Meandering – SeasonedSistah

NEW YEAR – NEW ME

Though the first post on this topic, I started this new journey to uplift the BODY, SPIRIT and MIND at the beginning of the year.

Thus far, I have brought several things into my space as I meander down this path of becoming a NEW ME in this NEW YEAR.

UPLIFT THE BODY

I am grateful for a strong support team of likeminded FAMILY MEMBERS, FITBIT FRIENDS, and FELLOW FACEBOOK 70 DAY CHALLENGERS who strive to follow a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE regimen. I interact with one or more of them on a daily basis. This keeps me informed, motivated, inspired and challenged to stay on track in my efforts to UPLIFT THE BODY.

I have a FITBIT and 70 DAY CHALLENGE goal of 10,000 steps daily and, with few exceptions, met and/or exceeded this goal.

UPLIFT THE SPIRIT

To uplift the SPIRIT, I confiscated Hubby’s abandoned and ignored MAN ROOM to create a space, for me, to BE IN STILLNESS and MEDITATE.

In the pre-dawn hours, I retreat to the SERENITY ROOM. It is the place, for me, to build the solid foundation, which always seem to sustain me throughout the day.

UPLIFT THE MIND

Always open to learning something new, I agreed to go to a WATER COLOR PAINTING CLASS with the 25-year-old granddaughter. I enjoyed the quality time spent with my MINI ME, but made the CHOICE to not return for a third class.

I am grateful that the NEW ME felt empowered enough to walk away, without carrying the burden of guilt, to something that no longer served to UPLIFT THE MIND.

However, I plan to keep the two partially-finished pieces as a reminder of a wonderful bonding experience with my MINI ME.

Wordless Wednesday – August 3, 2016

Martha Vineyard, Oak Bluff, Massachusetts, Annual Mother-Daughter Vacation

Week 7: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

Week 7: INTENTIONS

Thank you Silver Threading for hosting Mindful Monday – Healthy Living. My INTENTIONS for Week 7:

Prepare three healthy dishes from new cookbook.
Neighborhood mindfulness walk and capture nature photos x 1 day.
Fitness workout (cardio and circuit weights) x 3 days.
Indoor mall walk x 2 days
Walk through local botanical garden and capture nature photos x 1 day.
Color one page in a mindfulness coloring books

Week 6:

CHOICE

Last week, I made the CHOICE to live by the CREATION Health principles in the following ways:

REST

Sleep

I met my goal of sleeping 7-8 hours nightly. According to my Fitbit, the 7-day average was 8 hours and 50 minutes.

ENVIRONMENT

At-home access to a stress reducing and spiritual uplifting ENVIRONMENT is a blessing.. When I am unable to get out and about, my Healing Container Garden is always there.

ACTIVITY

Early Morning, at-home exercises for the:

Body – physical therapy home exercises x 2 days for 15 mins.
Mind and Spirit – three guided meditation practices.

I did get in three days of additional exercise for the Body;

30-minute LA Fitness walk on the treadmill;
60-minute mall walk; and
40-minute mindfulness walk through the neighborhood.

TRUST

When it comes to TRUST and SELF-TRUST, I admit to being a work-in-progress. Through self-education, I hope to find answers.

This week, I read the first three chapters of, “The Courage to Trust: A Guide to Building Deep and Lasting Relationships.” I completed two Self-Discovery Questionnaires:

How Much Do You Trust Yourself – Based on my responses, the answer: “Distrust of yourself is destroying your self-confidence.
How Much Do You Really Trust Others – Based on my responses, the answer: “Your distrust of others is very high, limiting the depth of intimacy.” This was quite revealing given my 0=none response to the question, “Do you believe you don’t know how to have truly intimate relationships.”

I no longer wish to live as a “a naked person” who distrusts self and others. Before my space opens up to Trust and Self-Trust, I must first learn to discover, embrace and express love of self. I am working on it.

INTERPERSONAL

To uplift the mind, body and spirit, I decided to take part in the 8-Week Palouse Mindfulness online training program. Organized and coordinated on Facebook by Sister Blogger, Elizabeth, over at My Eyes Are Up Here.”

