Five Simple Things (August 4)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This sunset.

With all of the wildfire smoke lately the sky is lit up orange most nights. This week you could actually see the smoke plumes as the sun set. It's a pretty view, but hopefully we get some relief soon.

2. This dish.

I've been thinking of recipes to use this dish with lately. I picked this up at Goodwill and it was still in the box, but I did find the same dish at The Home Depot. I am thinking artichoke dip, a small side salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, anything really. I love this dish for two reason. One, it can go into the oven as is, because it's made of enamel. And two, the wooden trivet can be placed right on the table with the dish on top of it without damaging the table.

3. This smoke.

This week we made a trip to Whole Foods in Eugene and on the way back we were in traffic stopped for a wildfire. The firefighters from Linn County, Coburg, and even Oregon Department of Forestry were on it quickly, even air tankers from Redmond, Oregon flew over dropping fire retardant. It was incredible watching the teamwork and skill they took combating the wildfire before it reached any homes, or business. The fire, we found out later, is still under investigation. Hopefully, not a fire bug wanting to cause issues or panic to the community.

4. This moment.

We recently bought Skylar a hammock, now all three of us can lay in the backyard swinging in our hammocks and enjoying the sunshine together. This summer has been hot, but some days give us just a little bit of a break and we are able to stay outside longer without getting too overheated. Oregon's weather sure has changed since I moved here 20 years ago. It used to be mild, with maybe a little bit of heat every once in awhile in the summer, but now it's hot as blazes outside and almost unbearable some days. It's like Oregon has swapped weather with Arkansas, and instead of humidity we have wildfires. Not a fair trade, at all.

5. These pictures.

I made a huge mistake this week and left my cellphone outside in the sunshine, while the water sprinkler was going. After several hours I realized I left it outside on top of the duck coop where the water and the sun beat down on it. After awhile I finally got it to turn back on, and this was the first pictures I took to see if the camera was messed up. Hopefully, it clears up, but I think I may need to look into getting a new phone soon. Which is a real bummer because I lost a lot of things on the phone when I had to reset it.

One last thing:

Skylar and I have been watching old Charlie Brown cartoons lately and we are loving it. When they dance at the parties they have always makes us laugh. Charles Shultz really knew how to make a classic and one that I can share with my son, and still feel happy about. You can watch the same ones we've been watching, here.

Positive affirmations this week:

During my therapy sessions we learn new ways in order to give more attention to my mental health issues I am working through. Doing good things for others and connecting with people is an easy one, but only on days where I feel mentally sound. Taking care of my body, living more mindful is also an easy one, as long as I am doing it with people I trust and love. Learning new things, and having goals is something I am still working on. Learning new things is nice, and having goals is easy to do, but keeping up with it is a hard one I am working through. Bouncing back and looking for good is again, an easy task when I am not in the middle of a mental health episode. Being acceptable of my own body, mind, and soul is also a hard one to work past when I am struggling hard with mental health issues. And finding the bigger meaning is definitely something we all struggle with from time to time. Feeling out these issues that I struggle with help me figure out what I need to work on more for that week. It's important that we have a backup plan incase one of these issues triggers past trauma, or issues that I still have inside my head. The printout below can help you connect with yourself, too. Picking one thing from the list and staying focused on what you need to do to achieve that goal, or exercise is a good start. If you see a therapist, talk to them about the list and see how they can help you work through some of the harder issues on this list. You can do this! 🌈