I'm A Cracked Old Teacup

Aging is a necessary part of staying alive but it's not enjoyable. One looks in the mirror and sees deep crevasses in a face that seemed unlined not so long ago. It is necessary to embrace the imperfections to be at peace with these changes but truthfully, I'm finding that difficult. I don't mind seeing wrinkles on my mother's face but they look out of place on mine.

I recently read about the Japanese concept of "wabi sabi." The concept has its roots in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and is sometimes explained by using the example of a well-loved teacup, made by an artist’s hands, cracked or chipped by use. Such traces remind the observer that nothing is permanent — even fixed objects are subject to change. In the West we admire the classical Greek ideal of beauty which values smooth, symmetrical perfection. Wabi sabi prizes authenticity. The cracks in the old teacup are seen as assets rather than flaws.

As I turn 57 I need to learn how to see through this generous lens; all it takes is a shift in perception. My focus needs to be on successful aging through the pursuit of physical health. This is good for me to remember, as I note that in addition to the wrinkles around my eyes and mouth, that aging is also apparent in my hands. The skin is becoming thinner, making the veins and bones more prominent, revealing brown spots and tiny cracks along the skin’s surface. But my hands do beautiful things. They cook, take care of cats, and arrange flowers in a vase. That said, I'm not ready to stop dying my hair even though I see many women fearlessly embrace the new silver strands in their hair. That day will come but for me it is not here yet.

I will close with a wonderful quote of Eleanor Roosevelt: “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."

Sharing My Mornings With Cats

Our kitties don't care what time I get up in the morning; they're always happy when I come downstairs to fix breakfast and pack my lunch. It's quite the group activity. Chappu has a thing for dark green leafies; she must have taken Dr. Michael Greger's nutrition videos to heart.

Chappu patiently waits while I fix my oatmeal, knowing my lunch prep is next.

Although I used to let her graze in my container (as you can see), I decided that was disgusting and put a stop to it. Now I hold up a leaf in my left hand and she mows it down like a caterpillar while I make my salad with my right hand.

Spinach or...

... cilantro; it doesn't matter.

Satisfied.

Tippy's often there as well, hoping for a dropped piece of Tofurkey. Here she longingly looks into my lunch bag but no Tofurkey can be detected - only some nasty clementines. Such a disappointment.

Meeting The LiveWELL Incentives

I am very lucky to work for a large hospital system that encourages employees to be healthy. They have an ulterior motive of course since employees come to work when they feel good and aren't sick. Another very important reason is that we are insured through our company's own insurance; they benefit from healthy employees being on fewer medications, having fewer sick visits and chronic diseases, and needing fewer surgeries. It's a win win situation.

Today I weighed in and earned my "Healthy Weight Reward." That's an extra $300 in my April 11 paycheck.* We also earn $ by seeing our PCP once a year, knowing our hemoglobin A1C (a marker for diabetes) and other important blood values, by completing challenges (such as exercising or increasing fruits and vegetables), and by speaking with a health coach three times a year. If we complete all the incentives over the calendar year we can earn up to $800 - not bad!

To keep myself motivated to exercise I've been taping posters up on the bathroom mirror. This is the first one I used since I was so sore in the beginning:

This was the one I used the next week:

This was the next one (love it!):

This is the one I have up now:

My problem has always been sticking to it. I just have to try to do it this time.

*If we don't weigh within the normal range for BMI they provide an incentive to get the weight off. If we lose down to the normal BMI range by October 17 we get the $300. If we lose 30 lbs by that date we get $300. If we lose 15 lbs by that date we get $150. They also make some sort of arrangement for employees with disabilities to earn incentive money. Can't argue with that.

Waiting For A Cat Food Pouring Fail

YouTube is full of "fail" videos. I watched a few of these in the early days but don't find them even remotely entertaining. Yet I thought of that term when I poured the new bag of dry cat food into the plastic containers I use on a daily basis.

Tippy and Chappu love this event. When they hear me bring in the crinkling 18 pound bag they run into the kitchen and stare up at me impatiently. Although their bowl is full of dry food there is something special to them about pieces of 'new' food falling on the floor during this transfer.

Chappu is screaming, "You didn't drop any on the floor!!!!"

Tippy finds a way around that. (eww, stop that Chappu.)

