Here's today's gem of a story:
I had my bedroom window open this morning and the maintenance person was mowing the lawns and cutting weeds with the weed-whackers and such. All of a sudden the motor stops, there's a pause and then I hear, "Shit!"
Not exactly the word you want to hear after you hear someone turn off the motor to a piece of equipment that has spinning blades of amputation.
But I didn't hear any screaming or crying or yelp of pain, so figuring that he hadn't run over his own foot, I had a good laugh over the situation. I'm sure he just accidentally cut some flowers or hit a tree - which I really don't care about because I'm moving next week and hopefully will never have to deal with these people again.
But the moral of the story is (I'm just going to make one up) that we all make mistakes. And it's okay to swear a little when we do them (hopefully, not around any small children who are like echos to everything adults say).
I always feel a little better about myself when I see someone else make a mistake (one that doesn't affect me) because it reminds me that we're all human. Things happen. They call it "human error" for a reason. Of course we still have to make up for our mistakes but that's the great part of it: we learn.
For anyone who has ever made a mistake while driving and had damage done to their car, you will agree with me that you are more cautious than ever in those same situations. I once hit a car parked on the street while backing out of a driveway. The road was narrow and I didn't check behind me enough, and dinged the car. I will NEVER make that mistake again and am now extra vigilant when reversing my car.
My second car mistake was underestimating the power of concrete in an underground parking lot. I partially blame Toronto for that. Too many damn underground parking lots. And they all have huge concrete support post/blocks and teeny tiny parking spaces, and everyone just drives too fast through them. It's a death trap for cars!
So the next time someone makes an honest mistake and acknowledges it, cut them some slack; remind yourself that we are human and that we all make mistakes. (But if they don't want to admit to their mistake and try to blame someone or anyone around them, then you can call "bullshit" and knock some sense into them).
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
When do we start becoming "grown-ups" - Part 2
When I think about it, the term "grown-up" is really just used by kids to describe someone older than them who can make decisions.
I hate making decisions. And yet it defines my life... and all of our lives. If you didn't make decisions your life would be stagnant. You have to choose to get out of bed in the morning. You get to decide what to eat and when to eat throughout the day - so already your well-being is being decided by you.
You decide whether or not to show up for work/school, or go looking for a job. You choose when to pay your bills and how to budget your money. You choose how to deal with your children and if you'll go to yoga class later that evening. You choose whether you will recycle that empty can or throw it in a landfill.
Although it might sometimes seem like we're stuck in life, we actually have more power than we think we do. That's the power of being a grown-up. However, as a wise movie character once said "with great power comes great responsibility." But I like to think that means that the power of being an adult means you get to choose which responsibilities you'll follow through on.
I have the responsibility to show up to clinic if I want to graduate next year. I have the responsibility to do my research if I want to keep patients. I have the responsibility to budget my money if I don't want to run out of it. I have the responsibility of keeping in touch with friends if I want them to stay my friends; and working through relationships if I want to keep them.
We tend to lose sight when we say we're stuck in life or that we have to take care of someone or do something. I'm talking about the people who can't seem to say no to anybody. They end up helping everyone else around them except themselves. They have no free time; they're stressed to the max; they're tired and worn-out and can't see any solution.
I think we all need to be reminded of balance in our lives. I would call that the "successful grown-up." The one who manages responsibility and takes care of themselves. It's not easy. But I think it's possible if you can override the power that guilt has on all of us.
Sure, guilt is a normal human emotion. It makes us apologetic. It verifies that we have morals. But we must also learn to put up our walls if someone takes advantage of that emotion and inflicts it on us constantly. I'm sure you can all imagine one person in your life who has a knack for giving you a guilt-trip over many things. It's the most awful feeling in the world. It can be a stressful emotion.
So although we can't control all variables around our lives, we need to remember balance. We need to be able to shut out the "guilt-trippers" when we have too much on our plates. We can't forget to take care of ourselves - which includes our relationships - but remember that there is always a choice. If you feel like you're stuck, remind yourself why you're there. Remind yourself what your goals are, and if you're not on the way to achieving those goals, maybe it's time to reconsider your path.
I've been in post-secondary and graduate schools for the past 9 years (currently going on my 10th). I'm what my family calls the "permanent student". But then I remind myself why I keep going to school; what my end goal is, and that the journey is worth it.
I hate making decisions. And yet it defines my life... and all of our lives. If you didn't make decisions your life would be stagnant. You have to choose to get out of bed in the morning. You get to decide what to eat and when to eat throughout the day - so already your well-being is being decided by you.
