Four Habits I Want To Make Daily Ones

Well, my daily blogging streak was broken, but oh, well. I only missed one day. Not a big deal. At least not in my book.

The NaBloPoMo prompt for yesterday was whether I had a habit that was hard to build but that I was happy that I’d worked to build them. I can’t really think of one for this, & so I’m not going to write about that one.

Today’s NaBloPoMo prompt is:  Tell us about the habit you wished you had. What stops you from trying to build it into your daily life?

Cycling

There are a few, but the one that immediately springs to mind is cycling. I have had this as part of my near daily life in the past, but then I stopped cycling when I started working straight nights.

NOTE:  When I talk about working “nights,” I actually mean working nights, as in what most people called “graveyard shift.” I don’t like calling it that after working nights in a nursing home & experiencing the loss of some residents on various shifts at night. It’s not a superstitious thing; just a quirk of mine. My dad’s the same way, & he didn’t experience the same thing, although he did work nights over the course of his working life.

Cycling just didn’t work out as a practical part of my schedule when I worked nights, although I did get the odd ride in. I miss it, though. It’s my favourite kind of exercise and it’s incredible, in my book.

So what’s been stopping me from making it a part of my daily life now, or my mostly-daily life? I can’t really say, except laziness, most likely. Once night shift ended, I should’ve started it up again, but I didn’t. I had sunk into a depression a while after that job ended because work wasn’t coming my way, & I just didn’t feel like doing stuff. I know that it would’ve helped me to be active & to do things I loved, but I started feeling like I wasn’t worth it.

But what about now? One job just ended last Friday – I was told that my services were no longer required, & it was through no fault of my own – & I have a lot of spare time, aside from looking for work & studying a course I’ve had for a long time but am now really getting back into.

Sunday night & early Monday morning, there was a huge dump of snow. Yesterday & today are beautiful – crisp & clear – although a bit cold. The cold doesn’t bother me, but the wind that’s also here is a hindrance. I’ve tried cycling in the wind, & I’m not fit enough to do it. If the wind’s at my back, then, yeah, fine. It’s fairly easy since the wind’s helping me along. Cycling into the wind, though, is a huge challenge that I’m not ready for. This is perfectly valid reason for not cycling right now.

I’m going to wait ‘til there’s a non-windy day, or at least a non-windy part of a day. Then take my bike out. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, at least I’ll be getting out.

Crochet

I love crochet! It’s my favourite craft, and it’s something I’m good at. I’m not saying that to be vain or proud or what-have-you, but it’s true. I’ve picked it up quite easily and I find most stitches that are new to me very easy to pick up. I love it and find it fun. I also love being creative and making up my own patterns. It’s great!

So why isn’t it part of my daily life? It was part of my almost-daily life up until a few months ago when I ended up with a sore elbow & my right hand would often go numb after just a few minutes of crochet. I’m fine now, but back then, it was so frustrating. I was in the midst of trying to make Christmas presents, but I couldn’t make the ones I had planned.

I have been crocheting today, and I’m going to do so again tomorrow. Now that I’m no longer experiencing elbow pain that causes my hand to go numb, there’s no excuse for me to not crochet.

Writing

Writing is something I love to do. So why don’t I write every day? I’m starting to with my daily blog posting – or close to daily – but my writing passion is stories. I have so many ideas!

For me, writing in the morning – like a lot of other things – is best in the morning. When I get up in the morning, I almost always sit on my love seat, turn on the TV, & go onto FB. Instead, there are many other things that I could be doing first. Devotions, breakfast, exercise, writing. I have to make writing a priority since it’s something inside me that has to come out. Even if I don’t ever get published, at least I’m getting my stories out. I’m not in it to be published – although I admit that’d be great. Rather, I write because I love it and just plain enjoy it.

Music

I’m a musical person. I sing, play guitar, flute and piano – piano’s my absolute favourite, but I rarely get the chance to play one now. This makes me sad. I think the main reason I’ve given up doing music as much as I’d love to is because I really miss playing the piano. That’s hard, but it really shouldn’t stop me from playing the guitar or flute. I do sing around my home, & I am involved in worship in my church. So that’s something.

