Mind Murmur

My 9 stocks up.  Facebook stock down.  Right now, life is good.  I'll take that for a Monday.

Information Overload

Okay, I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  I have this blog.  I use Shutterfly and Snapfish.  I've played with Groupon and Yelp, and I love Google everything!  I use my iPhone and Dell tablet, as well as my Kindle.  I'm finally texting and playing Words With Friends.  I'm sure there's more, but....   

Tonight, I signed up for Instagram.  Do I really need that too?  What about Tumblr?  So much stuff is out there, but I am only one otherwise very busy person.  Connecting with people takes on way too many forms these days.  In some ways I feel more connected now than before, though I now spend much more time at home than before.  I find this very odd, and sometimes unsettling. 

There's only 24 hours in each day.  Choosing how to use them is an ever evolving experiment.  I wonder how Arnold Bennett's book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, would differ if it were written today.

Oh no, the overload is overwhelming.  I think that I will take time to reconnect with my friends Crayola and Sharpie.  They nicely get along with a newer friend, Moleskine, whose diverse family is growing in my house. 

Choices....

It's all about choices....  Today had many ups and many downs.  I choose to focus on the ups.  I choose not to give into the downs.  If I do, then tomorrow's ups won't be as bountiful, and I need them.

I can make good choices tonight because I chose to run today.  My choice for that run, like in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, made all the difference.

Readjustment

Again I am remaking, this time simply by readjusting and refocusing. I amnot sure what happened, but I lost sight of something, and found myself in agrouchy place. Despite moving very quickly, I don't feel as though I havegotten much done. Perhaps it's what got done (tasks requested by and forothers), and more importantly what didn't get done, i.e., things that arecritical to my well-being. That focus left me feeling fatter, less fit, fickle,and exhausted. Fortunately, I have halted that movement.

For the past 10 days, I have gotten back to my basics.  Why do I continue to forget how critical theyare for me?  Without them, I ultimatelyend up physically, emotionally, and mentally spent.  With them, I am completely complete for myfunctioning purposes, though perhaps not in others’ eyes.  Theirs, however, do not get me through thedays and nights, so they must be closed to me. 

Most significantly, the basics on which I am pursuing primarily are eatingbetter and exercising. With them, I have perspective.

Once again, it’s back to what matters for, and is important to, me.  And once again, it’s back to choices.  Finally, it’s back to thinking about thatwhich I can control and that which I can’t control.

Having sorted out my current thoughts just a bit, it’s now time for a run.  After all, everything’s better for me after a run….

I add this rose as a reminder for me to remember.... 

As an aside, I have not been particularly fond of roses lately, but I am particularly fond of the 2 dozen colorful ones I received for Mother's Day.  I am enjoying watching them change each day, though they ultimately still are the same.  They are getting better with time.  Oh, am I now writing about the roses or me, or both?  

Inspiration

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1873859666?bclid=1873840957&bctid=1879686789


If this link works, it shows a video that brought tears to my eyes and motivation to my body....  Joan Benoit Samuelson is a true inspiration to me, and has been so as long as I can remember.  Lest I not forget the Nike poster she signed for me at the Boston Marathon Expo in 1999, the year I ran Boston!   

Taking time

I took time today for something I wanted to do, with no negative impact to my boys (husband, son, and dog) and huge positive rewards to me! I need to remember that as I move forward.

On my way home from the office, I decided to stop at Dave's Marketplace to get an autographed copy of Ted Allen's new cookbook. I totally love him, and the show Chopped! I also am turning into a cookbook junkie, and acquiring this one would provide a good fix. Finally, this would make an awesome addition to the food-themed graduation gift on which I am working.

I didn't tell my husband because I didn't know if this rendezvous was possible.  However, having made good time on my commute home despite the rain, I decided that I would take a chance. The event was nicely organized! Getting the books was simple, and the wait in aisle 7 was made much more pleasant by the company and the passed snacks offered by the store's staff. The wait was not too long, and well worth it. I saw, shook hands with, conversed a bit with, and took a picture of, Ted Allen. I also got 2 signed copies of his book. The one to my son includes, "The next Chopped Champion."

When I arrived home, the boys were totally fine and I was in a much better mood than usual. Typically, on days like that, when I awake at 3:45 a.m. for a day at the office, I am definitely done by the time I get home in the early evening. However, having taken time to complete a fun task, I was oddly reenergized.  While my son completed his homework, I browsed my fun find, mentioning tons of the recipes to my husband and son as possible additions to our table.  The resulting family time was wonderful!

What may appear to be a silly or insignificant event ended up being super significant to me, in and of itself and for the benefits it provided already and will continue to provide!  For that I am grateful.  I am pleased when I can identify what I want and then take steps to make it happen….     
        

Mind murmur

I love working in the office. I just wish the commute was not so significant (280 miles round trip).