Moving Back into the RV, update

I have found homes for my books and my camping gear in the RV. Books are now in upper cabinets (where they should NOT be b/c of the weight, but that is really most convenient for me). Gear is under the bed. Painting/art supplies are under the couch. Dog things now have a bathroom drawer all their own, plus more dog things live inside the doggie staircase near the bed.

Office supplies was tough. I have two upper cabinets near my desk, and then the hole where the passenger’s legs go in the RV, all full of office stuff. Dan made my desk cubby to hold my printer.

DVDs are in my favorite antique pie chest by the door. We still need to make some kind of support for it to make sure it won’t fall over when we drive.

We added tons of hooks for clothes and jewelry. My Cookie Lee stuff is problematic. Lots of weight and space, plus I had to randomly stick things in various places.

We hung a cable wire with curtain hooks to create a privacy screen in the cab area, and put up some nice chocolate brown canvas curtains I had.

Food in current use is in the pantry inside and I have a deep storage for the rest in one of the basements.

Dan still needs to make a recycling center on the rear platform.

We are looking to order a new side mirror from an RV salvage place. The people are searching for us and that will take a few days. I hope it’s not hugely expensive.

The yoga/workout gear is still kicking around and in the way. I want these things easily accessible so I use them. But tripping over them isn’t going to make my life serene, either.

Does helping others also help you?

After college, I fully believed I would save the environment, with all my good ideas, my commitment, my knowledge and energy. I really believed that all you had to do to explain what the reality was to people and they would go, “OMG I need to recycle!” or “Right, we will stop dumping fabric dyes into our oceans!”

I thought it would be that simple. The latter half of my 20s was characterized by learning that most people simply do not care. Much disillusionment. It was a very hard learning experience for me.

But helping the environment and helping animals DOES help me. It makes me feel happy. Helping people is nice but not my primary interest. I want to “speak for the trees.” I want to live lighter on the planet, reduce my carbon footprint, create a No Net Waste Goal, see less cruelty and suffering in this world.

When I donated my Seattle car and previous RV to a cause, it was to the Humane Society.

I get a nice glow whenever I think about that.

Do you give to a cause or help others in some way? Does doing so help you back?

Caring for myself with a Healthy Habits List

I have this deal worked out that if I do everything on my Healthy List, I get a treat. If I do a few things on the list a get a smaller treat.

I created this idea of the last four days because I realized I work best on a rewards-based system. My first thought was that I would get one dollar for accomplishing at least one thing from my list, a dollar a day. Or that I would get $5 if I did EVERYTHING on my list that day.

That way I would earn either $30 or $150 in a month, give or take, if I stay with this.

The problem was, where would the money come from? I couldn’t pay myself - i have no money. So then i asked hubby if he would pay me. He said he would if he had any money, but he didn’t either. I thought of my mom but didn’t want to bother her with this.

We decided I needed a sponsor.

I didn’t feel like asking people to give me money so I could give myself incentive to do good things for myself, so I had to wrack my brains for some other reward.

I settled on massages. Dan agreed that he would do one minute of massage on the body part of my choice if I tackled some of the things on my list, and five full minutes (timed) if I get everything checked off.

So far I earned (and received) a one minute jaw massage for yesterday and a five minute foot massage for the day before. Today I am working on getting my entire list accomplished and will be able to earn my five minutes - maybe for a neck rub.

Here is my Healthy List: (daily tasks)

• Pushups
• Hanging on the chinup bar
• Crunches
• a Yoga sequence or stretching
• 5 minutes Meditation
• at least 15 minutes of something that lifts my Heart Rate
• Hydrate
• Take my Vitamins
• Take my Medications
• have Veggies in at least one meal
• have Protein in at least one meal
• have a serving of Fruit, or the equivalent of antioxidants
• Put powdered Fiber in at least one beverage
• Floss teeth
• Exfoliate and Moisturize face and neck
• Do one thing to Pamper myself or provide Me Time

So far this has been a very good list for me. I make sure to set my timer to go off every half hour when I am working at my desk, so I can remember to get a few of these things done.

