Day 320-Don't Be a Bunny

Actually, this has nothing to do with bouncing and walking--it's Easter so I thought I'd put "bunny" in the title. 

I don't even know what to say to this, so I'll leave it up to you. 

A daily blog can sometimes take a toll on the depths of one's creativity. Some days, all you can do is put a screaming bunny on your blog and call it "good".

Walk today, 
Dani

Day 319- Hasta la vista, Winter!

Sure, Spring sprung a few days back, but it was still cold and rainy. Now it's sunny and warm and the smell of cherry blossoms fills the air. 

Yay, sun! It seems official now.

Today, I'm a little low-key but doing MUCH better than last time. And I am the proud new owner of a cool titanium screw in my jaw!

I look like this in my imagination:

Don't be scared.

I am heading out to walk in the warm sun with my kids and dogs, and just laze around as much as we can. I hope you can talk a walk in the warm sunshine, too!

Enjoy your Saturday, 
Dani
 

Day 318-Yoo are doing it WRONG!

Today it's oral surgery day--woot!-- but I had time for a quick walking lesson.

Here's how it went:

Me: Dum-de-dum, right, left, smooth, smooth, no bouncy, no bouncy, dum-de-dum, right, left, smooth,oh, hey! listen to the frogs, they're croaking and it's sweet and boy, does it smell nice out here, I sure love spring-

My Instructor: Nein, nein, NEIN! Yoo are not valking zee right vay! Yoo are BOUNCING! Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy! Are vee playing zee kangaROO game? Jah?! Pay attenSHUN! Yoo are DOING IT WRONG!

Me: Ack! Sorry, sorry, sorry, um, sorry! Uh, lessee, right, left, uh, smooth, smooth, sigh...

Yes, I know my instructor sounds like a crazed German. I can make fun since I am German and lived amongst them. 

They are not all that crazed. But, some are. 

Says the woman who has her own crazed German instructor in her head. 

My point?

It's hard work to change our habits, Bunny. 

It takes time, perseverance, forgiveness and humility. 

Some of which we could all have in greater supply.

Auf wiedersehen, 
Dani

 

 

 
 

Day 317-Sayonara, Nihon.

Art by Scott Painter

Today is the end of a special time and role for me. For the last three years, I have volunteered as the chair of a parent-led committee to help our school immerse itself in a culture for one month. 

It's been awesome, I've learned tons, and worked with the best people you could ever know. 

And now it's over. Tonight is our shindig and then it's clean-up tomorrow, before we all leave for Spring Break. I have to skip out on the tear-down, though. I am having oral surgery tomorrow morning. Whoop!

This time of year, I'm always relieved, since the work for the project is over. However, I'm a little sad this time, since this really means the "end". 

I think I'll be having lots of "last times" and "ends" over the next couple of months. 

Best to stay present throughout, I suppose. 

And walk without bouncing. 

Sayonara, 
Dani

 

 

 

Day 316-My Bouncy Bad-Ass Travolta Walk is Really Just Bad

Okay!

So, here I've spent most of this last year learning about alignment, learning how my body really works, learning how to eliminate painful daily habits. I've worked hard, and trained myself to unclench my gluteals, drop my ribs, drop my shoulders, stop thoracic thrusting, walk barefoot and with minimal footwear, ramp my head back, straighten my feet, work at my desk while standing, widen my stance, relax my abs and poop with my feet up on a stool.

Stool with a stool.

HA!

Impressed? 

Well, it turns out, I have no idea how to walk properly. 

It took a blog post from a fellow Restorative Exercise junkie, Barbara Loomis or Nurturance, to help my brain wrap itself around my hidden bad habit. It's totally worth your time. She's awesome. And her blog has my favorite word in the English language in it: monkey.

Barbara the Alignment Monkey helped me see myself for what I really was: a John Travolta imitator.

Yes, despite all my newly applied knowledge about alignment and my machine, I was still "bouncing" when I walked, and sort of turning my arms out like a gorilla. Watch this:

Yeah, that's me. Don't laugh, dude.  Or, it was me.

