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: Boundaries Are Healthy

Back in April, I posted about balance and how to find it, along with three questions to ponder. As I think more about that topic, I’ve started thinking about how we put up boundaries around our time and energy (or how we don’t) and how each of those actions impacts our mental and physical health and wellness. The questions I asked in that April post are relevant here also. Do you know your core values, and do you have them written down? What REALLY matters to you? What thing (or things) in your life can you absolutely not do without on a daily basis?

First, a quick definition. From Wikipedia: “Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave towards them and how they will respond when someone passes those limits.” I think of boundaries not only as these guidelines or limits, but also as ways of protecting or safeguarding my time and energy. “Can you do whatever activity on whatever day?” “Ok, yes!” “No, but I could do whichever instead on a this other day.” “Not at this time, but thanks for asking.”

So protecting my own time and energy has become more of a priority as I get older (and hopefully wiser). Part of creating these boundaries relates, as I mentioned at the beginning, to knowing my core values, what matters to me, and what I can’t do without on a daily basis.  To-do lists and schedules are useful. Understanding my energy levels is important. Being intentional about my time and ensuring that I have time for the things I want to get done is critical. It’s also important for me to support the people close to me (for example, my husband) and help them have their own time and space as well.

How about you? Do you set boundaries around yourself, your time, and your energy? Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Being Intentional Is Good for Your Health

Being intentional about _______ can be really good for both your physical and mental health.

Yes, I left that blank on purpose. It’s different for everyone, and it’s different day by day or moment by moment.

For example, on a recent morning when I knew the remainder of the day would be really busy, I sat down and took a few minutes out of my morning exercise to pick up one of my smaller cross stitch projects. I added a row of stitches, thinking about nothing other than how much I enjoyed cross stitching, how nice it felt to sit with my stitching, and how I hope the person for whom that project is destined will like it.

It felt wonderful.

It took less than five minutes.

That wonderful feeling extended into the remainder of that morning’s exercise. I felt calm, and focused, and a bit joyful.

For me, the concept of being intentional goes beyond having a to-do list and checking things off, or sitting down at my computer and thinking, “I want to…” for whatever the project or task may be. It’s about granting myself permission, as well as encouragement, to focus entirely on whatever I want or need to be doing in that moment. In this world of multi-tasking, we spend much too much time trying to spread ourselves out and get as much done as possible in as little time as possible, and by the end of it, we are worn out, unhappy, and unhealthy.

Intentional is defined as, “done on purpose” and “deliberate.”

I deliberately sat down and cross stitched because I knew the day would be busy.

I sat down and cross stitched on purpose because I knew the day would be busy.

Yep. Both of those substitutions (definitions?) fit how I felt that day.

To what other actions can I apply the concept of being intentional?

I deliberately poured a glass of water instead of a glass of soda.

I went for a walk on purpose to clear my mind and get exercise.

I took intentional action to improve my mental and physical health.

This goes hand-in-hand with being mindful! (I’ll include a link to a Wine & Wellness Wednesday post from last August about mindfulness.)

When you set an intention, and focus on it, and devote positive energy to it, I expect you’ll find yourself feeling more than OK by the time you are done.

Try it, and let me know how it goes. :) Cheers! Here’s to your health!