You decide whether or not to show up for work/school, or go looking for a job. You choose when to pay your bills and how to budget your money. You choose how to deal with your children and if you'll go to yoga class later that evening. You choose whether you will recycle that empty can or throw it in a landfill.
Although it might sometimes seem like we're stuck in life, we actually have more power than we think we do. That's the power of being a grown-up. However, as a wise movie character once said "with great power comes great responsibility." But I like to think that means that the power of being an adult means you get to choose which responsibilities you'll follow through on.
I have the responsibility to show up to clinic if I want to graduate next year. I have the responsibility to do my research if I want to keep patients. I have the responsibility to budget my money if I don't want to run out of it. I have the responsibility of keeping in touch with friends if I want them to stay my friends; and working through relationships if I want to keep them.
We tend to lose sight when we say we're stuck in life or that we have to take care of someone or do something. I'm talking about the people who can't seem to say no to anybody. They end up helping everyone else around them except themselves. They have no free time; they're stressed to the max; they're tired and worn-out and can't see any solution.
I think we all need to be reminded of balance in our lives. I would call that the "successful grown-up." The one who manages responsibility and takes care of themselves. It's not easy. But I think it's possible if you can override the power that guilt has on all of us.
Sure, guilt is a normal human emotion. It makes us apologetic. It verifies that we have morals. But we must also learn to put up our walls if someone takes advantage of that emotion and inflicts it on us constantly. I'm sure you can all imagine one person in your life who has a knack for giving you a guilt-trip over many things. It's the most awful feeling in the world. It can be a stressful emotion.
So although we can't control all variables around our lives, we need to remember balance. We need to be able to shut out the "guilt-trippers" when we have too much on our plates. We can't forget to take care of ourselves - which includes our relationships - but remember that there is always a choice. If you feel like you're stuck, remind yourself why you're there. Remind yourself what your goals are, and if you're not on the way to achieving those goals, maybe it's time to reconsider your path.
I've been in post-secondary and graduate schools for the past 9 years (currently going on my 10th). I'm what my family calls the "permanent student". But then I remind myself why I keep going to school; what my end goal is, and that the journey is worth it.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ride your bike to work day?
So Ontario's ministry of transportation (or something along those lines) has these electronic signs spread throughout their highways. During rush hour they will say "Express and collectors moving slowly past next transfer" which really is pretty obvious seeing as how it's Toronto and there is traffic everywhere. When there isn't traffic, I get really paranoid that there's some sort of natural disaster approaching and everyone got the notice but me, and they're all in their secret bunkers and panic rooms. And perhaps I should get a panic room because it obviously worked for Jodie Foster and I've already had one stranger peer through my window at me...
So anyway, there are these signs. Sometimes they just tell you to "buckle up" or that the highway is police patrolled. But most recently it has been advertising that May 27th is the day to ride your bike to work day.
In theory it's a grand idea, but realistically, it's a death trap.
I'm actually laughing at the irony because Toronto just got rid of a bunch of bike lanes downtown a few years ago, did it not?
In general, I don't think this part of Ontario is designed for bikers. I would LOVE to bike everywhere... if it was safe, and all the streets where level (which they are NOT in Halton Hills... hence the "hills" part). But many of our streets don't have bike lanes. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to ride a bike in the city?? It's insane. I don't trust anyone in a car in Toronto. There is a very good chance that they will hit you. And there are a lot of people who still don't wear helmets out there - which is a cranial hemorrhage or a skull fracture just waiting to happen.
Side note: Parents, make your kids wear helmets if they are on anything with wheels! Also parents, set a good example and wear one yourself!
In this area, a lot of people work so far away from their home that a bike ride to work would probably take 1-2 hours ... and then you'd arrive to work all sweaty and gross, your face all red and your neck all splotchy. You'd have sunglasses tan and your thighs would be burnt red; guzzling back water that you're spilling all over yourself.
So really, perhaps we should implement "Install-showers-in-your-workplace Day" so that when you do arrive all sweaty and smelly, you can just go shower and change into your nice clean dry work clothes.
And then we really should have bike lanes on all of our roads.
I wish I could post my own messages to the province's ministry of transportation. Each time they wrote "Express moving very slowly" I would reply, "Thanks. I hadn't noticed that I was sitting on the highway, not moving." And then sometimes when it says "Express moving well, collectors moving slowly" and then two seconds down the road you realize it's actually the exact opposite, I want to scream "YOU SIT ON A THRONE OF LIES!"
