What Makes You Happy?

 

By Joan Whetzel

I found this writing prompt a while back. When I wrote it at the top of the page, I first started making a list of all kinds of “things.” But when I went back and looked at the list later, I realized it was just a list of stuff. And none of them really made me happy. They didn’t really fill my senses or touch my heart in any way. They were pleasant to be sure, but that pleasant feeling didn’t last. They were just “things” that were pleasant for the briefest of times. I re-thought my list. And here were 5 things that really made me happy. Every time I revive one of these memories, I feel their warmth all over again.

1.  First day of spring or fall weather. It’s bright and sunny, with a small breeze, and the humidity is just right. One of those days when you want to spend the whole day outside. Maybe planting flowers or raking leaves, having a picnic, bike riding or walking in the park. Doesn’t matter as long as you don’t have to go inside until nightfall.

  2.  Driving past wide-open field being mowed for the first time in Spring. Grass mown in the springtime smells different than summer and fall grass. Spring grass smells new, and fresh, and full of hope. It smells greener. It smells delicious.

   3.  Getting the house to myself for the whole day. I get to do whatever I want. Don’t have to take care of anybody, except for myself.

  4.   Rain at night. Good sleeping weather.

 5.  Someone tells you something unexpectedly nice about yourself. Especially when you never knew they felt that way about you.

The best thing about these happy things is that they don’t cost anything. They’re free. What are 5 things that make you happy?

What are Some of Your Favorite Childhood Memories

 By: Joan Whetzel

When I first saw this question as a writing prompt, I rejected it. It read: “What Is Your Favorite Childhood Memory?” I couldn’t imagine writing about one memory as my favorite. I knew somewhere down the road, another favorite memory would come to mind, and that one would compete with my current favorite. I know, because I keep having favorite childhood memories show up when I’m not looking. And I find I can’t decide which one is truly my favorite. With that in mind, I changed the writing prompt to “What are Some of Your Favorite Childhood Memories?” I jotted down a few of them below.

Sliding down the hill on flattened boxes in Ohio.

-        Tobogganing down one of the few hills in Rolling Meadows, and almost going over the edge into the creek.

-        Waiting for the pond in Rolling Meadows to freeze so we could go ice skating on the rippled ice.

-        Waiting every Christmas foe grandma’s box of Christmas cookies. My favorites were the waffle cookies and the chocolate coconut cookies

-        The house on Rowan St. here in Houston when we first moved in. At the end of the block was a field of cows.

-        Grandma and Grandpa taking the train to Houston to visit us every Thanksgiving. I loved going to the train station to pick them up. When they went home, grandpa would always tie all of our shoes together and knotted the laces so we couldn’t get them loosened to go to school the next Monday

-        Every fall, grandma would send us a package with fall leaves pressed between sheets of waxed paper, because we didn’t get proper fall colors down here.

 

Oh, there’s lots more. This is just the starter kit.

 

JOAN'S OFFICE: What Things Can’t You Live Without?

JOAN'S OFFICE: What Things Can’t You Live Without?:                                                                              By Joan Whetzel   If you had asked me this question as a ki...

What Things Can’t You Live Without?

                                                             By Joan Whetzel

 

If you had asked me this question as a kid, I would probably have chosen a favorite Easter dress, trick or treating, Christmas presents, a specific friend (who I haven’t seen in decades and would no longer recognize if I passed them on the street), the public swimming pool a couple blocks over, or that red bike I used to ride everywhere – to name a few.

 Funny how the things you consider important change with age and time. My list of things I can’t live without is may be shorter than it used to be – or maybe not. The items it contains is definitely different. 

Here’s my current list.I cannot live without (not necessarily in this order):

Ø  My family.

Ø  God.

Ø  Friends, for as long as God allows them to be in my life (life changes, people move, …).

Ø  Food and water.

Ø  A roof over my head.

Ø  Sunshine and rain.

Ø  Flannel sheets in the winter, or a heating blanket to heat up the sheets before I get in to bed on cold nights.

Ø  Music, all kinds.

Ø  Sleep.

Ø  White noise, to drown out the total quiet on those nights when everyone actually goes home to sleep, when there’s no dogs conversing all night, and when there’s no noisy weather going on outside – or on those nights when my brain won’t shut up.

Ø  The ceiling fan at night. Yes, even in the winter I need to feel the air moving.

Ø  Alone time = having the house to myself once in a while.

Ø  A graceful exit from large parties or gatherings (too people-y).

Ø  Good books to read.

Ø  Places to volunteer.

Ø  Income.

Ø  Green spaces (picnics, walks, playgrounds).

 

I’m sure I’ll mentally add to this list from time to time.

JOAN'S OFFICE: Trouble Sleeping Again

JOAN'S OFFICE: Trouble Sleeping Again:  Posted: August 23, 2020 By: Joan Whetzel   This year has weighed heavy on my, and yes, I know I am not alone in this. Between the Covid...

Trouble Sleeping Again

 Posted: August 23, 2020

By: Joan Whetzel

 

This year has weighed heavy on my, and yes, I know I am not alone in this. Between the Covid, the lock downs, lower income because of not working, the political climate, and just a general feeling that everything feels unsettled, I have come to a point this summer where I cannot sleep well. It reminds me of my personal summer from hell a few years ago, and has triggered some of the feelings of being in a life I have no control over – feelings I had that summer after my husband died – triggering memories of the trouble sleeping I had back then. Sleep-wise, I would kill for a consistent string of all-nighters, with only a rare trip to the bathroom.

