All Souls Day

11/1/17
I dedicate my post today to my mom, God rest her soul.

I cannot even believe that it is already November.  It is cool and gray outside, but not as cold and windy as Halloween.  I did manage to bundle up and take a walk after work.  Next week ends daylight savings time, so will be too dark for me to walk after this week.  I will still walk on Sundays though.  I do not walk in the dark.  I live in a nice suburb of a large Midwestern city and probably would be safe walking even in the pitch black, but my husband and I just do not think this is a good idea, so I avoid it.  My husband walks with me sometimes, but I cannot depend on him to walk with me.  So, I guess I will increase my yoga to twice a week and walk weekends. 

I have walked regularly since I graduated from high school in the 80's.  I used to do it just to keep my weight down, but over the years the benefits have become so obvious, that I do it to stay active and healthy.  Perhaps more important even still are the benefits it has on my psyche.  I feel better mentally and my mind shifts into a relaxation mode when I walk regularly.  I listen to podcasts, books or music and I just really enjoy it.  I have a beautiful walking area on a parkway at my CH (city home).  It goes in between 2 golf courses and so I find balls all the time and it is also in between to cow pastures so we see lots of wild animals, along with the cows.  There is a stream and a pond that is a constant source of animals.  We have seen (or heard) owls, an eagle, hawks, ducks, geese, kingfishers, egrets, cormorants, coots, herons, cranes, bitterns, all manner of other migratory birds, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, beavers, otters, muskrats, possums, skunks, deer, turtles, frogs and...I think that about covers it. 

I hope it stays nice enough today to walk again when I get home.  Last night after my walk we pretty much lay low while the kids trick or treated, we have 2 small dogs that go crazy, so we don't turn our light on.  I hate it, but I feel like our neighbors would be disturbed by the barking because we are the middle unit in a patio home.  Then, we both wanted to watch different shows, so my husband ate his fish meal in front of the TV in the living room and I enjoyed my pumpkin smoothie in the bed room.  We hardly ever do that, but I enjoyed catching up on one of my shows.  I think tonight I will fix him either left over pancakes from Sunday morning or a taco salad. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...yesterday was the last day of overtime for me!  I have been on overtime since June and I am tired of it.  I added it all up and I have done an extra 182 hours of overtime and I am ready to wind down a little.  Next week I have a colonoscopy on Monday and I have decided to just take the rest of the day off!  That is a rare thing for sure.  It will be sort of like a reward.  I am going to eat lunch with my aunts and then putter at home.  I dread it so much, I just want to get it over with.  I have had like 8 in the past 5 years, but I am doing a lot better between diet, medicine and supplements.  And I just have to accept that I need a lot of rest, esp while I am working full time.  My stress over the years has been reduced since I changed careers and I hope to downsize the stress even more when my husband retires.  Stress is a killer when you have a constant medical condition like I do.  Have a great Wednesday, I hope you get to enjoy what ever thing reduces your stress and gives you some joy!

November, yoga, exercise, golf balls, birds, animals, nature, dogs, CH walking, health, career, stress