Five Simple Things (July 16)

Hello.

We figured out our exact generation with a generation website. Jeff and I always assumed we were of the same generation, but we aren't. We're five years apart, but we are different generations because of how his birthdate falls. He does relate more to my generation, which is the Xennials. We feel we fall with Generation Y, which floats between Generation Z and Millennials. We are the lost generation.  But, you can figure your own here. We also watched Virgin Galactic Unity 22 flight with Richard Branson. We are eager to see Jeff Bezos make the same flight. We love anything space related. We also added our names to the Parker Solar Probe back in 2018. If you aren't familiar with the Parker Solar Probe, it was launched into space to orbit the sun and collect data. Our names were added to a USB drive aboard the probe. We also took a trip to Bend and checked out the Whitewater Park surfing area along the Deschutes River last Sunday. We are definitely going to be doing this soon! Here are five things this week.

1. These Clouds.

The cloud cover in the valley has been quite interesting lately. The top one is on our way to Eugene, Oregon, and the bottom one is one Jeff sent me from his work parking lot. He says it looks like a Strong Man about to smash the building. I would much rather be making out images in clouds than see wildfire smoke everywhere, so for now we will take the interesting clouds.

2. This Stool.

I bought this stool at an estate sale for $10 and it was broken. I was hoping to bring life back to it, but couldn't figure out how to repair the broken leg. Jeff surprised me by taking it to work one day and having another worker take it home and weld the leg back together. He gave it back to me and told me what he had done. I was so excited that he got it fixed and even more so, excited that I can now start painting it and bringing it back to life. 

3. This Thought.

As simple as this sounds, it makes me smile.

4. This Sticker.

On one shopping trip to Whole Foods in Portland I noticed this sticker that was in front of the elevator. Each time we returned I took a picture of it to document how much it progressed as it was repeatedly stepped on. The last picture shows the inevitable outcome of the poor sticker.

5. This Mission.

It was cool to watch Richard Branson make history with this flight to space. With so much uncertainty in the world lately, positives such as this event are thrilling to watch. I don't know if any of us will ever make it to space, or not, but we are excited to watch others create a pathway there for those in the future. Right now, you can win a trip to space for you and a friend with Space for Humanity through Omaze.

Did you catch the moon beside Venus and Mars (11), or Venus and Mars kissing (13), or how about the moon close to star Spica (16)?

Positive affirmations this week:

You never have to make yourself be a certain way to the right people. What I mean is, when good things happen to you, be proud of yourself, and only listen to your fans, not your critics. There's a time to be humble and a time to celebrate and celebrating the good you've done or talking yourself up before a special moment is not arrogant. There is no shame in talking yourself up and saying good things to yourself. Things like, "you've got this," "you're awesome," or even "you did great today." This thought that you can't be your own coach is awful. There is absolutely nothing wrong in saying good things to yourself and being your own best friend. This is a great self love technique that will help build your confidence and actually help with mental health issues. Doing these positive thought routines and even saying them out loud changes your mental state, too. Ignore then naysayers and tell yourself you're awesome, you got this, and you're the bomb! Do it every day when you're feeling down or less than yourself. And, don't forget, you're incredible and you can achieve great things! 

Have a nice weekend.