Just a little update

 I've been really avoiding updating my About Me on the sidebar, but it really is time. The thing is, whenever I look at it, I'm reminded of the change that has happened in the last 6 weeks. 

I won't go into detail here, because I've shared this enough times with friends, but our dear little chi Enzo passed away on December 7th after a prolonged seizure. Those of you with beloved pets know how hard it is to say goodbye to them. Let's just say, I still think of little E and miss him daily. I guess having his photo on my phone homescreen can account for that, in part, anyway! 

Last year, I commissioned a friend to create a cut paper art print of a photo I sent her, and then I framed it. I'm so glad I did that. This little guy found a place in our hearts and in our family, and that won't change. 

And, so I will update my About Me soon... but there's another change happening any day now, so I'll wait for that! My daughter in law will be giving birth to her third child soon! She is due on January 25th. I'm getting excited to meet my freshest grandchild! 

Life with Limitations

 We've all learned to live with limitations, it seems, especially in the last year.  Whether we like it or not, limitations have been imposed on us. 

Things are out of our control, life changes, and we attempt to adjust. 

It's been a little over three years since I have limited my diet to only eating low histamine food. Not by choice, but because the alternative involves a very nasty flare up involving rashes and swelling. I've learned to accept this change and, until I have healed from this autoimmune condition, I take it one day at a time and all is mostly well.  

As long as we are home, I'm fine with these limitations. It's when we are asked out to a restaurant, out to someone's home, or with others during seasonal holidays that involve special food, that things get a little more challenging. Actually a lot more, sometimes. 

Like Christmas time, birthdays, and other celebrations. I really miss being able to enjoy some rich, delectable treats like I used to.  Goodbye eggnog, Bailey's, whip cream, chocolate, gluten-full cookies and squares, ice cream cake, cheese and meat platters, leftovers, wine, ...  well, you get the picture. 

Believe it or not, there are some good things that have come out of my struggle with this condition: 

1. I am eating large quantities of vegetables and leafy greens, more than I have ever eaten in my life! My plate really is usually 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 protein (mostly chicken or eggs). This is good for my health! 

2. I have learned to cook up a tasty meal very quickly! 

3. My husband has learned how to cook. Because he (understandably) chose not to change his diet 100% to mine, we decided to try out the fresh food boxes in our area. He now chooses his meals most of the time, and actually prepares them! This is a miracle, folks. 

4. I do not tire of eating vegetables. I've tried some new ones. Surprisingly, I really do actually crave them a lot. I think of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, and eating a lot of manna, which God miraculously provided for them. But... they did complain after a while.... Oh, some days I do have a pity party. 

5. I often will take a deep whiff of what my husband is cooking, and say "Oh, that smells so yummy". And then I'm back to my plain jane supper (compared to his). Just smelling it does make me feel like I haven't missed out totally. It's weird, but true. Half of our ability to taste is due to our amazing olfactory system, is it not? 

6. My blood pressure is pretty well normal now! I have been on medication for about 10 years, but now I'm pretty well off.  

7. I have learned to be very grateful for both functional medicine and conventional medicine. Sometimes you need both. I don't like to take medication, but if it's giving me my life back, I will. I'm still working on finding the root cause and hopefully healing from this condition.  

8. Our bodies are amazing creations! I'm learning more about the importance of gut health.  Stress can do crazy things to our bodies! 

9. I have experienced the care of friends who go out of their way to make sure there is something for me to eat when I'm at their home (before the lockdown ;)  Even when I let them know I'll bring my own food (which is becoming normal for me), they will insist on preparing food so that I can eat it, too. I'm so grateful for them. 

10. I'm learning more about faith and healing. God works in ways we do not always understand. I believe we can be healed one small step at a time. A lot of time that's how it works, because He cares about more than just giving us what we want when we want it. And sometimes, the answers we hope for never really happen, but we experience His nearness through it all. 

What limitations have you overcome or are learning to accept? 

~Recover~

 I do love a good challenge. I’ve completed a few this year, but this move has really caused me to lose my rhythms, be it regular reading times, yoga, walking and more! I am tired, my schedule is a mess, and my will power is drained. And the continued Covid craziness has definitely done a number on my mental health. Such a rollercoaster of emotions!

 I haven’t yet found my way back to a daily schedule. How will I recover what had seemed like such a strong start to 2021? My will power muscle has depleted, and fatigue has set in.

