Marsia's Diary

[liza3]

I am glad your feet are going to be so cozy and cared for in the abundance of new socks! And yes hopefully someone else can enjoy the socks from J
Your Christmas sounds lovely with the lovely walk and then the candlelit time at home. Nothing so cozy as walking in some blustery weather and coming home to coziness.
Your New Years goals sound really good. I am starting to give mine some thought--maybe I will make a vision board--i saw one that I made a while back and it had a picture of someone biking out on some country roads and I was surprised that it was on there and that I made it come true!

 

[Marsia]

I am glad your feet are going to be so cozy and cared for in the abundance of new socks! And yes hopefully someone else can enjoy the socks from J
Your Christmas sounds lovely with the lovely walk and then the candlelit time at home. Nothing so cozy as walking in some blustery weather and coming home to coziness.
Your New Years goals sound really good. I am starting to give mine some thought--maybe I will make a vision board--i saw one that I made a while back and it had a picture of someone biking out on some country roads and I was surprised that it was on there and that I made it come true!

Thanks Liza and Cate! I really like the idea of a vision board for goals. Nice your vision came true even though you forgot you did that!!

Today was really mellow. I listened to some nice meditative talks this morning and for the first time in a long time really relaxed and let go of a ton of stress. There is a lot more stress underneath, but that was a good start. I am adding starting up my meditation practice again to my goals. That helped immensely! We went to our favorite grocery store which is an hour drive away and studied while we were out. I filled in endless financial aid information for a supplementary form, and am only half done. Then I made up a nice macroeconomics quiz and I don't know what happened, the day is all gone. I wanted to go for a walk on this nice set of piers that go out to a massive intercostal waterway, but K was tired, so I didn't get enough exercise today. I have to do treadmill tonight. I think I'll do that now before I forget!

 

[Cate]

You sound invigorated, Marsia & I love hearing that you are dealing so well with the stress. I haven't been getting much exercise at all & that must change, sick or not. I hope you & K get to go on that walk on the piers soon xoxo

 

[Llama]

Then I made up a nice macroeconomics quiz and I don't know what happened, the day is all gone.

Just reading your post I'm not surprised: you did a lot in one day!

 

[Emilyrose]

Hope you got on the treadmill. I love that your vision board of cycling on country roads came true @liza3.

 

[liza3]

I wanted to go for a walk on this nice set of piers that go out to a massive intercostal waterway, but K was tired, so I didn't get enough exercise today.

That's too bad you couldn't make it out there. Hope you got your treadmill time in! Do you only enjoy walking with K or do you ever go out on your own? I always love my alone time on my walks...

 

[Marsia]

You sound invigorated, Marsia & I love hearing that you are dealing so well with the stress. I haven't been getting much exercise at all & that must change, sick or not. I hope you & K get to go on that walk on the piers soon xoxo

Thanks Cate! It helped so much doing a little treadmill last night that I made sure we took a walk today. We did our sunset marsh walk, and it was gorgeous. I agree with you about getting a little walk in everyday. It makes a huge difference being in nature and being sure to get at least minimal movement in.

Just reading your post I'm not surprised: you did a lot in one day!

Thanks Llama! It's feeling good to get more accomplished in a day again!!

Hope you got on the treadmill. I love that your vision board of cycling on country roads came true @liza3.

Yes, did a little treadmill and that felt really good!

That's too bad you couldn't make it out there. Hope you got your treadmill time in! Do you only enjoy walking with K or do you ever go out on your own? I always love my alone time on my walks...

I think we'll go back to do that walk soon. I think it's my favorite. Sometimes there are even people sketching and fishing on the piers, and it's really festive. I don't usually walk alone because I know how good it is for K to get exercise, too, but I do think I'll start going by myself if she isn't into it.

We studied on the porch with coats on today, just so we'd be outside more. I meditated for a half hour today, but think I need more. I think I'll do that before bed. Feeling good about getting the financial aid supplemental stuff done. Made some nice lentil soup and a tomato, avocado, feta, and green goddess dressing salad. It feels way better getting more veggies in our diet! I noticed how great my compost pile is looking. Too bad we are moving soon. I have the most lovely topsoil now, but it will be good to use on the flower beds to get the yard spiffy for selling the house. Tomorrow I clean house and K finishes up her portfolio and hopefully submits it all!

 

[Cate]

I just looked up Green Goddess Dressing & found a delicious-sounding recipe using Greek yoghurt. Yum! The next people will be grateful for all of your hard work & thoughtfulness in the garden, M.
I'm glad you went on that walk. It sounds lovely xo

 

[liza3]

I noticed how great my compost pile is looking.

I always love the look of a good healthy compost pile--it's so satisfying!

We did our sunset marsh walk, and it was gorgeous. I agree with you about getting a little walk in everyday. It makes a huge difference being in nature and being sure to get at least minimal movement in.

oh a sunset marsh walk sounds beautiful!

 

[Marsia]

I just looked up Green Goddess Dressing & found a delicious-sounding recipe using Greek yoghurt. Yum! The next people will be grateful for all of your hard work & thoughtfulness in the garden, M.
I'm glad you went on that walk. It sounds lovely xo

Thanks Cate! We love Green Goddess Dressing - making it with yogurt sounds really good - I think I'll try that, too. I have so many plans for the garden. Hope I don't run out of time. I want to dig up a lot and put it in the front flower beds and make it really charming!

I always love the look of a good healthy compost pile--it's so satisfying!

oh a sunset marsh walk sounds beautiful!

Thanks Liza, I can't believe how well my wood chips and everything composted and nearly made soil already. I guess all the sun and rain here are good for that. I am really going to miss our sunset marsh walks when we move. The sunsets here are so amazing and the marshes are full of lovely winding streams.

Today I meditated a lot this morning and feel a lot better. It feels like about 80 pounds of weight off my chest. I need to find a physical therapist. My arm with the rotator cuff injury is getting really bad and I am having shooting pains again. K worked on composing a song for her portfolio and submitted a lot of her pieces online with write-ups on each, and I took it easy. It feels like I just need to de-stress so I can get all my stuff done because trying to do things with my body so sore and stressed makes me exhausted. I feel like I am turning a corner with finally being able to let go of the stress though. Before this it just would not release. I just puttered around cleaning and helping K with her portfolio, and it was really nice to feel half way decent and actually feel pretty relaxed.

 

[Cate]

Thanks Liza, I can't believe how well my wood chips and everything composted and nearly made soil already. I guess all the sun and rain here are good for that. I am really going to miss our sunset marsh walks when we move. The sunsets here are so amazing and the marshes are full of lovely winding streams.

I feel that you will make the most of wherever you & K go. Your next place will be even better because it will be yours.

 

[liza3]

Sorry to hear your rotator cuff is hurting you again and hope you can find some help with it.
I like that you are taking time to meditate and de-stress--it can be so easy to get caught in the mode where you feel like you need to just keep getting things done instead of taking that time. But I find, like you, that the meditation really helps. Very much worth taking that time.

 

[Marsia]

I feel that you will make the most of wherever you & K go. Your next place will be even better because it will be yours.

Thanks Cate, I think so, too!

Sorry to hear your rotator cuff is hurting you again and hope you can find some help with it.
I like that you are taking time to meditate and de-stress--it can be so easy to get caught in the mode where you feel like you need to just keep getting things done instead of taking that time. But I find, like you, that the meditation really helps. Very much worth taking that time.

Thanks Liza, I think stress has made it worse. I'll start researching physical therapists. Thanks for the encouragement to keep taking it easy. It's hard for me to do, but I can tell that I really need it, and I really agree about meditating!

Today K was very tired from staying up late and she was freaked out being in the house so we went out. I finished everything I can for this semester and started researching for our web design and development class next semester. I think I need to get outside tomorrow. I am feeling pent up indoors. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve here, and it will be good to talk about the new year with K and what we want to accomplish before leaving here. Ate well, so hopefully the trend will continue, and my weight will go back down to normal after rising 3 pounds in the last few weeks.

 

[Llama]

Making plans for the new year can be such an encouraging thing to do (if I don't put too much pressure on myself). I hope it'll help K as well.

 

[Cate]

It is such a stressful time of year for most people & you & K have had an incredibly stressful year. 2024 will be a better year for you both I'm sure. I hope you get out of the house & do something that makes you feel good about yourselves.
Sending you both so much love xoxo

 

[liza3]

Your walks always sound so nice so I hope you get one in. Happy New Year Marsia--wishing you all the best for 2024--You already seem to be on track to a great year ahead!

 

[Marsia]

Making plans for the new year can be such an encouraging thing to do (if I don't put too much pressure on myself). I hope it'll help K as well.

Yes, I so agree. We'll stay up and do a hot chocolate (warm milk for me) toast tonight and make some fun goals for ourselves!!

It is such a stressful time of year for most people & you & K have had an incredibly stressful year. 2024 will be a better year for you both I'm sure. I hope you get out of the house & do something that makes you feel good about yourselves.
Sending you both so much love xoxo

You said it, Cate. It was one of those, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" years, and it's nice to move on now!! Sending lots of love back!!!

Your walks always sound so nice so I hope you get one in. Happy New Year Marsia--wishing you all the best for 2024--You already seem to be on track to a great year ahead!

Thanks Liza! K keeps improving her portfolio pieces before submitting them today, so I think we'll be spending the day studying. I think we'll have either a sunset walk, or go down to the river at night and stargaze.

So I think my main take-away from this last year is to trust my intuition and pay close attention to all the little voices telling me when things don't add up no matter how many people tell me I'm making things up - biggest lesson ever! And also I am starting to see the usefulness of negative experiences. If I can stop blocking out the pain from them, I can really learn a lot and heal. I just have to stop feeling like I am only doing this to move on to more positive things. I now really get how overcoming obstacles makes me way stronger and more accepting of myself and others. I don't have good words for this that aren't cliché that really get across what I am learning yet, but this is sorta kinda it.

On a different note, I weighed myself today and !! I have gained back 15 of the 20 pounds I lost while in the RV, so time to get on the treadmill every day that I don't get aerobic exercise in, and no more sugar!

 

[Cate]

Trusting your intuition & being more accepting of yourself & others sound like great goals for 2024.
It's time I did something (again) about losing weight. Starting now. We can do this xoxo

 

[Emilyrose]

Happy New Year Marsia. The only way is up and you have shown amazing resilience and fortitude this year. You should be very proud of that.

I hope you enjoy your New Year's Eve hot chocolates and the weight starts to come off for you again in January. xxx

 

[liza3]

I now really get how overcoming obstacles makes me way stronger and more accepting of myself and others. I don't have good words for this that aren't cliché that really get across what I am learning yet, but this is sorta kinda it.

That is a good way to look at it and something I struggle with as well...like if we are working out physically you want to add more and more challenges as you understand it makes you stronger, but mentally I always look for the easiest way out instead of getting happy about another challenge to build mental strength and resilience! i need to see mental challenges the same way as running up hills...

On a different note, I weighed myself today and !! I have gained back 15 of the 20 pounds I lost while in the RV, so time to get on the treadmill every day that I don't get aerobic exercise in, and no more sugar!

I guess in some ways that could be seen as positive since that weightloss was due to so much stress and now you are so much less stressed. I hope you can get back to losing again but this time for happy reasons!