Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Winter Garden
Finished reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah while on my snow vacation. It is officially one of my favorite books.
The story of a mother and the two daughters to whom she cannot express her love. It was rather depressing in the beginning and I almost put it aside, but now I'm so happy that I didn't.
Anya's secrets are heartbreaking. She clearly loves her husband and he dearly loves their daughters. But Anya's secret keeps her from showing love to the girls. The only place Anya seems to find peace is in her husband's presence, in telling her fairy tales, and in her Winter Garden. As the book unfolds, we find out the importance of the garden and the reasons behind its design, but there are surprises still to come. I couldn't figure out why there was no color in the garden. Even in the summer, it is all green and white - no color. But Hannah finally explains it and I cried and cried. In fact, as you get to the end of the book, you will want to have a hankie close by. The ending was so satisfying that I re-read the last chapter and boo hooed again. Great character development. You will find yourself getting quite mad at the characters for some of their choices. Yet you so fully understand them that your heart breaks for them even while they are making poor choices. This would make a great movie.
View all my reviews
The story of a mother and the two daughters to whom she cannot express her love. It was rather depressing in the beginning and I almost put it aside, but now I'm so happy that I didn't.
View all my reviews
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Heigh ho, Heigh ho
It's off to work I go. The mini-vacation is over. With heart sagging and feet dragging, I managed to make it back to my desk at RCPS just now. Yesterday was the MLK holiday so at least I only have to get through a four-day work week.
It's funny that all the female co-workers in my building were sad about returning. The women in my age group liked that little taste of what retirement will be like. The younger women loved having a full week to be a stay-at-home mom. Only the men here are bouncing up and down the halls happy to be back out in the work world. They can have it. Are our male/female psyches hard-wired to be workers/hearthkeepers, respectively?
The better part of the morning for the women has been the exchange of news - sharing what I did with my time and catching up on their doings. Thanks to the ability to check work e-mails and voice-mails from home means very few of us have a backlog of messages to follow-up on so I suspect a little less work will get done today. After all, we all are feeling the need to ease back into this routine.
I've noticed the early arrivers did not get in quite as early this morning. The people who usually arrive on the button are still not here 10 minutes later. Now that I've finished my commisserating with co-workers about the inevitable return, it's time to review that suspense folder and make my to do list for the day.
One day at a time. Just get through today and then there's only three more. By next Monday, it will be business as usual.
The better part of the morning for the women has been the exchange of news - sharing what I did with my time and catching up on their doings. Thanks to the ability to check work e-mails and voice-mails from home means very few of us have a backlog of messages to follow-up on so I suspect a little less work will get done today. After all, we all are feeling the need to ease back into this routine.
I've noticed the early arrivers did not get in quite as early this morning. The people who usually arrive on the button are still not here 10 minutes later. Now that I've finished my commisserating with co-workers about the inevitable return, it's time to review that suspense folder and make my to do list for the day.
One day at a time. Just get through today and then there's only three more. By next Monday, it will be business as usual.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Finding Balance
I'm enjoying my last day of Snow-In January. Snow is still on the ground and the roads are pretty much clear, but the temperature is in the teens in the Atlanta area so our schools are still closed. The air brakes on school buses do not perform very well in temperatures this low. So the school system Super Powers decided that it wasn't worth the risk of brake failure just to get in one day of school this week.
The hibernation has been fun but making up the hours will be burdensome. Sigh. It has been nice to have the time this week to clear out some of the clutter and organize that which I am keeping. This week has also caused me to begin to ponder my upcoming retirement and how my days of unemployment may look. It's a bit hard for me to imagine how it will really to be to have all that free time because I have been gainfully employed for over 20 years. My sisters and friends just laugh when I talk about all that free time I see in my future. Do they know something I don't yet know?
My pondering has led me to thinking about the importance of a balanced life. My life has not been balanced during my working years - especially not during the last 5 years. For the last five years I have worked 8-hours days and commuted 2 hours each day. So between 10 hours of commute/work, 2 hours of morning routines, 1 hour of lunchtime errands, 1 hour of dinner prep and eating, then 7 hours of sleeping, I have been left with a grand total of THREE hours on weekdays to do the things I want to do. And, of course, I'm so pooped by the time those three hours become available to me that I don't have the energy for doing much of anything.