Last week, the focus was on communication. The reading materials and videos provided a lot of helpful information to improve both our listening skills and managing anger.

Going through this training on communication was an eye-opening learning experience.

OUTLOOK

Daily, I worked at maintaining a positive OUTLOOK by:

practicing daily morning meditations; and
sharing inspiring quotes with friends and family on Facebook and Instagram.

NUTRITION

Instead of drinking diet sodas daily, my 24-year-old granddaughter challenged me to change to lemon water. I found a number of articles in support of this and was surprised to learn of the many benefits. Now, a glass of lemon water is always close by.

Maternal Family Memories – The House on Wentworth Avenue

I chose my blog as the platform to write about memories of my maternal family to preserve our African-American history after 1870.

Memories

For most of my childhood, I lived in a House on Wentworth Avenue on the Southside of Chicago. My great-great-grandparents, Gilbert and Mary Shegog’s two sons, Uncle Buddy and Uncle Robert jointly purchased the home in the mid-1940s.

I lived in this house with my mother and an extended family of great-grand uncles and aunts:

Basement – Aunt Sallie and Aunt Willie;
First Floor – Uncle Robert and Aunt Edna;
Second Floor – Uncle Buddy and Aunt L.D.;
Attic – Mama and ME.

Uncle Robert was highly regarded by everyone in our family, neighborhood and church. It might have been because of his non-domestic work status as an airport skycap who wore an official looking uniform.

Uncle Buddy and all the aunts worked as live-in domestic workers. As live-in domestics, they left home every Sunday evening and returned on Thursday night. One, or more, often returned home with barely used toys, games and clothing items for me. My mother earned a minimum wage as a factory worker. I wore clothing bearing labels from some of the most expensive stores in Chicago. They told me not to tell anyone what the “white folks.” gave me . I believed the “white folks” would harm me for wearing “white folks” clothes. It never occurred to me that I didn’t know any “white folks.” Years later, I realized they were not concerned about the “white folks.” They didn’t want the “black folks” to know someone in their family wore second-hand clothes.

I am not exactly sure when my great, grand-aunts and uncles, the first generation born after the Emancipation Proclamation, left the Mississippi plantation and migrated north in search of a better life.

What I do know is these children of Gilbert and Mary Shegog, relocated to an unknown city, pooled their resources, and remained self-sufficient until they departed this life. What they were able to achieve, as the first generation to migrate north, led to the next generation joining them to build upon what they started.

I will share further memories of the House on Wentworth Avenue in my next post.

Week 6: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

Week 6: INTENTIONS

Thank you, Colleen, for hosting Mindful Monday – Healthy Living. I begin each week with the INTENTION to mindfully move outside of my comfort zone to explore healthy living options.

Week 5: 8 CREATION Health Principles

CHOICE

I made the CHOICE, several weeks ago, to Stop, Think, Observe and Proceed before acting. When I take time to STOP, I make healthier decisions in all areas of my life.

REST

For more than a year, I have fulfilled my INTENTION to get 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. I slept 11+hours on Sunday and Thursday night. Was this a healthy night’s sleep?

Seeking an answer, I went to WebMD, Sleep Disorders Health Center and read the “7 Myths About Sleep”

Here’s what I found out:

“MYTH: If you can get it, more sleep is always healthier.

“FACT: …Some studies have found that people who slept more than eight hours a night died younger than people who got between six and eight hours. What scientist don’t know yet: Whether sleeping longer causes poor health or is a symptom of it …. Long sleepers may suffer from problems such as sleep apnea, depression, or uncontrolled diabetes that makes them spend more time in bed.”

I believed the MYTH. Even though I am being treated with overnight oxygen for sleep apnea, I am not concerned about the FACT. If I begin to routinely sleep more than eight hours, I will check in with my pulmonologist.

ENVIRONMENT

I struggled through congestion and a cough that kept me housebound for most of the week, but I was able to connect with nature’s ENVIRONMENT. I looked at photos taken during past mindfulness walks through my neighborhood; and felt as though I was in the presence of nature.