 

Well I have, in the intervening years, developed a bedtime routine of sorts, which has helped me get a good night’s sleep most of the time. At least until this summer. This summer’s routine means I am getting a little more sleep than I did that summer (5 hours interrupted sleep as opposed to 3 hours of extremely interrupted sleep). But oh, what I wouldn’t give for a normal sleep pattern again.

 

My bedtime routine includes:

1.   -  Running the ceiling fan to keep it cool (and for a little white noise).

2.   -  Going to bed and waking up at the same time.

3.   -  Watching what I eat, especially in the evening (no spicy or fried foods, no coffee past noon).

4.    - Using dim table lamps the last hour before laying down to go to sleep.

5.   -  Praying (usually the rosary, something about the rhythm of it) right before going to sleep.

6.   --  Getting regular exercise during the daytime.

7.   -  Turning off political and Covid virus news. Period.

8.  -   Watching TV shows or movies that allow my mind to wander and imagine; shows that don’t leave me  agitated and upset.

-I have found a few bedtime and daily routine things that I change out or add in to my day and night as needed:

1.   -  I have noticed that my exercise routine has fallen off considerably, and I am working back into increased exercise daily.

2.   - Since I’m home all the time, I have begun taking afternoon naps. Definitely a habit I’ve had to work hard at stopping.

3.    - I’ve been locked up inside. So, on the few days I get outside and catch some rays, I have slept better that night. So, this will be something I add more regularly to my days. Even if it’s only to go sit out on the deck to eat lunch.

4.  -   I do occasional mindless repetitive tasks in front of the evening TV, like mending, making lists of things that need to be done seems to wind my mind down. Less time to worry over the things that keep my head from shutting up.

5.   -  I turn on a relaxation or sleep “video” from my Amazon Prime account, and setting the TV timer to turn off in 30 minutes. (I always fall asleep before the TV goes off).

6.   -  Or use my white noise machine. It has a selection of sounds to choose from and I can set it to turn itself off. (I fall asleep before it turns off).

7.   -  I also read a few chapters of my latest book several nights a week.

Lately, I have added one more trick that Grandma Pauken used to help us sleep when we went up there on summer vacations. I drink a glass of warm milk with Ovaltine. I’ve done it for the last 2 nights. It definitely helps me fall asleep. It hasn’t quite helped me stay asleep all night – yet. But then it’s only been 2 nights. So, we’ll see. I have found a few other tricks I might swap out. I’ll let you know how they work.

 

 

OMG, When Did I Become My Dad?

By Joan Whetzel

I’ve been pondering my life lately. Looking at the choices I’ve made, the way I think, the way I decide to do things. I’ve come to the realization that I’m hardwired a lot like my dad. Then it felt like the universe reached out and whacked me upside the head. OMG! When did I become my dad?

Whenever the universe drops a few more “challenges” in my lap (I can think of a few other choice words that I’d like to use), first I get mad, plot a little revenge against the person or entity that’s raising my stress levels along with my blood pressure, then I take care of the elephant in the room in the quickest most efficient way possible. I can’t count the number of times I saw my dad stress out over seemingly overwhelming odds dropped in his lap, then suddenly come up with an organize plan for fixing it in the most efficient way possible.

Refrain: OMG when did I become my dad?

Over the years I have planned things like vacations (haven’t been able to afford one of those in years) and even picnics. I’d pull out the road maps and plan the route; plan what’s packed for the trip or picnic or trip to Miller Outdoor theater; plan for every contingency; and make sure everything makes it into the car – on both ends of the trip.  

Refrain: OMG, when did I become my dad?

I have found, especially in recent years since my husband’s death, that making lists of everything that needs doing and all the steps involved, calms my mind. It also feeds my OCD need to organize EVERYTHING!   

Refrain: OMG, when did I become my dad?

I’ve also noticed that I can’t stand leaving things undone.

·       Can’t get up in the morning without making my bed.

·       Can’t leave bills unpaid when I have the money in my account to pay them right now.

·       When facing a “challenge” requiring several steps to fix, I can’t sit around waiting for the ball to land back in my court before I collect everything I need to take care of the next step. I have to collect everything I know I’m going to need – well in advance – and stack the items in neat little piles, organized by the “challenge” that needs fixing. Each pile is then organized into paper-clipped bundles that represent the step where it’ll be needed and each paper-clipped bundle is placed in chronological order in its pile.

·       Even my preparations for doing my taxes are organized. Receipts/Documents are collected in a fanfold file, labeled by topic, and all the receipts and documents are placed in chronological order or by sub-topic (check stubs or documents for income are paper-clipped by income source). Makes it easier at tax time, since I won’t have to do so much organization when I sit down to do my taxes. 

Refrain: OMG, when did I become my dad?

A couple of weeks ago I created another one of my Excel spreadsheets to track the tasks I was doing at work. I started pondering all of the Excel increasingly complex spreadsheets that I have created for myself in recent years to track my spending, to keep track of my taxes and income, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I do. Yeah, just another shining example of my OCD need to stay organized and on top of things. Anyway, I got to thinking that if dad had had the opportunity to learn Excel and saw all the neato-keeno ways that it could be used to organize just about everything, that he would have LOVED this tool. The universe just whacked me upside the head again. I suddenly saw me and dad trying to one-up each other in a never-ending Excel spreadsheet complexity competition. 

Refrain: OMG, when did I become my dad?