I need to set aside each day for music, to make it a habit. It’s well worth the effort, and it makes me truly happy.

Final Thoughts

So this is not a daily habit I want to incorporate – just the final thoughts of this post.

I’ve listed four things here that are things that I want to make daily habits, and, aside from cycling, there aren’t any true reasons for not doing them every day. It may seem like a lot to make these daily things, but it isn’t really. I have a lot of spare time, & so it’d be fine for me.

I actually don’t think that these each have to be daily habits. I could do two or three of these each day, although all four fit in right now, as long as it’s not too windy or inclement outside. As long as I’m out of work and have finished job hunting most days of the week, I have plenty of time to have these as part of my life most days. All I have to do is actually just do them.

Of course that can be easier said than done, but it is possible, & I am planning on doing this. It’ll fill my days and keep me from sinking back into depression. I don’t need that. I don’t have to be busy-busy-busy all the time, but as long as I’m not just sitting around doing nothing, I’m good.

Cool Teapot

I love this teapot! Christy – my brother’s girlfriend – asked me if I wanted this teapot, & I said yes. She brought it to Mom & Dad’s on Christmas Day, & it’s so Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! (this is my all purpose Squee!! word for cute. It’s like I’m squealing with great delight like a little girl. haha ) I don’t drink tea, but it’ll come in handy for my yarn when I crochet, or even if I decide to knit regularly. I can do basic knitting & purling, but I love crochet a lot more. Still, I want to know how to knit because I like knit stuff, too.

What I’ll do with this teapot is to put a ball or skein of yarn in it with the end of the yarn out the spout. It’ll help to keep the ball or skein in place instead of rolling all over the place. I saw the idea on FB somewhere & loved it.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 6

Today’s Prompt:

Have you ever tried to break a habit and failed? What made it so difficult to break?

This makes me chuckle because I’m going to talk about the same habit that I did last week when the prompt was to talk about a habit that I’d successfully broken.

Drinking Coca~Cola, or Coke.

It’s on ongoing issue in my life. Yes, I have broken this habit before & have been able to give it up completely before, but I still went back to it over a year after I’d been able to give it up.

I would love to just put it behind me & to say that I’m completely done with it, but it’s a very hard thing to give up. Some people say that I don’t have enough willpower, but, oh, I do. I’m as stubborn as they come. Some things, though, are very hard to quit, even for the strongest willed people, & this is my super hard thing to give up. I’m truly addicted to it.

I didn’t grow up drinking pop all the time. It was always a special thing. In grade 12, though, I started drinking it regularly, & it’s been an ongoing battle for me ever since. The combination of caffeine & sugar helps to make it addictive. Maybe, too, I’ve given up unconsciously, but I don’t know about that for sure. All I know for sure is that this is something I can give up sometimes but always go back to.

People have given me all kinds of tips for giving it up – drink more water; substitute it with juice for a while (& then give up the juice); just don’t buy it; distract myself when I’m tempted to have some; & many others. I try different things, but they end up not working.

I do admit that the greatest part of this is a mental battle. Someone suggested that I’m afraid to give it up, but that’s not true at all. Why would I be afraid to give it up? No, it’s not out of fear that it sticks with me. It’s an addiction that’s hard to quit, party because it’s socially acceptable & so easily accessible.

I do want to quit drinking it, & right now I’m going to see if my recently decreased income due to the loss of my job this past Friday will help. Decreased income means an evaluation of what’s actually necessary when it comes to what I have to buy. Coke is not one of those things.

Yes, I’ll go through caffeine headaches & withdrawal, but once it’s done, I should be all right. I’ll still face the temptation, & it’s never easy to face down temptation. Oh, it’s hard to go through that withdrawal, is it? It’s painful & downright agonising at times. It’s totally worth it, though, & I’m willing to go through that, especially this week when I don’t have much going on outside my home. It’s a very good time to give it up, methinks.

