A swell summer

Photo credit.

Since my last post in January, my world has changed quite a bit. I've left the corporate world, I rescued a little puppy from a sketchy dude at the mall, and found him a great home; I went back to Florida to see my niece who is battling a mystery illness, and I mended ties with my brother, which is probably the best item on this list.

What else?

• I'm getting back into contract work, working with some of the best folks I've met in tech.
• I'm continuing my love of podcasts; favorites include The Minimalists and The Rich Roll podcast.
• I watched this awesome documentary called Given. 
• I've eaten vegan for the past 7 days - feeling great.
• Have been doing more yoga - and as soon as puppy duty is over I'll be able to go much more. Puppy keeps me a bit home bound.
• Going to Cabo again soon - an opportunity arose to go and we're taking it! This time to a private villa on the beach right down from the One&Only. This, in addition to a potential trip on October. Really losing my travel hesitation, which is awesome. 
• Trying to live more and be less hesitant. Saying yes, when I might have said no.

What does your Summer hold? Leave me a message!


 

The Oristand will have me standing

[UPDATE] Regretfully, the Oristand did not get me standing. The part for the keyboard is too shallow and not wide enough to allow enough mouse movement, even though I have a tiny Dell, Mac-like keyboard. And the top step has the monitor positioned too close. Sadly, also, there is no return policy. I kind of understand that; but kind of a bummer nonetheless. Perhaps it will sell at my upcoming garage sale.
--
As ailments crop up from time to time, I have to admit it is from lack of regular exercise. Walking the dog and some stretching ain't enough. After a visit to the doctor for a weird buzzing feeling in the front of one of my calves, I decided this could at least help get things circulating better -- along with more exercise. And less salt?

Just ordered this http://oristand.co/

Check out their video on the home page -- it's pretty cool and the desk looks sturdy. And it's way cheaper at $39 versus Varidesk which has models starting at around $200. Of course, this is made of sturdy cardboard versus Varidesk's metal construction; though that makes it less portable.

Girl uninterrupted



How many times a day are you notified and alerted? For me, most interruptions come in on my phone. Oh...someone liked my Instagram pic, or I have a new work email, or a new personal email just dropped in. Or a news story pops up with some awful headline that tries to draw me in. Oh, look, the stock market is up, or is it down, when will it change? Maybe it won't. Should I think about that now?

I just took charge. I went into Settings, then Notifications (on my iPhone) and turned off notifications for Instagram, work and personal email, News, Weather, Calendar, Stocks. All of these alerts are now bye-bye.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That's my sigh of relief. I don't want it or need it. I know I have to check work email, but no more being a slave to it.

Photos of late coming from Unsplash https://unsplash.com/

I hope everyone is enjoying a calm, uninterrupted day.

💗

Living life in 2017

There is so much going on in the world, so much change. But in times like this, I find I feel best when I keep looking ahead, moving forward, finding and doing things that make me happy. I feel like there are a few things we all do that bring us calm, like:

1. Taking pics of our surroundings https://www.instagram.com/p/BPObt3rgYQq/?taken-by=robinwrites
2. And our pets https://www.instagram.com/p/BO8-vX4A4zO/?taken-by=robinwrites - We adopted a dog, Ella, from the shelter in April, and she brings us so much joy.
3. Making good food https://www.instagram.com/p/BK1OQZmj0IX/?taken-by=robinwrites
4. Spending time with family and friends https://www.instagram.com/p/BNOYFH5jXyv/?taken-by=robinwrites - This was from Thanksgiving here at our house.

And even though all of those things are Instagrammed, it wasn't as much the documenting, but the doing of them that made the difference for me.

As the world becomes more automated, digitized, mechanized, and instant, I find more solace in the slow, the human connection, the beauty of crafts, good coffee, and the simple things.

Something I want to try: A face and body cleanser that takes away what it should and leaves what you need https://shop.motherdirt.com/product/face-body-cleanser/

What happens when you slow down

I've been battling a cold that has lingered like some low fog on a frigid waterway. It required me to lay in bed a good part of each day, for nearly 10 days. This Sunday, my phone was stolen. I joked when my husband came home for lunch the first day I was "existing" without my phone:

Him, walking through door: Hi, how's it going?

Me: Oh my god, someone found me! I feel like one of those Chilean miners, hearing the first taps from rescuers.

We had a good laugh. Today is day two of the phoneless situation, and I think I may have a new practice brewing. While I have the options of checking my social sites via desktop, I'm finding myself not doing that. In my new world, no one can call me. I'm not getting texts. I can't send any texts. I feel lighter. If you want me, it's email or you could write me a letter.

Slowing down is good. It brings more of the little things into focus. And I think the space and time in which those little things exist is where we truly live.

Some of what I read and/or watched today:
How we could all be automated out of our jobs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU
How millennials are viewed by CEOs along with other age groups, with input by a favorite of mine: Simon Sinek - http://www.afr.com/brand/chanticleer/millennials-only-one-of-five-generations-on-a-ceos-radar-20170110-gtp0c0 .
Brief history of the Royal Family - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNgP6d9HraI

New year, new crack at Minimalism

Photo credit: http://daniebester.co.za/

I may have gone too far when I lifted the lid on the trash can and heaved in all four highschool yearbooks. When I saw on facebook that the reunion was coming up, I posted a question asking if anyone had a digital version. Apparently the headshots are available, but not the other sections that I was most interested in.

One good rule of thumb as you minimize: get a scanner and scan paper stuff that you want to keep, even pictures. Alas, if I use my head, I can recall the images that were most important. And I don't really need them. I'm not going to frame them or sit them out... Will I have a moment of regret later in life, wondering about them? We don't know what tomorrow holds, so that's a wasted "wondering." It's all good.

I'm still keeping up with my guys over at www.theminimalists.com and listening to their podcasts. They can be repetitive sometimes, but simple messages are like that. I do benefit from the reminder of why minimalism can really add value to your life, even if the examples are similar. We surround ourselves with so much stuff and most of it is neglected, sitting in a drawer, or in a bin, or in the garage. So who needs it? Maybe someone else. Donate! 

Little by little, I'm whittling down my load. And it feels great.

A few minimalists I admire:

Courtney Carver here http://bemorewithless.com/ - saw Courtney when she was in San Diego. She's very inspiring.
Leo Babauta at https://zenhabits.net/
Sam Harris does this great podcast https://www.samharris.org/podcast

Happy new year to all.

There's no one to vote for, and this is not an April Fool's

Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/baretheatre/the-comedy-of-errors/

This image reminds me of the U.S. elections. Agreed? While I do feel the Bern, I wonder if he can break through the noise. Just for the "huh?" factor, I miss Ben Carson.

Happy weekend, all. And for a great April Fool's, visit http://www.theminimalists.com/t/
So very funny. I saw this and wondered if they had begun collaborating with Gwyneth Paltrow.

xoxo