Yearly Archive: 2021

20
Aug
2021

LEARNING TO USE A SLINGSHOT

I have to concentrate on the good things in my daily life, in order to combat all the awful things in the world that I can’t do anything about. Or at least not anything substantial. Recycling and donating to humanitarian causes seems to pale in the face of all the misery and hardship out there. I have only skimmed the news for years now, reading headlines and limiting my exposure, because I buckle under the weight of it and I’m PRIVILEGED. I live a cushy, easy life. I live in the first of first world countries. I can’t, in any...

19
Aug
2021

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

I’m still in the middle of vacation, home, doing not much of anything. I have another week after this, but I’m honestly debating whether to go back to work a little early. I’ve had things to do, don’t get me wrong, but this past week I’ve been “trapped” at home without a car most days and it’s been pretty much raining non-stop for longer than that. It makes me question how I’ll be able to handle retirement in 10 years. Mind you, I am NOT complaining about too much vacation, rather I am thinking I need to fill my days...

11
Aug
2021

EXPRESSING YOUR ESSENTIAL NATURE

There are so many ways to define yourself. How do you do it? Is it your socio-economic grouping (lower-class, middle-class, upper-middle-class)? Is it your age range, as defined by so many questionnaires and surveys (Under 12 years old, 12-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75 years or older)? Is it your ethnicity (White, Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Native American or American Indian, Asian / Pacific Islander, Other)? Is it the generational decade you were born into (baby boomer, gen x, millennial, gen z)? Is it your marital status? Your level of education? Your employment status? Your...

08
Aug
2021

SO HARD

One week of vacation down and it was a busy one. This weekend, however, we had no plans. Anders finished putting up the blinds on the porch and we’ve eaten dinner out there a couple of times. He only has one week left, and he says he’s at least 2 projects behind. But I’m hoping he’ll go kayaking at least once this coming week if the weather stays nice. Being on vacation for this long is weird. I have actually jumped in and done a couple of work-related things but nothing that took any amount of time. I was looking...

31
Jul
2021

WHAT TIME IS IT? VACATION TIME!

It’s the last day of July and the first day of my summer vacation. I have 4 full weeks stretching out in front of me. There are already several things booked on the calendar (next week is pretty full) and my to-do list is quite long, though at least half of it is actually for Anders to do. 😀 Last year I took 3 weeks off in August but I worked an entire week’s worth of it anyway, as there was so much to do. I’m going to try very hard NOT to do that again. I learned my lesson,...

21
Jul
2021

WALKING IN SUNSHINE

Only 1.5 more weeks to vacation and I’m getting a little antsy. I want to stop setting an alarm for more than the two days of the weekend. I want to have long, unstructured days where I can do whatever I want, or nothing. I want to spend time anywhere but in front of a computer for 8 hours at a stretch. I want my shoulders to go down to where they belong and stop being hunched up around my ears. I want to read a book a day. Or play games, or read or watch TV or do things...

15
Jul
2021

INTERLUDE

Dang. I try to be better about writing and then another week slips by, with all the posts still unwritten and in my head. I’ve been very conscientious about posting my daily good things on Facebook but then I don’t get back online, seated in front of the PC at the desk to write here. I’m home alone at the moment. Anders left early Wednesday morning with a friend, on motorcycles, heading up the west coast of Sweden for several days. It’s their 4th annual trip and they spend it searching for and going to as many little weird museums...

08
Jul
2021

GROWING THINGS, GOOD THINGS

Every evening, through the spring and summer, I go out and water in the garden. I’m not a gardener, not really. I put pansies in the pots in the spring and swap them out for pelargoniums in the summer; those that don’t have year-round succulents. I’m partial to plants and flowers that are low-maintenance, that come up year after year, with the minimum of attention: water every evening, some weeding when it gets to the point I can’t ignore them anymore, and sunshine. In the front garden, we have a circle of yellow-veined hostas, interspersed with some leafy plants that...

02
Jul
2021

HOLES AND HOPES

I find myself checking my head constantly, without thinking about it. My hands in my hair, sifting through the strands, feeling the lumps and landscape of my skull like an amateur phrenologist. I am trying unconsciously to tell if there is more damage from my fall than I thought, or maybe I’m trying to smooth it out, to make sure there are no actual holes in my skull, as if my fingers could softly and carefully rub the bone back together. There are 22 bones in the human skull, 14 of which make up your face. The bones of the...

30
Jun
2021

SIX MONTHS, A SECOND SHOT, SOCCER, AND A SHOW

How is it already the last day of June? Why do we let the time fly by without making sure we savor it…it goes so fast. Another year, half down. I got my second vaccination shot yesterday. Camilla had given me a tip, given to her by a friend who knows a doctor: take 2 Alvedon (equivalent to Tylenol) before your second shot and 2 after to avoid the side effects. It worked for me! I took 2 tablets half an hour before my shot and 2 again half an hour after. My arm was slightly tender and “heavy/blocky” feeling...

May 2024
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