Month: January 2019

Moving from Texas to Ohio

It’s been two months since we moved from Euless, Texas to Columbus, Ohio, and yes, the moving process was stressful. In fact, it was a wonder I didn’t get sick. Get ready for some academics, in 1967, two psychiatrists, Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, researched the link between stress and illness. The Holmes and Rahe stress scale lists life events and assigns a number to the stress levels they cause. Once added up, the number predicts the risk of sickness.

The stresses I underwent included death of a close family member (63); change in different line of work (36); major mortgage (31); child leaving home (29); change in residence (20); change in church activities (18); and change in social activities (17) = 214.

The score of 150-299+ predicts the risk of illness is moderate.

I had to put my beloved dog, Lucy to sleep. My husband changed his work (hence, the move). We obtained a mortgage on a commercial property. Our only child remained in Texas to finish school. We downsized from a house to an apartment. We changed congregations. We determined to amp up our social activities.

The stress of packing was lessened by the help of our friends. My husband packed everything in a 16-foot Penske truck and a car carrier for our drive to Columbus.

We left on Tuesday morning, November 20th at 5:30 am and drove straight through to Columbus, my husband insisting on driving the whole way. Actually, I was relieved he did that, as I didn’t realize how many 18-wheelers traveled across the country each day. Note to long-distance car travelers: wear sunscreen. Rats! Now I have a big freckle on my nose because I didn’t wear sunscreen.

I wonder what number the Holmes and Rahe scale would assign to that? Freckle on nose (86).

Hogging the road

When we opened the truck, I discovered it was only three-quarters full. I wished I had paid more attention to when the truck was being loaded, as I could have, and would have filled it completely. The moving guys took two hours to move our stuff to our fourth-floor apartment.

Apartment complex

Truck and car carrier

The truck was filled three-quarters full

Now, the fun part began with the unpacking. I was pleased to see that the closets were spacious. My husband decided he wanted the closet on the guest room/office side and the bathroom. I was to get the master bedroom closet and bathroom, which had the bathtub. However, I regret I left a lot behind. And after unpacking, I regret taking some things. I mean, I brought 45 rags! Whaat!?!

Unpacking

We bought a TV at Best Buy. The Black Friday sales were in effect, so the next day we went furniture shopping. I don’t regret leaving my sofa set (circa 2000) behind and starting afresh. We chose two office chairs, a coffee table, a loveseat and two side chairs from West Elm. We brought home the office chairs and one side chair immediately, but the rest will come in 8-10 weeks. Ugh.

I mentioned earlier that we planned to increase our social activities. Our apartment complex has a lounge we can reserve, and we have been taking good advantage of the amenity. My next post will talk about how I am transforming into a social butterfly.

Create More Time in Your Life: Do a Time Audit

Do you ever feel your life is so busy you don’t have enough time to do everything you need to? Or, are there some things you want to spend more time on, such as exercising, being with family, or improving a skill, but you don’t know how to fit it in your schedule? At the end of the day, do you have a nagging feeling, as if you didn’t do enough?

Enter a time audit! What is thaaat? A time audit is a record of your activities for a period of time to see exactly what you are spending your time doing. You record everything so at the end you can analyze what you spent your time on.

There are three compelling reasons why we need one. First, we need data. Hard data. Your personal data. It doesn’t make sense to have someone else tell us where we might be wasting time because we won’t accept it.

Second, we are unreliable estimators of our time. Our narrative or opinion may be off. We may think that we spend 80 hours a week on work, but the reality says we only spend 50. Or we may feel guilty that we didn’t do enough, and beat ourselves up, when in actuality, we accomplished a lot.

Third, as you do the audit, you improve as you go. Remember the saying, “Measurement itself creates improvement.”

Time experts recommend that you keep a time audit for a week or two. There are scads of time audit templates you can download from the Internet. They also recommend that you record activities in 15-, 30- or 60-minute intervals.

Now, raising my hand, I admit I am guilty of wasting time. So, drumroll please, I plan to keep a time audit for two weeks, starting today! I will record my activities in 30-minutes increments. My goal is to spend more time on my blog and less time watching TV.

What do you want more time to do? By doing a time audit, you will be able to prioritize and find more satisfaction and purpose in your life. So how about it? Will you join me in doing a time audit?

A Memorial to Lucy the Golden Retriever

11/25/2004 to 10/25/2018

Lucy, my Golden Retriever came into my life on June 15, 2010. Initially, a friend, who lived in a third-story apartment and who worked full-time, thought Lucy would be better off with us. My son wanted a dog, and we had a house and a backyard for her to run around in.

I was surprised at how big she was. Lucy was confused. Lucy, my son and I sat in the living room, looking at each other. The energy level was so low, I almost fell asleep.

It wasn’t until my son went to bed that Lucy came alive. She adorably romped around as if to say, “Let’s play!” Needless to say, she became my dog.

She became very attached, was constantly underfoot, and followed me around so much that it was unnerving. It took some adjusting for all of us. Eventually, I started calling her “Little Lucy” a misnomer because she was so big. Or I’d call her “Lucy Lou” because, hey, she’s from Texas!

She was afraid of storms. At times, I would find her hiding in my closet, heavily drooling and shaking.

She was a Retriever who didn’t retrieve.

She was a beauty who made everyone smile when they saw her.

She patiently let me cut her hair. At the beginning, I wasn’t any good, and once I cut it so badly, I affectionately called her “Pinocchio” because she looked like she was made from crudely carved wood. That’s the thing about dogs, they still love you no matter what you do to their hair.

Eventually, after watching many YouTube videos and reading articles on grooming, I got the hang of it. I especially enjoyed grooming her paws, which technique the breed standard calls “tight and cat-like.” They really do look like a cat’s paw! So adorable!

She would howl whenever she heard sirens. She also howled/sang whenever she heard me sing the song He Will Call. I’d like to think it was because it was her favorite, not because my singing was bad.

Last year we made the decision to move to Columbus, Ohio, and I wanted to take her, but we felt the move would be too traumatic for her. I reached out to the Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas to rehome her. Unfortunately, just a day before the rescue organization emailed me that they had found a home for Lucy, I made the painful decision to put Lucy to sleep. She was fourteen years old.

I called Banfield and told them it was time, and they said I could bring her in that very day. No way! I agreed for the next day, while I cried the entire rest of the day.

The next afternoon, my friend Renee took a half day off from work to pick me and Lucy up. I had printed my “100 Self-Care Activities for Body, Mind, and Spirit” and said, “We will need to use this after the procedure is done.”

Now, some people would prefer to have the procedure done in their presence, and others not. I decided I wanted to be there, but Renee, who previously had to put down a number of her pets opted out. I said my goodbyes and told Lucy how much I loved her and that she was a wonderful dog, a faithful companion, and a loyal friend.

I can’t say if or when I will get another dog, but I do know I will never have another dog like my beloved Lucy.