Strong and Supple...Like a Big Cat (not a movie cat) in Everyday Ramblings

We are finally getting some rain. If I could share it I would, because although we need it, we are at half our normal rainfall, there are those of you who need it way more than us.

Yesterday we had high winds as well as rain and I felt like a total wuss but bailed on the local group hike. Strong winds and my hearing aids, not a match, and as it was a group hike and we talk a lot as we walk, hearing what folks say is important. When I am out on my own or with Mrs. Sherlock and it is windy I often choose not to wear them.

I am okay with the rain. I will gear up and be out in it today.

Yesterday I did free weights at home with some cardio and finished reading this absolutely delightful book I had in an electronic version from the library about materials that is due back today.

I had heard about it in passing on a podcast where a book reviewer was talking about the books she enjoyed the most during the last decade. It is from 2014. Right smack in the middle about descriptions about steel, cement and foam he drops in a chapter on chocolate. :)

It was a perfect book to read on a dark wet mostly lazy Friday.

Of all the days during the winter holidays, today, the Solstice is my favorite for obvious reasons. When we wake up tomorrow here in the northern hemisphere there will be just a smidgen more light and with all that is going on in Australia I can imagine a little less light would be welcome as well.

The guy that has been living in his car was supposed to have surgery on Wednesday but it was delayed until this next Monday. Wow. Two days before Christmas.

He will be in the hospital for a couple of days and then is coming back to The Sherlock’s when released. He will have to manage with a bag for a time, all depending on what they find. He is one tough cookie as you can imagine, but this is going to be a big challenge for all involved. I will help in whatever way I can but Mrs. Sherlock is dreading this all a bit.

I am not sure how Christmas Day will play out. The church will be closed in the evening so I am only teaching on Monday this coming week.

My theme for 2020 is going to be “Strong and Supple”. I have noticed this last year that I am a bit weaker in both my upper and lower body and this needs to be remediated with a bit of extra effort. Also there is this creeping stiffness that moves in with age that one can work with a little.

My goal of being able to slowly lift up into a graceful handstand for 2019 got blown out of the water pretty early in the year with the stress at work and then my almost but not quite heart attack in the late spring.

Since I retired I have been doing well at getting in cardio activity everyday. More is not necessarily better as I used to believe on these long workouts in an effort to (although I wouldn’t have admitted it at the time) to punish myself for my eating habits.

Yesterday when I went out to get the mail it was warm and there was a break in the rain and I ended up going for a lovely relaxed walk around the neighborhood just because I could.

I do care about my weight and I would be thrilled to lose about 6 lbs. but I am not going to push myself in the more is better mindset. I am going to focus on building energy reserves and I have all sorts of tools to do that with yoga, in terms of movement and breathing. And maybe a little change in focus in nutrition…something simple like greens every damn day.

What I really want to do though is to write.

Poetry, personal essays, opinion pieces. I have also been religiously writing in 750 Words each day since right before I retired and that is a start, but a little more structure is required to get her done.

Let’s see if more cooking projects provide distraction. The next memorial in early January at the church is asking for vegan finger food.

So no regular cookies for that…

Last updated December 21, 2019