A New Day

The last few months have been challenging for me personally. The first quarter is always my hardest because of a project at work but this quarter has been marked by a number of other difficulties.

In my personal life, I have been battling a issue with my health. The symptoms didn’t just start this year but it was only recently diagnosed as hypothyroidism. This isn’t life threatening but is life altering and it explains a lot of seemingly isolated problems that have been going on for a long time.

Everyone complains about weight gain and exhaustion. These are certainly the headlines when it comes to my complaints but there’s a lot more to it. My muscles and joints hurt, my voice gets raspy and my skin itches for no reason at all. Nighttime is often defined by violent cold chills while morning is defined by grogginess and the sensation I spent my night running a marathon.

I tell you all this, not for your sympathy, but because I wish more people would talk about this stuff. Had I known more about the symptoms I might have been a better advocate for myself. Maybe you or someone you know is struggling and you don’t know why. This problem often comes with a litany of other things I haven’t mentioned here. Sometimes my hands and arms go numb for no reason. It’s ridiculous, the weird stuff that has been going on.

The cause can be genetic but it can also involve nutritional deficiencies like Vitamin D, Iron and Magnesium. We caught mine because my cholesterol was creeping up there and your thyroid controls cholesterol. Who knew?

I’m now on the path to finding the right dosage of a little white pill I take every day. This can be a real chore and it can be ever changing.

The more meaningful journey for me is using food as medicine. In the interest of boosting my magnesium, I now eat banana a day whether I want it or not. I never want the banana but see value in it as those bad muscle aches and pains are starting to subside. I’m reducing gluten at home. While this isn’t a fix for everyone, it does seem to be helping with my brain fog.

I have a list of things to try adding or removing from my diet. As I feel better, I can be more active. It would be nice to take off the extra pounds and to feel healthy and strong again but I have read and heard horror stories about the thyroid and why it’s often a lifelong battle.

I put that big work project to bed yesterday. It’s in the hands of my printer now and some other things at work should improve soon as well. I am hopeful that life will get easier. You can have stress at home or stress at work but it’s crippling to experience stress everywhere you go.

I celebrated in my own way yesterday. At lunch, I treated myself to some really nice books at an Ollie’s. This included one about the artist Monet and will help me prepare for an upcoming adventure. Near the cash register, a display of bare root roses presented one called “New Day.” It is yellow and happy and you can bet it will soon grace the flower bed outside my home office window.

It is a new day.

After work, I strolled the bike path, logging two miles and stopping once to admire a nice patch of wildflowers. There’s one area where you’ll find several varieties. While there are a couple that are large and obvious, they’re mostly small and delicate. You have to look for them, and the more you see, the more you see. It’s a quiet reminder that great gifts often come in small packages and that you sometimes have to slow down and go looking to find the beauty.

It’s there. You just have to try to find it.

This blog is written as an exercise in daily creativity. That means, instead of keeping a queue of future posts ready to go, I usually have just a list of ideas and start fresh every day. The exception is when I’m planning vacation or know that there will be no time for writing one day.

That has worked great until recently as exhaustion has started to win. That’s why I took a break.

I woke up this morning still tired but not as tired as a week ago and certainly far better than a month ago. I trust that I’m headed in the right direction and that I can get back to storytelling here. This is something that I enjoy immensely. The writing is close to my heart but I also enjoy hearing from all of you virtually and in real life.

If you’re interested in an overview of hypothyroidism, the Mayo Clinic provides a basic overview here. Talk to your doctor if some of the symptoms sound familiar. Advocate for yourself.

Happy Saturday, friends. It’s a new day.

Deep Thoughts In Flight

When you ride in a biplane, the pilot sits behind the passengers rather than in front like you might expect. On Saturday, I got to sit alone in the front seat and enjoyed the most magical moment.

It’s noisy up there. Between the roar of a 90 year old plane engine and the wind, you need protection for your ears and eyes so they give you goggles and head sets.

Being in front meant that I couldn’t see another living soul without turning around in my seat. It was just me and the earth below as we soared over farms, small communities and rural roads in western Ohio.

It’s the closest thing to being as free as a bird that I’ve ever experienced.

It was oddly peaceful and calming. It was kind of invigoration. Most of all, studying the world below was an inspiring reminder that problems that seem so large on the ground are pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

For some reason, the experience was also the kick in the pants I needed to start exercising again and to start using some good sense where my own health is concerned.

I’ve been trying to walk at my favorite local park every day (that’s three whole days in a row. Someone throw me a parade!) and to focus on getting more vegetables in my diet. Small changes can be powerful, especially where our health is concerned.

These are things I have long known. Unfortunately, possessing a fact and putting it into practice are two drastically different activities. For months I’ve been struggling to bridge that gap and failing miserably. It is a source of tremendous gratitude that the fresh perspective provided by a ride in an antique aircraft could have such a significant impact on my mindset.

I’ve written about Dewey Davenport’s biplane rides a few times. I’m especially fond of this account of my first biplane experience! You can also click here for information about how his passion as a modern day barnstormer has evolved into a business that brings great joy to many.

Whether it be a cool plane or just a change of scenery with your feet planted firmly on the ground, I am a big fan of fresh perspective. Go find you some and see how it changes your attitude!

Here’s one more photo for today. You wouldn’t guess this was out there if you were just driving by! That’s another reason to seek out fresh perspective- even when we’re confident of what we’ll find. There could be a surprise waiting!

Have a great day, friends!

The BIG Water Bottle

Consistently drinking more water is one of my current goals. To be clear, I drink a lot of water compared to most people. However, I’m inconsistent about it.

Sometimes I drink like I’ve been crawling through the desert nourished only by a box of saltines for three days. Sometimes I sit with a glass of water next to my hand and barely remember to take a sip.

There is no middle ground.

I’ve tried logging water with an app and on paper. I’ve tried setting alarms on my phone and have a magnificent water bottle I carry with me everywhere. The new Bluetooth water bottles have been taunting me but I seriously doubt they would make a difference.

And then I found this bottle. It’s enormous- almost too tall to fit in my fridge. It holds 101 ounces, greeting you good morning and offering incremental encouragements to keep drinking throughout the day.

I call her Bertha. Big Bertha.

It’s working so far. I’m a visual person so it helps to see and feel the bottle becoming lighter throughout the day. And no, I don’t drink from this monstrosity. Instead I drink from my favorite Wonder Woman glass just to make it more fun.

Last November

Last November took me to Pittsburgh where a good friend gave me the holiday tour of her city.

Pittsburgh is an amazing place to celebrate the Christmas season thanks to free and inexpensive events, a beautifully decorated downtown, and tons of shopping opportunities at every turn.

Things are so different this year that I keep thinking back to that weekend – leisurely tours of museums, a crowded train car, fireworks amidst strangers, and a cramped Prantl’s Bakery where people pack in for the finest treats around. We ate in diners with people seated a foot or two away and never gave a second thought to touching doors and keypads or to how many people we would encounter while walking down the street.

My memories are a stark contrast to how we are (or how we should be) living as we try to slow the growth of this pandemic.

I hope to go back someday and experience it all again. For now, I am staying close to home and seeking ways to still enjoy life without too much interaction or risk. I hope you are doing the same and that you might enjoy the armchair travels you’ll find in these pictures.

I delighted in a display of life sized depictions of Father Christmas from around the world. Isn’t he stunning?

Notice the tree reflected in the walls of this mirrored building? There was ice skating in this plaza as well.

It seems like this man had a German accent. He was delightful to listen to as he demonstrated his wares for a seemingly endless crowd.

This tree is composed of lights on the corner of the building. A real show stopper and we were there to see the first lighting!

The Phipps does amazing things with flowers, plants, lights and good old fashioned dirt. Do yourself a favor and read this post about the Phipps at Christmas. There are more pictures.

Here’s hoping that we all can return to normal next Christmas.

For now, I think the meaning of Christmas 2020 is to do everything we can to keep each other safe and well so that we all can be here to celebrate the brighter days ahead.

Be safe, my friends.

