Day 6 - The Black Hole

Well, I did get in a little bit of a work out yesterday, and today, well, I guess I could call it weight-lifting. I've been trying to clean out our garage for years, and I'm becoming less and less attached to all the "stuff" and more ready to just get rid of it. If you've ever watched that show "Hoarders - Buried Alive" you'll understand. It's clearly a obsession for some people. For us, it's just lack of time. We don't know what to do with something so it gets tossed in the garage. Now it's what I call "The Black Hole"; things go in and never come out! So now along with my resolve to get healthy and to get more serious about my writing, I've also resolve to attack the Black Hole, and make it usable space.  So today I went through a specific grouping of boxes, and was able to get 2 large bags of hand-me-downs for my grand neice and nephew, 2 more to send to the Thrift store, and at least one bag of stuff I either threw away or recycled. Whew! I didn't get to my dancing, but hey, I was moving around boxes, bending over to sort things and definitely worked up a sweat. I'm hoping to at least stretch before I go to bed tonight also.
Tomorrow is my mother-in-law's birthday and we're going over to their house to celebrate. Maybe I can get in a walk or quick workout before I go.  Until later...

Caren E. Salas

Day 4 and 5 - Back on Track

Sorry I'm posting this a little late, but I'm happy to say that Thursday I had a great workout for 30 minutes, and took my dog for a brisk walk for about 15-20 minutes also. I usually just go around the block with him but I felt so good I took a longer route.  Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, my keys fell out of my pocket and since I was listening to my Zune, I didn't hear them. I got home and realized they were gone and thought, "of course, the day I go extra far, I have to do it all over again to - hopefully - find my keys."  Thankfully, they were just at the end of our block. So I did end up walking the length of our block and back on top of the other workout and the initial walk. So...cool. A little extra is okay. Today might be a little more difficult schedule-wise. because my son had his wisdom teeth taken out so I'll be taking care of him, but hopefully I'll at least have time to stretch. Well...here's hoping.

Day 3 - well...

Yesterday I never quite made it to working out. It was a busy day to say the least, and it just never happened. In the evening we went to the rosary of a close friend who recently passed away. It was standing room only, and I stood for about 1 1/2 hours in 4 inch heels, so maybe that counts for a little exercise. Today was the funeral.  If crying burns calories, I'm set. Seriously though, losing someone who is close to you, and close to your own age really makes you put things into perspective. I really need to be healthy, for myself and for those who love me. I want to be around for them for as long as I can, and that's hard enough when you have an existing disease. So I'm not just dancing around like a fool so I can look better, or feel better. I'm doing it for my family and friends too; for all the special people in my life right now, and those that I'll meet in the future. Time passes way to fast to procrastinate. I've got to get healthy, so I have the energy to spend quality time with others. If that's not enough incentive, I'm not sure what would be.

Caren E. Salas

(Rest in Peace, Steve. We will miss you.)

Day 2 - I did it!

Okay, so yesterday I took the dog for a walk as kind of a warm up, and then I had a 20 minute workout: stretching and dancing and jumping around my living room like a doofus. If I can just do at least that much everyday and increase it little by little, I think I'll see a difference. I did feel a little more energetic yesterday. Unfortunately last night I had a migraine that lasted all night long, so I didn't get a very good night's sleep, but I'm still hoping to have another workout today. At the moment, I have a few errands to run, but when I get back it's "dancin' time"!

Caren E. Salas

Day 1 - and five six seven eight!

Do you ever find yourself smacking yourself on the head and thinking "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"
In the last few years I have continually complained that I am so out of shape, and I really had to start working out or at least getting a little exercise.  I went out and bought sweat pants and made a schedule of when I could go to the gym. Of course, being a mom (and a mom with MS), schedules are like unicorns. You can swear up and down that they exist, but somehow they never materialize. I plan things, and then some little gnat flies into the cookie dough. Ew. All right, start over...again.
So the other day I started thinking. What do I enjoy doing? Riding my bike, swimming, body boarding at the beach....and dancing (my minor in college). Duh. If I just had a bunch of music to dance to, I could do that anytime: in between other chores, while I'm doing other chores. So I decided to start working on a playlist. Please realize I am about as savvy with technology as a hedgehog on a surfboard. So...not. I had to figure out how to find the music I wanted, download it, sync it with our Zune and play it back when I want to.  I'm happy to report, that as I write this, the music is on it's way.
Step one almost complete, I have also decided to let this blog be a journal of my journey to healthiness, at least for the moment. It started off as an encouragement blog of sorts; looking for things to smile about. What better to smile about than being healthy? This is especially true for me since it's been a while. Having a chronic illness sucks in many ways, one of which is feeling like you continually have to rebuild your strength. You get to a point, relapse and then, you start over. My goal will be to get to that point where I'm a little ahead of the game, and won't slide back so far.  It's worth a shot. So here I go. Wish me luck.

Caren E. Salas

My Search...

Well, for the "millions" of people who faithfully follow this blog - who am I kidding? To both of the people who occasionally visit this blog, you may have noticed I haven't been on lately. My original thought for this blog was to list everyday things that would make me smile. Now, it's not that those things have gone away, or that I'm not looking to find more, but I've decided to go in another direction. Which direction you ask? Honestly, I have no idea.  Right now, my life is filled with things that take my energies away from writing and poeming. Lately, I feel like I'm drowning, and my writing life raft is always just out of reach. Writing has always been therapy for me, and so when I am unable to find time to write, the feelings build and grow, scratching and clawing at my insides like some sort of rabid animal. So what will I write about? Maybe I will write about my search for inspiration; my search for something to hope for; my search for a not so impossible dream. We'll see how it goes.  I have to believe that somewhere out there in the world are the things I'm looking for. Somewhere out there are the answers that will bring a little peace into my life. My goal is to write a little every day. It may not be much, but even a sentence or two will at least help me to feel like I'm writing on a regular basis. Wish me luck friends.

Caren E. Salas

Photo by William Salas

#19 Kisses and Hugs

Kisses come in many different forms. There are first kisses, coming home kisses, greeting kisses, good-bye kisses, kisses on the cheek, on the lips, in an elevator, blowing kisses...you get the picture. Hugs are equally versatile. There are bear hugs, air hugs, can't let you go hugs, hugs for every occasion. They are part of my wardrobe.  Hugs and kisses are among my favorite things, and if we're going to discuss things that make me smile...well, I can't leave these out.  Technically, they should be two separate items but they do tend to go together, at least in my life. I mean, think about it, what's the first thing you do when your child or spouse or friend is not feeling well? You probably put your arms around them, give them a squeeze and a little kiss on the forehead. We all need a smooch now and then. Whether it's a physical boo boo or emotional pain, hugs and kisses sometimes heal better than Band-Aids or expensive therapists.
This season, there are so many people out there going a little bit crazy (or even a lot crazy). Everything seems to be extreme: too much to do; too many places to go; too many things to buy; too much money spent...and way too much stress for what is supposed to be a "joyful season".
Take a moment and hug someone you love. It will rejuvenate you. Plant a kiss on someone when they least expect it. And hey, if you are a bit shy, give someone a chocolate kiss. That will put a smile on just about any one's face.  (Feel free to send some my way, haha)

Merry Christmas!

Caren E. Salas

photo: http://www.thefind.com/food/browse-hersheys-kisses-milk