I don’t know many people who didn’t watch it . . . so I’ve been holding this post for a time I thought was appropriate, and after last night, I think it’s “time” to share.
No matter your political leanings, IMHO, last night was a circus, and not in a fun way. Today I search for a kind of peace that may not be possible, but this tidbit shared with me by my buddy Diva J is certainly needed.
I hope you too can find some peace amongst the chaos that has been 2020.
Several “posts” ago, I shared an article about the difficulty of traveling if you’re “on your own”. It’s not just an issue for single people, some married ladies (my Mom was one of them) would love to travel but they’re held back by a spouse that does not share the passion for adventure.
I found the article below online through Travel & Leisure and thought it definitely inspiring and encouraging. Most of their “points” are common sense, but it’s always good to remind ourselves of some of them.
When the world re-opens (“praying hands emoji”), I hope many of us will once again answer the call to “wander” a bit while we’re still “able” to get around.
Thanks for following and as usual, stay safe out there.
I’ve been wanting to share this, but during the pandemic crisis, and shutdowns for the travel industry, it wasn’t the right time. Now that things are easing a bit, and people are feeling safer (as a result of going stir crazy no doubt) I am pulling this “share” out to share.
It was an article I read in the AARP magazine that really made me realize I’m not the only one who sees how much it is a “couples world”. No where is this more obvious than in restaurant dining and travel. Those two things were really hit hard starting last Spring when the world shut down.
To quote the opening of the article by Christina Ianzito:
“The number of women wanting female-only trips has skyrocketed in recent years, with companies like Damesly, Whoa Travel and Living Big Travel devoted entirely to such excursions. Other long-standing tour operators including Intrepid Travel and Road Scholar, now provide these kinds of trips in addition to their other ones.
Some women say they’d feel like a fifth wheel being single among a bunch of couples, and that a wonderful camaraderie develops when guys aren’t around.”
For years I’ve had one very special friend who travels alone or with other women friends (looking at you LL!) and has not let being alone hold her adventurous spirit hold her back! What a fab role model she is to her three adult daughters. What an inspiration she is to me!
So if wanderlust is knocking on your door, go check out the above companies (also including REI Women’s Adventures) and read up on popular “women-only” getaways!! Maybe I’ll see you one day soon!!
(hopefully the tune hit your brain, LOL??)
One thing the start of the pandemic, the shutdowns, etc did for many was to help them clear all their “lists” of things to watch on every TV watching service available.
Whether it’s a DVR, a streaming service, a Netflix DVD – we were watching a multitude of things to fill the time. Back in January it was something happening elsewhere. Then it hit here. What do you do when you hunker down?
TV programming!
I jotted down this from one of the many shows I watched, then forgot about it. I uncovered it the other day and remembered I wanted to share it. It made me chuckle. We all need a good chuckle every now and again, right?
Not saying this is how you should approach life, but hey – if the shoe fits . . . . ?
“Not dealing with things is my preferred way of dealing with things”!
Wish I could remember which show I heard it on, I watched so many but there you have it. Hope it brought a slight chuckle to you today. (I think the heat is getting to me!)
I heard this quote the other day and it was like a “message” was being sent to me directly.
Family, friends, neighbors, people in general – sometimes they irk you. You wonder how can they not see it? You get cranky, you might even think you should “get even” – but what does that solve? Doesn’t change them, their actions, one bit.
So next time you get REALLY irritated, think of this:
“LOVE ISN’T BASED ON A SCORECARD”
It might help.
I’m going to try this again. For some reason, I copy the link and it just does NOT want to go into my post. Fingers crossed, I never promised to be “techie”, ha ha!! But Copy and Paste has always worked in the past.
If it doesn’t work, you can try a Google search for the author: John P Weiss and it was posted on October 24, 2019.
The does and don’ts of polite conversation are always things to remember, especially these days of people being overly anxious and stirred up. Thanks for your patience.
My son sent me this a while back. I’m hoping that it wasn’t necessarily directed at me, but more a share of things that irritate all of us. Yes, I have some friends that do this, constantly interrupt and not let me finish my thoughts or my sentence.
