Remaining Calm

I think the most valuable class I took in school was typing...LOL I sort of took it out of a need for that one last class on my schedule. Little did I know just how valuable this skill would become over the span of the years that have followed since. I did really well in the class for the first half. But the second half, I slowly declined in my grade. That's because I hit a point where I simply could not type any faster. The problem I ran into was that the exercises were based on reading something and typing it out. I reached the maximum speed at which I can read...LOL When I'm typing from thought, like how I write this journal, I can type mmmuuuccchhh faster...HAHAHA

I have trouble with reading quickly. I tend to re-read a lot of what I just read because I want to understand what I'm reading. I wouldn't call that a bad habit really. But it has caused me some trouble over the years. I'm hoping to get better at that by reading a variety of different things. I've mostly read technical articles for my field or news to stay up on world events. I've had those seasons when I would read some fiction works. And I read the occasional non-fiction as well. Now that I have a Kindle, I'm hoping to read more often. Will this help my reading speed? Probably not...LOL But it will at least help my mind, I'm sure.

I may have mentioned that reading was once used as a disciplinary tool to get me to do my homework. I don't blame my dad for trying that. And it's my own fault for not getting over that for years...LOL It wasn't until recently when I started to love reading again. And I'm pretty excited that I'm enjoying it now. After all, I love to write...LOL How can I be a writer if I don't like reading?!? HAHAHA

I'll write more about reading and my new Kindle soon. That might be a journal entry all by itself...LOL I was surprised at how much I read last year. And I'm reading again this year. You might call it a hobby, I suppose. But it's one of those things that's more than a hobby, actually. I wouldn't say I'm at the level of it being a passion just yet. But I enjoy it quite a bit!

I originally planned to make my next trip to Indiana a 2 week visit. I was going to drive up the weekend of Memorial Day and spend the last week of May through the first week of June up there. I have since settle in on a brief 3 day visit. I'll be flying up the day before my son's birthday and will fly home a few days later. I may try to give a longer trip a try in the summer. But for now, I'll just be going up for his birthday and graduation.

The change of heart is more like a feeling. A sense that this time needs to be a short visit. I really want to have a longer visit. I enjoyed how long I was there last time. And I'm a bit bummed it will be short this time. Although I have some control over how long my visits are, this time just feels like it needs to be a short one. It's difficult to explain beyond that. I'm hoping to plan a longer visit soon. Perhaps once I have the time off available to make it a true vacation.

My latest scalp treatment is working. This was the fifth attempt to find a healthy solution to my dandruff. So far, I'm really happy with it. I don't recall when I started the treatment. I'm sure I journaled about it...hehehe I know it has been weeks now, though. I still have some flaking. But it is just normal dry skin from the current dryness in the weather. We are in a drought. The larger flakes and the skin irritation are all gone now. So, the actual dandruff has been resolved.

The water filtration system I bought last week is doing very well too. There is a huge difference from that old Brita thing I used for 3 years. This Culligan system is amazing. But I'm cautiously optimistic about it...hehehe I'm still learning about how these things work. So far, it seems to be making improvements with things I consume that require water. I'm happy with the results at the moment. I'm hopeful that this will make a positive impact over time.

I've also learned I was wrong about my base tan. I had heard of the concept a while ago. And I employed it when I moved to Florida. The idea was to have a tan that I maintain so I keep from burning in the Florida sun without the need for constant sunscreen. The exception would be during long exposures like at the beach or a pool. At Disney, it isn't as much of a concern because there are plenty of ways to get out of the sun. My source for thinking a base tan was a good idea was from something that promoted tans. Yet, I don't actually care how I look...LOL I just didn't want to burn...LOL

Boy was I wrong about all of it...LOL I said something to my dad about my base tan when he visited last month. He said there's no such thing...all tans are skin damage. I didn't argue with him because I figured he'd know better than me considering he deals with skin cancer. Then my sister, in an unrelated moment, voiced concern about how I rarely wear sunscreen. Her husband deals with the same skin cancer issues as our dad.

So, after my parent's visit, I did some research. Yep, a base tan is a myth and left me feeling quite ignorant. But instead of beating myself up over it, I quickly moved my research into finding a clean ingredient sunscreen and educating myself on the best ways of protecting myself from the sun in Florida's relation to it. I learned some valuable information and found a sunscreen that will work well for me without causing me other concerns. I've already bought a tube of it and I'm ready to go. In the meantime, I've changed up my walking schedule to keep me inside during the UV hours from 10am to 6pm. All of my walks are at sunrise and sunset now. And I'll be looking into summer long sleeve options to keep my arms safe...hehehe

Which leads me into another health update. I've been so calm lately. In the above mentioned conversations, I simply listened. I didn't argue or even think about how dumb I must have sounded. I just listened, and then did some validation. After confirming what I had been told, I then acted upon it. That's it. No overthinking or beating myself up over it. And I didn't question my dad or sister. I went with the thought that they likely knew more than me on the subject and went to prove them right. There is a huge difference in attitude when you go to prove someone right instead of wrong...LOL

This was before I added magnesium to my routine too. But even with that addition, I have further become more calm. That's one of the things they claim will be impacted too...hehehe I take it to help with my sleep and some muscle issues. But their claims on calmness seem to be accurate for me. I have this coworker that is very difficult to deal with. When we talked the other day, I found myself more calm with him than I have ever been...LOL

I also find myself doing better when things interrupt me and when my schedule or routine are altered. I simply go with the flow now. I find that quite interesting. I sense this is further evidence of the amazing things God is doing with my transformed heart. And I'm very grateful.

I noticed this calmness yesterday with lunch at Panera Bread. It was a very busy time but I was hoping for a relaxing lunch while reading a book. I've been there at lunch before and it never seemed so busy. But this time, I shrugged it off and simply chose a table to sit, eat, and read. There were people very close to my table and I didn't mind at all. There was also a gentleman a few tables over listening to a video with is volume turned way up. I chuckled and kept on reading. I'm normally annoyed when things like this happen. I set an expectation in my mind of how such an experience will be, and when it fails to meet that expectation, I want to leave. Not this time. I still ordered to dine in and I went with it.

One of the reasons I was there was because I still needed to go to the grocery. But the other reason is I've been pondering if I want to go back to eating out more often. I enjoyed it very much while my parents were here. I enjoyed being around people. I had been going to Zen about every other week or so for while. But I wouldn't really call that often for me considering how I used to eat out all the time.

I still don't want to eat out as much as I used to. But I've missed it. I've done really well with eating at home since November. I reserved most of my eating out for visits to Disney World or when people came to visit me from Indiana. Neither of those things happen a whole lot. Even my trips to Disney World have slowed to a crawl. I went a few Sundays ago to exchange a broken mug I bought last month. I stayed to have lunch because I missed it...LOL But then I went home.

I'm finding myself missing being around people. I'm not lonely at all. I've been very content with being by myself. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be around other people. I really do miss people. I don't do much interacting with them at restaurants. But it's nice to have the ambience of people enjoying a meal and talking. I don't listen to the conversations. It's more of sense of peace knowing that people are living their lives.

I manged to mark off several topics I've been queueing up to write about. I'm glad to finally get some of this out of my head...LOL I literally have a list of topics I wanted to write about...LOL I'm not finished yet. But for today, I am. I'll keep working down the list until I've caught up...hehehe There isn't any pressure for that, of course. I'm so happy to have this journal and the blessing that it is.