new things – Me, Myself and I

Ready for an Adventure?

While working in one of the grocery stores this past year, I was stopped by a custom wanting to locate an item she could not find. I had only been in this grocery store for a couple of weeks, and it was much larger than the one I came from. When asked if I could help her I responded, “Sure, I have recently transferred to this store and I am not sure I know exactly where it is. Let’s go on an adventure and find it together.” She chuckled and said, “Sure.” I knew the category the item was in, so I knew which aisle to look on. Soon we found her item. As the customer was thanking me for my assistance and fun, the store manager walked up. The manager asked if everything was ok, and the customer responded with a smile, “Yes, we just finished an adventure.” Manager gave us a funny look. The customer went on the tell how I had assisted in finding the item she was looking for and the fun we had in locating the item. The manager was not sure of the response, but was glad the customer was happy.

There was nothing extra ordinary about this journey of looking for a can of food on the shelf, other than the perspective. A simple word changed looking for a common item to an adventure that was fun.

When we are younger we dream of different adventures. Going on a search for lost treasure. Visiting the seven wonders of the world or another country. A trip to space or climbing a tall mountain. Parachuting or bungie jumping. The list can be endless. But when we start living our lives, we are hampered by time at work, family responsibilities, and sometimes just living life. Those old adventures become a bucket list.

One of my favorite places to visit for an adventure is the local nurseries. I love plants and flowers. I do not go there to purchase, but see what wonderous blooms are now available for our climate. Spring is always the best time to see and learn of new plants at the nursery.

Visiting other places and countries was a dream I had when younger, but my finances do not allow for trips of that nature. But there is a way I can still see those places, most obvious is through the internet. My favorite way of visiting those places is via the local libraries. With so many resources available through electronic devices, even our phones, libraries are not thought of much. But they hold a world of information in books. Big picture books of places to see and things to learn. Perhaps a new author to read the works of, or learning how to do a new hobby. Resources can be found in a library. In our area, libraries are the places to go to learn the history of the area. Not just the history of events, but of the families who settled the area. Where they came from, what they did and the accomplishments of them and their offspring can be searched through the library genealogy sections.

Adventures start with us stepping out of our comfortable routines and exploring something new. There are times, my husband and I just drive a different longer path back home from the store, just to see new things, mostly new homes, but all the same a different view.

Take a moment to ponder the possibilities of a new adventure in 2025. What would you like to learn? Do you know of all the parks close to your home? What local shop or museum have you not seen? Is there a new food truck you have not tasted the cuisine of? Have you taken a moment to see the stars or watch the birds.

A new year has arrived, what adventure could be waiting for you to discover?

Amtolle

Happy Senior Citizens Day

August 21 is a celebration of Seniors. Recognizing seniors as a vital part of family and community. This year I entered this group of people, not by choice, it was forced upon me by “Father Time”.

Do I feel like a Senior Citizen? I am not sure, how does a Senior Citizen feel?

The only thing I do not like about getting a year older is my body will not cooperate with my mind. My mind and heart are still 25 years young, wanting to do the things I have always done. My body says different with stiff muscles the next morning. Looking in the mirror each morning, I have a few wrinkles I believe are caused by thousands of hours in the sun working and enjoying life. These few wrinkles show I lived outdoors. I have some grey hair, I have been waiting several years for them to show up. I believe grey hair is a sign of wisdom, not age, and I earned these grey hairs years ago raising my children. There are not many grey hairs, perhaps I have more lessons to learn.

How do Senior Citizens behave? I do not know, as I do not behave as one. There is a reason my grandchildren call me Crazy Granny. I am not afraid or slow to join in softball practice, catch rolly pollies to play marbles, go fishing, climb a tree or try something new. I have even learned how to play different video games.

This weekend, a good friend of mine was invited to go kayaking. She had never been. When asked, she jumped at the opportunity to go and learn. She had a blast this weekend on the lake with a new friend and a kayak.

I believe the secret to staying “young” is to stay active. Keep that body moving, and moving in different ways. During Covid, I started doing Yoga from a youtube channel. I enjoyed it, for me it was a relaxing way to exercise. I still ride my horses, although I am not allowed to get on a young horse for the horse’s first ride (that may happen in two years anyway), I enjoy working with the horse to teach them new things.