The One Thing For Me item is variable. One day I read a book in bed during the day. Today I took a nice long bath with scented salts. It could also be getting a pedicure, buying myself something nice, going to a thrift store or walking around down town, being artsy or crafty, working on my Vision Board, enjoying a sunset or looking at stars…whatever little item that isn’t otherwise on any to-do list that will help decrease my stress levels.

What do people think of my idea? I am really hopeful this will encourage attention and accountability to healthy habits for me.

Addicted to Stress - weaning yourself from adrenaline

I’ve been reading about how people these days are addicted to stress. Our society encourages it. I always considered myself an ‘involvaholic’ - too many things going on all the time, until I read somewhere about how this exhausts our adrenals and burns us out. Our bodies are not meant to run off adrenaline and cortisol except in true emergency situations.

I decided to stop living on adrenaline. One of the things I did was get away from caffeine. I drink decaf coffee, for one thing. Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands. I know decaf is not totally devoid of caffeine, but it doesn’t get me jittery at all, and I don’t get a headache if I miss a day. And there are tons of yummy brands of decaf these days.

Weaning oneself off full-caff coffee and caffeinated sodas is one of the first steps to getting away from needing adrenaline to get through the day. And it’s a much easier one than getting into the nitty gritty of examining one’s life.

The next step is to take a look at what you do each day that gives you a ‘kick.’ Waiting for deadlines to approach is definitely one of these things! As a ex-journalist, I lived for deadlines. There was an exhilaration to it all.

Then eventually I burned out. Now I resist anything that requires me to write by a certain date. It bugs me to even have a deadline; just having one gives me anxiety. I don’t think I ever would have developed a clinical anxiety problem if I didn’t live on adrenaline for so long.

So everyone should take a look at the things you do, on a daily basis, that bring you stress.  Make a list of the things you can eliminate from your life, and don’t be afraid to make a big change to protect your health and sanity. Learn to ask for help if you need it, and learn to say no to more tasks. Decide to spend more time in relaxing activities - make a daily prescription of it!

I am trying to find peaceful contentment and creatively joyful activities to pursue these days. I want to live on proper fuels, like glucose and amino acids, and reserve adrenaline for its intended emergency use. You never know when you will need to have that adrenaline reserve ready to go, instead of having burned out adrenal glands.  :)

Living on Adrenaline, Decreasing Stress

All evidence these days points to stress as a major contributor to ill-health, in both body and mind. Apparently stress stimulates the body to respond with creating the hormone cortisol (in the adrenals).

Cortisol is the flight and fight hormone. High and prolonged levels of cortisol decrease bone density and muscle mass and increase sugar imbalances. Cortisol leads to increased abdominal fat. Also, cortisol inhibits collage formation (hello, wrinkles!).

About.com writes, “Studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol.” http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

The wikipedia explains that cortisol addiction also contributes to clinical depression. The Mayo Clinic lays things out clearly about the negative effects of allowing stress to continue eating away at your body: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001

In our modern world, we’ve created a high-stress culture using adrenaline as a fuel source. The adrenals were never meant to be stimulated like this - it’s a very unhealthy fuel.

I’ve been seriously working to decrease stress in my life. I don’t think we take stress seriously enough; we just live with it. Trying to actually eliminate stress is a worthwhile goal! And one I do not think is too far out of line. The adrenals are intended to help us work through temporary stressful situations - ones that we cannot control. Using cortisol as a daily fuel; that was never intended. That is what I am going to work on eliminating from my life.

Twitter Grade

I just checked my Hubspot Twitter Grade for HippyGeek - scored a 97 out of 100, and apparently there is nothing for me to improve on. I like hearing that! I need constant positive strokes to fuel my self esteem.

