NOW | Saving My Life
I’ve done a couple of “What’s saving my life?” posts over the last few years on previous iterations of my blog. I thought it would be a fun idea to re-visit. After all, the best questions can be answered over and over and reveal new aspects of your life.
“What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.”
I too mull the deeper, more profound questions and concepts, but this quote always speaks to me, to the heart of the matter, the intersection of being a simple human in a complicated world.
What’s saving my life, lately?
PRODUCT | Like everyone, I go through stages of growing out my thick and unruly hair only for it not to be what I want (by being exactly what it’s always like when I grow it out - a thick and unruly bush!) and cutting it short which can be tricky when you’re a large and tall (5’10”) woman, for me it’s always been a never ending cycle of cut/grow/cut/grow. Now that my hair has finally turned more grey than brown I think I’ve settled on a short “pixie” cut - short on the sides and longer on top. To pull off this look I need two things: regularly scheduled haircuts and good product. I hit my local salon and Jody cuts my hair every 4-weeks and I keep my wash-and-go hair looking great by using liberal amounts of Aveda gel and spray.
ROUTINE | Recently I scrapped my carefully curated morning routine to embrace a more manageable and do-able routine. After all, if I am not happily looking forward to something I either won’t do it at all or resent it. Why in the world would I do that to myself? I’ve juggled the things I love to do - and if they’re good for me its a bonus - throughout the day, after all who says you have to meditate in the morning? Other than the care and feeding of my dogs, the ONLY things I have to do in the morning is feed myself and go for a walk. I’ve embraced protein shakes and I have worked up to a 20-minute walk - which neatly coincides with a number of the meditations on my phone.
PROJECT | I have always enjoyed making photo books. First the photo + paper + adhesive variety which over time slowly and permanently morphed to a digital format. I’m putting the final touches on my 2022 version of “31 Things” which was an Ali Edwards’ course introduced in 2012. I’m using the same prompts without consulting the original project in the hope that when I compare them once everything is printed I’ll be able to see evidence of personal growth in the last decade! There is a follow-up course, “31 More Things” that I never completed. I plan on getting to it over the summer and then maybe in 2032 have something to compare to it.
ANTICIPATION | I haven’t participated in the annual “Week in the Life” project for a couple of years, too busy living my week rather than recording it. I’d like to remedy that this year by picking up my camera and recording my life as it is now - so different from any time before! No kids, no job. All of the things that defined me in the past are gone. What in the world will I capture? And therein lies the challenge - and the fun! The dates this year are the 20th through 26th of June so I have some time to build my foundation pages and design how I want the finished project to look. A Week in the Life of Being Lee. Not exactly a barn burner, but hey, it keeps me active and engaged!
BOOK | ‘Never Coming Home’ by the talented Hannah Mary McKinnon was released on Tuesday, 24 May and I can’t shake it! I met Hannah years ago while we attended the same writing workshops in Oakville - at the time she had not published anything. So far she has five published titles to her credit. She is a tremendous writer and I wish her all the success in the world. Everything she’s written has been spectacular - I expected this to be equally satisfying and I’m happy to report that it is a wonderful read.
COURSE | In May I took a manifesting course with Mike Dooley and Pam Grout. It was the kick in the pants I needed to reminded myself that I am absolutely in charge of how I live my life. While I’m not in control of anything or anyone (and I’ve released that construct to the Universe) I do know I’m able to manifest what I need to live my life to its fullest and highest good.
COMMUNITY | I’m taking time to explore my new surroundings. This is my first time in Southampton during the height of tourist season (I’m told it’s even fuller than it was pre-pandemic - which is still a thing, by the way, we are not yet post-pandemic). I’m not a crowd person so prefer to wander around town at dawn and twilight. Things do shut down pretty early around here but I’m doing my best to interact with local people and businesses. I’ve been taking a page from my dad’s book. Many moons ago, when he was single, he’d go to a local restaurant and sit at the bar to eat his dinner. He’d meet new people, have interesting conversations, and enjoy new experiences on a regular basis. A girl’s gotta eat, and I might as well have fun doing it!
DISCOVERY | The old news is that my hips are seized up and I’m off balance when I’m not in pain. I see an RMT (registered massage therapist) and chiropractor once a week, and my reformer Pilates trainer Zooms in twice a week and I stretch daily. I’ve recently added a new mode of attack: pelvic therapy where we are trying to adjust my hips internally. My goodness is it painful, but I believe I’m seeing some positive results.
FOOD | My digital book project last month reminded me how much I enjoy digital words + photo projects. Which lead me to consider my next endeavour. I have a huge collection of recipes printed from the Internet, dog-eared cookbooks, as well as old fashioned recipe cards passed down over the years from various sources. This month, I’m going to sort through all of them and pick out the absolute favourites - then cook them up and take photos. I’m excited to have another book in the works!
IDEA | My trainer wants me to start taking “ice baths” and at this point, why not. I’ve tried just about everything to kick start my metabolism, this might just work. I can’t actually take baths since the bathtub has sprung a leak (and since it’s being replaced during Reno 2.0, there’s no point wasting money fixing it now) so I think I’ll venture down to the water and spend some quality time in the great Lake Huron. It’s chilly enough - with the temperature expecting to rise to 12.5°C (55°F) within the next week.
SELF-CARE | Now that the only human to care for in my house is me, I’ve run out of excuses for why I’m back at the bottom of my list! The one thing I do well is execute a plan: make a list, make a plan, put it in the calendar. So, with attention to self-care as my priority, every week looks pretty much the same: reformer Pilates via Zoom every Tuesday and Friday; RMT and chiropractor every Wednesday; hot stone massage every Monday; therapist online on Tuesdays; pelvic therapy on Thursday; haircut and maintenance every four weeks; groceries every Monday; dinner at a bar in town two to three times a week and daily walks, short but consistent. I rest when I’m tired, read as much as I can, and watch well-crafted shows. I meditate, pull an oracle card, write in my journal, daydream, and visit with my friends as often as the opportunities arise.
TRAVEL | Is not in the cards, I don’t think, not for a while. I’ll be literally saving my life by staying home and not venturing to the US which is becoming more and more an out-of-control Third World country. And, as inconvenient as it may seem, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic no matter how much we’d like to pretend it’s over or pretend it never happened.
What’s saving your life right now?