ACTIVITY

I began the week taking care of a sick husband with a cold. Several days later, I came down with a cold. I wasn’t able to follow my normal weekly ACTIVITY routine; but, I was able to go upstairs to my relaxation room to exercise the:

body — physical therapy exercises, leg stretches, yoga belt and plank poses for 30 minutes x 3 days.; and
mind – mindfulness and meditation practices for 11-30 minutes x 7 days.

TRUST

This week, I went online looking for reading materials to address my SELF-TRUST issues. The one that drew my attention, “3 Ways to Develop Self-Trust,” written by Ms. Margaret Tartakovsky, M.S., Associate Editor, Word of Psychology who states:

“Everyone in your life has the potential of betraying you. They may leave. They may pass away. They may make a rude comment. They may cheat. They may lie. They may disappoint you in many different way. We can’t count on anybody 100%.”

To develop SELF-TRUST, Ms. Tartakovsky recommends:

Avoid people who undermine your SELF-TRUST.
Keep promises to yourself.
Speak kindly to yourself.

Having lived for more than 73 years, I have been hurt and abandoned by people who I loved and trusted. In most cases, it was short-lived and temporary. Other times permanent — Like my mother passing away, almost 48 years ago, I am just beginning to deal with the hurt and pain of that.

Also, I am still reading the book by Tara Brach, “True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart.” It is bringing me closer to understanding that SELF-TRUST will come when I am able to unconditionally love and nurture ME.

INTERPERSONAL

While building SELF-TRUST, I do not want to compromise developing strong INTERPERSONAL relationships.

Searching for guidance, I found this book written by Cynthia Lynn Wall, “The Courage to Trust: A Guide to Building Deep and Lasting Relationships.” She writes:

“The person you need to trust first is yourself. No one can be consistently supportive of you as you can learn to be. Being kind to yourself increases self-confidence and lessens your need for approval. Loving and caring for yourself not only increases SELF-TRUST, it also deepens your connection with others.

Inspired by this quote, I purchased the Kindle version and look forward to beginning this new learning experience.

OUTLOOK

Feeling under the weather and out of sorts this week with a cold, I tried to maintain a positive OUTLOOK.

For the entire week, I connected with The Meditation Podcast to uplift the mind and spirit. I was able to let go of the negative and embrace the positive by practicing the following meditations:

Power of Kindness
Emotional Clearing
Positive Thoughts
Peace
The Healing Smile

NUTRITION

Luckily, I found all the ingredients for this Turkey Vegetable Soup in the fridge and pantry,

Chicken Broth
Dry Onion Soup
Canned Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Frozen Okra
Turkey Legs

I dumped everything into the slow-cooker and ended up with enough soup to carry Hubby and I through the week. When I have a cold, a hot cup of soup makes everything better.

Maternal Family Ancestry Search – The Children of Gilbert and Mary Shegog

Last year, I started a journey in search of “from whence I came.” I uncovered new information since writing the first two posts, “From Whence I Came: Gilbert and Mary” and “Family History: New Information-New Questions”.

New Information

A review of the Census Reports from 1900-1920 revealed new information about the eleven children of my great-great-grandparents, Gilbert and Mary Shegog. According to the:

1900 Census Report there were seven (7) children in the household:

Minerva (13-years-old) – My Great-Grandmother
Tommie (13-years-old) – Uncle Buddy
Abbie (9-years-old) – ????
Lily (8-years-old) – ???
Roxie – (4-years-old) – Aunt Roxie
Willie – (8-years-old) – Aunt Willie
Johnnie – Uncle Johnnie

1910 Census Report there were four (4) new children in the household.

Sallie (6-years-old) – Aunt Sallie
Walter (5-years-old) – ?????
Josie (3-years-old) – Aunt Josie
Robert (0 years old) – Uncle Robert

New Questions

I didn’t know about, Abbie, Lily and Walter. What happened to them.
What was my Great-Grandmother Minerva’s first husband’s name?
What was my Great-Great-Grandmother Mary’s maiden name?

Dead End

I reached a dead-end searching through Census Reports because:

I could not find verifiable matches for Gilbert Shegog in the Census Report for 1870, 1880 or 1890;
The name of slaves were not recorded on Census Reports until 1870. Only their age, gender, race, and the slaveholder’s name were recorded.