I really do hope that I can give it up this time. I’ll keep you posted.

NaBloPoMo Day 5

Yes, I’m late for this one, but that’s all right. I’ll write & post this one now, & then day six’s will be done later. I had a bit of a kerfuffled day & was just so very, very tired when I got home. I just wasn’t able to write clearly. So I didn’t even try. Believe me – it wouldn’t have made any sense.

I won’t go into the day I had. I did go to bed early – early for me – but something woke me up after a couple of hours. I’m still sleepy, but I’m too wide awake to stay in bed. So I’m up now & blogging. Why not, eh?

I received two blog prompts for today – one for NaBloPoMo & one for the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m using the one for NaBloPoMo, & that is Tell us about your worst habit.

Hm! My worst habit. This prompt has me wondering what that is. I have some habits I don’t like all that much, but which is the worst? Nail biting used to be one of my worst, but I don’t bite my nails anymore, unless I’m super, super stressed or really, really tired, or a combination of both. I stopped biting my nails as a habit a long time ago, thankfully, & that was due in large part to a job I had as a care aide (aka nurse’s aide) in a nursing home. Cleaning people as a regular thing is an excellent deterrent to nail biting, as you can imagine. Even though I was wearing gloves, just the thought of biting my nails then….well, I’m sure that I don’t need to explain.

So what’s my worst habit now? I honestly am not quite sure about this. It could be my Coca~Cola habit, or it could be my tendency to eat out of boredom. Because of my tendency to eat mindlessly, you might think that I eat when I’m stressed, but it’s quite the opposite for me. When I’m tense and worried, I find it really hard to eat since my stomach gets too upset to handle food.

The worst that it ever was for me was in the summer after I graduated from high school. My best friend at the time was withdrawing from our small group of friends, especially from me, and I was very upset about it. I had no idea why, although I found out later that it was a mixture of things, including the fact that I was going two provinces away to college. Everyone else in our group was leaving as well, whether for college or just moving away, and she was going to be left alone. I also found out other things that she hadn’t confided to me at the time, and they were also causing her to withdraw. If I had known about all that she’d gone through at the time, I would’ve been even more worried. I was tense enough about our friendship, worrying that she was mad at me about something & because she wouldn’t talk to me. I missed her but had no idea what to do.

My stomach was constantly in knots, & I just couldn’t eat. I forced myself to many times so that my family wouldn’t worry about me, but Mom noticed & talked to me about it. She suggested that my friend might’ve been upset about my impending departure and was backing away from our friendship in order to make it less painful for herself. That made sense to me, & my friend confirmed that years later. Mom’s thoughts helped me a bit & I did start to eat more, but it took a while before I was able to eat well again.

My friend & I re-established our friendship many years later, but she once again withdrew, & I’ve not been able to get in touch with her for quite a while now. I am quite concerned about her, but my eating’s not stopped. It’s different this time. I still am not able to eat when I’m extremely stressed or concerned or worried, but it’s hard to say. I think it’s because it’s been so long that I’ve had this concern that my body just naturally started crying out for food again.

Another bad habit could be my tendency to keep to myself. I love a lot of alone time, but I do need to be with people. Not all the time – I like people, but I can only be with others for so long before being alone is a necessity. There’s nothing wrong with my tendency to have a lot of alone time. I am an introvert and am stronger when I’m by myself more, but I also have the bent of being alone too much. I get that from my dad’s mom’s side. I could easily see myself being a hermit like she was to some degree. Her second son has basically become that, & I miss that uncle. When his second wife died, he gave up going out & being around other people a lot. He rarely goes out, & he hardly ever answers his phone. My parents both say that they could each be the same way. I’m not as bad as my uncle – yet – but I could be. I still have a point at which I just have to get out & be among people. Not for long periods of time, & not out in crowds if I can help it, but I need my people fix.

I have a lot of online friends, & my dad says that I can’t really be a hermit as long as I spend time online. Maybe that’s so, & I do love my online friends & cherish any time spent with them. Still, it’s not quite the same as face-to-face contact. I see what Dad’s saying, though. My uncle doesn’t even have an online community with which he’s associated, whereas I have a few. So I’m blessed that way. Even from the internet I tend to withdraw at times, though, & there’s the occasional day when I don’t go online at all. These days don’t happen often, but they do happen.

I’m trying to think of other things that might be bad habits of mine, & I’m sure there are some, but nothing comes to mind at this time. Oh, well! I’ve written about some here. I don’t know if one’s worse than the others, and they’re not as bad as other things, but they’re the worst that I can think of. Sometimes it’s hard to think of things like this right on the spot. Oh, well!

Comic Strip

I love Mutts!! It’s one of my favourite comic strips, & so I’m sharing one today as I’m blogging for Day 4 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Here’s the prompt for it:

Day 4: Let’s Get Funny

Everyone can use a little injection of humor from time to time.  Make today a day to share a funny story, a favorite cartoon or even a fun video. Do you have something that is based on an experience you had that is funny? Why not share it? Have you read something that made you laugh? Share it!

If you’re participating in this, please don’t forget to share the link to today’s blog post on the Ultimate Blog Challenge Facebook group.

Don’t Overthink It & A Brief Overview Of My Life

Day 3 Prompt for The Ultimate Blog Challenge: Don’t Overthink It

We all have things that are unique to our experience, talents and life. Just because it’s something you live with everyday doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting to someone else. Share about your unique talents and gifts, this inspires, builds credibility and influence in your reader’s world.

This prompt is in two parts, to me. First of all, the title.

Don’t Overthink It.

I’m a thinker. There’s a definite philosophical bent to me, part of which comes from being alone with my thoughts a lot. I’ve always held a lot in, and it’s allowed me to develop my own opinions and ideas. I don’t share a lot of them because I prefer to leave a lot of them to myself. Some of my ideas would be fairly controversial to a lot of people I know, and I don’t want to bring forth controversy. I’m a firm believer in keeping the peace if at all possible, although I know that’s not always possible.

I just hate confrontation & being on the outs with people. So I usually prefer to keep my thoughts to myself, although sometime they just have to come out.

Thinking is one of my favourite things to do, & that includes daydreaming. Sometimes I use my daydreams to work out problems & to think things through.

Sometimes, though, I tend to overthink things. I’ll get into full blown thinking mode, & I’m lost in my thoughts. I over analyze & get my brain so full of something that it’s too hard to just do something. It’s also too hard to just make a decision because I can see more than one side of things. Ooh da lolly, that’s a hard place in which to be!

Then I have to stop & let go of the issue at hand & take a break from it. Usually when I do that, I can sort out my thoughts & really get a good handle on things. That’s always a relief!

The next part of today’s challenge is:

We all have things that are unique to our experience, talents and life. Just because it’s something you live with everyday doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting to someone else. Share about your unique talents and gifts.

I don’t know if I have any talents that are unusual. I’m good at crochet and music and photography and other things, but lots of people are. I’m actually good at writing as well – at least when I take the time to really work on what I’m writing & to keep it organised & such – but, again, lots of people are. Not everyone who’s good at one or two of these things is good at all of them, though, & no one else has had the life that I have.

Not even my brother, who’s the one person in the world who’s closest to me genetically. He’s been married, but I have not. He’s worked on a farm & as a tiler &, now, as an egg farm inspector, but I have not. He’s been a property owner twice, & I only once. I owned an apartment with a friend for a short period of time. My brother also has a different personality than me. He’s quite easy going and a lot of things come easily to him. I’m a lot more easy going than I used to, but I’m still not as much as my brother. Also, I take things really hard and am a lot more emotional than him. My brother does feel, of course – pretty well everyone does – but I’ve always shown my emotions more.

So just because people come from the exact same genes like my brother & I do, that doesn’t mean that they’re the same people. It helps to keep things interesting, I think. I also wouldn’t want someone else in the world to be just like me. Ai yi yi! haha

No one else has had exactly the same life as me. I was the only girl born in the Royal Columbian Hospital on 6 March 1970 – the other children born that day were boys. I was six months old when my parents & I moved to our second family home, & then a year old when we moved to our third. When I was 2 years 9 months old, my brother was born.