Sorry, that's another tangent. But my point is that I'm glad our provincial government is telling people to bike rather than drive, but they should also support this suggestion. It's going to take time to change our streets and be more accommodating to bikers. I'm hoping that since they're encouraging biking, that our roadways will change. Only time will tell. Until then, wear a helmet!
So anyway, there are these signs. Sometimes they just tell you to "buckle up" or that the highway is police patrolled. But most recently it has been advertising that May 27th is the day to ride your bike to work day.
 |
| An example of these signs from mrc.ca |
In theory it's a grand idea, but realistically, it's a death trap.
I'm actually laughing at the irony because Toronto just got rid of a bunch of bike lanes downtown a few years ago, did it not?
In general, I don't think this part of Ontario is designed for bikers. I would LOVE to bike everywhere... if it was safe, and all the streets where level (which they are NOT in Halton Hills... hence the "hills" part). But many of our streets don't have bike lanes. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to ride a bike in the city?? It's insane. I don't trust anyone in a car in Toronto. There is a very good chance that they will hit you. And there are a lot of people who still don't wear helmets out there - which is a cranial hemorrhage or a skull fracture just waiting to happen.
Side note: Parents, make your kids wear helmets if they are on anything with wheels! Also parents, set a good example and wear one yourself!
In this area, a lot of people work so far away from their home that a bike ride to work would probably take 1-2 hours ... and then you'd arrive to work all sweaty and gross, your face all red and your neck all splotchy. You'd have sunglasses tan and your thighs would be burnt red; guzzling back water that you're spilling all over yourself.
So really, perhaps we should implement "Install-showers-in-your-workplace Day" so that when you do arrive all sweaty and smelly, you can just go shower and change into your nice clean dry work clothes.
And then we really should have bike lanes on all of our roads.
I wish I could post my own messages to the province's ministry of transportation. Each time they wrote "Express moving very slowly" I would reply, "Thanks. I hadn't noticed that I was sitting on the highway, not moving." And then sometimes when it says "Express moving well, collectors moving slowly" and then two seconds down the road you realize it's actually the exact opposite, I want to scream "YOU SIT ON A THRONE OF LIES!"
Sorry, that's another tangent. But my point is that I'm glad our provincial government is telling people to bike rather than drive, but they should also support this suggestion. It's going to take time to change our streets and be more accommodating to bikers. I'm hoping that since they're encouraging biking, that our roadways will change. Only time will tell. Until then, wear a helmet!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
When do we start becoming grown-ups? Part 1
I remember being a kid and always looking up to grown-ups (literally and figuratively, I suppose). I envied their power... their decision-making abilities. If you were a grown up you could do anything you wanted. Of course one of those things was eating ice cream for breakfast. My parents said I could eat ice cream for breakfast when I was a grown up... I did it once in my undergrad, but then you realize that ice cream is disgusting for breakfast. It's more expensive than cereal, and if you had it everyday you would probably gain 20 lbs and have diabetes. Parents: 1 Kids: 0
The truth is that decision-making is more stressful and annoying than ever. Sometimes I just want to be taken care of. I don't want to cook dinner, or do laundry or go grocery shopping. Do you know how many dumb annoying people you come across just from going grocery shopping? And then if you're in a small town you know you're going to run into people you know, and are forced to make "small talk" - unless you master dodging: head down, or gaze somewhere off in the distance; act like you're in a rush and plan your aisles accordingly.
Life is busy though, and for days when I can't afford to linger around markets, I have to be productive with my time. It's crazy how you can get such a sense of accomplishment just from finishing your errands for the week. I have a strategy for this type of shopping. It's like I'm on a mission:
1) Park the car as far away from other people as possible. I have my favourite spot around the corner of the building... less chance of having my car hit in the parking lot, and less chance of running into people in general.
2) Take the stairs instead of the escalator. Slow people take the escalator. I don't have time for slow. Plus the stairs, I'm sure, counts for burning like 30 calories or something... Maybe 10... I really don't know. It's more than you would taking an escalator.
3) Take a basket, not a cart. This kinda sucks because I really don't want to have to make more than one trip to the grocery store per week, but really, it's all about speed and a cart will just slow you down. It's like driving a boat through an alleyway. You have to turn slower, you can't hit anyone, you have to find spots to park the cart when looking at produce. And there's always a "cart" traffic jam somewhere! - Usually in front of the apples or some other hot ticket produce item.
As a bonus, I'm sure you also build muscle or burn calories from carrying the heavy basket around.
