Working Through the Backlog of Thought
Yesterday, I started a timestamp journal. I made two segments and never got back to it...LOL It was a good day. I was just too occupied to keep up with the timestamps yesterday. And by the time my day came to an end, there wasn't enough time left to turn it into anything I would post. So, I've moved that content to today's entry.
I've been working through this new sleep schedule. I'm learning its value. Especially yesterday and today. I woke around 6am and was up and about by 6:30am yesterday. Today, I was up and at 'em at 6:30 again. By 7:25 yesterday, I had already read through this week's Bible study lesson and made my coffee and toast. Today, it almost the exact same thing in the same timing. I love starting my morning off this way. This is basically what it is like for me on the weekends before, since I don't work those days. But being able to have this on a week day, before work, is a welcome change back to the way things were before I shifted my schedule last June.
I enjoyed that schedule for what it was to me. It began as a means to prepare for my first trip to California. I then embraced my natural night owl rhythm. But at the beginning of this year, I began to sense that it might be time to change back to a more normal schedule. That made me sad for a time. But mornings like these last few days encourage me. These aren't the first mornings like this for me, actually. I had a few of these last week as well. It was a bit rough when I first started to change to this schedule. But it is balancing out well now.
I already miss my later schedule. I'd love to go back to it, actually. I just need to change my work schedule to accommodate having better time in the mornings. I believe it is possible. But I think it will need to wait until after things settle at work. I'm not personally stressing anything. But the changes going on are actually very huge. Now isn't the time to change my work schedule. Instead, I decided changing my sleep schedule was best for now.
I've officially been a Florida resident for 3 years now. My move-in anniversary was Sunday (5/4). Star Wars fandom celebrates it has Star Wars day (May the Fourth be with You). I do acknowledge that occasion too. But the date has more meaning to me as it's when I got the keys to my apartment.
In my journal last year, that was the day I last went out on the water. I took my (then) new paddle board out for her maiden voyage. I haven't been out on the water since...LOL A photo I took that day still adorns my relax wall hanging in my bathroom...hehehe I've thought about updating the photo. Being out on the water has become a thing of the past for me, I think. I miss it. But it obviously isn't something I find importance or value in any longer.
A lot as changed about what I love to do here in Florida. The sun, the palm trees, the wildlife, and Disney are still very much a piece of my presence here. Things like exploring, going out on the water, or going to the beach are far less important now. I sometimes feel like going out to explore again. Maybe someday 🤷♂️
I still love living in Florida, though. And I finally do like living in my apartment. I signed for another year, after all...LOL But I still have that nagging feeling that my time here (my apartment) is coming to an end soon.
On my Florida anniversary, I briefly went to Disney...hehehe The previous weekend, I had purchased 6 new mugs while I was vacationing with my parents. I started using them for the first time on Sunday. Well, the one I chose that day turned out to have a crack in it. I didn't notice it at first. I was taking communion and when I took that sip, some of it dripped on me. I thought I had just missed my mouth...LOL When I later picked up the mug for another sip, I noticed there was coffee all over the coaster. I thought that was very odd. So, I poured the coffee into another of my new mugs to confirm if there was a problem. That's when I saw a dark line on the inside of the broken mug. Sure enough, the crack went from the inside out. But I hadn't noticed it when I cleaned the mug before using it. The darkness of the coffee is what revealed the crack. (Seems like there is a lesson in that statement...LOL More to come on that thought in the future, perhaps?)
After church, I decided to head on back to Disney so I could exchange it. They rotate merchandise so frequently there, I didn't want to miss an opportunity to get a replacement of the same mug. I really like it...hehehe After exchanging the mug, I had lunch there and then came back home. I went to Disney's Pop Century resort since that is where I bought the mugs. The food was okay-ish...LOL But the experience of being able to take a drive on such a lovely day to a magical place was amazing. That day's featured photo came from this experience ❤️
On my drive home, I thought about how nice it would be live closer. I could pop in like that more often and do random things. Considering how little I do at the gulf, it makes more sense for me to live closer to something I actual do find important and put value in...LOL But I don't mind the drive, actually. One nice thing about living a little ways away is how much time I have to pray while I drive. I do enjoy that very much.
I was thinking about how amazing our Bible study has been. Between the devotionals and the study, we've been working through it for over a year. The current book will be done in mid-June. The next devotional comes out in July and the study in August. We'll have a few weeks in between the current book and the next devotional's arrival. It would be the first break since we started all of this on March 17th, 2024 with the devotional we did from my (then) pastor at theChapel. Should we take a break? Or should we do something for those few weeks? I'm praying about it.
But that also reveals that we will be finished with the available The Chosen materials we've been working through sometime in October. The next season is filming now. Which means it won't be released until earliest next year sometime. It could be the end of the next year before season 6th's devotional and Bible study are available. So, what's next for this fellowship once we are caught up in October? Again, I'm praying about it.
It has been quite the journey through all of this. The momentum is good and the timing is always perfect. What God is revealing to us has been amazing. Our calls on Sunday are the highlight of the week. What began as your average friendship and biweekly video calls became a daily and weekly fellowship that has taken us both into a deeper relationship with God. The only expectation I feel right now is in the waiting for what God plans to do next. And that is exciting! And His timing is perfect. I trust what He is doing and the timing of it all.