Some folks have commented on my walk, saying "Wow, you strut!" I took this as a huge compliment, like Oh yeah, you bet I do, un-hunh! I am bad-ass!

I have changed my arms, mostly, and I don't tuck my tailbone in like Monsieur Travolta, but I do bounce. Holy crap. I am still bouncing! After I watched this video, and read this further-enlightening blog by Katy Bowman (yes, dammit, she is still my hero!), I took a good long walk and realized what the next step in Educating Rita (or, Dani) must be: no bounce-walking. No bouncing. 

This is how I've been walking, demonstrated by the brilliant and hilarious Katy Bowman, MS, creator or Restorative Exercise and biomechanical whiz:

That's not a walk using butt muscles to push off, that's a walk that's slowly tearing up the knees and using too-tight quads to motor forward.Sort of like a slow fall. Who wants to fall all the time?

That means I have to use my newly unclenched butt to PUSH OFF from the ground. You know, like I've been lecturing you guys to do? Like Katy Bowman walks?

Like this:

 

I can admit when I've been a moron. I can also admit that I write a blog about walking and I don't know how to properly walk. 42 years old and I've been doing it wrong all this time. Huh.

But I will get there.

Since then, I've been been using my OCD-focusing powers on not bouncing, which has been freakin' heaven on my knees, and my butt feels like it's getting a serious workout. Definitely, definitely.

So, all you guys and gals that want round tushies (you do, trust me), read both these blog posts I've referenced above, put on your neutral heel shoes and push off using your posteriors. Feel the difference in how you walk. Maybe you aren't a knee bouncer walker, maybe you are. I know I am, and it's obviously the next step (!) in my journey toward being aligned and well. 

I like big butts and I cannot lie, 
Dani



 

Day 315-Out of Egypt, Part II

 

Just a little sumpin to cheer you up...

You're going to KILL me. 

For reals. Like, you'll be Moses and I'll be the taskmaster who gets beat to death and then come the frogs and my, oh my!

I know that I said I'd share this cool thing I learned, but have I mentioned how busy one is during Passover? Silly, since we're supposed to be celebrating freedom and leisure, ain't it?

Nope, I'm wacko busy today, and unless someone hands me a TimeTurner, I won't be giving you the low-down just yet. 

Some might call me a tease.*

Suffice it to say, I learned that I don't know how to walk. Which is hilarious considering I've been walking very day for almost a year.

See you tomorrow, 
Dani

*Vail, I tease you not. Patience, my sweet...

Day 314-Out of Egypt, Part I

Nice alignment, Moses!

Tonight begins Passover, my favorite holiday. 

It's about many things: spring, freedom from bondage, new beginnings and understanding old habits. 

And it's got matzah. 

I found some new gluten-free matzah this year, so I'm psyched. 

AND, I also had a serious ah-ha moment today---one of the biggest ones of my health-bettering career. Something that will deliver me from old habits and keep me on the road to freedom from pain and better movement. 

It's so cool. At least, for me. However, I am too darn busy cooking for Passover, so I can't share it with you until tomorrow or the next day. 

Let my people go, Man, 
Dani

 

Day 313-Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!

Not all super heroes wear capes. 


There you have it, 
Dani

 

Day 312-Hello, Sunshine!

A nice sunshiny walk in a forested area that I had completely forgotten about was my treat for the day. 

I've been walking on even ground for too long, and found the terrain challenging and fun. I've got to get back there as often as I can while we still live here. 

Walking on uneven terrain, balancing on wobbly logs, sinking into squishy ground--these are all things that our bodies were meant to do, and we just aren't doing it enough. 

 

Thank you, Universe, for putting my rear end smack in the middle of these accidental woods today. It was excellent. 

And maybe it was no accident. 

Breathing, 
Dani
 

Day 311-Climate Change and Your Sexy Underwear

I'm not wearing any panties!

Okay, it's not really about that, but I see that this blog just hit 31,000 page views, which is pretty awesome. So, today I thought I'd use two key search engine phrases to see if I could bump it up even higher. 

What a greedy little monkey!

No, really, I was thinking about climate change this morning on my walk, mostly because we got hit with a cold snap here last night that makes me uneasy, what with all these lovely blossoming trees and such about. I hope it doesn't last!

I left the house completely unprepared, clothes-wise, and so ruminated during my walk that the future will always require more layers, and more polar-fleece.  Because I was freezing my buns off.

Which leads me to underwear.  

What's your favorite long underwear? The last time I bought some, it was 1990 and it was polypropylene and it would get seriously stinky whenever I would sweat. Which is a lot. 

Do you have a new favorite? Because with this whole climate change thing and also moving to Montana, I'm gonna need some good stuff. I think we all will.

I'll gratefully take your suggestions, either in the comments below or emailed directly to me. 

I see London, I see France, 
Dani

Day 310-Surfacing

No, it's not all done. 

But my head is above water.

My abode hit the market yesterday. Sure, there are still some nicks to paint and cupboards to scrub and a sale to achieve, but all in all, the second big push toward our Montana move is complete. (The first one was job for The Huz.) 

Next up?

Packing. 

And yes, there will be some poo packed, but not the kind of poo my mom informed me about yesterday. 

Here is her story she shared after reading yesterday's post:

"When you were born, and we moved from Lawrence, Kansas, back to Montana, your dad's company paid for movers to pack us up and get us there. I had a newborn and three little kids and no time to organize, so I let the movers pack up the whole house. 

When I unpacked in Montana, there were some dried cat turds in a box. Apparently, the cat had crawled up on the china hutch, pooped, and the movers decided it would be worth packing. 

So you see, people really do pack dried poo."

 
Well, if that's not a life lesson, I don't know what is. I'm not really sure what it means, but it's profound on some level. No?

Okay, maybe not. 

But I have heard from several readers/friends who have commented on the poo they noticed in their house after reading yesterday's post. 

Fear not, Dear Reader, I am ready to recommend another book to you:

 

It's a great book, and one I need to refer to every few years when I get wigged out by all my stuff.

Another funny story from my mommy? Okay! Here's one from a couple of years ago:

"Hey, Dani, can I borrow your clutter-clearing book?"

"Sure, but I thought you had a copy."

"I can't find it. The basement's too cluttered."

We all have moments of surfacing, and of being under water, but the important thing to remember is that both happen, and living through one will get you to another. 

It's a spicy meatball, 
Dani
 

 

Day 309- Stuffing Poo

Stuff!

Who's got it?

Stuff!

Who wants to get rid of it?

Stuff!

Who needs it?

Apparently, the answer to each one of those is "me". I'm packing up the house, and marveling at how many things I've been able to collect in 12 years. 

It's rather embarrassing. How did I get so much stuff? When we bought this house, we were like squatters. It was so big and we didn't have much. Now I look around and get the willies. Where did all this stuff come from?

It's sort of funny how something that's been living in your cupboard for 12 years all of a sudden looks like dried dog dooky when you think of packing it up and hauling it to another state. 

Not sure who gets credit for this photo, but man, do they deserve some!

Would you pack a box full of dried poop and drive it across three states?

I know! Me, neither!

However, even as I open the drawer and spy the dried poop, and my mind says,"Augh! Why am I harboring dried turds?! Let's get rid of it!!", there is a a different inner voice that says,"Hey hey hey...wait! You MIGHT need that dried poop SOME DAY. What would you do if you needed it and then it wasn't there?" Or, "So-and-So gave you that dried poop. You don't want to hurt their feelings."

And I end up with several boxes of poop. 

Sigh. 

It's all about faith, really. We need to have faith that we can live without the crap, and that we'll be fine without it. We need faith that So-and-So would rather we be happy, not burdened. They wouldn't want us clutching a turd because we didn't want to hurt their feelings. 

So, this has nothing to do with walking, or alignment, but it...oh wait! It can! Yes! 

We need to have faith that changing our habits will result in goodness, not scary territory. That we will be okay, no matter what. We just need to go forth bravely and believe. We really don't need that poop.

Packing, 
Dani



 

Day 308-Know Where the Release Valve is Located

During high-stress times, it's important to have release valves that actually help you. 