4) Have a list made and pretend you're on Supermarket Sweep (it's an old game show. High fives for anyone who knows what I'm talking about.) Now I feel like this needs a picture...
5) Lastly, you have to choose very carefully between the self-checkout and the cashier lanes. Often times self-checkout is faster, as long as you don't have some chump with his full cart of groceries, who then forgets to put his bags on the platform first and therefore once he has checked out, has to repack everything that he unpacked. Seriously people, it's not rocket science. There's a button for it. Place green bins or bags on the platform first, then bag as you scan. Do this and you will save me my sanity.
Well, that was a bit of a tangent, so I've now titled this as "Part 1" of being a sort-of grown-up.
The truth is that decision-making is more stressful and annoying than ever. Sometimes I just want to be taken care of. I don't want to cook dinner, or do laundry or go grocery shopping. Do you know how many dumb annoying people you come across just from going grocery shopping? And then if you're in a small town you know you're going to run into people you know, and are forced to make "small talk" - unless you master dodging: head down, or gaze somewhere off in the distance; act like you're in a rush and plan your aisles accordingly.
Life is busy though, and for days when I can't afford to linger around markets, I have to be productive with my time. It's crazy how you can get such a sense of accomplishment just from finishing your errands for the week. I have a strategy for this type of shopping. It's like I'm on a mission:
1) Park the car as far away from other people as possible. I have my favourite spot around the corner of the building... less chance of having my car hit in the parking lot, and less chance of running into people in general.
2) Take the stairs instead of the escalator. Slow people take the escalator. I don't have time for slow. Plus the stairs, I'm sure, counts for burning like 30 calories or something... Maybe 10... I really don't know. It's more than you would taking an escalator.
3) Take a basket, not a cart. This kinda sucks because I really don't want to have to make more than one trip to the grocery store per week, but really, it's all about speed and a cart will just slow you down. It's like driving a boat through an alleyway. You have to turn slower, you can't hit anyone, you have to find spots to park the cart when looking at produce. And there's always a "cart" traffic jam somewhere! - Usually in front of the apples or some other hot ticket produce item.
As a bonus, I'm sure you also build muscle or burn calories from carrying the heavy basket around.
4) Have a list made and pretend you're on Supermarket Sweep (it's an old game show. High fives for anyone who knows what I'm talking about.) Now I feel like this needs a picture...
 |
| Image from Tumblr |
5) Lastly, you have to choose very carefully between the self-checkout and the cashier lanes. Often times self-checkout is faster, as long as you don't have some chump with his full cart of groceries, who then forgets to put his bags on the platform first and therefore once he has checked out, has to repack everything that he unpacked. Seriously people, it's not rocket science. There's a button for it. Place green bins or bags on the platform first, then bag as you scan. Do this and you will save me my sanity.
Well, that was a bit of a tangent, so I've now titled this as "Part 1" of being a sort-of grown-up.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
It's never too late
Today was officially our first day of clinic and although I had a few "first-day jitters," it turned out to be a pretty amazing day.
I was reminded of something that I thought I would share. In the past, I've come across a lot of people who believe they are "too far gone." By that, they meant that they've suffered with the same or more symptoms over the years, and because it's been 10, 20 or 30 years going, they don't believe there is any solution.
Unfortunately, our medical system feeds into this: If you have a chronic condition, let's treat it with pharmaceuticals for the rest of your life. It's the "band-aid" approach. Then you have specialists who honestly don't have any additional advice they can give you (either because you don't fit into their cookie-cutter symptom picture, or you're unresponsive to their treatment) and can't take you further. You've gone this far through the medical system. You're seeing the guy who knows everything about that organ of the body and are devastated when you realize he has no other tools in his toolbox.
Enter naturopathic medicine.
At least, that's been my personal experience, but I know it's a fairly reoccurring theme in our population.
I think the body is able to heal itself if you help it do so. When you burden your body with toxic substances, foods that are hard to digest and process, foods that deplete your energy, anything that works against your normal functioning, your body needs a little help. Your liver is an amazing organ that helps you detox, but there's a threshold: It can only work so hard for you. The same goes for your adrenals. You can be stressed out for only so long before your adrenal glands get so tired of pumping out cortisol that they become exhausted.
But usually the damage is reversible (not always - but there's a good chance we can make the situation better). Hypertension and diabetes are both great examples of this. Our profession is great at helping patients to reverse these conditions IF the patient really does their work. It's not easy being healthy in our society- with Starbucks on every corner, McDonalds in every WalMart, processed foods and their sneaky ingredients- but the benefits of doing so will blow you away.
