Multitude Monday: 54-60

 

This week at A Holy Experience, we are expressing gratitude for mothers. My mother, my mother-in-law, and my aunt-in-law all have my gratitude for making this day easier than it might have been. I’ll explain in my list 🙂

54. I am grateful that my husband was safe when he discovered problems with the brakes on his truck last Friday.

55. Many thanks to my mother-in-law who kindly drove me to my stress test appointment today while my husband took the truck to the brake shop. She sat in the waiting room, too, and found some neat recipes in a magazine!

56. Thanks to my aunt-in-law for keeping me company in the waiting room before the appointment. We shared a crochet magazine.

57. As always, I am grateful for my mother’s company and good humor as she waited with me in the waiting room. We looked at craft catalogs and “bought” every pretty bead in the book!

58. We learned that the truck did not need nearly as much work as we feared.

59. My stress test is over with and I feel great!

60. We lost power this evening during a Texas thunderstorm, but I am able to finish this blog post thanks to the power of batteries!

5-Minute Friday: Real

Today’s prompt for 5-Minute Friday is REAL. Write for five minutes straight — no editing — from this prompt and join us at The Gypsy Mama!

Poets and artists know what’s real. My husband writes heartfelt poems about spirit and beauty and nature — the things that are the most “real” to us. Worry about our car is not as real as lyrical verses that come from the heart. These electrodes stuck on my chest for the next 24 hours? Not real compared with my God and His creation.

We poets are sometimes accused of having our heads in the clouds. But that is the only real place to be, as far as I’m concerned. Other things change and are not permanent, but our dreams, our inspiration, our faith…these things are beyond our physical grasp and therefore go on forever. That’s real.

So I’m being real today. I’m tired but full of inspiration and excitement for the days ahead. Really.

 

Word Cloud — HAWMC Day 30

Day 30

Word Cloud. Make a word cloud or tree with a list of words that come to mind when you think about your blog, health, or interests. Use a thesaurus to make the branches of your “tree” extend further. http://www.wordle.net/

You’ll need to click the image to be able to read my word cloud.

This word cloud is based on my entire blog,  Among the Pots and Pans. I like the way the words “good” and “opera” stand out!

Wordle: Among the Pots and Pans
Click image to view full size

 

Find links to more word clouds and add your own at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!

Six Sentence Story — HAWMC Day 29

Day 29

Six Sentence Story. In this day of micro-blogging – brevity is a skill worth honing. Can you tell a story and make it short and sweet? What can you say in six sentences. Check out some here: http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/

So, dark chocolate is good for you, eh? I peel back the gold foil and for the first time, I savor this treat without feeling guilty. I can almost see myself in the shiny surface of the expensive, 80 percent cacao square. I know, I know, moderation is key. After the first bite slowly melts in my mouth, I decide that the rich taste alone is good for my heart — never mind all those flavonoids and anti-whatevers. I mean, chocolate has always been good for me, but I never knew it was good for me!

Read more stories and share your six sentences at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!

5 Challenges and 5 Small Victories — HAWMC Day 27

Day 27

5 Challenges & 5 Small Victories. Make a list of the 5 most difficult parts of your health focus. Make another top 5 list for the little, good things (small victories) that keep you going.

5 Challenges:

1) Waiting. No way around this one. Whether it’s in the waiting room, waiting to take tests or waiting for test results, waiting gets old.

2) Worrying. It goes hand-in-hand with waiting. Not just worrying about myself, but worrying about loved ones — their health and well-being as well as mine.

3) Exercise. I have jumped in with both feet, working out at the gym and at home. “Elliptical machine”, “treadmill”, “target heart rate” have all become part of my vocabulary — and I’m glad. But sometimes, I get tired of pushing my muscles just a little more…tired of being tired.

4) Keep doing what you’re doing…and more. The good news is, my numbers are pretty good…darn good, actually, but they could always be better. The other day, my doctor told me that a year ago, my cholesterol would have been perfect. But the recommended levels have been changed, so I need to exercise even more, and eat even less fat.

5) Guilt. As I turn my attention to my own heart health, part of me wants to say, “never mind, others need me more.” I want to make sure that those I love have the care they need, and I forget that I need to be well, too.

5 Small Victories:

1) Clothes fit better. The hard work is paying off!

2) Watching the Spurs. I’m enjoying a few evenings off these days, and watching a basketball game is a fun thing I haven’t done for a while!

3) Reading. Finding balance…quitting work (freelance writing) earlier in the evening…curling up with a good book…enjoying quality time with my husband.