I hope to find more information about those who came before when I visit my cousin this summer. She is the keeper of our family Bible and photo album.

In the meantime, I plan to:

write of times spent with the children of Gilbert and Mary Shegog — Uncle Buddy, Aunt Roxie, Aunt Willie, Uncle Johnnie, Aunt Sallie, Aunt Josie, and Uncle Robert.
search for information in public records and other documents.

I began this journey to find out from “Whence I Came.” for me, my children, grandchildren, future generations as well as others who may have an interest in following me on this journey.

Week 5: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

INTENTIONS – Week 5

CHOICE

I am pleased with the healthy lifestyles changes made to improve the quality of my life since beginning Mindful Monday-Healthy Living. My INTENTION for Week 5 is to stay positive, committed and focused on making healthy choices to uplift my mind, body and spirit.

REST

Last week, I used my Fitbit device to track my nightly sleep patterns.

Sunday, 02/07 – 8 hrs 27 min
Monday, 02/08 – 7 hrs 43 min
Tuesday, 02/09 – 4 hrs 54 min
Wednesday, 02/10 – 5 hrs 45 min
Thursday, 02/11 – 7 hrs 36 min
Friday, 02/12 – 10 hrs
Saturday, 02/13 – 10 hrs 12 min

Tuesday and Wednesday night I didn’t sleep well. Hubby wanted to watch TV in bed. When I woke up, the TV was on, he was sleeping soundly, and I tossed and turned all night. In a kind way, I told Hubby how much the TV had disrupted my sleep. He understood and agreed that watching TV in the bedroom was not a good idea.

Overall pacing my activities went well. However pacing while blogging is a problem. When blogging, I become so self-absorbed pacing is the farthest thing from my mind.

ENVIRONMENT

I went on two mindful walks through my neighborhood. One of the benefits of mindful walking is the opportunity to connect with the ENVIRONMENT. As a mindful walker, I totally agree with the “9 Reasons to Try Mindful Walking,” by Adam Brady.

Sharing a few photos captured on the mindful walks.

ACTIVITY

Very surprised to receive this email report from Fitbit on the number of steps I walked in 2015:

Can’t believe my step and mile counts in 2015 exceeded the average total distance in miles and steps for Americans as well as globally.

These numbers did not include other daily ACTIVITIES (yoga, plank poses, physical therapy home exercises, and circuit weights). I plan to convert those ACTIVITIES into steps, in 2016, using one or more of the following charts:

TRUST

I found two new resources and TRUST they will address some of my SELF-TRUST issues.

I am reading (Kindle version) and listening to the (Audio version) of “True Refuge, Finding Peace in Your Own Awakened Heart,” by Tara Brach, Ph.D.
I am practicing a new 11-minute podcast meditation guided by Tara Brach, “The RAIN of Self-Compassion.”

I TRUST that SELF-TRUST is evolving as I begin to look within non-judgmentally and in a self-compassionate way.

INTERPERSONAL

I am not the best communicator. So, while on this journey to build a healthy, mind and spirit , I wanted to address self-identified INTERPERSONAL weaknesses. Using Hubby as the INTERPERSONAL relationship guinea pig, I tried a few of the steps recommended in “How to Develop Interpersonal Skills: 13 Steps.”

Throughout the week, I made an effort to:

notice my facial expressions and body language
listen attentively
avoid presuming or assuming things

Though I still have work to do, I feel good about the progress made.

OUTLOOK

I strive everyday to have a positive OUTLOOK. Allowing the negative energy of others to diminish or destroy my positive OUTLOOK is unhealthy. I walked away from negativity remembering the tips shared in “Have A Good Outlook On Life” I added the article to my Self-Management-Healthy Living Toolbox for future reference.

NUTRITION

I knew there would be NUTRITION challenges because of Valentine’s Day. But, I made the CHOICE, without guilt, to enjoy more than one piece of the turtle candy gifted by Hubby as well as one slice of lemon meringue pie that I gifted to myself. Both are my favorites.

