Movies, a Book and Uitwaaien
Well, I’m emotionally exhausted once again, because my son and I just finished re-watching all the Harry Potter movies, and then we watched the 20th anniversary special on HBO Max, where the cast members returned to talk about filming the movies. What is it about Harry Potter? Just like when I finished the books, at the end of the last movie I felt like there’s nothing left to say or do, or experience, or learn, ever again in life. It’s all been done… that was the official end. Luckily, I finally recovered from that after reading the books (although it took a month) and just finished reading Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. This book has been on my TBR list for years, because it takes place in Scotland during Christmas. I kind of wish I had read this a month earlier, because the story leads up to December 25th, and it would have been fun to read it before Christmas. But I enjoyed it now. One thing I liked about it was the detailed descriptions- when a character went to buy Christmas presents, we’re told exactly what she got for each person. And instead of saying merely “they bought food for the party” we know exactly what they bought, including how many bottles of wine and whiskey. I love details like that in a book. Overall the writing was beautiful, and the story tied up neatly and happily. Towards the end my eyes were tempted to roll slightly upward at just HOW neatly everything tied up. The story ends very happily, and even though the characters experienced some adversity, everyone behaved admirably and kindly throughout. I would describe this as a kind, gentle book- which was soothing to read. I’m a little scared to start my next one- I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. I have a feeling it’s going to be the polar opposite of “kind and gentle.” But I’m ready for a page-turner. I’m also ready for some uitwaaien! What in the world, you may be asking, is that? Well, this article explains that “uitwaaien” is a Dutch word that means “to walk in the wind.” It describes the act of undertaking some sort of outdoor physical activity in windy conditions. “Wind, as local wisdom goes, refreshes and recalibrates you.” The article describes our relationship to the wind and the health benefits it provides. Wim Hof, who developed a breathing program designed to bring the wind into our bodies, says the wind “is inextricably linked to how we connect with our physiology and achieve optimal health.” Well! I never thought much about the wind except as an annoyance- most of us don’t like running on windy days. But now I have a whole new way of thinking about it, and I’m kind of looking forward to the next windy run. I’m ready to be refreshed and recalibrated! Did anyone else watch the Harry Potter 20th anniversary special? Have you ever heard of “uitwaaien?” –I’m going to change my attitude towards the wind after reading this!
January Goals- I Have Some!
I know… I’m a little late to the party here. A third of the month is over and I’m just now setting some goals. Furthermore, I don’t intend to implement one of them for another week. My son is home until the 16th. I don’t think I’ll look back and regret that I didn’t get more sleep for these weeks, but I will be sad if I don’t make the most of the time I have with him here. Speaking of sleep… Goal #1 If I said my goal was to get more sleep, that would be an oversimplification. I’ve been saying I need to get more sleep for months (years?) now, but being sick the week between Christmas and New Years really brought my sleep issue into focus. For that week, I slept better than I’ve slept in… oh, I don’t know- nineteen years? For seven nights in a row, I crawled into bed and slept solidly for 8-9 hours. I would wake up once to use the bathroom, but then immediately fall back into a keep sleep. The night before I went back to work, I suddenly had trouble falling asleep. I wasn’t anxious or worried- I was just aware that I had to get up the next day at a specific time and be somewhere, and I couldn’t fully relax. I proceeded to eventually sleep fitfully, waking several times to use the bathroom, and woke in the morning feeling unrefreshed. And the problem is… that is my norm. Right now my son and I are watching all the Harry Potter movies in the evenings, which isn’t conducive to getting in bed early and sleeping well. That’s okay! But starting next week my goal is to at least get into bed eight hours before I need to get up. I’ll give it until the end of January, and if I’m lying in bed for eight hours but still not sleeping well, I’ll consider a further sleep intervention for February. Goal #2 This one is more straightforward! I want to read four books in January. For the past few years, I’ve had a (modest) goal of reading 50 books for the year. I haven’t quite reached that goal, but I’ve come much closer to 50 than if I didn’t set it at all. Last year I was doing great, until I re-read all the Harry Potter books, which led to an existential crisis, where I felt like I couldn’t read anything else ever again. Luckily I finally got over that and am working my way through my Christmas books. Four books in January is definitely doable. Goal #3 Fitness! I’m going to continue to run every other day during January, building up my mileage slowly. That’s the easy part. Everything else gets more complicated. I loved my yoga challenge for November, where I did a yoga class every day. I realized yoga is important for me and I want to keep up with it. However, I need to add in more specific strength training (during my month of yoga, I counted the power yoga classes as my strength training.) So my goal, for January, is to do yoga three times a week, and add some running-specific strength at least twice a week. And pushups. Must keep doing pushups. Those are my January goals… the hardest one will be the sleep one. We’ll see how it goes! Did you set January goals? How’s it going so far?
