today was brought to me by the word 'sleepy.' I was up later last night, but had a great sleep and slept in later than my usual waking time. I felt somewhat refreshed when I got up. This helped me to work through the household chores of the day. When I paused for my mid-afternoon chai break, I turned on a recorded program from last week. My next memory was seeing that the program was past the midpoint. Seems I fell asleep -- and I'd only been up for a few hours! <sigh> So it was indeed a sleepy Saturday -- with a planned lie in and an unplanned nap.
Many songs could fit the tenor of the day. I chose one from the debut album of a super group -- chosen for the simplicity of the lyrics, the amazing bass solo and a stellar lead solo with the musician's famous psychedelically painted Gibson. Fantastic listen with this one. Enjoy!
Several hours of freezing rain overnight and continued freezing drizzle this morning left the world a bit slick. I shoveled early yesterday, so that two to three inches that fell later remained. That was deliberate. With an inch of ice on top of the snow, the snow underneath would provide some tractionable material for walking. On the porch, I stomped through the top layer -- an action that made the most amazing sounds of shattering glass -- very musical. <smile>. Once down the stairs, I stomped my way out to the sidewalk. Luckily the plow had not gone by yet, so there was some slush in areas that gave more ability to walk well.
I decided just after opening the front door that the goal for today was to remain upright. Walking carefully on the icy sidewalks meant watching where my feet were being placed, moving slowly and ensuring the centre of gravity was over my feet and not behind them as is usual on dry surfaces. This took much care and attention, but it worked; I did not fall. The workshop material today was intense. It felt a bit less stressful since the group familiarity brought a sense of comfort. Along with the lecture material were many discussions and several small group activities. The need to ensure self care after covering challenging topics in this mental health first aid course became clear last week. I felt a bit more prepared to deal with things this week. I met friends and went for supper at the pub to catch up on their news of the week. In the evening, a good talk with a dear friend helped me to decompress. All of this helped me to remain upright emotionally, not unlike physically walking on the ice. Cool!
The selection for today deals with another aspect of being upright that came into play when speaking with friends today. Enjoy!
The day revealed some wonderful things -- friends care and asking for help can be beneficial. <smile> Lunch was spent with a great friend as we discussed a number of things. Encouraging words arrived just as I needed them. A couple of online messages from a local friend contained mini pep-talk phrases that helped me to focus and move into the discomfort to take steps to deal with an unwelcome situation. As part of this issue, I took a deep breath and sent a note to a former colleague and acquaintance who could shed some light on technical aspects of the issue. That information was most helpful.
So what did I learn? Asking friends for help can bring positive results. Friend reactions were not negative in any way, with all wishing to help within their expertise area. Requesting help feels like imposing on the time of others. I got none of that today. Friends show concern when things are making one's life difficult and express happiness where things are going well. I came across both of these reactions today. It can be a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. <smile>
While at lunch, a song from the overhead speakers had both of us humming along. It has become a bit of an earworm today <grin>. I've heard it several places recently and can see why this singer-songwriter has captured the attention of many people. The lyrics are poetic and the melody beautiful. The arrangement was left somewhat simple to help focus on the beauty of words and music. Enjoy!
Today was the second day this week that I spent time at the office. Research meetings, finding references for writing projects, and planning schedules for the next few weeks helped me begin to reestablish that part time working rhythm. Granted, the days not spent at the office have held other meetings and project work. I expect this for the short term, since I was away for a length of time since I damaged myself in a fall injury. Things are improving, but we have a way to go -- with both physical damage and finding the old rhythm. I'm feeling hopeful that things will continue to move forward smoothly.
Feeling optimistic can be challenging for me, though not impossible. Some days it is difficult not to expect everything to go sideways on me, but recognizing that that is an unlikely scenario requires a change in thinking processes. Again, challenging, but not impossible. It does take work to keep that focus, but it will be worthwhile.
The song for today speaks to following your heart -- being brave and believing in yourself. All worth the effort. Enjoy!
Twenty five years ago this month, I met an amazing group of music fans -- online. This was during the rudimentary Internet access through newsgroups. The group migrated to different platforms as technology developed the broader Web and then social media. We used various chat rooms with very basic software. Luckily, we had several techie wizards who could help those of us with less programming background to navigate the pages and communicate with our friends.
I have met many of these people in person over the years -- often at concerts, but also when I was at professional conferences in the area where some group members lived, such as Washington DC, New York city, Philadelphia, and Colorado Springs. I met three more for the first time, just this past year. Even when meeting in person for the first time, I know these people well and they spoke and acted just as I'd expected <smile>. Many of these folks have become family -- by choice. We have shared life experiences from the highest highs to the lowest lows. The support from this group is amazing. Among those I know and communicate with regularly, are so many more I would love to meet.
My onscreen nickname came from the song chosen for today. Enjoy!
Bright sunshine filled the day. After so many grey and cloudy days, this felt amazing. The sun was warm on my back as I walked to an appointment. That was very pleasant and offset the bit of colder wind. Temperatures rose to the point that melting was evident on streets and sidewalks. I spent about an hour moving snow from behind the car -- the small pile left by the guy who plows my driveway. He opened it up to the street. Along the street, the piles from sidewalk and street plows is close to shoulder height. I now have an iceberg about that size in the middle of my front lawn from the relocation of the snow.
Emotionally, it has been an up and down day -- one where I feel like I'm scaling icy mountains or being trapped by them. Some very good perspectives arrived that helped me to see things in a very different way -- positive instead of negative. There are still other negative things to tackle, but this was a beginning. Walking helps to figure things out it seems.
The song chosen today deals with walking. It has a tempo perfect for pacing a brisk walk, too. Enjoy!
Today seems to be dominated by videos of rodents across Canada and the US predicting the weather. That meteorologists are reporting this weirdness only adds to my wondering about what predicts long term weather patterns better -- a groundhog seeing its shadow or a meteorologist with a computer modeling program. I hazard a guess that it might be that these two items provide similar levels of prognostication certainty.
I shoveled snow to clear a narrow path to the town sidewalk. The plow man received a call from me to request removal of the piles of wet snow and ice left by the street and sidewalk plows. Once that is completed, I will need to head out again to move the bits left behind the rear bumper of the car. I still am not driving, but feel the need to be ready in case there is an emergent reason for me to leave. I can drive, but choose not to with any regularity until the arm can do what a right arm should do when driving a vehicle. Removal of the piles also means that I can get to a car or taxi that might pick me up without me wading through knee deep -- or deeper in places -- slushy snow. A fun event today was to help a colleague pilot a research questionnaire. The topic is very interesting and I enjoyed the methodological discussions as well as being able to speak to someone who lives a distance from here now.
The antics of humans partying around groundhog enclosures today made me think, If the animal doesn't see its shadow, spring comes early. If it does see a shadow, winter continues for six weeks more. So, much as I'd like to see the sun, perhaps clouds is what we want on this hopeful day. That brought some songs to mind. I chose one by a woman from Saskatchewan. The album cover shows Saskatoon in the background with the Saskatchewan River as the artist holds a prairie lily, the provincial flower of Saskatchewan.<smile> Enjoy!
