Soul Runnings

I did it! I hooped this morning. It made such a difference. I feel alive! I feel awake! I am smiling! Don't get me wrong. It was hard!  I was tired, stiff, sore, groggy and grumpy when I woke up. But again, I was awake and vertical before the rest of the household. And I remembered the promise I made to you yesterday. I am indeed a woman of my word. And I am hereby committing to getting back on track with daily exercise! I also purchased some pH test strips online. They arrived yesterday. I tested myself this morning. My level was 6.75, which, according to the chart is "balanced" - neither too acidic or too alkaline. I must be doing something right! Have I mentioned switchel? I think switchel has helped my alkalinity.  That and congee, bananas, fennel seeds and staying away from McDonald's. True confession though. I did succumb yesterday. It was the day before payday, I was down in the dumps. I had not packed a lunch. Thankfully it didn't hook me. The f...

At the Library :) Here I am again. At my favorite library. I just dropped off another hat in the cold weather box.  It makes me happy to see my hat sitting there waiting for a head to warm. My new hat Just like yesterday, I do not have much time to blog today . In fact, I have even less time, since I am on a 15 minute computer. And I spent 8 minutes researching anglo concertinas.  I checked out a few traditional Irish tune books.  It is fitting that I am in a an Irish way. Friday is March 1st.  St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner! I managed to do a very good thing this morning. I got out of bed one hour earlier than usual. I was awake before anyone in the household, including Gracie and Honey Dog!  I did the dishes, made some hot tea, put a pot of congee on the stove and did my bible study. It was wonderful! Tomorrow I plan on doing more of the same, but inserting some stretching and hooping. Exercise has vanished from my routine. Which ...

Hello! It has been awhile.  I just have a few moments before I head off to choir practice. In a winter storm. Snow is forecast. The skies are slate gray. And that wind! It chills to the very bone. I am very skeptical about the weather forecast.  We have had so many false alarms - schools closed or opening late, with hardly a dusting of snow on the ground. But I should have been more cautious today. I have been wearing two layers of pants, and two to three layers of tops. Plus gloves, a hat a scarf, winter coat, wool socks and boot cuffs. Today I only wore one top. And I am deeply sorry.  The library where I hang out and blog has a box. It says, "Are you in need of something to keep warm?" And encourages folks to help themselves. In the picture below, the hat on top is one of my own hand knitted creations! I am so happy to come each week and see that they have been taken. Maybe someday I'll see one of my hats on a real live head of a stranger! I am keeping hats ...

We are under a winter storm warning for this weekend. It couldn't come at a better time. I am most exhausted. NEED. SNOW. DAY! My health is still on the upswing. I am sticking with my GERD diet, eating smaller portions and discontinuing ingesting food at least 2 hours before bedtime.  I have begun so many times, that I will not embarrass  myself by saying "I got this"! Because I don't. I need to be conscious of my eating every day. For the rest of my life. Like an alcoholic or drug addict. Ironically my son and his girlfriend are at an NA meeting at this very moment.  We spent yet another morning in court. Two hours of waiting for my son's case to be called. Only to be told they are setting the hearing off again. But that is good news. More time for my son to prove to the court and himself that he is committed to being clean and sober. Maybe I need to be on probation.  Have an ankle bracelet that alerts my PO when I binge eat or step into a McDonald...

"She'ol  in the  Hebrew Bible , is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of the moral choices made in life, a place of stillness and darkness cut off from life and from God.  The inhabitants of Sheol are the "shades" ( rephaim ), entities without personality or strength." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol#cite_note- I feel like I have just returned from She'ol.  I was there for nearly 4 days. It was dark. I heard voices. I felt like a shadow of myself.  Who am I kidding? I felt like death. This morning I ascended from the pit.  And left my shadow self behind. I awoke suddenly at 7:00 a.m. The sun was shining brightly through my window shades.  A strange sense of calm enveloped me.  I could breathe. My heart wasn't racing.  I didn't have negative thoughts swirling through my brain like a manic merry-go-round. I didn't remember waking up multiple times coughing and feeling de...

I am sitting here in the eating area of Fred Meyer's, working on my GERD. Not my GED. I have a bachelor's degree. My GERD:  Gastroesophageal reflux disease. I downloaded a few books on my kindle regarding acid reflux, chronic cough and diet.  And I read an article about GERD on the Mayo Clinic Website. In case you're not familiar with GERD (for some reason, I just keep on typing the word GERD and snickering to myself. People are starting to stare ), here is some pertinent information: "Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus). This backwash (acid reflux) can irritate the lining of your esophagus.   Common signs and symptoms of GERD include: A burning sensation in your chest (heartburn), usually after eating, which might be worse at night Chest pain Difficulty swallowing R...