We moved up to the Arctic in 1974 & moved back down in 1976. When we were up in the Arctic, I asked Jesus into my heart – I was 5 & remember that moment. I also started kindergarten half a year before I was due to because there wasn’t anything else to do, & in that community, no one minded. Also, there were days when I was the only student in class. So I went to grade one – the first time – a year early. Again, I was often the only student in class since most of the students were Inuit & their parents would take them out onto the land many times.

When we moved back down South, I went to grade one again because the education up in the North at the time wasn’t up to Southern standards. Also, I was actually with my age group. I was at that school for a year and a month, after which we had moved to Abbotsford. I was the new student a month after school started & was in grade two. From then on, I was in school until I graduated with many of the same students.

After I graduated in June 1988, I went to Saskatchewan for Bible college & finished after four years with my BA in Church Ministries, Christian Education major. After that I worked for 2 1/2 years as a care giver in a group home in which four ladies with profound mental & physical disabilities lived. That was a good job. I then went & got my certificate for working as a resident care aide – aka nurse’s aide. I worked in a nursing home for 8 years 4 months.

Then I moved back up to the Arctic, to Inuvik. My first job up there was as a housekeeper in a hotel, & then I got a job in the town office as the receptionist. I loved that job! After 2 1/2 years or so up in Inuvik, I moved back down here to BC, & it’s been a really weird time.

I’ve had a number of low paying jobs that haven’t been all that great, although I’ve been blessed enough to meet some great people. That itself has been the best part of the past 8 years.

Now I’ve come to a place of change once again – I’ll write about it sometime in the future. I’m not ready right now. So I have to figure out what to do & in what direction I need to take. I’ve been praying a lot & seeking advice from people who know me well & who I trust. Something good is right around the corner – I hope – & I’m more than ready for it.

Well, this ended up as an overview of my life, didn’t it? I just wanted to share some of what makes me unique. Some people may have lived similar lives to me, but no one’s had exactly the same experiences as me, & no one else has exactly the same combination of friends & family as me. No one has the same fingerprints as me, and I was fearfully and wonderfully made by God, known by Him before the world was created. That’s a bit overwhelming to think of, in a way, but I love it. I’m God’s image bearer – we were each created in God’s image & all His image bearers – & that’s a great responsibility. It’s also a comfort because it shows that He values me as He does each of you as well. It’s amazing that He entrusted human beings to bear His likeness.

I love that each of us is unique and special – I hope that each one reading this knows that or discovers it if you don’t already know it.

Well, I must go now. Dublin – my cat – has just emerged from the bedroom, where he slept under the covers since this morning (it’s almost 4:30 PM now), & will be wanting some snuggles soon. So I’ll return later. Bye, all!

NaBloPoMo January 2015 Day 2

Today’s Prompt:  Do you usually keep your resolutions? Tell us about a time when you were particularly successful.

OK, resolutions. I don’t usually make resolutions, or at least I don’t call them that. I have made them, though, & there have been one or two times when I have kept them.

There was one time when I swore off Coca~Cola, & I actually was able to cut it out completely. That did last for well over a year – I can’t remember for which year I’d made that resolution – and it ended up good. I’m back to drinking Coke, but I did keep that resolution for well over a year, as I said. So I consider that a successful resolution keeping.

I don’t really know what else to write about this. So, short & sweet!

Welcome, Baby New Year 2015!

Much of the world has already welcomed 2015, but much of the world has not yet done so. At least as I write this. Being online and connecting to people from all over the world has really made me aware of time differences and has helped to hit home to me that different parts of the world celebrate the same events but at various times. My Kiwi and Aussie friends, for example, were some of the first to say hello to the newest year, while my friend in Hawai’i will be the last person I know to welcome Baby New Year. Here in southwestern BC, Canada, it’s only just after 10 AM, and there’re just under 14 hours to go ‘til 2015 comes to stay for the next 365 days.

