HealthandHappiness

We had a wonderful hike this past Saturday. My husband, son, and I went on the Pinhoti trail here in Alabama. It was the first time we did this particular trail and we were pleasantly surprised. The trail was well marked with blazes and easy to follow. This isn’t always the case with trails in this area.

We made a day of the hike this time. There were stops along to way to look at the magnificent views, take photographs and just relax and enjoy nature. Hiking is one of my all time favorite activities. It’s so relaxing and beautiful in the woods. I get many great photographs that I share with others. Passing the beauty along is one way to share in the fun.

Lunch was served sitting on boulders on top of the mountain. We have a little stove that uses a canister of gas to cook. It’s great for little lunches, those in the bags, such as Mountain House. It was nice having a picnic on the mountain.

Do y’all go hiking? Where are your favorite spots? So far, my favorite trail here in Alabama is the Chinnabee. We haven’t made our way through them all yet though!

Tell me about your hiking experiences. I’d love to hear about them.

Being organized not only helps you, but others close to you. It isn’t hard to stay organized once you get there. All the effort you put forth to get yourself organized will be worth it.

How Organization Can Help You

·         Being organized will reduce stress. Not having to look for something that another person needs, paying a bill late because it got lost, or missing an appointment because you can’t find your keys, will definitely reduce your stress level.

·         Being organized will help with forgetfulness. If you are a person that is forgetful, whether from an illness or age, getting organized will help with this problem. If everything has a set spot, you’re more likely to remember it. Go one step farther and put labels on boxes and bins. If you’ve kept everything organized you can pull it out without any thought.

·         Being organized will make you the envy of all your friends. When a friend calls up needing to borrow something and you have it right at your fingertips they’ll be amazed.

·         Being organized will help self-esteem. If you are forgetful, it can get frustrating. Always forgetting or misplacing things is no fun. Being organized will help you feel better about yourself because you will know exactly where everything is. It’ll be one less thing to worry about.

These are just a few of the ways being organized can help you. Take the time to get organized and see how it changes your life.

Are you dressing up for Halloween? Do you get a costume and go trick-or-treating with your children? Or do you go to adult parties that require costumes?

I dressed in a maid costume when working at Wendy’s. Actually got a tip…lol. Oh to be young and skinny again!

I used to dress up when my son was smaller and take him around to get candy. It was fun because he got a kick out of his mom dressing up with them. I dressed as a cow one year and that was a real hoot. I even wore the costume to work because they let kids come in and get candy. Everyone got a kick out of it.

A few years ago, I dressed as a pregnant nun for a karaoke Halloween party. That was a goofy costume that everyone loved. I won third place in the contest. That’s the only time I’ve went to an adult Halloween party.

So, share some of your Halloween costumes and memories. I’d love to hear them.

Sometimes silly things like dressing up and making a fool of yourself are the easiest ways to be happy. Life shouldn’t always be boring and dull. Spice it up a little and enjoy! Halloween is a great time to do this.

Do you like comedies? I love them. Sometimes I just want to laugh and forget the problems of the day. What better way to do that than by watching a good movie that makes you laugh out loud. Even one that just produces a few chuckles is ok. As long as it’s not serious and I can have fun.

I don’t really like the stupid-funny movies, more the traditional funny ones. The stupid-funny ones are just too weird and goofy for me. Plus they often contain crude stuff that I don’t prefer.

Some of the comedies I like are:

• Fool’s Gold

• Made of Honor

• Mrs. Doubtfire (an oldie but goodie)

• Overboard (another oldie)

• As Good as It Gets

Those are just a few. What are some comedies that you enjoyed? There have been many more I liked, but I’m having a hard time thinking of the titles. Having a fibro-fog moment!

Do you have a favorite comedic actor? I don’t really have a favorite. As long as the movie’s good I don’t care who’s in it.

Tell me about some of your favorites!

Do you really love yourself? How do you show that love? What do you do that shows you love yourself?

We should all be good to ourselves and love ourselves. It isn’t always easy, but it is very important. The following are things you should do if you love yourself.

• Exercise: By exercising you show that you love your health. People who exercise feel better physically and mentally.
• Forgive Yourself: No matter what, you must forgive yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. Letting yours fester and make you unhappy will not help anything.
• Eat right: A healthy body leads to a healthy person overall. You body will reward you if you feed it in a healthy manner. You’ll have less fatigue, be more alert, medical conditions will improve, and you’ll sleep better.
• Relax: Taking time for you is very important. Always being busy and on the go causes lots of stress. Take breaks and relax.
• Positive Self Talk: Practice talking positively to yourself. This will increase your self-esteem and make you feel better. This is one of the best ways to show that you love yourself. Always seeing your bad qualities and talking down to yourself is no way to show self-love.

Those are a few ways to be good to yourself and love yourself. Taking care of your mind and body is very important. Loving yourself will lead to better mental and physical health and happiness.

Yesterday was one of those days! You know, a day from hell. I hate when things go wrong; silly things that should never happen. I have days like that quite often anymore, and they really frustrate me.

The first thing I did was forget to take my debit card with me to the grocery store. We have a little store right across the road and often walk over when we only need a few things. I’ve done this countless times! I remembered to ask my son if he had his house key, but completely forget to take anything to pay with. It wasn’t until we were checking out that I remembered. My son had to run back home and get the card while I waited. Talk about embarrassing!

The next thing was very frustrating. I was making my son a cake for his birthday. It was the box kind…you know, read the directions and add everything, mix, and cook. Seems easy, right? Wrong! I dumped the mix in the bowl, cracked and added the eggs, and then the oil was put in. So I started mixing. It took me a few minutes to figure out why the mix was so stiff and the mixer didn’t want to work. Yep, you guessed it; I forgot to add any water! How scatter-brained is that!

I know I just have to forgive myself and get over bad days like this, but it isn’t easy. These things didn’t used to happen to me all the time. Now, I’m lucky if I’d remember my head if it wasn’t attached.

You know there really is a lot of truth in the saying “opposites attract”. At least it’s true in the case of me and my husband. There are a lot of differences between us, but somehow it all works out. We will celebrate our 18^th wedding anniversary next month. It sure has been a fun ride so far!

Here are a few of the differences:

He’s tall….6 ft. I’m short…5ft.

He likes rock.  I like country.

He drinks.  I don’t.

He cusses all the time. I hardly ever do.

He is warm at night. I’m always freezing. (This works out because he makes a wonderful booty heater!)

He only worries about big things. I worry about EVERYTHING.

He falls apart at funerals/death. I’m very composed and calm.

He likes spicy food. I have to have bland.

He loves history. I can’t remember anything about it.

He is great at geography. I get lost going across town.

He sees the world in grey. I see everything in black and white.

There are more, but that gives you an idea of what I’m talking about. There are a lot of things we disagree on. Thankfully, we agree on the really important things. One thing that makes our marriage work is that we understand our differences. It would be very boring if we thought the same all the time!

Are you and your spouse this way? Does it cause problems, or are the differences what make your marriage work?

Happiness really is what we make it. Learn to love others FOR their differences and your world will be a better place.

I have been drinking the EAS shakes for quite a while now. More often than not they are my breakfast. I’ve never been a big breakfast eater, but since getting diabetes I have to eat something. The shakes fill that need and are actually good for me.

The EAS AdvantEdge shakes have 17 grams of protein, and only 4 carbs. They contain no sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of fat. There are 110 calories in each shake. I believe that would work in any diet!

My personal favorite is chocolate fudge. A guy my husband works with swears by vanilla. It just depends on preference.

If you are looking for a breakfast beverage, snack drink, or just a way to add some protein to the day, I’d recommend the EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control shakes.

If you have tried them let me know what you think.

My Mom recently found out that she has a pinched nerve and degenerative disks in her back. She has had problems with her left hand for a few years now. It just didn’t feel right. Also, her neck and shoulder on that side would hurt occasionally. The doctors all told her it was nothing.

A few weeks ago she was getting something out of the cabinet and an awful pain went from her neck to her hip. She could hardly move for days. When she finally made it to the doctor they did x-rays and found the problems.

The doctor sent her to physical therapy to see what could be done. The therapist said he thinks she may have had a stroke at one time, and that the only thing to do for her is therapy. He said surgery would only make matters worse.

The therapy has helped her left hand. She said it feels normal again. UNLESS she moves a certain way and that nerve gets inflamed. Then she hurts for a few days again. She believes the therapy is helping some, but the future doesn’t look good. The therapist said he can’t really fix anything, that she will always have this problem.

Her insurance will pay for 20 therapy visits a year. She is still responsible for the 25.00 co-pay however. She is doing a payment plan because she can’t afford to pay 25.00 three times a week for therapy. Her sessions for this year will be over soon. Starting in January she could go again but probably won’t have the cash. She also doesn’t know if it’d be worth it since they’ve told her nothing can really be done.

The therapist said he can give her exercises to do at home that will help, so I figure she’ll go that route after her current sessions are over. I really wish there was something more that could be done for her. Finding out that you are going to be in pain for the rest of your life isn’t fun…I know this first hand. I always hate hearing it happen to someone else.

She is just doing the best she can, tries to watch how she moves, and lives. I reckon that really is all she can do. All any of us can do is the best we can. Take what life throws at us and make it work somehow. If you have been diagnosed with a life-time illness or condition, I wish you all the best.

Having a friend that you can talk to is one of the most important tools for happiness. Sometimes there are things that you don’t want to talk to family about. You need a different perspective, a new take on the problem. A friend can help you see the world differently and open up new options.

True friends don’t judge you. They may not agree with everything you say, but they won’t think less of you if for believing differently. Differences are what make great friendships! It would be very boring if we all thought alike all the time.

Real friends will be there when you really need them. When you have a monumental problem, a real friend will drop everything and help, because they know you’d do the same for them.

Friends make you laugh. We already know that laughter is wonderful medicine. Sharing laughs with a friend is the best. It could be years later and a word or look will bring up a shared experience. Inside jokes are always cool.

If you have a true friend, hold on to them. Let them know that you treasure their friendship. Be there for them and help any way you can. True friends really are a blessing.