take before and after pics because I can SEE what I’ve done. Perfect? Nope. Done? Nope. Better? Absolutely. 

There’s a phrase out there that goes something along these lines: “Perfect is the enemy of done.”

It’s so, so true.

We are, all of us, works in progress.

Some days we move forward. Some days, we don’t. Some days, we feel as if we are moving backwards.

Every day, we have the opportunity to make progress out of the mess.

Every day, we have the opportunity to celebrate where we are.

What are you celebrating today? Even if you still think whatever is a mess, give yourself time to celebrate the progress.

 Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Find the Good

It can be incredibly easy to look back at the past year and lament the things we’ve missed, the people we haven’t seen, the things we haven’t done. I was recently walloped by the realization that this time a year ago, we were planning a weekend getaway with another couple, to just get out of town and have a change of scenery. Then the pandemic began, and all bets were off. There were so many things that didn’t happen, and sometimes it’s difficult to focus on anything other than what we’ve missed and lost.

I like, very much, the occasional things I’ve seen on social media or heard in virtual meetings, asking for at least one positive thing that has come out of the challenges over the past year.

Oddly enough, my answer from the first time hasn’t changed, and even though we are in the dead of winter and it is bitterly, horribly cold, thinking of this still makes me happy.

I spent more time both working in and enjoying my gardens in 2020 than I had in quite a few years previous, and that felt fantastic. It was good exercise, it felt great to be outside, and I reaped the benefits in so many ways. Gardening provides beauty, food for wildlife, food for us, and a tremendous sense of peace as well as accomplishment. As I look at the snow and shiver, I think of all the wonderful things that are sleeping under the soil, waiting for the thaw and sunshine of spring. Even the mowing, and the weeding, and the chasing-away-of-pests doesn’t diminish the pleasure I feel looking back at last year, or the eager anticipation I feel looking forward to this year’s gardening season.

Also, I have bean plants. LOL!! I started a project with a friend’s kids; we each have a setup and we planted and are watching bean plants grow. I think the kiddos are enjoying it, and I know I am. The bean plants give me hope, and that’s a good thing.

Another thing I realized recently is that I’ve maintained my intentional cross stitching streak, and I’ve gone past 1,200 days of consecutively cross stitching. I also passed a year of intentionally crocheting daily. These feed my creative side and I love spending time on them each day!

What’s your good? What’s your moment of realization that there have been good things over the past year?

Take a deep breath, and focus on that feeling. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

There! There it is. That moment of peace, and joy, or bliss, or whatever suits you to call it. That’s a good thing.

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Go Outside and Garden

Ok, tonight’s beverage isn’t wine, it’s a rum & coke, and, TBH, I’m sort of struggling with things that require a lot of brainpower.

I am, however, extremely, thoroughly grateful for sun & rain & warmish weather & my garden. Maybe we’re limited in what we can do and where we can go, but I have endless things to do in my garden, so I’m getting fresh air, and dirt under my fingernails, and sun on my face. (But! Sunscreen!)

Diving back into old topics, I couldn’t decide which one works best for me today; they’re both true. Go outside! And, if you’re so inclined, plant a garden!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

http://www.makeonechange.today/blog/2016/4/13/wine-wellness-wednesday-go-outside

http://www.makeonechange.today/blog/2017/3/15/wine-wellness-wednesday-gardening

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Go Plant Something!

In March of 2017, I did a #winewellnesswednesday post about gardening and why it’s good for your health.

http://www.makeonechange.today/new-blog/2017/3/15/wine-wellness-wednesday-gardening

I’ve been thinking about this again recently as I was finally able to get out into my yard and make some progress battling weeds and actually enjoying my gardens again. Even though the forecast for the next couple of weeks includes upper 90s again (seriously?!), and even though the lack of rain means weeding feels more like harvesting, it’s still extremely rewarding to be out in the yard, cleaning, planting, and enjoying my garden.

Mood booster. Yep, I get tired. On the hot days I get sweaty and drippy. Sometimes I get sore from overdoing it or (maybe) pushing it a little too much for some of the injuries I’ve had. Oh, but the feeling! Sunshine, a little extra vitamin D, and the feeling of accomplishment are great mood boosters.

Exercise. Gardening is good exercise. Even mowing the lawn, as annoyingly boring as it can be, is good exercise!

Productive. I love fresh fruits and veggies. I love knowing where a lot of what I buy is grown. Even better is when I pick strawberries or orange cherry tomatoes or fresh thyme from the plants in my own garden!

You don’t need a huge garden. You don’t need a huge yard! All you need is the interest, a little potting soil, and a container.

Plant something! It’s good for your health! (It’s also good for the environment. Plant a flower for pollinators, such as milkweed or butterfly flower, coneflower, or any of dozens of others. Bees & butterflies are our friends!)

Cheers! Here's to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Gardening!

Gardening. It’s good for you.

What’s that? You don’t want to become a master gardener, or a landscaper, or whatever? You’re intimidated by the thought of tilling the soil and toiling over the beans? No problem!

Start small. Recently, I talked about building healthy habits. Some of you know I work part-time for a garden center, and this is the season of preparing the greenhouse for spring. So we’ve been filling pots, and planting, and planting, and planting some more. It’s fabulous, particularly because I love getting dirt under my fingernails and seeing the potential in those tiny, tiny plants, knowing they’ll grow up into beautiful things. It’s also relaxing for me, and encourages me to start thinking creatively about my own garden and what I want to do this season.

All of this, naturally, started me thinking about whether gardening could be good for overall health, not just as exercise. Yes!! Relaxation, creative thinking, exercise, and, if you’re growing vegetables, better food! (If someone in your household doesn’t love vegetables, gardening at home may even give you ways to encourage picky eaters to try something they’ve grown themselves!)

Start small. Get a small flowerpot with drainage holes and a tray to catch any excess water. Get some good potting soil. Several plants that are relatively easy to start from seed are green beans or sunflowers. Follow the instructions on the seed packet. Set the pot in a sunny spot and watch magic happen. (Don’t forget to water it occasionally!) Depending on what you planted, when the danger of frost is over and if you have yard space, take it outside and transplant it! It’s that simple. And it can be very rewarding.

Get your hands dirty with gardening this summer. :) It’s good for you!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!