At least now tho’, I am trying really hard to make sure I’m not also “one of those”. Polite conversation, after the spring of social distancing we’ve all had, just being together is going to be more important than ever. Let’s all be more aware of “listening” first.
Smarter Living: 4 ways to be kinder to yourself in 2020
By Tim Herrera
Happy 2020 and a half! Are you exhausted yet?
With everything happening all the time, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. How can we focus on ourselves when there is so much going on around us, not even to mention worrying about careers, families, money, stress and everything else that comes with modern life?
But it doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems. This year, Smarter Living published loads of stories centered around self-acceptance and self-care, whether that means acknowledging a small achievement, being O.K. with your guilty pleasures or just trying to be a little more scarce.
Here are four simple ways to be a little kinder to yourself in 2020.
Take more time for yourself
Choosing to spend time alone can benefit your social relationships, improve your creativity and confidence, and help you regulate your emotions so that you can better deal with adverse situations, according to experts.
“It’s not that solitude is always good, but it can be good” if you’re open to rejecting the idea — common in the west — that time by yourself is always a negative experience you’re being forced into, according to Thuy-vy Nguyen, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Durham University, who studies solitude. She added that because solitude helps us regulate our emotions, it can have a calming effect that prepares us to better engage with others.
Getting better at identifying moments when we need solitude to recharge and reflect can help us better handle negative emotions and experiences, like stress and burnout, said Emily Roberts, a psychotherapist. Read more >>
Enjoy things when they’re good
Worrying about when “the other shoe will drop” will only steal your current joy.
In a paper examining the costs and benefits of negative expectations in the journal Emotion, researchers found that students who predicted getting a poor grade on an exam felt bad for days before receiving their results. Worse, their stressing didn’t diminish the disappointment they felt once they got their scores.
One underlying reason people worry is that on some level they assume it helps. Yet we need to accept that we can’t perfectly prepare for potential challenges.
“There are an infinite number of bad things that could possibly happen (although most are unlikely), and there is just no way a person can anticipate them all,” according to Dr. Michel Dugas, a psychology professor at the University of Quebec.
Keep in mind that research has shown we are notoriously bad at predicting how we will feel in a given situation, and things often go better than we imagine they will in moments of fear. Dr. Dugas shared a takeaway a client observed: “I try to worry about everything bad that could possibly happen so that I won’t be taken off guard. What really bothers me is that although I do sometimes experience bad things, they are never the ones I thought about!” Read more >>
Learn to accept a compliment — even if it’s from yourself
Pumping yourself up after a big win can feel a little awkward. You want to acknowledge good work, but you don’t want to feel arrogant. It’s that tricky balance of quietly reveling in a job well done without coming off as … well, a jerk.
Despite that awkwardness, getting credit for your work gives your brain good feelings and helps you accomplish more. Companies use praise to try to boost productivity and even revenue, and experts say that the psychological impact of keeping a positive view of your accomplishments can decrease stress and encourage better habits.
And even if you’re bad at taking a compliment, or you’re not getting external recognition, you can still enjoy major psychological benefits from celebrating your achievements on your own, according to experts. Read more >>
Turn your regrets into self-improvement
Many of us try to push pain away. Others ruminate about perceived mistakes. But whether you ignore or fixate on what’s troubling you, research has shown that it’s impossible to run from emotions without consequences. And in a vicious twist, dodging upsetting feelings actually makes them even more present: Suppressing our emotions can diminish our capacity for joy and potentially manifest as physical pain.
So instead of trying to ignore your regrets, it’s a better idea to practice acknowledging the experience. Try this: Start by slowing down and noticing your thoughts and sensations. Relax your face and hands, and think about accepting how you feel now without worrying you’ll feel this way forever. Reaching this middle ground between avoiding and dwelling will prove less depressing.
Researchers also found that when people find a silver lining in their regret, they are able to think more clearly.
“Regret can be a problem, but one benefit of regret is that it signals improvement is possible,” said Neal Roese, a professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University who focuses on the psychology of judgment and decision-making. “The trick is to avoid obsessing and pull out a lesson that can be applied in future situations.”
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