The meaning of the word ‘recover’ is closely linked to the word ‘recuperate’. This makes sense. According to Drew Dyck, author of Your Future Self Will Thank You, the way to recover willpower is to rest, to meditate, to quiet the mind. Studies show that this results in more focus, less stress, more impulse control and increased self awareness.

To recover the life I envision for myself, I also need to tap into the power of habit, because, as John Ortberg says, “Habits eat willpower for breakfast!”. For this, I will need to grow my self control muscle, a muscle that weakens immediately after use but strengthens with frequent use.  It is important, therefore, to only create one habit at a time. I cannot change too many things at once! I must prioritize what’s important to me. I must pace myself. 

 I can begin to create those habits I’ve lost, one at a time.

Recover is a hopeful word. 

This is a writing challenge from Five Minute Friday. Write for 5 minutes without overthinking. Join in! 

A New View

It's been a busy couple of months... and now here I sit in my new study/guest room which still has some moving boxes staring at me and a closet that needs organizing. But, here I sit... 

So much has changed in such a short time. 

We have walked our old property for the last time, gazed out of the backyard window for the last time, and locked the front door, for the very last time. Our dear house is no longer ours. A new family has purchased it and yesterday was their possession date. 

And we have moved. A new chapter in our lives has begun.

A couple of months ago, our eldest son and his wife decided to purchase a beautiful riverfront acreage home in a rural part of our fair city, about 15 minutes east of where we lived.  So, really not that far. 

They asked us if we'd consider moving into the daylight basement. It didn't take us too long, after we had viewed the property and suite, to accept the invitation. Riverfront property, walkout suite, being near our grandkids, and some perks for my husband, like a huge shop. How could we say no? 

So, we've been very busy preparing our home to sell, downsizing, and then packing up, unpacking, and setting up. We are TIRED! But we are both feeling very happy with the move. 

We have talked about moving for about five years now, but there was nothing that we had seen that excited us. So we stayed put. Until now. 

Some may say we're too young to make this type of change, but I remember reading in an excellent book on strategies for healthy living into our senior years, that it is wise to downsize before you are forced to. 

We have gone through all of our belongings and sold, given to family or friends, and donated to charity what we didn't want or couldn't keep.  Mind you, we do have room in this home to store a good number of bins, which had made this change possible. 

Each morning I look out of the kitchen window above the sink. It's a new view from the one I've had for 28 years, but I'm liking it. So far, so good. 

~Savour~

 Another Five Minute Friday entry. Set the timer for  minutes and freewrite from a single word prompt. You are welcome to join in :) 

My definition of savour: To enjoy in a calm, non pressured environment. 

 Savoring the experience, living in the moment, is what I've been practicing a lot lately. Because.... we are moving! 

We've lived in this house for almost 30 years. In that time, I've had toddlers, preschoolers, young children, tweens, teens, and young adults living in this house! Our family has pretty well grown up here. And that's a lot of memories! And I have a lot of emotions to go along with all those memories.  

How am I savoring this time as I go through all of our belongings, deciding  which to keep, which to give away, and which to sell? 

I am pondering these two questions: 

1. What am I going to miss when we move away from this house? 

2. What am I NOT going to miss when we move away from this house? 

Hopefully within 3 months, we will have listed and sold this house and moved into our new abode. Still in the same city, for those of you wondering! 

One of the special moments I'm savoring these days is the view from our dining table. It sits in the corner of our kitchen with big windows on two sides,  meeting at the corner.  While sitting there, I can enjoy the bird feeder, only feet away,  hanging off the edge of our deck roof. Watching and identifying the birds with my grandson has been such a special activity lately (He's almost 4!).  He loves birds and is soaking up the names and characteristics of them.  Pine siskins, yellow finches, and chickadees have all enjoyed our hulled sunflower seeds at the feeder.  Just beyond the feeder is a huge pine tree that towers over our house. It's close enough so that we can see the birds jumping from branch to branch, flying in, and zipping out, seemingly playing hide and go seek with each other. That tree was about 7 feet tall when we moved here! Beyond the backyard are meadows, hills (some are hills of sand where trees have been removed over the years), and mountains. So many people have mentioned what a beautiful view we have from our deck. It does have its own beauty, for sure, especially in midsummer and midwinter. I have never tired of that view, and will miss it. Good thing I've taken about 1000 photos of it ;) 

You know the saying "You don't know what you've got till it's gone?" In this case, I know what I've got.