Week 4: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

INTENTIONS

I start Week 4 of Mindful Monday – Healthy Living with the INTENTION to, daily, embrace and follow the eight CREATION principles of living life to the fullest.

The 8 Principles – Week 3

CHOICE

Though still a work-in-progress, I feel good about the Mindful Choices made during the week.

REST

Six of seven nights were restful and met the good sleep hygiene standards of 7-8 hours. One sleepless night led to a pain flare-up the next day; and, I made a Mindful Choice to let go of DOING and spend the entire day BEING. In other words, DOING nothing and BEING still.

I was Mindful of Pacing my activities. Instead of, continuously, walking for 45 minutes on the treadmill, I put the machine on a 1-minute pause every 5-10 minutes to rest. stretch and breathe. I left the fitness center refreshed rather than exhausted.

ENVIRONMENT

I went on a MINDFUL 45-minute walk through my neighborhood. From time-to-time, I walked at a slower pace and paused to connect with nature’s beauty:

A Mindful Walk with Just ME and My Shadow

ACTIVITY

Exercised the body on six of the seven days for 45-60 minutes, I:

walked on the treadmill and/or glided on the elliptical machine for three days at the fitness center;
walked through my neighborhood one day; and
followed my early-morning exercise routine of leg stretches with the Yoga Belt, home physical therapy exercises, and/or plank poses.

I made the Mindful Choice to heed the advice of my massage therapist who is a practitioner of yoga and pilates. She encouraged me to do plank poses every other day and not daily to give my muscles a day of rest.

Mindfully, I made the Choice to uplift the mind and spirit, daily, with a 20-30 minute meditation practice.

TRUST

My INTENTION this week was building Self-Trust. I made the Mindful Choice to begin the 21-day Chopra meditation practice, “Become What You Believe.”

“to seek our true nature and discover our path to health and happiness. You will discover your soul’s purpose and create a life in which things are within reach.”

I am hopeful that as I grow in the belief of ME, Self-Trust will follow.

INTERPERSONAL

I love going to the car wash with Hubby. It gives me the opportunity to buy my favorite line of greeting cards.

This week, I thought about girlfriends that I have bonded with over the years. I made the Mindful Choice to send cards to three of them:

DJ, lives in Illinois. Girlfriends since the womb and we stay connected via telephone. I last saw her at my youngest daughter wedding in 1998.
VB, lives in Milwaukee. Girlfriends since 1996. We come together twice a year when I visit Wisconsin. In turn, she sets aside one day to spend with us during her annual Florida vacation.
JL lives in Wisconsin. Friends for many years and Girlfriends for the past five. We connect regularly via social media and always get together when I visit Wisconsin.

OUTLOOK

I re-affirm a positive attitude by reading motivational and inspirational quotes. I share uplifting words via social media. Both serve to improve my OUTLOOK on life.

NUTRITION

I made the Mindful Choices to:

Snack on pistachio nuts and kosher dill pickles as opposed to a 220 calorie piece of cake.

Read the nutritional label on this container of coleslaw before putting it on my dinner plate.

Grateful for making the Mindful Choice to change the way I live my life to improve the quality of my life!!!

Week 3: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

It’s Week 3 of Mindful Monday – Healthy Living, I feel self-motivated, self-inspired, and self-directed to uplift the body, mind and spirit. The CREATION Health program, I chose to follow on this Healthy Living journey allows self-guidance and self-direction through the eight principles of living life to the fullest. I am enjoying the journey.

THE 8 PRINCIPLES

CHOICE

After looking at this video, “STOP: A Short Mindfulness Practice,” Potential stressful situations, last week, were avoided and/or reduced because I didn’t immediately react to them. As recommended in the video, I took time to:

S = STOP
T = THINK
O = OBSERVE
P = PROCEED

I made the CHOICE to add STOP to my Healthy Living Self-Management Tool Box.

