Daily 5 - Day 328

Today's Daily 5:

1. Meeting a friend in person for the first time.
2. Hours and hours of wonderful conversation with two different friends over two different "coffee" dates today.
3. The kinds of conversations that feed soul, not just mind
4. A fantastic cup of Roman Provence Rooibos tea from Higher Ground coffee shop - seriously folks, I've had that particular strain of rooibos before, but this was the best cup of tea I've had in ages.
5. sitting in the sun, talking, praying, laughing
6. got a ten minute yoga workout in - it's amazing to me that I can move my neck and shoulders without pain.  I have horrendous bruises (that I admittedly showed to everyone I met today, simply because they amuse me greatly) from last night's cupping experience, but dang if it didn't really and truly loosen up muscles that my health care guy declared to have "knots on top of knots" only yesterday.
7. totally wasn't a day that was as productive as I would have preferred for studying, but there was much to feed my soul instead, and I'm going to choose to celebrate that and not worry about the longer days and time I'll need to put in on the weekend.
8. laughter
9. new friends - both of those I had coffee with are relatively new, and are relationships that I am encountering God's blessing in
10. getting out a little bit - in some ways I'm feeling a bit these days like my world has shrunk.  I spend most of my time buried in textbooks, I'm not killing hours sitting in front of a computer with little to do and I thus forget to check news headlines for days at a time, and I can go days or a week without seeing anyone except my family.  Days like today where I got out to go for coffee, and where I do a few errands with whichever parent is heading out that day, are a blessing right now for my slightly shrunken world.

New Experience. Bruised.

Last night I had an appointment with my natural health practitioner.  I'd been looking forward to this appointment as I had several questions for him, and I was even more relieved for the appointment to arrive because I've been fighting with some severely sore muscles and bad headaches for the last couple of days and knew enough to know that he would probably be able to relieve some of the symptoms.

This was a new one, though.  The muscles were so tight that he declared that "cupping" was the only thing that was going to quickly and effectively loosen the knots, giving me me relief.  (By the way, there was no bloodletting - which the article I linked to mentions!)

It worked, but let me tell you, you should see my back and shoulders.  They're much looser, and I have large, perfectly round bright reddish purple bruises where the cups were.  Ugly, big bruises.  Apparently this is from the release of toxins.  It wasn't all that painful, except for one, and even that was more of a growing pulling pressure than really pain.  But, let me tell you, I won't be wearing a bikini (or bathing suit of any kind really) or a low backed top, or really anything in which you can see the back of me anytime soon!

Daily 5 - Day 327

Today's Daily 5:

1. Pork and mango pitas for supper.  One of my favorite recipes, and one I've converted my parents to as well.  I cook it probably once every month or so at their house it seems.
2. The excitement and love in the eyes of a little boy in the window of a daycare I walked past this morning as he waved goodbye to his mom from the window.  Particularly fabulous was watching his face and realizing the moment when he suddenly knew for certain that she had seen him, and blew her a kiss.
3. The joy in the face of a little girl I saw peering through the window of her front door, staring at all the traffic and busyness on the street outside her house.
4. Thankful for buses that for the most part run on time
5. Mom often makes fruit smoothies in the morning as part of her breakfast, and when I'm there in the mornings (which is most days just currently), that means I benefit from the smoothie too.
6. Toast with peanut butter where the warmth of the toast has melted the peanut butter to an almost liquidy, ooey, gooey, goodness.
7. natural health treatment tonight that relieved some muscle problems I've had the last several days.
8. taking a short break this afternoon in the midst of a whole lot of stats to do a 10 minute yoga video and take a hot shower.
9. the sense of accomplishment in getting nearly (one question left that I need some help with) all the way through 2 stats assignments today.
10. making a random trip with my dad this morning to the fly fishing equipment outfitter he uses.  Just spending time with him.

Tuesday

Is it bad that it's only Tuesday and I'm already feeling a bit panicked about the way that the week is shaping up?

This is an incredibly busy week, and I absolutely, positively MUST accomplish the things on my list.  And there is a lot of stuff (mostly school work) on my list.  This is the first week that assignments can be submitted, quizzes written, and tests scheduled, and I've got some of all three on my list.

But it's going slower than I'd hoped.  Yesterday wasn't as productive as I would have liked (though it was productive) because I wasn't feeling well - I was busy fighting with a headache and aching muscles all day.  Today, well, a stats assignment that I'd hoped would take a couple of hours has taken most of the day.  I'm confident in the answers I've arrived at for the assignment, but it was time consuming.  Other than ten minutes of yoga, a few emails, a shower, and a brief lunch break, it's all I've done today.

You can imagine what kind of a good mood all those hours of math (with more to come - there are more assignments left to do!) has left me in.

Tomorrow is going to be a bit crazy.  Coffee with a friend from out of town will fill part of my morning.  And coffee with a different friend in the evening removes those hours from my day as well.

It's looking like it's going to be the kind of week where the weekend holds quite a lot of homework as well.  Ah, well.  Here's hoping that the hours left today, the hours I fit in tomorrow, and the hours of Thursday and Friday are highly productive.  Perhaps I won't have to cram too much into the weekend.  At least I'm hoping not anyway.

Daily 5 - Day 326

Today's Daily 5:

1. reviewing anatomy while laying in a bubble bath in mom and dad's big soaker tub - how fun is it that my study "office" comes with those kind of perks.  Mom and Dad were both out all day today, thus no clients of mom's coming and going, meaning I could use the big upstairs bathroom and do homework in the tub.
2. Having the whole day of quiet time, in a house that doesn't have all sorts of issues
3. managing to finish nearly everything on what was an admittedly rather long list for the day
4. working in little chunks - taking breaks here and there
5. the satisfaction that comes from planning my week, and then managing to take chunks out of my list early in the week.