But this week I've had the time and energy to begin preparing for the retirement stage of life and one thing I have been working on is my Wheel of Life. Those things that are important to me and that will help me live a balanced life. I want my wheel to be made up of 7 spokes - Spiritual, Family, Social, Work, Financial, Physical, and Mental.
My wheel has not been balanced these last few years. The career spoke has taken up so much time that the other spokes have been seriously shortchanged. Several areas have gone completely out of round, so the ride has been rough. This week at home has given me a new excitement for getting my Wheel nicely rounded out again. Easier said than done, right? Well for me, I have developed five attitudes that I will begin internalizing now so that I am ready for a productive retirement in 2012.
1) Let Go of the Busyness
Get rid of those activities that are unfulfilling.
2) Simplify
Stop over-scheduling and over-committing. Simplifying also means keeping my household free of clutter and possessions that require too much of my time for maintenance.
3) Put First Things First
After prioritizing the spokes of my Wheel, make a point of doing something that impacts the top three spokes early in the day.
4) Create Daily Routines but Remain Flexible
Daily routines are important to our mental health. But if we become slaves to the routine, we become bitter and hardened.
5) Do Something for At Least One Person Each Day
This could be as simple as preparing breakfast for husband or as elaborate as shopping for a shut-in or volunteering at the hospital. The point is to not let it be all about me.
The hibernation has been fun but making up the hours will be burdensome. Sigh. It has been nice to have the time this week to clear out some of the clutter and organize that which I am keeping. This week has also caused me to begin to ponder my upcoming retirement and how my days of unemployment may look. It's a bit hard for me to imagine how it will really to be to have all that free time because I have been gainfully employed for over 20 years. My sisters and friends just laugh when I talk about all that free time I see in my future. Do they know something I don't yet know?
My pondering has led me to thinking about the importance of a balanced life. My life has not been balanced during my working years - especially not during the last 5 years. For the last five years I have worked 8-hours days and commuted 2 hours each day. So between 10 hours of commute/work, 2 hours of morning routines, 1 hour of lunchtime errands, 1 hour of dinner prep and eating, then 7 hours of sleeping, I have been left with a grand total of THREE hours on weekdays to do the things I want to do. And, of course, I'm so pooped by the time those three hours become available to me that I don't have the energy for doing much of anything.
But this week I've had the time and energy to begin preparing for the retirement stage of life and one thing I have been working on is my Wheel of Life. Those things that are important to me and that will help me live a balanced life. I want my wheel to be made up of 7 spokes - Spiritual, Family, Social, Work, Financial, Physical, and Mental.
My wheel has not been balanced these last few years. The career spoke has taken up so much time that the other spokes have been seriously shortchanged. Several areas have gone completely out of round, so the ride has been rough. This week at home has given me a new excitement for getting my Wheel nicely rounded out again. Easier said than done, right? Well for me, I have developed five attitudes that I will begin internalizing now so that I am ready for a productive retirement in 2012.
1) Let Go of the Busyness
Get rid of those activities that are unfulfilling.
2) Simplify
Stop over-scheduling and over-committing. Simplifying also means keeping my household free of clutter and possessions that require too much of my time for maintenance.
3) Put First Things First
After prioritizing the spokes of my Wheel, make a point of doing something that impacts the top three spokes early in the day.
4) Create Daily Routines but Remain Flexible
Daily routines are important to our mental health. But if we become slaves to the routine, we become bitter and hardened.
5) Do Something for At Least One Person Each Day
This could be as simple as preparing breakfast for husband or as elaborate as shopping for a shut-in or volunteering at the hospital. The point is to not let it be all about me.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Snow-In 2011
I am in day 4 of the big snow/ice storm in Atlanta. Ron went to work today but my school system is still closed so I get a bonus day of hibernation. I have spent my morning cleaning, decluttering, and preparing documents for our construction loan application. That new book I downloaded to my iPad last night is still sitting there softly calling my name. Perhaps I can be introduced to that group of new friends this afternoon.
The snow is beginning to melt in my back yard. The shadows the sun makes on the snow are beautiful. My little gardening shed stands solid, patiently waiting for my return this coming spring.