Another secret I believe to staying “young”, is not to be afraid to try new things. Just like my friend going kayaking for the first time, and she is a few years older than I am. I have gone kayaking with my granddaughters three years ago. It was fun, we had a blast on the water.

This past decade, I have been in the emergency room for injuries, most were horse related. I had doctors tell me “for a person your age” you are in good health. When I went for a bone scan, again “for a person your age” your bones are very strong, like a 25 year old woman, no worries about osteoporosis. And I ask the doctor, what does my age have to do with my health? I work at eating healthy, I exercise everyday regardless if I want to or not (animals have to be fed and taken care of).

A driving force to staying young and motivating you to exercise and eat healthy is to keep on dreaming. Dreams keep us going, striving to reach a goal, have a new experience. We need to participate in life, not be a spectator of life. We may have some years on us as senior citizens, but we can still live life.

We do have to take care of our bodies and ourselves in order to keep going strong, and feeling younger than what others think we should at “our age”. I am a year old, a little wiser, but I am far from dead.

Out with the Old, in with the New

When I delivered the dresser I refinished for my grandchildren, my daughter asked if I wanted the bed that used to be in the spare bedroom. She did not need it or have room for the bed since they no longer have a spare bedroom. I said sure. We could use a new or at least newer mattress, ours is old and worn.

This newer bed was complete, bed frame for support, box springs and mattress. I would no longer need the bed frame we were using. The bed frame was made of stout wood, 2 inches X 12 inches, a little big for a bed frame. Instead of going under the mattress and box spring, the frame was on the outside, with the box springs and mattress on the inside. In the dark, I and my husband have bumped a shin bone on the frame, and the house would hear the sound of pain. With a new bed, I would be able to get rid of the old one. It should not take long to remove some bolts, and take the bed frame outside. I have plans on using the wood for another project, so keeping the boards in one piece was desirable.

Getting rid of the old one was more of a job than I thought. The bed frame was handmade by my husband’s son when he was in high school. It was his son’s bed frame. His son made the bed frame from wood boards held together by bolts and nuts. As I began taking the bed frame apart, I recognized the bolts as something that would go on a piece of farm machinery. The bolts were 1/2 inch in diameter. He had put the bed together, then painted it covering all the bolts, the bolt threads, and nuts. In removing the bolts, I had to remove the paint first. Some of the bolts were stripped or cross threaded, meaning taking longer with more work to remove the nuts.

After three hours of work, I was ready to cry. I had wanted to surprise my husband with a new bed. I still had two sides still bolted together. There were other things that I absolutely needed to get done. And I was in the middle of a project I was committed to finishing if we were going to have a place to sleep tonight.

I sat down, and had a good cry. Ok, now the emotions are released, time to get back to work. Sometimes it is good to release emotions in a safe way, to free up the energy to accomplish what we are working on, instead of using that energy to contain the emotions. We all have emotions and things that get to us. It is good to take a few minutes to acknowledge the emotions, breathe, regain ourselves then move forward.

I finished dismantling the bed frame, placing it outside to be moved to a storage shed. Swept the floor and mopped. This bed had been there for seven years, years of dirt in the middle where the broom did not reach, to clean and mop out. Now the floor was ready for the new bed.

My husband arrived home after I had cleaned the floor. He assisted with placing the new bed frame, box springs and mattress in our room. Things go so much easier with a helper. My husband is a good helper. He told me he would have helped remove the old bed frame, and it would have been easier with two instead of my alone. Sometimes, I want to surprise him, and I “bite off more than I can chew in a reasonable amount of time”.

How often we try to live life on our own. We do fine sometimes. Then there comes a time we think we can handle the situation on our own, and we “bite off more than we can chew.” I know I have done this several times in my life. Usually when I am sitting alone, crying due to things not turning out the way I had planned, I look up and see where my help is. Does it change the outcome? No, but helping me to get back on my feet, facing forward and moving through the problem I created, He is always there to help and assist.

Sometimes it is work to remove the old things and ways in our lives that are not good for us. Sometimes it hurts, makes us angry, and we want to give up. But if we stop, look up to the one who is always there to assist and help us, things get better.

I am glad the old bed is gone. I am looking forward to a good night’s rest, and no more banging my shin bone on a hard wooden frame.

amtolle