La-La Land of Gratitude

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter L which means I am beyond lucky to be so blessed!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures
H = Hugs, Hurricanes, Humor
I = Ice cream, Impromptu Invitations
J = Jim, Jokes, Job, Java
K = Kindness, King Cone, Knock on Wood, Karma

Laughter: They say laughter is the best medicine. I don't think it'll cure COVID, but it certainly eases the pain of life as we know it in 2020. So very grateful for opportunities to laugh – whether it's friends, family or something goofy on TV or the internet. Just losing it over a deep-belly laugh. It's what we long for and what we need! And since we are a data-driven society these days, did you know there is data mounting about the legit positive effects of laughter? According to Mayo Clinic (quite reputable, if you ask me):

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects, too! Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier. 

If you can't find anything to laugh about, watch mindless TV, rent my husband (he's the funny one), or try on a pair of your pre-COVID quarantine jeans and see how that goes for you. If you're like me, you'll laugh 'til you cry. Or just cry.

Love: Well that's a given. Of course, love can improve your mood, too. It's truly a blessing to have someone love you and to be able to love in return. Even after 254 days in "light quarantine" together. 

See, that's funny. Maybe.

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

My Kind of Blessing

 

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter K which means I am beyond O K – I'm so blessed!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures
H = Hugs, Hurricanes, Humor
I = Ice cream, Impromptu Invitations
J = Jim, Jokes, Job, Java

Kindness: Did you know November 13 is always World Kindness Day?  It should be every day. Especially in 2020. In a world, in a state, in a town where there is discord, I am so grateful to people who are kind. And not just on international holidays. I am grateful when people show respect for the elderly, for authorities, for their parents – for humankind, really. It's missing in a lot places. The other day I encouraged an elderly man (anyone over my hubby's age) to get ahead of me in line at the store because he only had two items. He says, "Pull your mask down so I can see you face." I pull it down and I'm like, "You don't know me. I'm just being nice." And I get a "Well thank you, young lady." Hey, we need more people calling me young AND a lady. I'll let you know when Robyn Kindness Day is!

King Cone: It had to be said.

Knock on Wood: I'm not superstitious, just a little stitious. So on days like today, I knock on wood for luck.

When you wake up to this and it's Friday the 13th in 2020, you wonder, has someone checked to make sure this white powdery substance isn't lethal? Not that I have paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia – you know, long words with Ks that mean fear of Friday the 13th. But still, we all hoped today just be normal. As normal as any Friday the 13th in 2020 could be anyway. So far – knock on wood – we're O K!

Karma: Grateful for karma? Yup. That's all I need to say about that.

Be safe and Kareful out there!

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

J is for Just Blessed

 

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter J which means I am just so blessed!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures
H = Hugs, Hurricanes, Humor
I = Ice cream, Impromptu Invitations

Jim: You saw that one coming, too, didn't you? I would hope so. He's my much, much, much better half.  He does the laundry and cleans the toilets. And best of all, loves me for me. And that's a huge undertaking. I've obviously hit the jackpot! Did I mention his sense of humor? He's quite the jokester, in that sly funny way that makes me laugh or makes me mad when I don't realize he's just joking. But he has the biggest heart. Ever. 

And even after 23-plus years bothering each other, I still love him to the moon and back and even to Jupiter and back. Blessed doesn't cover it.

Jokes: Speaking of joking around, though. I do love the occasional clever pun. OK, as often as I can hear them, read them, think them, say them. I'm like my mom that way. In fact, Jim had emailed some pun-filled jokes recently to share with mom the next time I talked to her. So tonight when I called her I said, "Oh Mom, I have to tell you some jokes Jim sent me." She replies, "He sent you? Aren't you living together anymore?" Oh gosh. I forget my 88-year-old mother doesn't realize we say sent emails or sent texts. It's not send me a letter via USPS from some other house not on Blue Jay Drive. I had Jim talk to her a few minutes just to allay her concerns. Funny, not funny. Right? Jeez, Mom.

Job: I never thought I'd do anything other than being a newspaper reporter or editor. Then I got into magazines and online publishing. Then, after a brief stint in the ed-tech sector, I'm writing creatively (mostly) in a growing marketing department at an insurance company of all things. And I love it! I feel especially grateful in 2020, that I have a job and that I can do that job from my home office. Even though I may jest that this is Day 252 in captivity, I am beyond blessed to be in this situation!

Java: Finally, I couldn't handle any of these blessings today without my morning coffee! And anyone I come into contact with before noon is grateful for what my energy juice does for me. Yes, I am a princess and require tasty flavors in my Keurig (ope, a K word for tomorrow) or flavored creamer. Still, I drink it. I like it. Plus, once you're 50, you deserve to spoil your jolly self. And you don't have to explain yourself. Judge away.

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

I Scream Gratitude

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter I which means I am screaming thankfulness.

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures
H = Hugs, Hurricanes, Humor

Ice Cream: You saw that coming, didn't you? I mean, you would've been disappointed if I said anything else. I should say I'm grateful for the incomparable deliciousness of hard ice cream – not soft serve. I'm a snob that way. I mean yes, after King Cone closed for the season, I have patronized DQ for their Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. And yes, on very rare occasions, Culver's does the trick. I mean that's like once a year. And well, usually a pumpkin or eggnog shake. Oh gosh, I'm beyond predictable! 