Ron helped me put the raised-bed vegetable garden to bed last fall by covering it with a blanket of mulched leaves. This week it has received an extra blanket of snow. Just imagine how that snow is going to help those leaves turn into compost even faster. I wonder, are there tons of beneficial nutrients in that snow that are leaching into my garden soil getting ready to make my tomatoes and squash large and juicy?
The snow is beginning to melt in my back yard. The shadows the sun makes on the snow are beautiful. My little gardening shed stands solid, patiently waiting for my return this coming spring.
Ron helped me put the raised-bed vegetable garden to bed last fall by covering it with a blanket of mulched leaves. This week it has received an extra blanket of snow. Just imagine how that snow is going to help those leaves turn into compost even faster. I wonder, are there tons of beneficial nutrients in that snow that are leaching into my garden soil getting ready to make my tomatoes and squash large and juicy?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Human Hibernation
Ron and I are in our third day of forced hibernation. We are working hard not to get too stir crazy. It has been easier for me as I am a home body...a bit harder for Ron who is much more of a people person. I have embraced these days of solitude as an unexpected vacation and I have spent my time catching up on reading, planning resolutions for 2011, and even pulling out the old cross-stitch bag. These days have also served as a warning of what my upcoming days of retirement will be like. Except that hubby and I will be able to get outdoors and not be totally cooped up together 24/7.
Do you know that there really is such a thing called Human Hibernation Syndrome? It's true! It seems that just like bears, human also enjoy sleeping a bit more when it comes to avoiding the winter. When the temperature drops and the days are shorter, the human body slows down a bit and we start to see changes in our mood. We tend to want to sleep more and eat more as well. I know I have certainly slept and eaten more in just these last three days of being enclosed in my "cave". It is the shorter hours of daylight that seems to make the difference. Light is a very important thing for humans. Our brain needs light in order to be working at its best. If there isn't enough light, you can become sleepy or just sluggish. This explains why it can be so hard for many people to get through the winter - we always seem so tired when the days are shorter and darker. It was very tempting to stay up late watching movies and then sleep in late each morning as we were not required to get up, get dressed, and head out to the workplace during these three days. However, we have made a concentrated effort to go to bed and arise on our usual schedule. By going to bed on time, we have discovered that we did not have to set an alarm clock. We awakened naturally after 7 or 8 hours of sleep. The trick was to resist the temptation to snuggle back down under those warm covers for a few more hours. Getting out of bed and turning on all the lights first thing was paramount to maintaining a good mood and energy to get the day going. It has turned out to be a very nice mini-vacation, but now we are ready to start crawling out of this hibernation cave.
In the midst of our forced hibernation, we have not forgotten to take care of the little birdies.
This is a view of the hill in front of our house (photo taken from standing on my front porch.... brrrr).
Do you know that there really is such a thing called Human Hibernation Syndrome? It's true! It seems that just like bears, human also enjoy sleeping a bit more when it comes to avoiding the winter. When the temperature drops and the days are shorter, the human body slows down a bit and we start to see changes in our mood. We tend to want to sleep more and eat more as well. I know I have certainly slept and eaten more in just these last three days of being enclosed in my "cave". It is the shorter hours of daylight that seems to make the difference. Light is a very important thing for humans. Our brain needs light in order to be working at its best. If there isn't enough light, you can become sleepy or just sluggish. This explains why it can be so hard for many people to get through the winter - we always seem so tired when the days are shorter and darker. It was very tempting to stay up late watching movies and then sleep in late each morning as we were not required to get up, get dressed, and head out to the workplace during these three days. However, we have made a concentrated effort to go to bed and arise on our usual schedule. By going to bed on time, we have discovered that we did not have to set an alarm clock. We awakened naturally after 7 or 8 hours of sleep. The trick was to resist the temptation to snuggle back down under those warm covers for a few more hours. Getting out of bed and turning on all the lights first thing was paramount to maintaining a good mood and energy to get the day going. It has turned out to be a very nice mini-vacation, but now we are ready to start crawling out of this hibernation cave.
In the midst of our forced hibernation, we have not forgotten to take care of the little birdies.
This is a view of the hill in front of our house (photo taken from standing on my front porch.... brrrr).
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