Weekly Rundown- Embracing the Glop
Oh, hello there! Welcome to the weekly rundown, hosted as always by the indomitable Kim and Deborah. What’s that you’re asking? Oh… glop. WELL… This week I listened to this podcast episode with Alexi Pappas. Alexi was one of three guests who talked about athletic goals, values, motivation, and training. But every time Alexi talked, she was mesmerizing. I could have gotten rid of the other two guests and just listened to Alexi talk all day. One thing she talked about was how, when a caterpillar goes into its chrysalis, it doesn’t just sprout wings and become a butterfly. It turns from a caterpillar into a puddle of “glop” and from there, transforms into a butterfly. When we’re injured or have down time for any reason, instead of wishing we could go back to the way we were, we should understand that we’re in the middle of a great transformation. Rather than going back to our old selves, imagine the new and beautiful creature we’re about to become. See… I told you Alexi is fascinating. Monday This was my second time running since getting my new orthotics and recovering from Covid, so I repeated my run from Saturday; I walked a mile and ran a mile. Yes! Glop. Tuesday I did a power yoga class (on the Peloton app with Denis Morton) but also added pushups. It’s come to my attention that I desperately need upper body strength work, and my son is the pushup bully. Those pushups hurt- proof that I need them. Wednesday Another run! This time I walked a mile and ran TWO miles! Baby steps! Followed this run with some of my old favorite hip exercise, Runner’s Touch. I forgot how beneficial this is, and want to get back to doing it on a regular basis. Later in the morning I had another shockwave treatment. I was finally, FINALLY able to report that I’m seeing some progress with the foot. He added a magnetic therapy treatment, free of charge. Yes, please! Give me everything! The magnet treatment didn’t hurt, which was a refreshing change- those shockwave treatments are painful. Thursday Another power yoga class followed by pushups. Ouch. Friday I repeated Wednesday’s run- walk one mile, run two miles. It was an early run and I was treated to a nice sunrise. Saturday I was all set to do a power yoga class, when I accidentally started an update on my computer. NOOOOO! While I was waiting for that to install (grr) I did my pushups and Runners Touch. Still waiting, so I held a plank… still waiting… did side planks… finally my computer was ready, but my time was limited because I had to go to work. I did a quick 20 minute glute focus flow. My glutes were already tired by that time, and my legs were trembling while doing Warrior 3. It felt good to be that tired, though! Sunday I’m really starting to miss having a long run adventure on Sundays, and I thought about going to the trail and doing a longer run/walk. My heart was pulling me back home though- I wanted to be here to make a nice breakfast for my kids. Next Sunday my son will be gone. So I decided to embrace the glop a little longer, and did a 4 mile loop near my house. I walked half a mile, ran two miles, walked another half mile, and ran one more mile. That was my exciting week! How was your week? Did you set New Year’s goals or resolutions? How is it going so far?
January Coffee Date- Moving On
Guess what- I got ANOTHER NEW MUG! It wasn’t my fault- my Secret Santa at work gave me this awesome Harry Potter mug. It’s heat sensitive, so when it’s cold it says “I solemnly swear I am up to no good” and when it gets hot, it turns into the Marauder’s Map. It’s the perfect mug for my post-Christmas Earl Grey tea! Thanks as always to Coco and Deborah for hosting this monthly coffee date. If we were having coffee (tea) together, I would tell you… We took down Christmas, or as we like to say, we “Grinched” the house. This might come as a shocking surprise, but when you go all out with your decorating, it takes a REALLY LONG TIME to take it down again. Everything from the bathroom had to be washed- shower curtains, rugs, towels, plus some of our beds had Christmas sheets on them… it was a big project, which took two days. You would think that would deter me from over-decorating next year, but on the contrary, my son and I have decided that next year will be the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! We got a little gypped this year, since we were sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so we’re going to make up for it. The theme for next Christmas is “Bigger and Better,” and I already have some ideas about that. I know… you’re thinking, “Jenny- is this your idea of moving on? Planning next Christmas on January 7th?” Well… yes. Yes, it is. It makes me feel better to remember that Christmas will come again, and I’m enjoying making a list of ideas for next year. If we were having coffee together, I would ask if there are any new Covid protocols where you are. We found out that soon we’ll start wearing N-95 masks at work, and my first thought was, “I’m quitting.” I know there are people who have been wearing them all along, but I really can’t imagine wearing one all day. Especially since some of the massages I do are very physical- even wearing a regular mask is uncomfortable. It’s even more annoying because I JUST HAD COVID, so I’m pretty sure I’m immune (for now.) Obviously they can’t make an exception for those of us who already had Covid- that would get too complicated. But I’m really unhappy about this. I’m not really going to quit (not yet, at least) but I’m hoping that the shipment of masks gets delayed. Everything else seems to be unavailable or delayed, so… fingers crossed. On a completely different subject, is anyone else semi-confused by the fact that the Winter Olympics starts in less than a month? I’m having a little trouble wrapping my mind around it, but I guess it’s something to look forward to. Obviously it’s not as much fun as the summer Olympics (there’s no running!) but it will still be something to watch. Especially the figure skating- everyone loves figure skating. Well, that’s it for this month. Do you wear a mask all day at work? What kind of mask? Can I survive in an N-95? Did you take down your Christmas decorations yet? And, how do you feel about the Winter Olympics? Hope you’re enjoying a delicious hot beverage (in a nice mug!)