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!

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!

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!

Open a Book — HAWMC Day 18

 

Day 18

Open a Book. Choose a book and open it to a random page and point to a phrase. Use that phrase to get you writing today. Free write for 15-20 without stopping.

Rosemary is an herb of protection. One of my favorite herbs, rosemary has a soothing and refreshing fragrance that reminds me of the piney woods of my childhood home. New Hampshire was a place of awakening and inspiration, and I carry all that i learned with me wherever I go. Today in my home in Texas, I still cook with rosemary and make rosemary tea.

Herbs have always had a special place in my heart. It was probably the fragrances that captured my heart first…in New England, early morning, dewy grass held intense perfumes of clover, white pine needles and other wild plants. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the secure, innocent years when all those mornings took place. The memory heals my heart today.

I was not aware of the folklore surrounding medicinal plants when I was a child. Today, I understand the idea of a plant — like rosemary — having protective qualities. Besides the physical medicinal properties of plants, there is a beauty that heals and protects as well. In her book, Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, herbalist and author Gail Faith Edwards describes “protective” and healing qualities of plants. As I learn about my own heart health, I remember when I read this book that emotional and spiritual healing is as important as physical healing for the heart.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

I enjoyed writing from the inspiration of a favorite book. Why not give it a try at Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge?

 

Learned the Hard Way — HAWMC Day 17

Day 17

Learned the Hard Way. What’s a lesson you learned the hard way? Write about it for 15 today.

I have accompanied family members to doctor’s appointments and encouraged loved ones to keep their appointments. Worried for their well-being, I often turned a deaf ear when they shared their frustrations about being subjected to more poking, prodding, questions and instructions.

Now I am seeing with my own eyes and feeling with my own heart those same frustrations. I have recently been scheduled for several tests after a long absence from doctor’s offices. I’d love to have an uninterrupted week without anxiety, waiting, wondering and waiting some more. One result came in today with good news. Two more to go, including an upcoming stress test. I join my loved ones sitting in waiting rooms, comparing notes and sharing encouragement.

What lesson have I learned? I pray that I’ve learned not to assume that I’m exempt from health “stuff”. Not to take good health for granted. To fully believe it when someone shares how difficult it is, how tired they are. A wise woman I know told me that we keep going around that mountain until we learn what we’re supposed to learn. I embrace this chance that God has given me to walk with my loved ones and share this journey toward better health. I pray that God will open my eyes, ears and heart to receive whatever lessons are in store.

_______________

There, I’ve written for 15 minutes! If you like, you can join the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge and share your blog posts for each day’s prompt. Hope to see you there!