Category: daily mishaps

When you finally have weather

We have been having some weird weather in california lately, we actually are experiencing a winter. I know, shocking! I guess this is payback for the great weather we had on Christmas day when the rest of the country was freezing. I knew  posting those short sleeve pictures will come back to haunt us.

Yes, we need the rain as we have had a drought for the last couple of years. But as we were on  day10th of the rain with no end in sight it really was starting to affect my doggy and me. I am originally from a country with cold winters and extremely hot and humid summers, so living in California for me is great. It’s either t-shirt weather or t -shirt with a cardigan weather. I do have some rain coats but their primary purpose is to look cute.

I was starting to get Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this is common in places where sunlight is limited, places with real winter and not so much in California where we have lots and lots of sun and natural vitamin D. Even if it was real or perceived, so much rain and clouds is not good for my mental health plus I really hate being cold.

I keep thinking about Dr Suess -The cat in the hat. I wonder if he had the same dreary days that we were having. The sun does not shine and it’s definitely too wet to play, but as opposed to him I am not writing a book about it, I am just complaining about the rain!

We got sun yesterday and the next couple of days as well, so for now I am just going to enjoy it!

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The going back to work positivity

I really enjoyed my last two weeks off work, it was nice not to return emails or answer phone calls, no meetings, training sessions or work to do lists. I thought I would be bored but I wasn’t. 

I read a couple of books, binged shows on Netflix, and had meals with friends. 

But even though this was a great mental break for me, I am still happy to go back to the office today , not because I miss the work but because I miss the people I work with. I miss my team!

I have a great team. Some unfortunate weeks  we spend more time together at the office than with our families at home, so naturally we are close to each other.

Most of us are immigrants and have shared experiences as strangers in a strange land (yes, I love the book), moving to the USA  without our families and reinventing ourselves in a foreign country. We make sure we all have breaks, make sure that the workaholics among us stop to eat and cover for each other when an emergency happens. So yes, your work is not your family but there is something different about a group that really cares about each other. And no, we are not all women, we are a mix of men, women, younger and older who come from different backgrounds and are in different stages of family lives and careers.

Not everyone has this experience with their work colleagues, I believe I am quite lucky. I worked with teams and bosses before that were just terrible and Sunday night was filled with agony about going back to work on Monday. The question is why is this team different?

It is different because our supervisor built this team from scratch and when she chose team members  added people that are positive and can contribute to the team.  She surrounded herself with team players who are good at what they do and there was no fear of overshadowing herself. This  leadership played an excellent role in building a great team that most of us are happy to be part of. 

So yes, I am happy to go to work today and see my team.

My support group

I had a fun day today, I finally had a fun day with my close friends. We  drove to the  big city, had a great brunch and had a great time all around. But the best time we had was not at brunch or sightseeing, it was actually when we were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours.

For two hours we spoke honestly and openly and it was great, most importantly we actually listened to each other without judgment. We figured out we haven’t had time together like this in a couple of years. Before the pandemic we traveled together and saw each other  frequently, but somewhere during the pandemic we didn’t get together as much as we could and when we did it was  with our spouses and families as this was our covid bubble.

I didn’t realize how much I needed our girl time until today. We tend to forget how much we need our close friends and the emotional support we provide them and they provide us. They say that those with close friends have healthier and better lives. These amazing women are the ones that when they see I can’t figure out what the conversation is around me (I have severe hearing loss) tell me what’s going on and make sure that with all my food allergies I have something to eat. These women were my support when I lost my hearing, broke my foot and were my support through all my other mishaps and I am happy they are in my life.

I came home with renewed  energy and the feeling that with their support I can handle anything else the universe throws my way. 

Your Commitment to Yourself

It’s the last two days of the year and my feed and email is all flooded with New Year resolutions, ads for sport equipment and organization hacks. However, nothing about taking care of yourself and your mental health in the upcoming year.

Granted having an organized house or exercising does help you mentally but these are side effects and not a purpose. Not only that, what will happen when we stop going to the gym or when we realize our house is still messy and none of our goals, achievable or not, have been met?