The NaBloPoMo prompt for today is What are your resolutions for the new year? Tell us how you picked them.

I can’t say how I picked what I decided on, even though I’m not really calling them resolutions.

So what are my resolutions? I don’t have any. I don’t make resolutions, at least not at New Years, unless it’s a natural time to do so for whatever I need to do. I don’t call them resolutions, either, although that’s what they are, really.

Basically a resolution is a resolve to do something, although there’re different meanings. I went to Dictionary.com to see what the meaning is, and there was a whole page full of things.

It’s a noun, and the first four definitions, right from the page, are as follows:

noun

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group.

Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2. the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.

3. a resolve; a decision or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

Her resolution to clear her parents' name allowed her no other focus in life.

4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose:

She showed her resolution by not attending the meeting.

 

The start of a new year seems like the perfect time to make resolutions, and I guess it is. I don’t think, though, that a person should make a decision to change at the start of a new year just because it’s a new year. If that’s the only reason a person decides to do something, that’s not enough motivation to stick with it. Not to me, anyway. Some people are able to stay with something just because they want to do it, and I do have that inside me, but to want to do something just because it’s a certain time of year isn’t enough for me to want to keep on with it.

I’m not saying don’t make changes at this time of year; nor am I saying that resolutions are a bad thing. Not at all! I think they’re good and necessary, and each person needs to be resolved at different times for different reasons. If someone makes a New Years resolution, I hope that I’m helpful to them in their efforts to make change. I want to support people in these endeavours, and I have no problem with people going forward with them at this time of the year.

Long ago, though, I learnt that New Years Resolutions aren’t enough for me to make lasting change. I need deeper motivations and reasons for change.

Having said all this, I am making change at this time of the year. I guess they are resolutions, but I’ve not yet put said anything in any definitive way, except to blog every day and to start studying at least two hours most days. A couple of years ago or so I started studying Fundamentals Of Insurance, which will allow me to work in the insurance industry. I know it’s not the most popular of things, but people need insurance, and there’s always a need for workers in this field. It’s a job that has plenty of room for advancement, if I choose to move up, and it’s steady work.

So there’re two resolutions right there. I’ve already started studying again, but starting next Monday – 5 January – I’ll set aside time five days each week just for studying. I’ve also started blogging again, and starting today – 1 January – I’ll do so every day.

In an earlier post I wrote about NaBloPoMo, which I started to do one month years ago. I didn’t carry on with it, though, but now I am determined to do it. I need to add discipline to my life, and this is one way that I will do that.

Another blog challenge I decided on is a photo challenge, and I joined a Facebook group dedicated to that challenge. Photo Blogging Challenge. I love photography, and this is one way that’ll get me back into it a lot more than I have been the past while. The main website for this is a ‘lilhoohaa, and its photoblogging challenge is on the post titled Photo Blogging Challenge: January 2015’s theme is…

Then there’s also the Ultimate Blog Challenge – Boost Your Blog’s Traffic, which also has a group on Facebook. I don’t actually care – at least at this point – whether this humble blog reaches a huge audience or not, but it would be nice in some ways, I guess.

The reason I joined these challenges is to keep my motivation up and to help me to stick with it. So many times I start things and don’t carry on. I stop them because I either get bored or lose motivation, and I don’t want that to happen. I do get easily bored with things if I don’t find them challenging enough, and having these challenges will keep these things interesting for me, I think and hope.

One last link I’ll share before I end this post with a question is for Day Zero Project, which calls itself “the largest community of goal setters in the world.” I can see that. I just found it, and it looks like it could be quite inspiring. I’ve not yet had a good look around it, but I will do so. I might even join it at some point, but for now, I have plenty on my plate, and I’ll stick with what I have. Far too often I tend to take on too much, and then I get overwhelmed – another reason I end up quitting things far earlier than I should.

Question:  Are there any resolutions or challenges you’ve decided to take up for the year, or at least for the time being? If so, are you willing to share them here? If there’re weblinks connected to them, please share them here so that I and others can check them out.