Here's a little something you might not have known about ice cream... It's the confection that we can count on in all circumstances – from "Yay!" to "Ugh. What a lousy day." In its own sweet way, ice reminds us to enjoy life... before it melts away!

Impromptu Invites: Speaking of enjoying life... two impromptu invites made my day today. To be fair, I'm kind of any easy "yes" these days. Anything to see people, even if it's outdoors or masked up at a social distance. So getting invited to walk around the lake after work, was a quick, "Yes, let's do it before the sun sets!" So invigorating! And grabbing dinner with a few girlfriends only took minor arm twisting. The talking, the laughter, just a sweet illusion of normalcy. 

And I'm grateful that when I do say yes, God rewards me with this image. Hard to believe the wind was practically raising the roof off our house last night and this afternoon, we get water as smooth as glass. Or as my walking partner pointed out, "As smooth as a bowl of Jell-O – unless there's cat hair on it."

Intrigued? 

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

Heart-Felt Blessings

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter H which stands for blessings of the Heart.

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures

Hugs: I didn't realize until the coronavirus took over the world how much I take human touch for granted. I miss hugs! Social distancing is not for huggers! I miss giving and receiving a heart-felt embrace that can deliver everything from comfort to love to strength. Hugs are just plain magical. Too bad they can't double as our vaccine.

Hurricanes: OK, I'm cheating. I am grateful we do NOT get hurricanes in central Wisconsin. Today though...

More than 2 1/4 inches of rain. And it was still raining. I just had to take the picture before it got dark. So yeah, I'm grateful it's not accompanied by gale-force winds or, in a lot normal November instances, ice or snow. We don't board up our windows around here. Sometimes we use a hair dryer to add plastic wrap in the winter. But that's about it.

Humor: Holy cow. Where would we be without humor? I get my sarcasm-poking fun humor from my dad and my clever with a side of pun humor from my mom. Of course, growing up we don't think anything our parents do is funny or remotely entertaining. Now, though, I am so blessed they passed it on! I'm hilarious! Ha. I obviously passed on the helping of humble pie.

Hope: Today I'm most grateful that despite the poop show that is 2020, I still have hope. If I can say that on Post-Washington Trip :: Day 250, then anyone can! Even in this climate of negativity and unrest, I still witness random acts of kindness. And it gives me hope that humans will act with more humanity. We can do this. If you don't see kindness, be kindness.

If all else fails, HUG it out! Hug it out.

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

G is for Gratitude

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter G which stands for Gratitude. Oh wait, that's way too easy!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward

Games: I'd definitely say I'm a bit on the competitive side. But still – win or lose – I love games and game days with my family. And games during girls weekend are a hoot!

Do we get into it a little bit? Oh just a little bit. And that makes us all giggle. Like hard. Like I can't breathe because I'm laughing so hard. Games might be a bit of health hazard at that. Grateful for the family fun, that's for sure!

Golf: Well, golf is one game I will never be competitive at. Even though, as hubby points out, it's just me against me, trying to do better than the time before – or even the shot before. I'm not good but I don't go enough or practice enough to be good. It's frustrating as heck. But dang. I sure love the game! And it's a fun time with girlfriends or guy friends or the whole gang.

Guilty pleasures: I have to acknowledge how grateful I am for guilty pleasures. It just happened that I had my monthly massage from 4-5 p.m. today, followed by my 6-week "please remove the glittery grays" hair artist appointment at 5:30 p.m., wrapped up with a oh-so-good Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from our "they close for the season in 2 weeks" DQ. I'm not sure why they call them guilty pleasures. I don't feel one bit guilty. Do you, Me, Myself & I? Nope, nope, nope. Great!

Good night!

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

ThankFul F Words

 

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter F, which means I'm about to unleash some F words. The good kind, though!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest

Family: That's an easy one. I'm so very, very grateful for my birth family, hubby's birth family, and the family we've created together. Since fuel prices are somewhat low now, we even took the truck down to Platteville today to enjoy some family time with Carter and friends. (Well, friends will be another F word shortly.)

It's his girlFriend's birthday on Tuesday so I made some treats (scotcheroos) for her and crocheted a scarf – and did the same for his roommate (brownies for her) who's having a birthday on Wednesday. We went to lunch with the household and enjoyed good food plus visiting outside in what turned out to be another fanta-bulous fall day! 

We also spent some time with Bennie, the feisty feline of the house. 

Do not tell Sylvester. We don't need a long-distance cat fight!

Friends: Lots of our friends are just like family! I love my circles of friends from high school and college friends to close co-workers at my handful of workplaces to my current social circles of church, school, book club, neighborhood, and so on. And the list really does go on. I'm so fortunate God has put so many wonderful people in my path. I seriously wouldn't be the person I am without you. Thank you!!

Faith: This is a big one. I'm not bragging about it. I'm just saying I'd be lost without my spirituality. God once game me a second chance at life and I'm not gonna blow it. I'm eternally grateful and try to pay it forward. Sometimes – when there's nothing we can control – that just means fervent prayers. Thanks for listening, God, and teaching me your will is far better than any of my silly ideas of control.

Flu shot: I have to include this! I survived my flu shot yesterday. No pain. No crying. No fainting. And hopefully.... no flu this season. Between the COVID-19 virus and the possibility of just the normal crappy flu, there could be some serious F words over the next few months. Here's to our health!

FastForward: Just a quick mention of gratitude that we could rewind out TV back to noon when we got home tonight and fastforward through our football victory today. Thought I'd spell it out for you in case you missed to purple F up top!

#SKOL #gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet