Five Simple Things (May 22)

Hello.

Hope you are well. We've had quite a time here lately with things. I had my three month checkup last week and since then I've had a lot of random pain. Starting to feel myself again and slowly coming off pain medication. I was on pain medication throughout the day, then went to having it just at night to sleep, and now I'm able to sit up without excruciating pain, and not needing as much pain medication. I am happy about that, because it's made me a little sick after eating. I finished my antibiotic and my other medications I was on, so that's a plus, too. I'm not on a multivitamin with extra iron. I've been getting up more and moving around and actually sitting on a stole in the bathtub and bathing the lower parts of my body and slowly washing the upper parts. Jeff and Skylar actually helped me wash my hair this week, too, so that felt great. I'm slowly getting back to normal and it feels wonderful. Oh, another thing, I was able to sit up long enough to be able to wash my bedding, too. Things are looking up, as far as this house goes, but with the rest of the state, and world, it looks very sad. As of right now, there's been over 95,000 deaths in the state of Oregon. That is just incredible to me. Of course, people die every day, but that amount of people in that short of time is sad. Slowly counties are able to enter a Phase 1 and reopen things slowly. Hopefully, people will still abide by the mask mandate and keep distance. Jeff and Skylar are still being cautious with coming and going from our own house. I am still very vulnerable and they are doing a great job at keeping me safe. Here are five things from this week.

1. This Basin.

Being able to sit on a small stool in the bathtub and wash as best I can, it still doesn't happen every day, or even every other day. This week was the first time I was able to do that, so Jeff found this wash basin for me to be able to wash myself a bit better without leaving the bed. Metal wash basins are hard to find, especially ones in good condition. It's nice to be able to wash my face every day before going to bed, and even waking up for the day. 

2. This Sunshine.

Still enjoying seeing the sun peek through the window of my room every morning. It's just nice to be able to see outside, too. Skylar opened the curtains and cracked the window a few times this week, and it was nice. Helped with my mood immensely. If you've ever spent weeks at a time recovering from surgery, or an injury, not being able to move much, you know how important positive things are. They really do help with the healing process.

3. This Regrowing Process.

This regrow option for your kitchen scraps is a wonderful idea for teaching where food comes from, as well as actually being able to use the food once it has grown again and again. Carrots, onions, lettuce, beets, garlic, onions, and even celery can be regrown from the scraps of the previously used vegetable tops, or bottoms. This tray idea is a wonderful way to help that process, too, or you can just add a few of them to a glass and refresh the water when needed. Be sure to plant some of your regrows in dirt to be able to take advantage of them all year long. Some of these are cold weather tolerant: Carrots, lettuce, beets, etc. (Source)

4. Enneagram Personality.

Well, that seems about right. I don't normally take personality quizzes, but this one was quite interesting. Seems to have a few good points with it, but overall, individuality, creativity, and independent is definitely a hit. A few points are a miss, but overall, I will agree with these results. For the curious, you can take the quiz here for yourself. 

5. Skylar's Blog.

Skylar is looking to get more into his blog, but he isn't sure what exactly he wants to do yet. Hopefully, he comes up with a good plan and layout, so we can work on it together. He may just do a Friday post each week, or every other week. You can check out his blog here and keep up with what he plans to do with it soon.

Positive affirmations this week: "If you’re feeling down, how do you cheer yourself up?"

I'll be honest, I feel down quite often, especially since addressing my past physical and mental child abuse issues in the last few years. Sleep is the best thing that's helped me and talking with people that love and support me. Building up my self confidence, and feeling like my life is okay and not a failure. Therapy has helped because they've given me different way to help silence the abusive comments made to me throughout my childhood. Reversing the tape that plays the negative comments has helped, too. Instead of, "you're a failure, you were never wanted, or you were a mistake" I change it to, "I am as successful as I can be right now, I am very much wanted, and I am not a mistake. The good I've done in my life has helped a lot of people and will change the world." Mental, emotional, and physical abuse is never okay, no matter what your abuser(s) tell you. These affirmations aren't just for me, they are for you, the reader, too. If they help you, that is amazing and makes me feel so great at sharing my struggles. You aren't alone. Get help. Reach out. You are important and deserve a happy and good life.

Have a nice weekend.