Self-Care

Daily writing prompt

How do you practice self-care?

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Self-care and by looking at the words themselves is its own definition – “taking care of oneself.” And I would suspect that there are as many ways and forms of self-care as there might be people expounding on what self-care means to them. And all of those responses would be correct. What works for one person might not be the medicine for the next person.

Interesting observation I thought I might throw out here. When searching Google Images for the graphic here, there wasn’t one image that contained a person who wasn’t a gal. No guys; no men in any of the graphics from what I looked at. One might draw the erroneous conclusion, that perhaps men don’t need or practice self-care.

Perhaps we guys call it something else?

The question asks how do you practice self-care?

The first assumption is “Do you engage in self-care?” Answer – yes. Like, doesn’t everyone in one form or another regardless of what you might call it.

A quick search for a definition of self-care resulted in – “Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health.” Seems simple enough.

The activities that I find in my own self-care routine are getting out into nature by hiking or a long walk along the ocean. Around our town or other places, I also enjoy walking while listening to a favourite podcast. I also enjoy yoga. I love the physical aspect of yoga but really get into the mental component of clearing my mind and focusing on something else.

One other activity I really get into, and it may seem a bit strange is driving out in the countryside. I’ve always found this to be a very relaxing way to unwind and let the world go around me.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what self-care looks like. As long as it fits the definition of self-care. Which we should all be doing in great measure. We’re all pretty important – best to look after number one first. It’s a tough act to look after others if we’re not looking after and caring for ourselves first.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Wasting Time – Wasting Away

Daily writing prompt

How do you waste the most time every day?

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I honestly do hate to say this, but I do take some “comfort” that it just isn’t myself in this pickle. Unfortunately, there are many others and I mean a lot of folks who simply waste time away each day scrolling along on social media.

Don’t get me wrong here, I love the technology and options on my phone such as using Google Maps and GPS when my phone is paired to the technology wired into my car. Pretty darn handy when you need directions. Or making a hands-free call when driving. What about online banking. Going into a bank branch and speaking with a teller is something you can still do, but so many banking services are being transferred online.

But, those things aren’t really time wasters. Transferring money online between accounts or paying a bill online takes two minutes as compared to driving to the bank and standing in line – well that is actually a time saver.

But, the endless scrolling through social media is just so easy. And that’s the problem, it’s too damn easy. And it’s not if you’re just scrolling along, the “big bad people” in the background are going “Oh you like this and that so here’s some more of that or you searched for a new car yesterday – here are some targeted ads for you.”

It’s like social media becomes your friend because they know me so well. And isn’t that part of the problem? They end up knowing you “too well.”

Anyhow, social media has its place in our lives, much like anything else. Taken in moderation, not so much of an issue. But, when we simply piss away hours scrolling through Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter/X or whatever other app is out there- perhaps we now have a more serious animal to deal with.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Countries On The Wish List

Daily writing prompt

What countries do you want to visit?

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If given unlimited choices and the dollars likely needed, there are a couple of countries that would be on the top of that list for me and Lynn as well.

The first choice would be Australia. Why Australia?

Mostly because that is where we were going to go for our honeymoon thirty-five years ago. We had planned to go for three or four weeks. However, in a fit of madness, we took that honeymoon money and used it towards a downpayment on our first house. What craziness!!

Another spot on the list for me would be Scotland. Mostly because my father’s family is from the Inverness area of the highlands.

One more might be Belgium. Belgium – that seems strange. Well, it might be, but I have an uncle(my mom’s oldest brother) who was killed in action in World War I and buried in a Commonwealth Grave Cementary in Ypres Belgium. To my knowledge, no one from the family has ever visited his gravesite.

One last spot I like to check out is Austria or Switzerland. Just because.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Retirement

Daily writing prompt

How do you want to retire?

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The concept of retirement for yours truly came to fruition over just a few months back in the early spring of 2022. Up until that point, we never really thought about retirement.

Somewhere in the cauldron of emotions and just plain things we needed to do back at that time, was a realization that this was retirement for me – a year or honestly more than a few years early. The funny thing is I don’t remember thinking much about it nor the dollar implications of retirement. All I can say and did say back then out loud to anyone who would listen is that “When it is the right thing to do it simply is the right thing to do.”

Don’t think too much – just act.

I guess some folks or perhaps many have an idea or vision of how they want to retire or what they want to do when they retire. Stuff like travel(I like that), volunteering more, maybe taking up another career or getting more involved or deeper into a particular hobby.

We’ve never really thought about it much, other than the obvious choices like travel. Part of the issue is I had always expected to work full-time much later in my life, like really later. So never gave it much thought other than a vague idea of travel or owning a cottage in my retirement years.

Back in 2022 at that time, I did write two posts that touched on retirement a bit. The first post is “An Era Finishes”. The second post was written the day after my last full-time day at work – “The Next Chapter.” They may provide a bit of an insight into where I was way back then.

There was no party at work; no party at home for that matter ……..mostly due to the fact we had so much to get done over the following week before our house sale closed.

But, what I do remember is the following six or seven days that we stayed with Lynn’s aunt(more of a sister than an aunt) after our house closed in Ontario, but before our deal closed in Nova Scotia. It ended up being one of the most stress-free weeks of my life. It even feels good now sitting here reflecting back on that.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration discover yourself —

Old But Still Working

Daily writing prompt

What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?

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A bit of a weird prompt for a dull Saturday morning, and yet an intriguing question overall.

I thought it might be easy to quickly look around and see, “Yup this is old and we use it pretty much every day.” The reality is – not so easy.

Or so I thought. Often in life, the answer can be found right in front of your nose. All you have to do is look.

It seems that the oldest thing we have which we use every day or basically every day, is a lamp in our living room, made by Lynn’s father when he was in high school.

