Quote

Happiness is a simple game of lost and found:  Lose the things you take for granted, and you will feel great happiness once they are found.

Richelle E. Goodrich

Thought for the day - harm reduction

With everything that has gone on over the last month....and it's a lot....i have decided to make some changes for the better.  i am determined to conquer my smoking habit by the end of the year.  That gives me roughly a month.  Easier said than done, i know, but it's time and frankly, i have too much going for me to remain a slave to my addiction.

Yesterday, i completed my first day of harm reduction.  i have searched many methods to quit smoking and i think that this is going to be the one that works best for me.  i will eventually transition over to the patch as well but this is how i am starting.  i cannot quit cold turkey simply because i do not want my body to go into shock, which is a distinct possibility.  So, this is going to work for me come hell or high water!

With harm reduction, i have to let a certain amount of time pass in between cigarettes.  You'd be surprised how many i can go through without thinking about it, so this works for me.  And, i can keep track of the time with an alarm on my phone.  Mid day, i increase the amount of time between cigarettes.  Then, the next day i begin with the last amount of time from the previous day.  It may seem a little OCD, but i need that kind of structure if i am going to succeed at this.

The hardest part is going to be first thing in the morning.  i get up around 5:30, start the coffee going, feed the kitty and have a cigarette on the porch.  Every day.  i'm going to have to definitely change this routine so that smoking is not one of the first things that i do each day.  That is really going to be tough for me, but i can do it.  Who knows?  Maybe i'll start actually eating breakfast each day.  We shall see!

Anyway, this is one of my changes and i am happy about it.  i will be checking in here from time to time with updates.  Wish me luck!

Cheers!

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Boxing

2.  Coffee brewing

3.  Finches

4.  Kaleidoscopes

5.  Weeble Wobbles

6.  The smell of candles blown out

7.  Toccata and Fuge in D Minor

8.  I'm Still Here

9. Sacrifice

10. Garfield

Thought for the day

It has been a long time since I have blogged.  Mainly, it is because school, work and my internship are keeping me very busy this semester. But, it is also because I really don't know what to say these days. There is so much going on in the world, this country in particular, that it makes my head spin.  I have gotten very scared and depressed with our current political climate and have not really know how to express that.  It frustrates me that by the time that I have come to a point in my life where I have an interest in politics, due largely to studying social work, that this is the political climate we are in. It is very disheartening. I hate to be that person who creates his own bubble to exist in, but I have done that to a degree.  I avoid politics and the media whenever I can.  It's nothing more than some reality show circus mentality and I don't have the patience for that these days.

Anyway, school is going well, just very busy. It seems like every time I turn around, I have another paper to write.  Granted, none of them are extremely long papers, but never the less there they are. Currently working on 3 different ones.  Good times!  I am enjoying my internship, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is a learning process that sometimes moves slowly.  The residents where I work are wonderful and I am developing good relationships with them, which I enjoy.

And I have some personal things that I am working on and working through. When you're a student and constantly have stuff going on, there does not seem to be much time for anything else.  I have to work on that time management thing...as always, a never ending process.  There are things I need to do and people I care about that I need to make time for, simple as that.  It's just hard sometimes when you're trying to stay focused on one thing because that is your long term goal.  I will figure out a way to get it done, it's just a bumpy road at times. I keep thinking back to my parents and am trying to learn from their examples.  They both, when I was growing up, did so many things with their time that I often wonder how they did it.  Of course, they didn't have the internet and social media like we do today so that gave them a huge chunk of time LOL  But, I will get there one way or another.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and write a little something so that I can get myself back into this habit.  I enjoy the blog and need to keep it up more.  If I'm going to have a habit, it might as well be something constructive for me.  Enjoy your day!

Cheers

Faith and reflection - where I needed to be

I have not been to church in a few weeks.  Right before my semester began, I got a nasty summer cold that took forever to go away.  That first Sunday, I just did not feel like doing anything, so I did not.  The next Sunday I was better but still had annoying persistent cough.  I did not want to be that person who interrupted the tranquility of the service by going on a coughing rampage or constantly unwrapping cough drops during the sermon.

Today, the third Sunday I was absent, was different.  This morning I was sitting on one of my best friend's porch, talking and drinking coffee.  The weather was beautiful and I soaked it all in.  I spent last night at Jason's to help look after the dogs and to do some much needed catching up with Jason.  His partner has been very ill and in the hospital.  We went to see him for a while last night.  He did look much better than I anticipated and he is definitely on the road to recovery.  Some people do not believe in the power of prayer, and that is their right, but I feel that the prayers of Jason and Frankie's friends and family have helped him to improve.

Anyway, as I was sitting outside this morning, I started to feel some pangs of guilt that I would not make it back to Greensboro in time for church.  I have been absent from my pew for three weeks and I wondered if anyone would notice I had not been there or be concerned.  And then it dawned on me not to feel this way.  Just because I am not in church today does not mean that my relationship with God has changed or that He is disappointed in me for not showing up.  Church goes beyond architecture and not being inside that building today is ok.  I realized that I was where God needed me to be and that felt good, admittedly.

I do enjoy the physical act of being in church, especially College Park.  But we, as a congregation, are so much more than just being in that building.  If I'm only a Christian for one hour a week, then there's really not much point in being one anyway.  We did not do anything religious this morning.  We didn't sing hymns or quote scripture.  But God was there with us and I was where I was needed at that particular moment.

Thought for the week - first week down

i have not blogged much at all this week.  School started back for me on Monday and, needless to say, it has been a very busy week.  Getting back into the routine of going to class is exciting and exhausting at the same time LOL  But, over all it was a great week and i enjoyed it.  Except for being sick.  i'm ready to be done with this summer cold!

i like all of my classes so far.  The professors all seem very enthusiastic, which is great!  It's going to be a lot of work, though.  i already have a good amount of homework to do.  Oh well, such is life.  We had our BSW Field Seminar on Thursday.  It was great to see my fellow students and get lots of good information.  However, there were over 150 of us in an un air conditioned gym which sucked.  Luckily we finished up early.

Michael and i had plans for the weekend, going camping and tubing with friends.  i really was looking forward to it, but this cold has kept me down.  i was feeling better throughout the week, but when i woke up on Friday, did not feel so hot.  So, i had to forego this trip and send Michael on without me.  That's totally fine because he can use some relaxation with friends.  Not that i couldn't, but camping is not always the best option when you don't feel well.  And my stomach is grateful to be near my bathroom...oh well.  i am feeling better today, though and that's good.

Anyway, i am looking forward to all of the challenges that lay ahead of me.  It's going to be an extremely busy semester and no doubt that i will, out of necessity, sharpen my time management skills.  That will be a good thing for me, definitely.

Quote

"How far that little candle throws his beams!  So shines a good deed in a weary world."

                           William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice