We’re already into mid-January it occurred to me this morning that I haven’t blogged since last year!
Gulp. Life comes at us fast, especially in the new year.
2019 came at me like ..
Holidays ended, work resumed, and tripled in intensity. It’s been a steady dose of crazy since, with not much room or time to breathe. Early mornings, long days, lots of travel and copious conference calls. Thankfully, a solid winter storm blew in this weekend, encapsulating us in icy roads, fresh snow, with a fridge full of leftovers and no particular place to be.
Darn.
That brings me to today ~ awake at 6:30 I hit tossed in a load of laundry, padded through the house and caught up on your blogs.
Random observations came my way and they include:
1 ) Have you heard of the “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up“ book and movement afoot? Based on her best-selling guide to de-cluttering your home, and soon-to-be TV series, Marie Kondo espouses the virtues of sorting through everything – and I mean – every thing to determine “what sparks joy.” If it doesn’t, it goes. Now I am very familiar with the term “you can’t organize clutter” so I purge/donate/recycle on a regular basis. Her advice is to start small, say with 1 drawer, and go through every piece that’s in it … I started with my sock drawer and found it can’t be opened all the way … probably because of the preponderance of black dress socks. ~ Sigh. I laughed, and set my sights in another direction. If you’ve tried this approach and it’s helped you, do tell!
2 ) Last night I had every intention of delving into several new books; I’ve got a stack waiting for me, purchased with Christmas gift cards ~ my favorite. Instead I read women’s magazines, binge-watched “Shark Tank,” laughed with hubby and chatted with my cousin. Regardless, doing nothing and lots of it, was great therapy. PS My favorite “Shark Tank” product so far has been this one ~ an amazing cleaning do-dadd that really does work:
3 ) Growing up in bright & sunny western Canada (Saskatchewan) I took our daily sunlight for granted. Yes winters were cold and windy but, for the most part, ALWAYS sunny. Sunglasses and Sunblock are a necessity year round– now I live in Western Michigan, and because of our proximity to Lake Michigan (and lots of winter cloud cover) our winters are regularly dreary, dark and long. I really struggle with lack of sunlight.
Update on my previous product review: I cannot say enough good things about the Verilux Happy Light – AMAZING! In just 2 weeks of using it I cut my total coffee consumption in 1/2 and caffeine dosage from full throttle “Farmer’s coffee” to decaf by using this amazing little light. Sitting near it first thing in the morning helps reset your circadian rhythm & will help you sleep (instead of lying in bed making 3AM “to-do” lists like I used to).
Caution: Do NOT use at night, you will be up for 1/2 of it, oops.
I started out small, at 7-10 mins. a day, and have worked my way up to 30 mins. daily. If YOU also slog through the dark days of winter, give the HappyLight Compact ($40 on Amazon) a try. The. Best. $40. Ever. Spent! 🙂
4 ) Long-time blog readers, family and friends know I enjoy technology and gadgets. But after our son told me how their “Alexa” interjected into their conversation, more than once, I firmly advised him to “never buy me one.” My cell phone does enough eavesdropping as it is. This Meme is about right, ha!
5 ) And, as much as technology makes our lives easier, and sometimes even healthier, there’s always going to be something about a real book that draws me in … and so does this picture:
Your turn:
- Are you working to “tidy up?”
- What method works for you?
- Any cool new-to-you gadgets to share?
- What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
Happy Sunday!