So my message today is that it's never too late. It's never too late to change. It's never too late to make a difference in your life.
I was reminded of something that I thought I would share. In the past, I've come across a lot of people who believe they are "too far gone." By that, they meant that they've suffered with the same or more symptoms over the years, and because it's been 10, 20 or 30 years going, they don't believe there is any solution.
Unfortunately, our medical system feeds into this: If you have a chronic condition, let's treat it with pharmaceuticals for the rest of your life. It's the "band-aid" approach. Then you have specialists who honestly don't have any additional advice they can give you (either because you don't fit into their cookie-cutter symptom picture, or you're unresponsive to their treatment) and can't take you further. You've gone this far through the medical system. You're seeing the guy who knows everything about that organ of the body and are devastated when you realize he has no other tools in his toolbox.
Enter naturopathic medicine.
At least, that's been my personal experience, but I know it's a fairly reoccurring theme in our population.
I think the body is able to heal itself if you help it do so. When you burden your body with toxic substances, foods that are hard to digest and process, foods that deplete your energy, anything that works against your normal functioning, your body needs a little help. Your liver is an amazing organ that helps you detox, but there's a threshold: It can only work so hard for you. The same goes for your adrenals. You can be stressed out for only so long before your adrenal glands get so tired of pumping out cortisol that they become exhausted.
But usually the damage is reversible (not always - but there's a good chance we can make the situation better). Hypertension and diabetes are both great examples of this. Our profession is great at helping patients to reverse these conditions IF the patient really does their work. It's not easy being healthy in our society- with Starbucks on every corner, McDonalds in every WalMart, processed foods and their sneaky ingredients- but the benefits of doing so will blow you away.
So my message today is that it's never too late. It's never too late to change. It's never too late to make a difference in your life.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Week of "Awesome"
One of my favourite books is The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. After having read it I've come to appreciate the little things even more. Over the past week during an amazing vacation, here are my top "awesome" moments:
1) Jumping into the perfect wave. I love big waves not far from shore. Some are too high with their white caps, and you basically have to dive under them or you'll be swept along their path. But if you're lucky, you get the most perfect high wave, just high enough to barely jump over; your feet lift from the sandy bottom and you just ride over that wave - hopefully without having lost part of your bikini (which yes, happened quite a lot to me). Awesome.
2) Laying your beach towel on the sand and having it actually be comfortable. We were too cheap to rent beach lounge chairs and so we went old school and laid our towels on the sand. We're also very cleaver so we dug little ditches in the sand with headrests and made a "built-it" sand chair so we could lay comfortably and still see the ocean. Awesome.
3) The feeling of a cool/warm shower after a long day on the beach. On day 1 I came back from the room with seashells in my bikini. I seriously don't know how I brought them back with me, but my suit was full of sand and shells. Washing all the sand off and cooling my sun-bronzed skin... awesome.
4) When you're stuck with American change and actually get a chance to get rid of it at a toll booth. Awesome. Equally awesome: knowing I get to go back to my Canadian "monopoly" money and not having to worry about $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills all looking the exact same!
5) Biking 40km along the coast and feeling amazing afterwards. Our muscles may have been super warm and tired (actually I would say that my quads were burning and my butt was so effing sore from the bike seat), but biking along the ocean and coming back with a "runner's high" made it all worth it. Awesome.
6) When your flights are all on time. And they board early. And there is very little turbulance. And the screaming children are sitting nowhere near you. Awesome.
7) Getting upgraded on the plane to a seat with more leg room. Awesome
8) Remembering that you have "Finding Nemo" on your laptop and your plane has power outlets so you can watch your own movie during the flight. Awesome.
9) When you're trying to do a self-portrait photo of you and your boyfriend and someone walking by you just offers to take the photo for you. Thank you to the man at SailFish marina for taking some beautiful pics of us without me having to figure out where my finger needs to be to push the "camera" button... while trying not to cover the lens... and trying to make sure we're both in the shot... Awesome
10) Coming back to the room after a very long day out in the sun to the most incredible pillow-top (king-size) mattress with fluffy pillows!! and because it's so comfy, you have the most amazing sleep ever. Awesome. (Not awesome: getting back home to reality and realzing how terrible your real mattress is. And small. Any mattress is small compared to a King-size one. And my pillows aren't as fluffy...)
11) Going to bed and realizing that you didn't burn out in the sun at all! Yay sunscreen! Double awesome: you actually got an pretty nice tan and actually look like you were on vacation.
12) Finding out that the airport sells gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. And eating that delicious 200-calorie chewy cookie. And it's delicious. Awesome.
I'm so grateful to have had the chance to go to Florida again this year with my Honey. It was a well-needed break and our next adventure (clinic) starts this week. Back to the real world!
1) Jumping into the perfect wave. I love big waves not far from shore. Some are too high with their white caps, and you basically have to dive under them or you'll be swept along their path. But if you're lucky, you get the most perfect high wave, just high enough to barely jump over; your feet lift from the sandy bottom and you just ride over that wave - hopefully without having lost part of your bikini (which yes, happened quite a lot to me). Awesome.
2) Laying your beach towel on the sand and having it actually be comfortable. We were too cheap to rent beach lounge chairs and so we went old school and laid our towels on the sand. We're also very cleaver so we dug little ditches in the sand with headrests and made a "built-it" sand chair so we could lay comfortably and still see the ocean. Awesome.
3) The feeling of a cool/warm shower after a long day on the beach. On day 1 I came back from the room with seashells in my bikini. I seriously don't know how I brought them back with me, but my suit was full of sand and shells. Washing all the sand off and cooling my sun-bronzed skin... awesome.
4) When you're stuck with American change and actually get a chance to get rid of it at a toll booth. Awesome. Equally awesome: knowing I get to go back to my Canadian "monopoly" money and not having to worry about $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills all looking the exact same!
5) Biking 40km along the coast and feeling amazing afterwards. Our muscles may have been super warm and tired (actually I would say that my quads were burning and my butt was so effing sore from the bike seat), but biking along the ocean and coming back with a "runner's high" made it all worth it. Awesome.
6) When your flights are all on time. And they board early. And there is very little turbulance. And the screaming children are sitting nowhere near you. Awesome.
7) Getting upgraded on the plane to a seat with more leg room. Awesome
8) Remembering that you have "Finding Nemo" on your laptop and your plane has power outlets so you can watch your own movie during the flight. Awesome.
9) When you're trying to do a self-portrait photo of you and your boyfriend and someone walking by you just offers to take the photo for you. Thank you to the man at SailFish marina for taking some beautiful pics of us without me having to figure out where my finger needs to be to push the "camera" button... while trying not to cover the lens... and trying to make sure we're both in the shot... Awesome
10) Coming back to the room after a very long day out in the sun to the most incredible pillow-top (king-size) mattress with fluffy pillows!! and because it's so comfy, you have the most amazing sleep ever. Awesome. (Not awesome: getting back home to reality and realzing how terrible your real mattress is. And small. Any mattress is small compared to a King-size one. And my pillows aren't as fluffy...)
11) Going to bed and realizing that you didn't burn out in the sun at all! Yay sunscreen! Double awesome: you actually got an pretty nice tan and actually look like you were on vacation.
12) Finding out that the airport sells gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. And eating that delicious 200-calorie chewy cookie. And it's delicious. Awesome.
I'm so grateful to have had the chance to go to Florida again this year with my Honey. It was a well-needed break and our next adventure (clinic) starts this week. Back to the real world!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Suck it
There will always be people who come into your life (in some way, shape or form) who doubt you; And will tell you this to your face. They're not necessarily always negative people, but because they aren't capable of accomplishing something, they don't believe you can either.
The sad thing is that some of these "downers" actually have a big enough effect on people. The more you listen to them the more you think huh... maybe I can't do this afterall...
These downers are poison! Seriously. Like a Basilisk.. you have to go Harry Potter on their asses and get them through the head with the sword of Griffindor (figuratively speaking, of course).
We encountered a Basilisk downer yesterday morning before we were about to conquer biking the ocean-side. She was a sales lady for timeshares - your typical pushy rude saleslady. But what made me the most angry wasn't the fact that she made fun of our "lifestyle" of naturopathic medicine by telling us to take the stairs up to the second floor. It was the fact that when we told her we were going to bike from our resort to Jupiter which was a 25 mile or 40 km round-trip, she didn't believe we could do it and then told us to be careful not to die.
Seriously?! What gives people the right to tell me I can't accomplish something? Well, we did that bike ride, we got amazing sushi, we went to Juno beach, swam in the ocean and biked all the way back. So all I have to say to you downer Basilisk is SUCK IT! Not to mention the fact that after we got back, although our bums were very sore from the bike seats, we felt amazing!
Let this be a lesson to you all: if you have a goal (especially a workout goal) and someone doesn't believe you can do it, prove them wrong. Just because they aren't physically, emotionally or mentally able to do something, they have no right to put you down and say that it's impossible. It's only impossible to them.