We began as Disney friends on Twitter. Cherie has since become a cherished and deer friend. Above anything else that stands out about our relationship, she is my sister in Christ. Everything else still matters. But our connection through Jesus is the most important. He is Who created our true friendship ❤️
The anniversary of our true friendship beginning is coming up soon 🤭
I ordered a new water filtration system today. I had been using a Brita water tank for the past 3 years; since I moved in. I decided I would replace it this year at the anniversary. I decided to do some research and found out Brita really isn't a good product. I don't know if it was their marketing, or just my ignorance, but it doesn't really do much. It basically makes the water taste a little better and keeps it from smelling. All of the junk remains. My bad 🫣
After some research, I decided to go with a filtration system by Culligan that promises to actually filter out all the junk. At least up to the 99% such a promise can be. Nothing is actually perfect...LOL It's another tank system that will meet my needs. I use a lot of water...LOL Basically, anything I ingest uses the water I filter...drinking water, coffee, and cooking that requires water. So, bottled water really isn't ideal for me. And since I live in an apartment, I don't have control over the water flowing through the home. So I find external filtration in a counter top tank works best. I just needed a better filter...HAHAHA
A few weeks ago, I started using Nectar electrolytes once a day. With it getting hotter here, I wanted to try something to help with hydration and electrolyte replacement due to activities in the heat. I've done that in the past using those bigger brands that fill them with junk. Nectar is better. The timing of starting to use them was due to Dapper Day. Well, I've been using them daily and it has made a huge difference in how I feel. So, I've decided it will remain a daily part of my diet regardless of my activity level. I'll double up on days when I exert myself in the heat.
I've also decided to start taking a magnesium supplement to augment how little I get. The Nectar has some in it too. With how well that has helped, I figured a dedicated magnesium supplement was the next logic step. I'll see how it goes. The label touts the benefits it provides for sleep, muscles, and mood. I'm not that concerned about mood. I typically feel well with that lately. But the muscle and sleep health has been a concern. I do sleep. But I wake often and struggle to stay asleep at times. And my muscles have been achy lately. I also understand that it might help with my headaches. I'd rather have a natural way to resolve that than to hide the symptoms through medication. I'm in favor of solutions instead of bandaids. Treat the problem and not the symptom...hehehe
And I've decided to end my evening coffee routine. I still have the snack. But I'm going to go without the coffee in the evenings for a while. I'll still have my morning coffee, though. Now that I'm going to bed around 11pm, having coffee at 8pm doesn't make any sense. I actually never get the coffee in me at 8pm anyway...LOL That's about when I start thinking about it. I start drinking around 8:30 and don't finish until about 9:30pm...LOL I want to be done drinking fluids by 9pm. And I always follow up coffee with water. Yeah, that routine wasn't working well with my new sleep schedule...HAHAHA
As far as work Mondays go, yesterday was one of the least Monday Mondays I've had in a while...LOL Meaning, it went quite well. Which I feel is a little odd considering that in less than two weeks we will be arriving at the Big Bang weekend we've been preparing for since last February (2024)...LOL I sometimes feel things like this are the calm before the storm. But I don't think it's that this time. I really think that all of the prep my team has been doing is helping ease the pressures typically associated with such events in my work world.
Something else that is making an impact on how I feel lately is all that has been going on in my heart over the last year...hehehe And that all actually began in the July to September events of 2021. Life for me sure is different now. And I see things differently.
This leads me into another thought I keep thinking about, and I think I've mentioned a few times recently here. I am so glad I am journaling now. I continue to keep on top of reading what I wrote a year ago. I love being able to see the journey. It's pretty clear to me that I'm no longer anchored to my past. Looking back at the past is now more of a way to remind me that I'm no longer stuck there. Now, I'm more like, yeah, God got me through that! Praise Jesus! And for the more inspiring things I write, it's like, yeah, I still carry that amazing thing with me today! Praise Jesus!
I made a personal post on Instagram yesterday. I don't do that very often. But yesterday felt like a good time to do that. It was the monorail photo I took on Dapper Day last weekend. I talked about what the photo represented. I misspoke a little and said all of my photos have a story behind them. Yes, they all have some sort of story. But they aren't all as deep as the one I shared on the post. But it's okay I used the wrong word. I probably should have said something like most. I'm still learning to communicate and I'll use this as an opportunity to learn more about how I choose my words...hehehe
I was able to watch tonight's Dodgers game. I've had trouble being able to watch them lately. The home games are typically too late for my new sleep schedule. And there have been games, like the one the other day, that have a weather delay that pushes them back to a time that's too late too. Yesterday's game wasn't one I could watch because I needed to go to the grocery. And Monday's are when I watch The Chosen episode for the Bible study. Yesterday's would have been a great one to watch...hehehe But tonight's was a fun game to watch and I'm grateful I saw it 💙 I just wish they had won 😭
I almost decided not to publish a journal today. I started off with what I wrote yesterday and added some today. But then I stopped writing again like I did yesterday...LOL Today's was a timestamp entry again...LOL As you can tell, it isn't one any longer. But then I felt inspired to write more tonight. I'm glad I wrote. A year from now, I'll be glad I finally got some of these thoughts out of my head and into this journal. I still have some other things I'm working on that aren't ready to be published here. And I didn't want the backlog to keep growing this week...HAHAHA