Spring Must Be Around The Corner

It may be 30 degrees outside but I know that spring will be here soon. No, not because it's getting lighter earlier; no, not because the trees have buds; no, not because the daffodils are blooming. It's because when I brush Frosty thick handfuls of fur come out!

I brush until it's so full of fur the bristles are buried. I pull out the mat of fur then brush some more. Nobody else in our house has so much thick fur; he's like a bear.

All fluffy and clean.

The Truth Is Always Best! ;-)

Today is the first day of the Fast. I confess that I will be doing a modified version this year. Fasting is very draining; I am always more tired during this time and have to prioritize my activities and let some things go. Nothing but the basics get done. This year I need to be able to drink and exercise like a madman.

I am in the process of trying to lose a certain amount of weight by March 17th. Our "LiveWELL" program at work rewards healthy weight, good blood numbers, daily exercise, etc., and this is part of that. The rules about the Fast say that under certain situations (this is not one of them I'm sure) instead of totally fasting from sun up to sun down you make sure to minimize your intake. That I can do.

So in the spirit of the Fast I share this joke: 

Bob and Steve happened to be lost in a desert. After days of walking without any water or food they noticed a Mosque.

Bob said: "Yes, thank God! I will walk in saying that my name is Mohamed, and you say that your name is Ahmed, this way we'll get some food! Deal?"
Steve said: "No, I'm sticking with my name."

They walked into the Mosque and the Sheikh saw them and asked,
"What are your names?"
Bob said, "My name is Mohamed."
Steve said, "My name is Steve."
Sheikh said, "Guys, please bring some food and water for Steve. And you Mohamed, Ramadan Mubarak "!

A Silly Post On Cats, Humans, & Odors

May I just point out an observation? Cats and humans don't agree on what smells good/bad. I have noticed that things that smell good to me or perhaps have very little scent but come out of a bottle will send a cat running. Two examples follow.


Both of us like to put on hand lotion before going to bed. It's winter, our skin is dry & chapped and in much need of moisturizer. What better time than right as you're going to bed? Apparently we are SO wrong about that. Our two kitty bed partners wrinkle up their faces, say "WhewEE!" and jump off the bed only to return when the scent has dissipated.




Hand sanitizer works the same way. Thirty minutes before I left the office I rubbed some sanitizer on my hands. As is my habit I next went up to Sherbet's hill to dole out some lovin' and some kibbles. He took one whiff and took off like a coyote was after him. He sat at a distance of 20 yards and just kept blinking and squinting his eyes at me in horror. And he didn't come back either.


But let me have stinky hands from taking out the garbage, or smelly pants from where another kitty sat their little behind down on my lap, or even morning coffee breath and ahhh..... what a bouquet of exquisite fineness.

Kitty yum yum.

(check out Natalie Dee; she's great)

Cleaning Out The Fridge

We need another housewife in this house, someone who can keep up with our endless demands of healthy foods. Sunday I decided to do a thorough cleaning out of our fridge to take charge of the chaos. It felt great!

This monstrosity of produce has to not only fit in the fridge but be organized in such a way that none of it spoils. From left to right we have: 2 lbs. of carrots, lemons, beets, red cabbage, celery, green pepper, orange pepper, Romaine lettuce, apples, one mango, two avocados, fresh ginger, lacinate kale, broccoli, and a tub of 'power greens' which is baby spinach, kale and collards. In the bowl in the back left is an endless supply of clementines. And we're only two people! (or perhaps goats.)

We also have this bag of oranges that I got for free at Earth Fare. They have amazing coupons for free stuff that I feel sets off some of the more expensive items.

Saeed is on a real sweet potato kick. He roasts them and keeps them in the fridge for easy grabbing. I have found that when I pack my lunch it's really easy to throw a few small pieces of sweet potato in there.

What's in our meat drawer? Tofurkey, the ginger you saw earlier, a red onion, vegan cheese, zereshk (Persian barberries), and in the far back right a box of Gaz from Iran. I've since added half an avocado. What a strange assortment of items. 

Ahhh, nice and clean and orderly. Now to start on the items in the door...

Explain To Me The Physics Of A Pile Of Snow

We still have piles of snow despite warm temps and pouring rain. Will it ever melt?

Bulldozed pile in our parking lot at work. It used to be taller but it should be GONE!

Addendum To Previous Post

Lo and behold, look what's all over the news today. Way to go Food Babe!