Looking back I almost feel sorry for her. Knowing that she doesn't have goals like I do... knowing that she doesn't believe she can do something. It's kinda sad. But then I remember how rude she was to my boyfriend, and I'm more than happy to pull Griffindor's sword out on her (again, figuratively speaking).
The sad thing is that some of these "downers" actually have a big enough effect on people. The more you listen to them the more you think huh... maybe I can't do this afterall...
These downers are poison! Seriously. Like a Basilisk.. you have to go Harry Potter on their asses and get them through the head with the sword of Griffindor (figuratively speaking, of course).
We encountered a Basilisk downer yesterday morning before we were about to conquer biking the ocean-side. She was a sales lady for timeshares - your typical pushy rude saleslady. But what made me the most angry wasn't the fact that she made fun of our "lifestyle" of naturopathic medicine by telling us to take the stairs up to the second floor. It was the fact that when we told her we were going to bike from our resort to Jupiter which was a 25 mile or 40 km round-trip, she didn't believe we could do it and then told us to be careful not to die.
Seriously?! What gives people the right to tell me I can't accomplish something? Well, we did that bike ride, we got amazing sushi, we went to Juno beach, swam in the ocean and biked all the way back. So all I have to say to you downer Basilisk is SUCK IT! Not to mention the fact that after we got back, although our bums were very sore from the bike seats, we felt amazing!
Let this be a lesson to you all: if you have a goal (especially a workout goal) and someone doesn't believe you can do it, prove them wrong. Just because they aren't physically, emotionally or mentally able to do something, they have no right to put you down and say that it's impossible. It's only impossible to them.
Looking back I almost feel sorry for her. Knowing that she doesn't have goals like I do... knowing that she doesn't believe she can do something. It's kinda sad. But then I remember how rude she was to my boyfriend, and I'm more than happy to pull Griffindor's sword out on her (again, figuratively speaking).
Monday, May 6, 2013
The day of napping
Well, we made it safely to Florida! Day one of vacation I would call "The day of napping." Traveling all through the night was exhausting (it was 12 hours of driving and flights and stop overs and a shuttle bus). I fell asleep at every chance I got but I know I had some REM sleep debt to pay off. So by the time we finally were able to check in I just fell right on the bed. What was suppose to be a 15-minute power nap turned into a 5 hour sleep... We woke up at 7:30pm and panicked for 2 reasons:
1) We had free drink tickets that expired at 10pm
2) We still had to do grocery shopping... and liquor shopping before sundown. But apparently in the USA you can do both in the same store. So bizarre.
So by the time we were done shopping it was already dark outside... and waited 30 minutes for a cab that never showed up. I was shocked that a few people actually offered to drive us home. One of which we actually took up on the offer.
Now I know what you're thinking... You're not suppose to go with strangers. And you're right. But I felt okay with the decision for a few reasons:
1) My boyfriend is a ninja... like seriously.
2) The sun was long gone and there was no way we were going to walk back.
3) This lady was hilarious... She didn't exactly know how to work the lights/high beams on her car... she was yelling at her husband in Spanish out the window - while he was in his own car with the window rolled up; and the music that came on in the car was this mellow cabana music... the whole situation was hilarious. But she was the sweetest lady and we were sooo grateful for the safe ride home.
Unfortunately we never did get to claim our free drinks, which is painful to someone like me who loves free stuff!
Day 2 was a much more "productive/fun" day. We took an amazing walk down the beach in the morning and went on a biking adventure all afternoon. The ride was awesome! We passed a state park which was just a jungle of palm trees.
The one thing that I have noticed in the states is that they have no problem writing "high fructose corn syrup" right on their labels. THEY PUT IT IN THEIR APPLESAUCE! That's just crazy! The first day we had lunch I checked the label on the ketchup bottle at our table and sure enough it's there too. I just don't understand. I know it's a cheap sweetener and corn is subsidized by the government (which still infuriates me), but why would people buy it if they can read right on the label that it's there? Not just corn syrup but high fructose corn syrup. You might as well just start injecting yourself with diabetes.
However, we did find gluten-free flax crackers for our guacamole and my FAVOURITE Sahale snack almonds, so I have to give America credit for that. And although I'm still trying to get used to America's traffic lights (which are much more complicated here than in Canada), biking has been one of my favourite things to do so far- made so much easier with bike lanes! More adventures to come...