Giving The Gift Of Life

I gave blood yesterday. The American Red Cross is in dire need of blood donations right now and I had made the appointment six weeks ago. It was important to me that I go.

They have strict rules about masks and cleanliness. It’s basically impossible to social distance in a situation like this but I felt perfectly comfortable.

Giving blood has become an important part of my routine. It doesn’t help me today and I genuinely hope to never need blood. But someone out there right now is sick or hurt and they badly need the help. It could be any one of us and we would want the blood supply to be there if we were in their shoes.

It took 37 minutes this time. That was 37 minutes to get checked in, wait my turn, give, claim my snack and be on my way. Those were 37 minutes well spent and I’ll look forward to going back next time.

Want to help? You can click this link and search by zip code to find a blood drive near you.

Perspective In Photography and Life

The sun finally found its way to my corner of the world yesterday. Since there’s more rain in the forecast, I jumped at the opportunity to go for a walk at a local state park. It was early and cold. A handful of cars drove through and I encountered just a few like minded people looking for a stretch of the legs and some fresh air. We very politely smiled as we veered away from one another.

It was a gorgeous day and the only noise came from an abundance of birds and a lone dog barking in the distance. With each step and each breath of fresh air I could feel my shoulders relaxing and breathing become calmer. I hold my breath a lot, especially when stressed, so it was refreshing to feel pure morning air fill my lungs.

The above picture was taken from one angle at the park. The picture isn’t great but notice how blue the sky is?

This next one was made just a quarter mile away and facing a different direction. The light is harsh and the colors not nearly so nice.

It was the same park and same day – just a different perspective. This is your friendly Monday morning reminder that your perspective can make or ruin your picture as well as your day.

Yesterday afternoon, our Governor announced fresh orders from the Ohio Department of Health that are meant to keep people at home. Some states are calling it “shelter in place” while our state is calling it “stay at home.”

No one really wants to do this. In fact, it seems a little surreal.

College students sunning themselves on the beach can’t understand what the big deal is about because we all know that youth is invincible and they’re sure they won’t get sick and die. That’s their perspective.

Their grandparents likely have been staying home for a while and hoping they haven’t already been exposed to the virus or anything else that would make them susceptible to illness at this time. That’s their perspective.

Some middle aged strangers I overheard commiserating at the grocery store are upset that the government would dare take away their freedom to eat in a restaurant just because a few hundred people are sick. That’s their perspective.

Now here is mine.

This is a new virus that our bodies are not prepared to combat. It travels quietly and quickly. And while it’s most dangerous to people with other conditions and to people of a certain age, it will not discriminate if it finds its way to you. It does not care if you are talented and famous, rich or poor, a good person or not.

We all are at risk of either getting sick or carrying germs to people we care about.

I will be the first person to tell you that I’m tired and want my life to go back to normal. I want to sit in a theater and watch a movie, listen to live music in a crowded place, and hop in a car to visit a museum or bookstore. I want a haircut.

But it isn’t worth the risk. 

Sometimes  I wonder if the naysayers were given a card with the name of someone they care about and told that if they don’t take this seriously, their person could die or at least be very sick and carry with them lifelong damage to their bodies. Would that matter to the kids on the beach or the complainers in the store?

It’s not forever, friends. It’s for a while. Just keep telling yourself that and we’ll get through this.

And speaking of getting through, when you do venture out to a store or to your bank or to pick up your lunch, try to be a little extra nice to those people who have no choice but to be out there working. We rely on healthcare workers, the farmers and factory workers who make sure we’re all fed, the truckers moving stuff around, as well as the cashiers and stock people who are pushing merchandise through their stores. These are all people who cannot join the work from home brigade because their jobs don’t allow it.

At the very least, show them a little extra patience and remember that some heroes don’t wear capes. They wear scrubs, work boots, and name tags. If you see a trucker somewhere, ask if they’re hungry and offer to get them food. Those big rigs don’t fit through a drive-thru lane and most fast foods places don’t take walk-ups. We need them to be fed and well to keep things moving.

Wherever you are, stay safe and well, my friends. It’s just for a while.