That’s high school anywhere from sixty-five to seventy years ago. We’re talking about the middle 1950s here.

It’s as tacky and kitschy an object as one might find. I do think this type of project was popular in the 1950s or early 1960s in high schools across Ontario. I remember my brother having done something similar as well.

When we got the lamp, it still had the original socket and wiring with it. It was, however, in what we shall say questionable condition. Much of the wiring was cracked and pretty much a safety hazard. I replaced the socket, wiring and plug to bring it into the twentieth century.

Nevertheless, it’s part of history and works just fine.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Can’t Live Without

Daily writing prompt

What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?

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Coffee.

The answer is simply coffee.

That’s all I have to say on this matter.

Next?

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Taglines

Daily writing prompt

If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

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The prompt suggests that “if humans had taglines..” I think or somehow envision that many do have a tagline of sorts. Some may be readily able to quote and expound on it if asked, while others conduct their life based on a tagline that they don’t honestly know they have developed.

In many respects, a tagline for humans suggests some sort of life force or a path that one follows or perhaps patterns their life after. The idea of a tagline does hint at a bigger deal than simply living day to day.

Regardless of how we considered the definition of what a ‘human tagline” might be or the entire purpose of developing one, people certainly have and follow certain precepts or processes if you will. Think “just be yourself” or “do the very best you can do” or perhaps “living life in the moment”

Thinking about myself two taglines come to mind.

First is, “simply living life in the moment.” Making each moment count. The future is unknown, but we can live life to its fullest extent by living life to its fullest extent in the moment we’re in.

The second one is the tagline I’ve been using at the bottom of each post for several years now. And it is “get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself.” A simple walk in the park or an adventure over a week in the wilderness can begin to lead us to discover who we truly are. To connect us to something bigger than us.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Childhood Book – Scuffy The Tugboat

Daily writing prompt

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

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Not sure this was my favourite book from my childhood, but it must be right up there as it is the only one that I can remember –“Scuffy The Tugboat.”

It was first published back in 1946 and was written by Gertrude Crampton and illustrated by Tibor Gergely.

Basically, it deals with a toy tugboat named Scuffy who wishes and dreams for something bigger than the bathtub to sail around in. The Man with the Polkadot Tie (who owns a toy store) and his son take Scuffy to a small brook in a field, where the current carries him away.

Scuffy at first thinks this is pretty cool. The brook then rows into a stream which turns into a small river and finally a larger river. As things progress, Scuffy is overwhelmed by the sheer size of things around him. As he is just about to sail off into the vastness of the ocean, he is rescued by the man and his boy and returned to the bathtub where Scuffy is as happy and content as he can be.

I likely read this endless times when I was maybe four or five years old. And it always sort of lingered buried somewhat in the back of my mind. Forty-plus years later, I ended up finding a copy of the book someplace. It brought back some wonderful memories.

I think I may have even bought it for our daughter when she was that age.

Scuffy The Tugboat – a classic.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

Overcoming Fears

Daily writing prompt

What fears have you overcome and how?

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I’m not sitting and giving this too much thought as I poke away at the laptop keys this morning.

I hope my response is more of a “what you see is what you get” level of post, without a whole lot of thinking being put into it. A post that is more guttural in nature versus something a whole lot more intellectual.

The biggest fear I’ve had certainly in my adult life and likely forever is a fear of myself.

A fear of who I was as a person. Not a fear that I was some crazed lunatic(although there may be some who think that), but a fear of looking in the mirror and seeing who I was as a person. A fear of not loving the person who was looking back.

Without going into a ton of backstory, through some pretty intense therapy in my forties, and a lot of hard and exhausting work on my part, I don’t have that fear of myself today.

I like what I see(although my little punchy belly could use some exercise) and I like/love who I am now.

I don’t particularly care what others think. Most folks that I know and perhaps it’s everyone I know, could use a little self-examination to deal with their own level of fu@ked-upness.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —

It’s The Simple Things

Daily writing prompt

Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

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Without a doubt, we are the architects and construction crew for how we define “our life.” The highs and lows, the good and bad and the neutral day-to-day in life are going to happen regardless of what we think and or do about it.

The key is what we do about or react to those things that happen. It is how we react or deal with “life” that in many regards points us in the direction of how we deal with what brings joy into our lives.

Unfortunately, there are many folks I’ve known over the years who are always seeking the next big “joy or high” in their life. Not a drug or substance-induced high, but the next big thing to bring them joy and make them happy. The bigger and better the toys; the more exotic the vacation; the better and more exclusive area to live.

You get the idea here. Always wanting and chasing the “next better thing” thinking this will bring more joy into my life. But chasing the next better thing is like a drug addiction. The euphoria of the latest bigger and better thing eventually wears off leading folks to seek out the “next bigger and better.”

I’ve been around a long time. Yes, not as long as some, but I have enough skin in the game to have figured out the joy isn’t from bigger and better.

No, joy in life lies in the simple things.

• A quiet morning sitting on the back deck having a coffee.
• Chatting with my daughter on the phone.
• A day strolling along the waterfront in Halifax.
• An afternoon driving throughout the countryside with Lynn.
• Saturday morning farmers markets.
• Completing a new painting.

These are just a few things off the top of my head early on a Saturday morning.

Part of the key to this(at least I think it is) is loving ourselves; and being comfortable with who we are.

When we’re there or at that point, joy can be found in anything. But, when we’re not comfortable with who we are, we’re unsettled so to speak and seek or strive for joy in the “bigger and better” to make us feel good about ourselves. If we take that more exotic vacation, that will bring me joy.

One day and this is for certain, we’ll all look back and realize that it was those seemingly insignificant moments in our lives that held the greatest amount of joy.

Some of us will have nailed it; others of us not so much.

–as always with love–

— get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself —