EDLM November 15, 2024
I woke at 4:00am (not by choice) with the goal of recentering my thoughts and emotions to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. So I gulped my one cup of coffee I allow myself during this dark time, turned on my therapeutic Verilux light and opened up my devotional reading on my phone. I usually sit for about 30 minutes with the light approximately 20″ to the side of my face. Does the light work? I don’t know. This week is particularly cloudy, so I even look at photos I’ve taken of sunrises while I sit with the light. It’s funny to think you’re trying to trick your own brain. Anyway, coffee, Jesus and the light have become my trifecta of morning fortress-building against lethargy and drawing more and more inward.
And did I mention I want to eat during every waking hour? I think it’s a grab for energy. But it’s not good for the waistline. So there’s also that battle.
I’ve picked up a new student on the platform where I teach international students. She is a 57 year old Japanese woman who just wants to practice conversational English. I was sort of slowing down my time on Cambly during the summer, but I have three regulars now, one Turkish expat living in NJ, one young mom in China and my new student, a soon to be grandma in Japan. One of the first phrases I discuss after introductions to new students is “broaden my horizons.” Most have never heard this phrase, so I discuss the literal imagery and the implied meaning in everyday conversation. I say that this is why I enjoy working with Cambly, that meeting people from around the world broadens my horizons. I can’t tell you the number of students who use the very same phrase with me in the first session or following sessions. It’s very touching to me that people everywhere are excited to meet new people and learn about different cultures. When you factor out political differences that most of us have no say in, and we relate person to person, the world feels friendlier.
I ran my vacuum today, my favorite chore when I’m not a slug, but the icing on the chore cake today was the delivery of a portable dust-buster type vacuum that allows me to float around all of my many plants I now have I now have indoors, sucking up unavoidable dirt plops that happen when I care for them. It seems if I just nudge a leaf, some dirt jumps out of the pot. (No, it’s not due to bugs, but that’s another story.) I think I have over 40 plants now, most purchased or propagated over the summer, and while some are overwintering in the garage, I brought a lot of them in and have them under grow lights that cast an eerie hot pink/purple neon hue on them for 12 hours a day. In fact, as I sit here typing, I am bathed in this full spectrum light because some of the plants are to the left and right of my screen. Maybe some of that energy will lift my wilting leaves a little, so to speak. So I’m an official old plant lady now, spending hours researching, cataloging and checking on my plants. I didn’t see this one coming in my 60s.
I didn’t see pickleball in my life, either, but I’ve joined that movement as well. I’m not too shabby. That reminds me of the “traits” highlight that Ancestry.com is now sending its members. It predicts or highlights certain things about your physiology or preferences based on DNA. Some of mine are spot-on; some are dead wrong. It says I likely have good hand-eye coordination (re pickleball) but that I likely can’t curl my tongue and am not a goal-setter, both blatantly wrong. I hit the bottom of the barrel on ability to jump (no argument there) but my hand-eye coordination is apparently off the charts. So guess I can step onto the courts knowing that pickleball is “likely” in my DNA. Oh, I just remembered–as an undergrad, I won a badminton doubles tournament at BSU between all classes of badminton that year. That was 40 years ago. But hey, “I still got it”–it’s in my DNA! ha ha.
One more slight brag, always with a twist of reality: This week I received my medal in the mail from the BSU 5k “Chasing Charlie” homecoming race. Apparently, I won first place in the age category. What is my age category, you ask? Why, it’s “60 to” … get ready … “NINETY NINE.” I mean, seriously. I read that span like, “60 to DEATH.” As if once you get to 60, “Who cares; you’re all the same bunch of white hairs taking up space, but go ahead, Granny, here’s a ‘woot’ for you.” Well, anyway, there’s a medal with “1st Place” on it amongst all my participation medals. This will impress my young grandchildren who seemed dismayed when I told them I’ve never won a single race represented by the medals that they like to try on. This was my 20th 5k, and I’ve done a few half marathons, too, and bless their hearts–they thought I had won them ALL. Nope. “But there was one race, kids ….”
Back to my day: I ran 3.1 on the treadmill, the first time I’ve run since that race on October 26, so that plus the aforementioned SAD took some gumption to get dressed and get going. I watched The Great British Baking Show while I ran. I like to watch baking shows this time of year.
Speaking of baking, after my shower, I headed into the kitchen, turned on Christmas music and began mixing up my 4th(?) batch of gingerbread for the big yearly party. This time, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving on the 30th, clearing the dining room table of people and dishes, re-setting decor and doing Gingerbread Day 2024 right then and there. This may be a colossal logistical mistake, but we’re trying it. Each year, I choose a theme and build all the basic structures for the grandkids.They decorate their trains, birdhouses, churches, etc. with lots of options I provide them. This year’s theme is the nativity, so baby Jesus is going to get lots of sweet treats in addition to those boring old Magis’ gifts.
I have a six-foot long table in the exercise room stacked with walls, roofs, sides, and extra cookies to decorate, like giant gingerbread men, regular sized gingerbread girls and boys, some stars and other typical cookie shapes. Even my adult kids like to get in on the decorating, and we always end up laughing a lot at both the young ones’ designs and the older ones’ results, too. But it takes lots of planning and hours to get to the actual day. It’s a 2-3 hour process from beginning to end every time I do a batch. I know the recipe by heart and have a system. The music sets the mood and keeps me energized.
Later, we attended a family wedding, and all of my adult kids were there with their spouses, so I snapped a few good pictures. I’m very proud of my kids. They all look just like my husband, and people can’t wait to point that out to me whenever they see them in person or pics of them. That’s a good thing, that they look like him.
And that is pretty much all I have to report for November 15, 2024. Thanks for this opportunity to share.