The Sandcastle

The word mindset means you have set your mind on something.

I play solitaire on my phone. I have guidelines I use to determine which cards to play when. That way I can mindlessly click through the game without having to think. A couple of days ago I changed my mind about how I would play. Instead of mindlessly following my old guidelines I would pay attention to what choices were available then choose my moves deliberately. Since then I have been winning a lot more games.

What’s your mindset about sheltering in place? Are you resenting the limitations put on you? Or are you seeing the opportunities?

Is this a good time for you to finally…

…deep clean your home?

…sort that collection of photographs?

…read that pile of books you’ve been meaning to get to?

…research something on line that has been puzzling you?

…make all those phone calls you been postponing?

…finish that project you started ages ago then abandoned?

…start that new healthy behavior you’ve been considering?

Is there anything on your mind you suddenly have the time to do?

TTYL,

Linda

 

As my readers know, we live in a community of seniors. In fact, we are among the youngest people living here. So COVID-19 is a real concern.

This community has a cafe, a pub, and a restaurant. Our monthly rent includes a credit amount for food purchased from those sites. But, there’s this social distancing thing being recommended right now so eating in those facilities is not really a good thing to do. So, management had decided all meals will henceforth be delivered to our individual units.

Between 7:30 and 8:30 am a whole fruit and a pastry will be delivered for each resident to each apartment free of charge. Lunch can be ordered from the cafe for delivery. And dinner can be ordered from a limited menu from the restaurant. Both of those will be at standard prices.

Now, you all know I am firmly asleep between 7:30 and 8:30 am while Dave prefers to eat cereal and juice for breakfast. So, he will simply bring the fruit and pastries inside.

At normal people’s lunch time, I will eat a pastry and some bacon. Dave will either eat both fruits or order his standard BLT with pickle spear, potato chips, and cookie from the cafe.

At dinner time, for delivery between 5:00 and 5:15, I will order a meal of which I mostly just eat the meat, fish, or chicken. Dave will either eat the fruit he didn’t eat at lunch time or order a dinner depending on which he chose for lunch. I normally order a cup of fresh fruit with my dinner which Dave eats then or the next day but that’s not going to be an option with this new system so having fresh fruit delivered each morning will replace that.

Mid evening we watch a movie or other program and eat potato chips. I get one ounce for 160 calories which takes care of my salty/crunchy/fatty cravings. Dave also eats dark chocolate then but he’s pretty good about keeping it hidden from me so I don’t start craving it.

Late evening I vary what I eat depending on what’s on hand and how many calories I already ate that day. That usually means some sort of meat or cheese with or without bread. Maybe some olives. Maybe some grape tomatoes. Lately it has often been a ham sandwich on raisin bread. Now, if there’s still a pastry left from the morning, odds are I will eat that with my meat or cheese.

It took some doing to figure out how we will cope with this new meal system but I think we have it down now. We’ll know how we did by this time tomorrow.

TTYL,

Linda

 

I received this list today and decided to pass it on.

“Going outdoors is not cancelled.

Listening to music is not cancelled.

Quality time with our families is not cancelled.

Reading a book is not cancelled.

Sharing with friends is not cancelled.

Singing out loud is not cancelled.

Laughing is not cancelled.

Sharing hope with others is not cancelled.

Let’s embrace what we have.”

I could add:

Cooking together is not cancelled.

Working jigsaw puzzles is not cancelled.

Sharing memories is not cancelled.

What would you add to this list?

TTYL,

Linda

ps. I found this most helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkQXxqLNWzo&feature=emb_title

I have lost 65 pounds from my highest weight. I finally passed a plateau. I have not weighed so little for many, many years. Probably fifteen years or more.

But no one notices. Because seeing the difference between fat and less fat is hard to do.

OK, one person noticed. Because she saw my now too large clothes in a sale and recognized them. Now she feels safe in commenting about the loss. But, I don’t think she really sees a difference.

I only see the difference because my leg is skinnier so things don’t rest on it as well when I use it for a table.

But, my scale sees the difference.

And my clothing sees the difference.

Even when you wear yoga pants with a drawstring waist, there’s only so far you can pull that drawstring before the excess fabric becomes uncomfortable.

So, I’m shopping. But my favorite brand has stopped making my favorite style. So, once again, I am confronted with the words long time readers know I “love”. New! Improved! I hope the pants I have ordered now work for me. They don’t have a drawstring waist, though, so I might have to order more sooner that I did this set.

Now, if all this excess skin just had a drawstring.

TTYL,

Linda

 

I don’t publish fiction. But, every now and then my brain writes a snippet that amuses me. Here’s the one it just wrote.

The southern belle looked up at her French fiancé and said, “Ah can’t wait to say ah do.”

Looking startled he replied, “What did you just say?”

She repeated, “Ah can’t wait to say ah do.”

“You are leaving me?”

“No, what would make you ask that?”

“Then why did you say, ‘You can’t wait to say adieu?’ “