That means exercise, hobbies or meditation. Laughter, movies, or cuddles. 

It does not mean food or alcohol. 

I was talking to a friend who is married to a stress-eater, and she noted that it was either gonna be eating or boozing that her spouse would participate in to deal with his stress.

I've been in both places and I know from experience that stuffing your face or numbing yourself only results in delays, not solutions. 

That is why I am grateful, in this time of WTF WTF WTF!!!!! (selling our home, studying for my certifications and having The Huz gone again), that I have walking to calm the waves and quiet the wind. It's my fail safe.

Take one minute, and write down three things that you have in your tool kit that can help you in these times of overload and stressful situations. If you regularly go to these solutions, pat yourself on the back for having healthy escape valves. 

If you don't regularly use these things and you instead stuff your emotions down with booze or Oreos, then keep this list in your wallet, your purse, in your desk drawer or on your wall. When the freakouts start to climb your legs, refer to that list and do one or more of those things immediately. 

You deserve the route that will keep you safe and sane. 

Om, 
Dani

 

 

Day 307-Hiatus Today

Enjoying last day for a while with The Huz. No thinky, no bloggy. Only walky. 

Thanks for understanding, 
Dani

 

Day 306-Top o' the Mornin' to Ya!

I had a hilarious blog post idea pop into my head while I was dreaming last night, and it had something to do with my kids being Irish and Persian.

And now I cannot remember what was clever or funny about that. 

Ah, well...

St. Paddy's Day. It's sunny, I've already made a Bailey's cake and two loaves of soda bread, the corned beef simmers in the crock pot and now I'm heading out for a lovely St. Paddy's Day walk with the love of my life. 

Walk while you can with the ones you love, 
Dani

 

Day 305-Wait For It...

Purrrrrrrrrr...........



XOXO, 
Happy Girl

Day 304-EEEEEeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

No wisdom or info today, Little Chipmunk

I only offer you glee!

The Huz is on a plane

And he's coming home to me!

So don't expect the lengthy posts

Or useful information

I'm taking a much-needed break

I'm on a love vacation!

Okay, not really, we're staying here, he's only staying 'til Monday, but Heeeaaayyyyyyy! I'm gonna sunggle down, hold on tight and not let go of him until then, so expect pithy posts until Tuesday, when you'll get tearful, pathetic posts. 

Hugs all around, 
Dani

 

Day 303-With Friends Like These, Who Need Enemies?

Your body is like your best friend, or devoted loved one.

It's always there for you. You need to pull an all-nighter? It'll get you through. Need to birth a baby? It's got you covered. 

Fight cancer? It can help with that, too. 

In fact, we're all like Wolverine, the hot member of the X-Men with the sah-weet mutton chops who can heal in minutes. We just don't have blades coming out of our knuckles AND it takes us a bit longer. 

No, no, no, not THAT one!

Yes, please.

But trust me, our bodies WANT to be well. They want to be functioning and whole. 

However, we use, abuse and ignore, and then our bodies fall apart and we get pissed. Like tantrum-throwing toddlers. Trust me, I'm as guilty as you are. You ARE guilty of this, no? 'Cuz I don't want to be alone on this.

I have learned that even more than knowledge about how a body works, having awareness of your body is more important. 

Being in touch. Being in your body. With yourself. Listening. 

Paying attention. 

In the past, with the incredible load I'm dealing with during this move/husbandly absence/house sale, my back would've been in a hitch long ago. I would've ignored all signs of tension and misalignment until my body gave me the finger and took sick leave without permission. 

But now, I'm more aligned, and I pay attention to tension that can pull my body out of whack. I catch it quicker and I'm on it, letting it go, taking a few seconds to realign and make myself look more like this:

Except with more skin and hair, minus the rod up my sphincter.
 

I hear phrases like "betrayed by their bodies" and I used to believe them. No longer. I realize that these functional machines we've been given to walk around the earth in are our partners--lifelong partners without whom we are screwed, my friend. 

Stop, listen, be, 
Dani

Day 302- Maybe we weren't friends then?