4) Laughing more. “A merry heart does good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22. I’m rediscovering my sense of humor, and I know it’s good for my heart.

5) Counting blessings. Gratitude is a habit that helps me live “in the moment” and enjoy every day!

Share your challenges and victories at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!

Health Tagline — HAWMC Day 26

Day 26

Health tagline. Give yourself, your blog, your condition, or some aspect of your health a tagline. Make sure it’s catchy!

For this post, I pondered the themes of my life as well as my blog. When I write a health-related post, I try to provide information on natural health care for the body, mind and spirit. I considered all of these factors and came up with this tagline:

Food for body, mind and spirit…naturally!

Read taglines from other bloggers at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge…we’re in the last week now!

Third Person Post — HAWMC DAY 25

Day 25

Third person post. Write about a memory you have but describe it using the third person. Use as many sensory images (sights, sounds, textures, etc) as you can. Don’t use “I” or “me” unless you include dialogue.

The smell of disinfectant would stay in her nostrils all day. Her appointment was at 9:15 am, but she was still waiting in the chilly examining room at 10:05. She leaned forward so that the cold metal folding chair would not touch her back through the gown opening. As she listened to the second hand tick, she craned her neck to glance at the strange lines on the EKG readout — the top sheet on the stack of papers that sat on the desk.

Finally, the cardiologist entered after a brisk tap on the door. The tall, cheerful, middle-aged man with glasses introduced himself, sat at the desk, and picked up the stack of papers that held mysterious codes and graphs. She hoped that she had misread his concerned expression. The cardiologist asked many questions about her family medical history, and she described her odd collection of symptoms. He listened to her heart and checked her thyroid. He sat and looked at the EKG readout again.

“That, my friend, is not a normal EKG reading,” he stated, looking her squarely in the eye. She had hoped that the first EKG at her PCP’s office was a glitch.

“Okay,” she said. What else could she say? She wasn’t surprised; her heart had been pounding the night before as well as that morning, as she was getting dressed. The doctor described different tests in her future: echocardiogram, Holter monitor, treadmill stress test. Maybe she was going to find out something.

She noticed a child’s colorful drawing on the grey door. “Take care of me,” the smiling heart said in green crayon.She had to smile.

______________

Lots more to read at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!

Health Mascot — HAWMC Day 24

Day 24

Health Mascot. Give yourself, your condition, or your health focus a mascot. Is it a real person? Fictional? Mythical being? Describe them. Bonus points if you provide a visual!

Aw, this is easy…my mascot for heart health must be our cat Lucky. Here’s why:

He answers the call when I need a hug…

…unless he’s under the comforter having some “me” time…

 

…he takes time to appreciate nature…

 

…he knows how to relax into the moment…

 

…and takes time to daydream…

…and even when he’s having a cranky day…

 

…he’s still photogenic!

 

Read more blog posts or link up with yours at Health Activist Writer’s Challenge Month!

Health Activist Choice — HAWMC Day 23

Day 23

Health Activist Choice Day 23! Write about whatever you like.

Since I will be meeting with my cardiologist for the first time tomorrow, I need to have a few words with my heart.

Dear Heart,

Don’t worry. You’re so good at worrying, especially about everyone else, and I have a feeling that’s one of the reasons you work so hard. Remember that you need your own wholeness and wellness. Slow down and take your time.

Approach tomorrow’s appointment with a sense of empowerment instead of fear. You are about to take a positive step toward wellness and strength. It’s your turn to heal. Be encouraged and comforted by those who have devoted their lives to keeping you well. Listen to what they say, and hear your own inner wisdom as well.

I try to relish every opportunity to savor beauty and honest laughter. I want you to have the chance to rejoice and to have hope. Rest and recover when you feel that you are breaking. Open up and let others be strong for you.

I’ll nourish and strengthen you with wholesome foods and affirming thoughts. You do your job, I’ll do mine, and God will handle the details.

We’re going to be okay tomorrow. No matter what.

_______________

What do you feel like writing today? Join us at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!

The Things We Forget — HAWMC Day 22

Day 22

The Things We Forget. Visit http://thingsweforget.blogspot.com/ and make your own version of a short memo reminder. Where would you post it?

I try to keep this memo posted in my heart, and it helps me remember to stop running after things I can’t control and keep my eye on the most important things. Memo for Sunday and every day:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

“[Jesus], which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, ’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22: 36

Read more memos at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge!