A Pain in the Butt. Literally!

August 8, 2010
What happens when shingles breaks out on the part of the body that sits on a chair?

Marie Adelaide on sofa with turban and reading a bookI was rather proud of myself last month because I wrote two blogs a week, even though I was out of the office from the 13th to the 31st. I also managed to write a couple newsletters. Expected to come back to work refreshed and energized, with lots of good memories of an Elderhostel trip to Arizona with two grandsons and the celebration of our fiftieth with all our children and most of the grandchildren.

The memories are there, but at the end of the vacation one of those never-saw-it-coming moments dropped into my life. I developed shingles, of all things. And it broke out on my rear end, of all places. And even though the doctor said it would only last a week to ten days, we’re well past that time already. The only up side is that the pain isn’t quite as severe as I guess it could be, according to reports I’ve read.

The downside is that I have to limit the time I spend sitting in front of this computer doing what I need to do. Nevertheless, I thought those of you who have been coming here to check on the latest should know why nothing new has appeared for awhile. Instead, you can imagine me lounging on the sofa reading a book, almost like Marie Adalaide of France, the charming woman in this picture by Jean-Etienne Liotard.

Incidentally, in the past I’ve had a fantasy that if I ever get sick and need to get off my feet, I will do serious reading. Too many books I “should” read and never get around to it. But what happens when I am forced to get off my feet and on my back? Then I don’t want those “should” books. I want something fun. So I’ve been able to finish Stieg Larsson’s trilogy of Lisbeth Salazar and several of Lindsey Davis’ wonderful series of Marcus Didius Falco set in ancient Rome with great humor, mystery and fascinating characters.

If things don’t turn around soon, I’ll be able to read even more. And of course, I will continue to practice acceptance of life’s vicissitudes. But why couldn’t I have been given something with a little less discomfort with which to practice?

In any case, hope the rest of your summer ends well for all my readers.

Photo from Wikimedia

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categories Miscellaneous | Arlene Harder August 10, 2010 | comments Comments (4)

A Guessing Game

July 29, 2010
Take a break from the small chores of life by giving yourself an even smaller goal.

Pile of jelly beansIf you attended a family reunion this summer or a company picnic or block party, you may have played a common game called “how many jelly beans are in the jar.” Usually in these contests there is a prize for guessing correctly and you find that there is a prize for this take-a-break as well.

1. First, guess how many steps it takes to walk from one end of your house to the other. (You could also estimate the distance around your block, from the front door to your office, or any other place.)

2. Next, walk there, taking normal length steps, and see how close you came.

3. Ask someone else to guess how many steps you took and then see how close he or she comes.

The prize if you guessed correctly? You get the satisfaction of winning, especially if you had fun doing this.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! And remember that you can repeat this game anywhere.

categories Miscellaneous | Arlene Harder August 4, 2010 | comments Comments (0)

Paying Attention to What You See

July 29, 2010
On vacation (or when you get home), play this game to sharpen your mental skills and help you collect memories for the future.

Alps from the airThere are two parts to this post’s Take-a-Break: curiosity and memory.

The idea of curiosity is demonstrated by one of the first questions I asked in 2007 in the Ask Yourself Questions Club in the category of “Expand Your Horizons.” I think it would be a good idea to include it in this summer’s series of stress busters to encourage your mind (and you) to pay attention to something other than your problems.

An illustration for this first part is a picture I took while flying over the alps from Italy to Munich in early November 2007. I was puzzled by the patches of white against the dark ground. It looks as though this is snow on a hiking trail, or perhaps on a ski run, but it is only the beginning of November. Yet if it is snow, why would there be only white in these lines but not in the deep valleys?

There isn’t much snow yet on the peaks, so why are there breaks in the white, as though there are a deep holes filled with snow? If there wasn’t much snow on the mountains as a whole, why did the “snow” create a pattern like this? There are other areas that are in the shadow more than these appear to be and I assume they would continue to have snow, so what makes these areas special?

My interest in the photo is a little like that of members of the Google Earth Community who examine Google Earth pictures to find anomalies that are interesting to them. Look at an enlarged picture if you think that would help — and tell me if you have the answer.

Of course, there are many who would look at this and only think of it as a beautiful mountain scene. If they noticed the white at all, they would ignore it or file it as an-unknown-thing-not-worth-pursuing. Yet doesn’t it puzzle you? Don’t you wonder what it means?

What I’d like to suggest is that whatever you look at this summer (and of course, for the rest of the year as well), you look with questioning eyes. This could include pictures in print and on TV. Then, when you see something that is a puzzle, try to find out what it is.

There are a zillion things that I don’t know the why of, but whenever I take the time to see what they might be, when I ask questions about “why” they are the way they appear — even if I don’t find the answer — the mere fact that I’ve tried enriches my life.

Pay attention to at least one thing that you haven’t known how it is made, why it looks the way it does, or its possible purpose. Then pursue the answer.

The second suggestion for this take-a-break is to test your recall memory. For example:

If you look out the window of a plane, take a moment (15 seconds will do) to capture with your mind as much as you can. Then close your eyes and see how much you remember and open them again to notice what you missed. You’ll have to do this quickly, of course, since the plane is going so fast.

This is an interesting way to sharpen my mind when it’s feeling a little sluggish. And I think it helps when I play a game called pelmanism on the Internet that you may also enjoy. This is a memory card game in which a pack of cards is spread out face down and players try to turn up pairs with the same symbol. I use the easiest form with 12 pairs of animals. It helps me to make up a story about them as I go along, usually based on the first animal that appears. Try it. Keep your brain cells engaged.

categories Ask Questions About the World, Miscellaneous, Stress Reduction | Arlene Harder July 29, 2010 | comments Comments (0)

Sing Out Those Titles

July 26, 2010
Have fun with friends and relatives this summer remembering song titles.

Cartoon of man singing off-keyThis take-a-break can be a lot of fun at a family reunion, or to have something to do when you’re waiting for a plane that’s late. Here’s how it works:

Choose any word and see if you can think of a song title or lyrics that contain that word.

If you do this with another person, first ask him or her to think of a word and then tell him or her your first choice. [UGH! -- can't we find a better gender neutral description than him or her, her or him, him/her, her/him, his or hers, hers/his, he or she, she or he, he/she, she/he? . . . it makes writing so terribly complicated and un-melodious, especially for those times when you want the words to flow.]

Another twist on this game is to use a simple word like “I,” “you,” “how,” “baby,” “for,” “so,” “my,” “she,” or “he,” and think of as many song titles or lyrics that begin with that word as you can. There are bound to be a zillion that start with “the,” but I’ll bet there aren’t any (or at least many) that begin with “She or He”!

Enjoy!!

categories Miscellaneous | Arlene Harder July 26, 2010 | comments Comments (0)

You Don’t Need Worries in the Summer, Release Them

July 22, 2010
Discover a simple way to lighten the concerns that weigh you down.

This next summer’s take-a-break is a quick one you can do in less than five minutes (maybe even less than one). It is called “Float Your Worries Away” and was suggested several years ago by Kirsten Harrell, who has one-minute affirmations at iPopIn, with the motto of “Change your mind . . . change your thoughts . . . one minute at a time.”

I strongly suggest you stop what you are doing right now and close your eyes. Well, okay, you’re right. Read the take-a-break and then close your eyes and do what it suggests.

Breathe deeply and imagine placing all of your stress and worries in a balloon. Make sure that all of the stress and worry energy goes into the balloon. Then imagine sending this balloon up to the Universe where that energy will be transformed.

Any time this summer, in fact, any time when you are feeling stressed, do this simple activity in order to relax and be rejuvenated.

Just as using the word “soften” helps you find relief from the pain of loss, if you take a few minutes a couple of times a day to do this, you will find that you are more productive and creative. Also, you will likely work more effectively and efficiently, making the small time commitment well worth it.

When you do it, notice how much lighter you feel after you’ve opened your eyes. I believe you will be ready to concentrate again — or maybe you will have decided your work wasn’t that essential after all and you will continue letting your worries and work float away. After all, this is summer.

categories Stress Reduction | Arlene Harder July 22, 2010 | comments Comments (0)

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