Okay, I am HYPER-busy today, so I walked this early AM, but no bloggy! NO timey for writey!

I'm reposting one of my favorites, though, from a looonggg time back, so long that maybe, you never even read it?

Day 34:

A song for you, to the tune of the Bellamy Brothers "Let Your Love Flow":

Oh, when you're walkin'

You know it feels good

No need for talkin'

Just get out in the 'hood

And let your lymph flow

It don't matter if you

Don't have a reason 

chorus:
Oh let your lymph flow, 

And just let your arms swing

Yes, let your lymph flow

It'll make your heart sing

Stay off the treadmill,

It's not a nat-u-ral thing

It's for stroke vic-tims...

Uh-huh. For reals. Did you know that?

You know that lymph flows best when you're in a natural walking state, arms swinging in a relaxed, reflex-driven motion. 

You might not know why I want you to NEVER walk on a treadmill. 

When you walk outside, you extend a leg behind you (using your gluteal muscle, or butt), and then push off on that leg to take your next step. 

Easy-peasy, rice and cheesy, huh?

But, when you use a treadmill for walking, you don't extend that leg and push off, because the ground is already moving underneath you. You CAN'T push off. You have to LIFT your leg. Which makes you walk more like this:

When you are on a treadmill, you are PICKING UP your leg each time. Instead of using your butt muscles to extend a leg to walk, as nature intended, you are using your hip flexors, which are these:

WHOA! These suckers are already completely overused for the other stuff you do all day! Like this:

And this

And this

And this

And even this

So you want to get on a treadmill and overuse them some more? And under use your B-U-T-T? 

Why?

You want a nice caboose? Get out and walk. 

Can I get an "AMEN"?

A fact you may not have known:

Treadmills--the relative of the kind we use in gyms today--were developed to aid stroke victims who could not walk well (or at all) on their own. It was a device that could help retrain the muscles/brain for perambulation while securing the patient in a safe, upright position. 

Great for stroke victims, but not for you. You are working the wrong walking muscles when you're on that treadmill. You are not promoting proper muscle development. Same thing with running on one, if you feel you must run. 

Personally, I believe we should only be running when being chased by tigers. 

Okay, I'm done. 

As a side note, I don't "hate" many things, but I do hate marionettes. Those of you who know me, know that there is little I fear. However, I've had this inexplicable fear of clowns and marionettes ever since I could remember. Recently, I found out that when we'd stay at my grandparents' place, my big brothers used to chase a 4-year old me around the dark, musty storage barn with a CLOWN MARIONETTE, chanting "I'm going to kill you, Dani, I'm going to kill you!"

That explains a lot, I guess.

Don't walk like a marionette today, please.

Dani

Day 301-Walk Away From Your Problems

...at least for a little while. 

This morning, my normally unflappable optimism wavered as I examined my get-the-house-ready-to-sell list. It's scary. 

So, I did what I should do. I set it aside and went for a walk. 

I breathed the air, I felt my muscles and tendons and bones, I emptied my head as best I could, and now that list can kiss my a$$!

I am a Warrior Princess. 

Come over here and say that to my face. Yeah, I thought so.

Snarl, 
Dani

 

 

Day 300-My Good Ain't Your Good

Back in college in Montana, I had befriended a French exchange student who wanted me to show her visiting German boyfriend some good Montana times. 

I offered to take them up to these amazing hot springs in the woods. Natural pools of steaming water under the trees and sky--it couldn't be beat! He'd LOVE it! It was quite a hike, often icy and muddy, but worth it. 

Knowing he was a big city boy and wasn't used to it, I made sure to remind him the day before to wear good shoes. 

The next day, we pulled up to the trail head, and my friend and I changed into our hiking boots. The French girl slipped into some Patty Duke-type tennis shoes and as Olaf the German fella stepped out of the car, I told him now would be a good time to put on his shoes.  

He gave a blank look, and then looked down at the gorgeous Italian leather-sole loafers on his feet.

"I am vearing shoes," he said.

"No, I mean the good shoes I told you to bring," I smiled. "For the hike."

"Vat? These are good shoes!" he insisted.