Here’s my badge:

I’m not sure exactly what they are basing the grade on. Follow ratio? Amount or frequency of tweets? Mixture of tweet types?

Have you checked your Twitter Grade? Twitter Grader

I’m usually a Scrooge about the holidays

I don’t do Christmas trees. It just seems like a lot of work each year, and I really don’t care about the holidays. I did hang up some white lights in the house, but not for xmas - just because I like it as indirect, romantic lighting. It stays up permanently.

What is different this year is that I was unpacking some things I had in storage here in AZ and came across a small handful of Xmassy things, like a Santa hat, a potholder with geese wearing Santa hats, some red fuzzy Christmas stockings, two little Elves that have been in my family since I was a tyke, and two green little jingle bells that someone gave me to wear from my ears (even though I do not have ears that are pierced). So I hung them along the kitchen railing that has some of my white lights.

And I also grabbed some mistletoe from a nearby tree and hung it in the doorway to kiss under.

So in spite of my complete lack of holiday spirit, I actually have a few things up this year after all.

Starting to Meditate - Five Minutes a Day

I am trying to practice mindfulness in my life, but it’s tough when I constantly keep myself occupied with so many projects and interests. The days fly by and I only get any real alone time in the bathtub and on walks.

So I have been trying to meditate each day for five minutes. I know that is a short time, but it’s a good start for me. I don’t think I could really sit there still with empty thoughts for an hour or even half hour at this time. So for me, five minutes is a triumph.

I asked DH to do it with me each day. He figures he can take five minutes from his time to do something nice with me, so this was our third attempt today.

Each time I set up the timer for five minutes and sit quietly, I am surprised how quickly the time goes by. I always thought meditating would be soooo slooooooow and five minutes would seem like an hour.

So I am happy to report I am really enjoying this small time-out each day. I sit on a small pillow on my yoga mat, cross legged with my hands palm-up on my knees. Dan just sits near me and quietly stretches. I have a small Buddha set up nearby with some candles and incense, and also some smooth stones to hold if I want them.

I am thinking about making my own meditation pillow from some scrap fabrics at the thrift store, and also finding some meditation music to download.

Does anyone meditate? What do you do, set up, listen to, state at a candle, whatever? Eyes open, closed? Do you chant, think a mantra, try to empty your mind? Do you listen to music, have a sacred space set up, or combine meditation with yoga?

Or do people find the idea of meditating intimidating? I know I always did. That’s why I am am starting with small expectations. I want to set myself up for success.

Do Animals Feel Compassion?

I was reading in the BellaOnline Forums about whether dogs instinctively know someone is dying. People were commenting that dogs will lie beside a dog who is dying, or a person in a nursing home, and simply BE with them when death is coming.

I think animals have it right and they instinctively know a few important things - you can’t change when it’s someone’s time to go, and that no one should have to die alone. They give the comfort of their bodies and presence to the dying.

It’s the same thing as a predatory mother animal allowing a baby prey animal of another species to nurse from her…in the spaces near life and death, comfort comes before aggression.

I do think compassion, love and comfort are our natural state. In times of stress and competition for resources, strife/aggression emerge…but overall nature seems to prefer everything finding its own niche. This is how lions coexist with the Serengeti herds most of the time - when they are not feeding, they just hang out with all the other animals.

It’s a complex topic, as some people do not ascribe emotions to animals, considering them in a more Cartesian light. Personally, I no more consider animals brute ‘machines’ than I do myself. Why would a dolphin save a human? Why would a gorilla cradle a lost kitten? Why would my dog, not hungry for the moment for food, look at me with eyes I interpret as sending me love and adoration? My dogs come to me when I cry, are lonely when I am not with them. If it’s all due to the scrabble for resources, then so is my own existence.

Thoughts?

My Two Dogs

I added a photo of my dogs Kaylee and Frodo to the About Me page. Because, while this blog is all about me, my dogs are pretty much also all about me.

Scroll down past the self-aggrandizing about myself and the dogs are there, peeking in.