Assignment
I'm tweaking my assignment a wee bit. I know I'm supposed to use the self-care list, but in all honesty, I do most of those things daily. I'll probably regret admitting to this, but my house could use a self-care list, making my work a little more complicated. Now that I've put the thought in my head, I must follow through—ugh!
I'm using some prompts from my book called "One List A Day."
Rallies, marches, or Parades I've been to...
In my teenage years, I participated in walks for the free clinic. It was when the sponsored walks originated and were shared with friends; I don't know that we were as interested in the causes as we were in the social gathering. We attended an all-girls school, and it was a way to socialize
The Doo-Dah Parade. It's a spoof on the Rose Parade. Brandon and I were members of the Kazoo Marching Band and marched behind a group from a nudist colony that sported wooden barrels with bum peepholes. I think Brandon chuckled the entire walk. My father refused to attend, being a member of the Tournament of Roses, but Mom was on the sidelines cheering us on.
Also, during my high school days, a group of girls organized a group to join a protest against the Vietnam War. It was a great plan, but unfortunately, we were off by a day, which resulted in our photos in the paper representing Westridge girls supporting gay rights. Not that the support wasn't good, but the headmistress didn't appreciate the publicity, and we were banned from future participation during school hours.
The Rose Parade was a fun event. I watched as a kid and pretended as an adult. Our trip to the parade was fun, and the family had a good time. I'm not sure the fun was because of the parade; we had fun together at various events.
Instead of continuing now, I'm going to revisit on another day.
Happy memories of activities with parents and grandparents.
Grandpa - I loved tagging along with him. We sorted his worms together, took evening walks to buy the newspaper, and spent quiet time reading. One outing we did several times was going to a helipad to watch the "whirlybirds" land. I have no idea why he liked to do this, and I know I enjoyed the conversations more than the helicopters.
Grandma - We took trips to San Francisco (they lived on the other side of the bay). We'd wear our fancy clothes, she'd wear high heels, and we both wore white gloves. We would wander in shops and have lunch out. Another fond memory and more frequent than San Fran was baking her favorite cookie recipe,
Papa - He sold ice cream, and I loved riding in the truck with him. Lucky for him, his hearing was terrible because I would chatter all day. It's probably why he kept giving me ice cream; he taught me to count and roll change at a young age, and even on days when I didn't ride along, I was always happy to help him.
Nana - Oh my gosh, we talked, baked, and went to flea markets and yard sales. We'd set the table with pretty dishes and cut flowers from her yard.
Recent Disappointments
My Tai Chi class has been a disappointment. My expectation of a class of my peers going through the motions in a calm, serene setting followed by a brief relaxing beverage and chat may have been unrealistic. The reality of hearing about squirrel gravy beside a mosquito breeding pond, with no chat, beverage, or instruction, has fallen short.
Since the sale of the apartments, communication between Lisa and me has declined. Our conversations had become somewhat contentious and less frequent before closing escrow. Since the end of the business partnership, they've reverted to the infrequency of prior to our mother's death. We laugh and share stories about our sons, dogs, and everyday lives when we speak. There has been a considerable lapse between phone contact, and she's only initiated a phone call once in the last two months.
My lack of desire to move. I know my sedentary days are unhealthy, and my weight and lack of motivation have been a long-term problem for me, but making myself exercise seems like an insurmountable obstacle in my life.