And it dawned on me, as we stood there in the dirt, that "good" was highly subjective. 

When you read about how walking is great exercise, and all you really need are good shoes, I bet you think you need things like this: 

Or this:

Good, yah?

But I see those and get the willies. I know how they work my body over so that by the end of the walk my knees ache and my lower back throbs. 

So, I don't see those as good walking shoes. My good looks like this:

and this

and this

and this

Okay, I don't have a pair of moccasins, but Dude! I totally want to get some and tromp through the woods in them!

And why I always pester you about your footwear, is because of what I now know about our bodies and how vital proper alignment is to your overall health. Serious. 

That little heel rise that a normal athletic shoe gives you throws your body off kilter, and then you spend your time trying to right yourself. You're doing body origami so that you can see the horizon, and it catches up quickly. 

How do I know? I've walked 300 days straight in neutral heel shoes or completely barefoot and the only day that my back and knees bothered me was the day I put on these

Good shoes, right?

Anyway, Olaf had a terrible time, fell repeatedly on his ass and ruined his gorgeous shoes. However, he got me back when I landed in Europe (his turf) and he spent the next three days making me feel like an American idiot and a burden, instead of being a good host.

Touche´, Olaf. We have different "goods".

Guten tag,
Dani

Day 299- Come As You Are

Here is one of the many great things about walking for exercise:


Today, I woke up late (Friggin' Daylight Savings! Who the hell are you saving??), got dressed, made some clay, went and taught Sunday school to 11 restless kids, cleaned clay off the Sunday school floor, took the kids to a movie, went to the store, then headed home. 

Drove into the garage, said "adios" to the kids, grabbed the dogs and headed out for today's walk. 

Any special equipment? Nope. 

Special, neato workout clothes? Nope. Jeans, a t-shirt and the Converse All-Stars that were on my tootsies. 

Any special preparation? Nope. Just making sure my arse moves out the door.

Sweet, huh? I feel super, without ducking into a phone booth to change. 

Later, Gator, 
Dani



 

 

 

 

Day 298- Pay Attention

I love my mom. 

Not only did she bring me into this world and breastfeed me, I can count on her to help me out and no matter how annoyed we get with each other, we're still buddies. But, best of all, she has taught me many valuable things. One, and my favorite, is my positive outlook. The other? Paying attention. 

She has always said, "You can learn something new every day if you pay attention." 

She is 100% right about this. I pay attention, and I learn something every day. 

Her saying has become mine, and I spout it off at least once a week, to my own family and to anyone around me who is listening. Or paying attention. 

When my son Jackson was a baby, everyone remarked how he was so quiet, yet observant. Like he was always paying attention. In fact, I recall my mom, or "Bubbe", softly but repeatedly advising him when he was 2 years old to "pay attention" when she was showing him things and teaching him stuff. 

It stuck. That kid, like his mom (that's me!), doesn't miss a thing. He isn't super talky, but when he does open his mouth, you marvel at the astute quality of his observations. He is paying attention. I volunteered in his classroom the other day and was blown away how everyone's mouth around him was flapping, while he sat quietly, his eyes sweeping the room as he took in everything the chatterboxes were saying. He can tell you what everyone said, and he's sometimes got opinions on why they say it, but he doesn't feel a need to interject or boast or add in. He's just observing. Paying attention.

Yesterday, he was teaching me something, and I was surprised and delighted by the information. 

"Wow!" I said, "You learn something every day..."

"...if you pay attention." he finished, smiling at me.

Way to go, Bubbe. Your legacy stands before you, twice over. 


Thanks, 
Dani & Jackson
 

 
 

Day 297-What is the Sound of One Sole Flapping?

In 296 days of walking, I have never once worn headphones to listen to something. 

No, I like to be present, listening to rain, birds, coyotes...okay, that's not entirely true. I don't tune out with headphones because I walk in the dark and want to hear any approaching sharp-toothed, murderous clowns or thick-fingered fog monsters. 

Better safe than sorry, no?

However, today I walked in the daylight and wore headphones. I wanted to listen to a guided "walking meditation" and it was actually very educational. 