Instead I propose we commit to take care of our mental health and put ourselves first. The disorganized closet can wait as can the resolution to go to the gym every day. But if for some reason orgnization is your mental health path, by all means commit to it, Marie Kondo your house!

Our goals need to be goals that will not only not set us up for failure but will help us grow and find our inner peace what ever works for you. You might need to take time to see figure out the path to your mental health, so commit to discovering it. Commit to doing something that will make you happy once a week, take an art class, read 10 books during the year, choose some fun activity outside the house, learn macrame or anything that brings you joy and find your purpose.

I am committing to myself to have lunch or dinner with my friends at least twice a month, I will read a book or two each month and yes, I will also continue going to the gym as for me exercising does help my mental state and yes I will have a date breakfast or date night with my spouse at least once a week.  

Self Care Resolution

I have been on vacation for the last week, my office closed for the break. Before I went on vacation I wrote a list of what I should do during my break.  I did tackle some things on my to do list-

  • Took a nap
  • Read two books
  • Had great dinners with my friends
  • Took long walks with my dog

These are all things that I needed to remember for my mental health. We all need to remember that every once in a while we need to take care of ourselves and make ourselves the priority.Self care is one of the most important gifts we can give our loved ones. Someone asked me what gift I gave my husband for what seemed to be our 100th anniversary, I replied – a mammogram.   Take time to care for yourself mentally and physically , as much as work is important, it is not everything. Challenge yourself to make this a priority in the coming year.

Trying New Things- Zumba Edition

Instead of waiting for next week, 2023, to start new things, I decided to start today. You hit the iron when it’s hot! So today I went with a friend to zumba. I have never done zumba before, didn’t want to try zumba before but my friend convinced me and I said fine, let’s see. 

I woke up this morning ready, muscles were warm from walking the dog already and my Shakira hips were ready to shake. To those who don’t know, zumba is like a school playground. There are favorite spots and locations, you have those who like to be in the front next to the instructor, there are those who like to hide in the back because they are uncoordinated. But being in the back means everyone that goes down the stairs or is on the other side of the glass sees you shaking your ass coordinated or not. So choosing a spot is tricky. If you go to the front and you are new you are bound to get stared down, front rows apparently are saved for the regulars. However if you have no clue of what you are doing  and you need to see the instructors movements you really need to be in the front, especially in busy crowded classes. 

Some wear elaborate zumba outfits with full hair and make up done, some wear the necessary sweatshirt around the waist so no one actually sees your ass shaking. I was in my regular yoga and t-shirt gym outfit and was guided by my friend who is a regular and saved me a spot in the second row, talk about pressure! She was asked if she knows me and if I am her friend. I have to say that zumba is not easy, it requires coordination and rhythm. Luckily I have rhythm, coordination not so much. But we had fun, burned some calories and tried a different skill , my body hurts all over and I see a Costco size pain killer container in my future. But I will go again as I have to admit, it really was fun.

Shopping cart mishaps

I went to Costco last week, I usually don’t have a grocery list with me but this time I was organized and not only wrote a list but also remembered to bring it with me.There were plenty of shopping carts available. I parked my shopping cart and turned to the other aisle to get  a product. I turned around and my shopping cart with my list was gone! I really turned my back for less than a minute.

Yes, I could get another shopping cart but my list is what I really wanted. I started  following people with empty carts to see if they stole my cart. My husband thought I was crazy. But stealing someone’s cart is  a serious offense especially when there is a list in it, what kind of person does that! This is the same offense as walking your dog next to a dog who’s taking care of their business instead of waiting patiently for the business to be done.

I did forget to buy some things and will need to go again, not that anyone has to twist my hand to go to the Costco again as it is one of my favorite places to go.But going to Costco before the Holidays is a little crowded and the samples are gone way too quickly.

So I shall return, hold my cart close to me and put my grocery list on my drive and I shall be watching for all those grocery cart mishaps.