Time Out? Yes, Please!

With all the craziness that is February, I realized that I may have fallen into old habits.  Over stretching myself.  Certainly at the time, taking on a continued schedule at the spice and tea store (which I usually only work on school breaks) seemed plausible.  I have one less graduate class this semester, as it is my last semester.  But - somehow I forgot that wedding planning, PhD applications, job applications, and exams amount to a little more than the work that I would have saved by that one class.  Hm.

I was working with a fellow employee last Friday at the store and realized - wow I have so much to do the rest of the weekend because I can't do that work today (Friday). I really should not have tried to fit in a side job when I already am a full time student and working as a teaching assistant. Unfortunately that is my doom. I fear boredom.  I hate down time and I hate sitting around not knowing what to do, then I put SO much in my week that I can't possibly have free time.  However, you start to realize how that may actually hurt things when your fiance brings home a movie from RedBox and you are not even sure if you should take a break to watch it with him.


For this post, I will keep it short.  It's a moment for me to stop and reflect before I delve into the world of studying for midterms.  I want to remind everyone that you don't have to be wonderwoman or superman all the time to be a success. Overworking yourself can make you focus too much on all that you did not finish yet, and blind you to the fact that you've done more than most people do in the same time and that's amazing.  Because all that work can't really be worth it if you don't have 5 minutes to realize, "hey, you are doing a great job."

So maybe someone out there can take these words as inspiration, and I'll try to do the same (as difficult as it is sometimes!) - Put down the projects, take a sick day from work, quit that side job you really didn't need. Just sleep or sip tea or read a book (for fun!).  Go to dinner with a friend or boyfriend. Time will go by so fast and you will wonder what happened to this year and the time you meant to take a vacation or visit a friend.  These moments are no less important than making an extra buck. In fact, they are probably more important.

Yes to the Dress and a Run in the Sun

Less than 4 months to go until the focus of all our friends and family will be on me, walking around and dancing.  But with a big gown (yet to be altered), I'm less concerned with fitting into my dress as I am looking good and feeling healthy on my honeymoon.  We are spending 4 nights in Rome and 4 nights in Paris, which is sure to include quite a bit of trekking around town. I would hate to get winded or tired and tell him we need to take a break!

I may not work out, but I am familiar with the concept. We moved to Florida because my father got a government job which required some strict fitness criteria to get in.  It's been many years since all of that, I can't vouch for his fitness at the moment. But now my brother takes the torch. He is on the wrestling team at his high school and trains constantly. The wrestling team has some strategies that are a little too much for my tastes (a growing teen who is supposed to be 130lbs probably shouldn't be fasting, working out, and sweating until he can fight the 115 weight class).  But, the extreme diets and 3 mile runs in sweat clothes aside.... I have managed to pick out some core features of a workout that seem to be repeated in much milder workouts by the average adult.

My conclusions are that you need:
Cardio+Workout, neither one will work alone.  Cardio is great for endurance, heart health, circulation, and fat loss.  Some ab work and push ups/pull ups will certainly help shape those muscles, creating definition, strength, and strong core muscles helps protect your body and maintain good posture. But, it would be hard to see your rock hard abs with a layer of fat over them, unless you add in the cardio to help work it off.

I don't have an eminent problem with fat, other than in my own mind! We are always our own worst critic.  My goal as far as fat loss goes is simply to lose enough so that I can see my ab workouts paying off.  The cardio for me is more about endurance and to strengthen my heart and lungs.  (I have no endurance - not joking).

I started trying to jog this week.  But hopefully I can get a run in 2-3 times a week and do some exercises at home in between. There are actually some great little workout routines out there for specific areas you want to work on.  These are great for the days in between jogging.  Pinterest is pretty helpful here too.  I found a great blog by Melissa Bender and she has workouts GALORE.  I found a 10 minute total core work out (a quick one is all I wanted to start with - when I start too intense the drive seems to fizzle out within weeks).  Today is a run day (I last jogged on Sunday or Monday) so after this post I'll have to get dressed and get my butt outside. Tomorrow or Friday I will do this core workout.

I'll try to take a picture so we can get a before and after.  That is, as long as there is an after - keep your fingers crossed that I actually keep up!

Pentas, Parsley, and Peppermint

Gardening both inside and outside the home can really help one create a much needed connection with nature. It also helps remind us how many things in our lives are influenced by the world around us, an environment we often take for granted while confined to offices, kitchens, and studies.  Not to mention, it is so rewarding to be able to utilize something in the home that you helped create, nurture, and raise.

I don't generally have the best luck with gardening of any sort.  I am better than my mom with plants (in whose care plants seem to die instantaneously and consistently). BUT, occasionally I find a plant I get along with.  That combined with my determined attitude to finding said plants or figuring out what it is I am doing wrong with the ones that don't like me will sporadically result in success.

As some earlier posts mention, I started landscaping our home last year. I've had some things work and some fail miserably.  Thus, I did not choose to include my dead gardenia plants in this picture.  However, I did have tremendous success with this little, cheap plant I bought at Home Depot (shocking in itself). I bought it simply to add a pop of color to my driveway. After what seemed to be a process of dying, they actually bounced right back (I assume it was shock and adjustment to being planted) and they look fantastic. They have been in bloom all year around ever since. This miracle plant for the gardener without a green thumb is the pentas.  I have 4 purple dwarf pentas and 8 pink/red regular ones now and they all look great. 

This is a great flower not only for convenience and price, but the added bit of magick just puts a smile on my face.  The pentas are thusly named for the 5 -pointed star of a flower.  I feel that having so many flowers representing pentagrams in front of my house has to offer some level of protection to deflect negative energy.  I can't help but imagine it forming a barrier of sorts that blocks guests from bringing any nasty vibes with them. So far so good - my house has always felt open, inviting and calming after any stressful day. 

I don't mean to go on too long here but I also wanted to add a little bit about my recent attempt at herbs.  Again, a pass/fail sort of situation. I tend to grab herb plants as I pass them at Walmart or such. I am choosing to attribute my failure with them based on that.  Gardeners typically advise against Home Depot or Walmart plants rather than a nature center or somewhere that specializes in happy, healthy greenery. But I have maintained a slim level of life in my basil, lavender, and rosemary plant for some months. No progress, but they aren't dead either... hm.  I did acquire just last week a peppermint and parsley plant from Whole Foods.  Still a grocery, but I figure the focus on organic and healthy food may transfer to their plant care as well.  So far so good...the plants are alive and well.  I actually trimmed them to make sure they have room to grow in their curent pots until I find new homes.  I am curious to see how drying them out goes. I tied some of the trimmings up and hung them in my kitchen for looks, smell, and convenience during cooking and possibly for candle making.  If it works, the thought of natural scents from the plants would be so nice. (lavender-mint anyone?) Wish me luck! If anyone has tips on healthy herb growing in the house, please pass it along!

Catching the Flame

January has ended and with its passing, so too is the winter coming to an end.  It is hard to believe it is already February and the new year is slowly loosing its novelty.  Although all these application deadlines, comprehensive exam study session, and reading lists do bring a certain level of excitement on a career level, I do regret my lack of spiritual or physical work lately.

Imbolc Altar

At times like these, it is good to have always a reminder of this trinity.  The triquetra means many things to many people.  Wiccans often use it to mean the triple goddess. Although I acknowledge the triple goddess concept, I don't usually like to work so specifically.  I simply defer to the trinity as a way to reiterate the need to balance mind, body, and spirit.  It's all about balance.

Sometimes it is about accepting when the balance has shifted. Maybe that other aspect of your life needed the extra focus at the moment.  But acknowledge it and know that the balance will have to be restored.  The simultaneous situation of deadlines on the academic side is, of course, out of my control.  It is my final semester and I expected things to get hectic.  Add in wedding planning and it's a recipe for stress.  I almost thought about canceling on my monthly Wicca class but I am glad I did not.  The class gave me a great night to focus on magickal things and meet up with some great minds.

At home, I also [finally] received my lightcatcher from Sacred Mists!  I was awarded one for second place in a Samhain altar contest.  Unfortunately over the winter holiday it seems they had repeated mail issues trying to send it to me. But I got it at last and hung it on a statue near my living room window.  Perfect timing. I could really use something to help bring all the light that has begun shining in my life into one place and transform it into organized, geometric sparkles.

Brownie point for my 'body' aspect of the trinity, I did find a fantastic yoga studio. Yes, there are free classes at school. But they're often late at night (not likely for me to drive to campus so late) or mid day only 2 days a week (hard to catch between my classes).  Having a studio on the back burner is great when you know you need to get a class, but are trying to work outside the school's schedule. I can only make it once a week for now, to save money. But it still feels very good to walk straight into a small yoga class in a room that is clearly set up and decorated in a way conducive to meditation.  Beautiful himalayan salt lamps lining the walls and fascinating lotus mandala on the roof are hard to pass up.  I missed class today because of work (I am still keeping one shift a week at a tea and spice store - not sure why at this point) but I look forward to going again. Even this smallest bit, a weekly yoga class, is a step in the right direction for my physical and spiritual well being.

Hopefully Brigid, goddess of home and hearth associated with fire, will help bring focus and light into my life and I can keep a calm and steady grasp on all that's going on.  After all, having too much going on is better than having nothing.  I certainly accept that I am blessed and lucky to have so much coming into my world, but I will have to work on balancing it all at once so that I am actually able to reap the benefits that are hiding behind the stress!