This came about after I spoke with a fellow writer and walking aficionado the other day in the frozen meat section of the grocery store. I don't know why you need to know the location, but it sounded intriguing. 

We were discussing meditation, and I mentioned how that was one of my goals in this next year, once I knocked the whole "WalkTheYear" thingy off my to-do list. 

She offered that walking is its own sort of meditation. Well, she's right, I guess, to a degree. Sometimes, my mind is present and empty, but many times, the Monkey Mind in me takes over and keeps my cranium rockin' 'til I walk back in the door. 

Anyway, I have a lot to learn about meditation, so I thought I'd spend 99-cents and buy an app that might assist me in my education. Actually, I got several guided meditation apps (FREE!), but there was only one walking app that looked cool. 

I did it today, since I didn't have to be wary of clowns or monsters, and I can recommend it. There were three options--one to tune in to your body, one to just be present, and one to enhance the senses. I did the body thing since I'm currently now working on relaxing my freakin' quadriceps--yeah, I know. First the butt, then the belly, now the thighs. Will I ever let is all go? I'm getting there! 41 years of tension takes a while to completely unwind, but once you learn to it feels oh, so good.

I'm sure I'll do it again, since it did manage to quiet my Monkey Mind and keep me focused. 

Of course, once I do it enough, I'm sure I'll learn to absorb the application into my hard drive, like a cool robot-girl, and just do it on my own, without electronic assistance. 

High-ranking Most Hated TV Sidekick, second to Chaka Monkey.

BeedeeBeeDeep, 
Dani






 

Day 296-I Like to Move It, Move It!

Do you have something good that happened today, whether by your own doing or someone else's hand?

Do you have MORE than one thing you can point to as good-happenin'-thingy?

I wish this for you. 

I can give you a guaranteed "gimme" you could perform every day, so that if I asked you this question daily, you could answer "Why, yes I do."

Take your walk. 

That's your "gimme". Take your walk every day, feel yourself shake down into a relaxed amble, and I bet that you will always have one good thing that has happened in your day. 

Even if you spend an entire, important meeting with a booger dangling from your nostril.

Even if you walk out of the ladies' room with your skirt hitched up in your panties. 

Even if you get passed over, dumped on, used up or shat out, I bet that walk will be your lifesaver. 

And it will make you want to go out walking again, because it's nice to have something dependably helpful in your life, don't you think? Anything else good that happens on top of that is gravy. Tasty, positive gravy, man. 

Mmmm, walking gravy, 
Dani

 

Day 295- The Mouse That Roared, Optimistically

I'm going to tell you something that only The Huz knows about me:

I think I can accomplish anything. 

I am blindly optimistic. If I need to sew a costume, I think it will take me 3 hours. Need to clean the garage in an afternoon? No problem. To-Do List long as my arm? I got it handled, just relax. 

I'm like those 5-year olds who tie a towel around their neck and try and fly off the porch--I'm positive it'll work out.

I am in a continual state of "I can do that."

Even when I can't. I am Miss Can-Do, even when it ain't gonna happen. Now, some might find this annoying. I know I do. 

But it seems that I cannot help it.  I approach everything with a mindset of success. What's up with that?

Here's a typical and frequent conversation in our house:

Me: Hunh. I'm sorry, I really thought I'd have that done by now. I worked hard.

Huz: It's okay. You always do this. You take on too much in too little time. 

Me: But, I really thought I could...

It's like I was made without a "Or Can I?" button. However, I was thinking about it yesterday, as I stood amongst my unclean, unfinished garage project

and I got really, really glad that I am foolishly optimistic. 

Otherwise, I'd never start a thing. And where would that leave me? The world is an overwhelming place. There are big things, big problems, big ideas--sometimes a little mouse just wants to stay in her hidey-hole. 

I wouldn't have started this frackin' blog project if I hadn't have thought I could. But I did. And I wouldn't have agreed to months of solo-parenting if I didn't think I could do it. Or getting a house ready to sell by myself. And it IS taking on a lot. 

But I really think I can.

Pulling...up...self...by...bootstraps, 

Dani