A visit with Dad and June

 Saturday, I spent the day with Dan and June.  I always try to take some food with me for them to have, and I'd spent Thursday and Friday nights after work cooking.  They are always very appreciative of that, and they seem to enjoy the food.  And since they're almost 2 hours away, it makes me feel like I am contributing to their well-being. And it's an excuse to cook, which you all know I love. I packed up the cooler early Saturday morning and hit the road. 

They live in Angier, NC in Harnett County.  It's a very nice drive because it does not involve the interstate which I am thankful for.  I'm sure I could take the interstate to get there but luckily, I have always taken highways and back roads. Traffic was not bad at all and the temperature was still cool.  That is a plus because I don't have A/C in my car anymore.  Fun times!  

The thing I really love about visiting them besides the obvious of spending time with them, is that the visits are so easy.  Getting together with Fornes family is always a relaxed atmosphere.  We just sit around and talk.  And when we don't have anything to say, we just sit around and it's enough.  Dad and I went to a Chinese buffet for lunch then came home and took naps. It's how we roll.  We spent time updating each other about people in our lives.  Stories are always told.  Often, there are stories that have been told before but I'd rather hear them than not. June will pull out pictures she thinks I would like to see and recipes she knows I'll want to look at. And it's just a nice time.  It was good to catch up with them, and I look forward to another visit soon.  That was my fun for the week!

Youth Handbells

 This past Sunday, the youth handbell choir rang during the service at church.  They did a wonderful job, and it made me think how much I miss having that in my life.  This church has several adult choirs, and I am hoping to join one of them in the fall.  Or at least be a substitute!  I will have to do some research into that. But watching the youth choir ring brought back a lot of good memories for me.

As you know, ringing handbells was a part of my life for almost all of my time at FBC Monroe.  For me, dealing with my own issues even at a young age, the choir represented several things for me.  I was good.  I was a very good ringer and that boosted my confidence. It also made me feel like I was giving back to my church in a way and that was important to me.  And of course, I loved it and it's important to do things that you love. 

Ringing in the youth choir gave me the chance to socialize with and get to know people I would not have otherwise.  There's a huge gap between middle school and high school as far as hanging out goes but the members of the handbell choir were very welcoming.  Elizabeth Evans, Suzanne and Brent Jewell, Kennon Blanton, Donna Pittman, Beverly Baker.  They were all in high school when I joined the choir as a 6th grader.  And they were great.  I feel like we got to know each other in a way that I would not have had I not been in the choir.  It was a wonderful sense of community.  The first year I rang in the youth choir, we were under the leadership of Jim Reich so not only were we friendly, but we were also very disciplined and rang up to Jim's standards, which were very high. 

I keep up with most of the people in the choir even today through social media and my letter writing. It was a good time in my life.  I know I cannot go back but I can look towards the future and the hopes of ringing in a choir once again. 

The yellow depression glass tray

 I am often quite guilty of impulse buying while I am out antiques shopping.  Big surprise, I know LOL But this tray is one of those purchases I made at Golden Antiques in Summerfield.  I bought this several months ago. It was my second trip to the store, and I always seem to leave with multiple items in hand.  That's not a bad thing necessarily.  Anyway, I was there to look for some Easter decor for the house.  I only had a few pieces and wanted some more so that's why I was there.  Anyway, I saw this tray and just fell in love with it.  It instantly went into my buggy.  I can't remember exactly what I paid for it but I know it was less than $20.

I have always loved depression glass.  I have several books on the subject.  We did not have much of this glass growing up, at least not when I came along. Aunt Mary Lee had a set of green depression glass that went to one of her nieces but that's about all I know. It was well before my time.  But in our many antiques excursions back in the day, depression glass was always in every shop it seems and I loved looking at it.  While green is my favorite color, and I do love green depression glass, yellow is the color I was drawn to.  Yellow is a color that just makes me happy but oddly enough I had no yellow depression glass.