REST

Sleep hygiene is excellent, I get 7-8 hours nightly. Pacing my activities throughout the day is my biggest problem. To address this issue, I went to Google and found a 12-page publication by the University of Michigan, “Improve Your Functioning through Effective Pacing.” The first few lines grabbed my attention:

“One of the most effective forms of therapy for increasing physical functioning and improving your quality of life is NOT a pill and it’s not an exercise. It’s changing how you do your routine daily tasks by Pacing.”

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to add a link to this publication. You can, however, google — Improve Your Functioning Through Effective Pacing — to access the PDF document. Once accessed you can download it to your computer, Kindle or IBook.

When I blog, I over-extend. When I exercise, I over-exert. Honestly, I tend to over-extend and/or over-extend while doing most things. Oftentimes, I fail to stop or slow down until the body crashes and the mind boggles.

I added this document to my Healthy Living – Self Management Toolkit.

ENVIRONMENT

Florida’s rain and chilly weather kept me indoors for most of the week. On the gloomiest day, I brought sunshine into my space. In the quietness of our bedroom with drapes drawn, I connected with nature’s beauty by looking through my computer photo album. I took these photos last summer when my daughters and I went on our annual Mother-Daughter vacation in Martha’s Vineyard.

Ninety-nine percent of the, approximately, 12,000 photos stored in my computer photo album are memorable and cherished moments that bring peace, happiness and love into my space.

My Computer Photo Album is one of the most important tools in my Healthy Living – Self-Management Tool Chest.

ACTIVITY

I lived up to my INTENTION to, daily, exercise the body, mind and spirit.

Exercise: On Saturday, Hubby and I went for an early-morning walk in our city’s largest indoor mall. I love the accessible amenities available during non-mall hours for walkers —

Comfortable Seating
Accessible Bathroom Facilities
Coffee and Water

I also got in two days at the Fitness Center and four days of early-morning home exercises.

Mind and Spirit – After an almost two-year absence, I revisited the meditation practice that started me on my daily meditation journey. The Meditation Podcast offers thirty, free, 8-20 minute meditation practices.

I brought The Meditation Podcast out of retirement. It is now in my Healthy Living – Self-Management Toolkit.

TRUST –

This week I set as an INTENTION to build SELF-TRUST. I begin this new journey motivated by five inspirational quotes:

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

“Trust yourself and try not to get lured off course by conflicting opinions that don’t seem to sit right with you.” (Auliq Ice)

‘Never let the thoughts of self-unworthiness re-arrange your prepared passion for failure. You can do it even if others say you can’t. But you cannot do it if you tell yourself you can’t.” (Israelmore Ayivor)

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” (Norman Vincent Peele)

“You can have all the tools in the world but if you don’t genuinely believe in yourself, it’s useless.” (Ken Jeong)

I added these quotes to my Healthy Living – Self-Management Toolkit

INTERPERSONAL

On Tuesday, I spent a lively and enjoyable three hours in my photography class. Talking and laughing through most of the class as we struggled to take our first Water Splash Photo.

This is my first attempt. It took a few tries before I figured out how to keep my hand out of the photo,

I managed to keep the hand out. But it took many, many, more tries to capture a half-way decent photo.

I added my photography class to the Healthy-Living Self-Management Toolkit.

OUTLOOK

I listen to Depaak Chopra’s, “Souls of Healing Affirmations.” Uplifted by these positive affirmation upon waking every morning is the building block needed to get through the day with a positive OUTLOOK. It’s a gift to myself. (paraphrased CREATION Health)

The Souls of Healing Affirmation is a key tool in my Healthy Living Self-Management Toolkit.

NUTRITION

Encouraged by my eldest daughter, I bought a set of Portion Control Containers to manage and track my food intake. It didn’t work out well.

PURCHASED THE CONTAINERS

CREATED DAILY COLOR-CODED CALORIE TARGET SHEETS

I used the two smallest containers to manage my intake of nuts and ignored the others. I allowed myself only one container of nuts per day. A lover of pecans, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, etc., I always buy the largest bag, jar, or can of nuts. Throughout the day, I visit the pantry and grab a handful. I hope these little, bitty containers, will help to break this serious nut-eating addiction.

Next week, I will assess the Portion Control Containers and decide whether they are a worthy addition to my Healthy Living-Self-Management Toolkit.