1) We had free drink tickets that expired at 10pm
2) We still had to do grocery shopping... and liquor shopping before sundown. But apparently in the USA you can do both in the same store. So bizarre.
So by the time we were done shopping it was already dark outside... and waited 30 minutes for a cab that never showed up. I was shocked that a few people actually offered to drive us home. One of which we actually took up on the offer.
Now I know what you're thinking... You're not suppose to go with strangers. And you're right. But I felt okay with the decision for a few reasons:
1) My boyfriend is a ninja... like seriously.
2) The sun was long gone and there was no way we were going to walk back.
3) This lady was hilarious... She didn't exactly know how to work the lights/high beams on her car... she was yelling at her husband in Spanish out the window - while he was in his own car with the window rolled up; and the music that came on in the car was this mellow cabana music... the whole situation was hilarious. But she was the sweetest lady and we were sooo grateful for the safe ride home.
Unfortunately we never did get to claim our free drinks, which is painful to someone like me who loves free stuff!
The one thing that I have noticed in the states is that they have no problem writing "high fructose corn syrup" right on their labels. THEY PUT IT IN THEIR APPLESAUCE! That's just crazy! The first day we had lunch I checked the label on the ketchup bottle at our table and sure enough it's there too. I just don't understand. I know it's a cheap sweetener and corn is subsidized by the government (which still infuriates me), but why would people buy it if they can read right on the label that it's there? Not just corn syrup but high fructose corn syrup. You might as well just start injecting yourself with diabetes.
However, we did find gluten-free flax crackers for our guacamole and my FAVOURITE Sahale snack almonds, so I have to give America credit for that. And although I'm still trying to get used to America's traffic lights (which are much more complicated here than in Canada), biking has been one of my favourite things to do so far- made so much easier with bike lanes! More adventures to come...
Saturday, May 4, 2013
A new adventure ...
Exams are done. My sister is married. And now there's only one thing left on my to-do list: Relax.
It's been a while. Relax and I have a very complicated relationship. We love each other but the timing is never right. We've had some good times. Relax is the whole reason my cortisol becomes regulated and it knows it. It nags me to give it more attention. Unfortunately, there's always something that comes between us: Stress.
Stress has a way of creeping up on you. It's sneaky like an alley cat. And by the time you realize that it's affecting you, it has already clawed through most of your organs and wants to turn your brain into jello. LIKE A ZOMBIE!
Well my fox friends, my brain is jello (thanks to 11 exams in 2 weeks) and I need to rekindle my lost love with Relax.
I'll be taking my blog "on the road" for a mini vacation before clinic begins and I plan on taking in lots of sunshine and sand and ocean swimming - like Coral! - but not really because she ends up dying before Nemo is born... sorry, spoiler alert.
And on the sunshine note, I will be taking it in but also blocking most of it out with an SPF 30 because I already burnt my shoulders and that was just from standing outside taking pictures at my sister's wedding... for like 20 minutes. I don't know what happened, but I don't think it's fair to be burnt before even leaving Canada.
Seriously... what's up with that?
Anyway, it's late, I'm tired, but I had to explain my lack of blogging. Hopefully the sunshine and heat will bring out more of my creativity and wisdomosity and I will have a few "Top 10" lists out this coming week.
It's been a while. Relax and I have a very complicated relationship. We love each other but the timing is never right. We've had some good times. Relax is the whole reason my cortisol becomes regulated and it knows it. It nags me to give it more attention. Unfortunately, there's always something that comes between us: Stress.
Stress has a way of creeping up on you. It's sneaky like an alley cat. And by the time you realize that it's affecting you, it has already clawed through most of your organs and wants to turn your brain into jello. LIKE A ZOMBIE!
Well my fox friends, my brain is jello (thanks to 11 exams in 2 weeks) and I need to rekindle my lost love with Relax.
I'll be taking my blog "on the road" for a mini vacation before clinic begins and I plan on taking in lots of sunshine and sand and ocean swimming - like Coral! - but not really because she ends up dying before Nemo is born... sorry, spoiler alert.
And on the sunshine note, I will be taking it in but also blocking most of it out with an SPF 30 because I already burnt my shoulders and that was just from standing outside taking pictures at my sister's wedding... for like 20 minutes. I don't know what happened, but I don't think it's fair to be burnt before even leaving Canada.
Seriously... what's up with that?
Anyway, it's late, I'm tired, but I had to explain my lack of blogging. Hopefully the sunshine and heat will bring out more of my creativity and wisdomosity and I will have a few "Top 10" lists out this coming week.
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