So, when I saw this tray at a good price, I knew that I must have it.  I've only used it once but it's still early, folks!!  The pattern is called Landrum Topaz.  It was made by the Lancaster glass company.  I'm pretty sure this is the sandwich tray and not the cake plate, but I'll have to get out the measuring tape and figure that out definitely.  Either way, I love it.  This pattern seems to have been mostly serving pieces and not dinnerware.  So, I will be on the lookout for more of these pieces on future antiques shopping sprees.  And I look forward to using this more in the future!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Are you sitting down?  Bring your awareness to your chair or the ground and become aware of pressures against your body and textures on your skin.  Shift your weight to give you greater comfort and notice any areas of tension such as shoulders, lower back or neck. 

If I don't wear it, let it go.

 

As I go through the process of one drawer at a time, I often watch videos or read articles about decluttering spaces.  That's actually where "one drawer at a time" got its name for my process.  Most of what I saw always said starting small as to not overwhelm myself.  That works better for me than trying to tackle an entire room at a time. I can't tell you how many times I stood in my garage for 20 or 30 minutes just staring at the space.  I would get frustrated and then leave for another time only to do the same thing the next go round.  So, doing this in small batches works best for me and I can see progress.

I was watching a video the other day on decluttering and the speaker talked about how holding onto things you don't and won't use and have no true sentimental value could be because you are holding on to a vision of the person you used to be.  That made a lot of sense to me and the timing was perfect for me.  I have been going through clothes over the last week, and I realized that I was holding on to things I no longer wear because of the person I used to be.  Yes, there are some good memories attached to some of these clothes, but they're CLOTHES!! I don't wear them because I can't wear them right now.  If you know me, I will use something until it is dead and completely worn out.  

I decided to donate anything that I cannot wear anymore.  Honestly, that cleaned up about 1/3 of my clothing storage space.  That was pretty amazing.  I used to rationalize keeping things because I would tell myself that one day I will be able to fit into them again.  No, no longer doing that.  I can always buy new clothes down the line.  For me, in this moment, right now, I do not use it and it is taking up valuable space.  Into the donation pile it goes. I had a lot of t-shirts that had become belly shirts.  I can thank my love of cooking for that one LOL There's plenty of wear left in them just not for me.  I had a pair of cowboy boots that I never wore.  Someone will.  Pants I ordered online that ended up being too small in the waist (sigh) but I was too lazy to return them.  Bye bye!!

Saying the person I used to be often sounds so regretful but it's truly not.  I'm not the person I was 2, 5, or 10 years ago.  Hell, I'm not the person I was yesterday.  And getting rid of these items that I do not wear that someone else can is very liberating.  It is helping me to be more of the person I am right now in this moment and I like that.  

Quote of the Week

 

I promise that not all of the quotes I post will come from Sunday's sermon, but this one really struck me. The sermon was about true friends and what that means.  This quote was used to illustrate that, and I have been pondering it ever since.   I have thought a lot about it and the results are both good and bad but it's helping me to move forward. 

Mental Benefits of Boxing

 

I loved my time at the boxing gym years ago.  There was a definite camaraderie there and a sense of community that you don't find many places and I miss that.  But besides the physical benefits of the intense exercise, boxing has mental benefits as well.  Another reason I want to start training again.

It helps with stress and anger relief.  Boxing provides a healthy outlet for releasing tension, stress and frustration through physical exertion. It is a safe way to relieve the worries of the day and is very empowering when that happens.

It elevates moods.  Intense exercise such as boxing helps the body to release endorphins, the body's natural mood boosters.  That helps to reduce anxiety and depression.  I don't have those as much as I used to on a daily basis, but I can account for the fact that I always felt better after boxing training. 

It increases confidence and self-esteem.  Learning how to master new skills and techniques does wonder for the mental state.  And seeing the physical benefits of this intense exercise definitely boosts a person's confidence.  Another reason I want it more.

It enhances focus.  Boxing requires intense concentration to memorize combinations and movement patterns.  This improves mental clarity and discipline which can be transferred to other areas of life.

So, while the physical benefits are obvious, these mental benefits of not only boxing but of all exercise, are helping me to motivate myself and guide me on this journey to a better healthy lifestyle.