Tag Self-Care

Under Pressure

Michael Leave a comment

May is an interesting month. It starts out somewhat Spring-like with weather in the “Not Too Warm Days, Not Too Cool Nights” range, newly planted gardens beginning to flower and promising what one hopes will be a bountiful harvest, lawns fresh from their first cut already starting to show the unmistakable lushness from the early application of grass food, and energetic people everywhere waiting for the first long bike ride or counting the days until the outdoor pools will again open. And then it ends with hot dry days and hot humid nights, the sun so high you’ve already gone through a year’s allotment of sunscreen, weeds, weeds, weeds and more weeds where you were sure you have planted zucchini, that grass needs cut again(!), the bike rack is still in pieces in the garage and the pool looks more like a mosh pit from an early 80s Slayer concert! Perhaps this explains why May is also National Blood Pressure Month. With escalations like these your blood pressure has a good chance of escalating also.

But May is also a month filled with days dedicated to practicing self-care, self-restraint and self-satisfaction, and keeping that blood pressure in the “Make Your Doctor Happy” zone. Seriously, can you imagine stressing yourself to the point of elevated blood pressure readings on Dance Like a Chicken Day?

May’s earliest days have already gone and we may have missed National Fitness Day or World Laughter Day, but you don’t need a special day to stretch out those winter bound muscles or snicker at a corny knock knock joke. We might have missed Garden Meditation Day but meditating any day will increase your positivity.

I’ve listed some of May’s contributions to keeping your blood pressure down. You can keep this list handy whenever your day starts mounting more pressure on you than you are comfortable with and remind yourself of the many ways a little physical activity or mental and spiritual awareness might ease some of that pressure and lighten your heart. (Warning: Visit Your Relatives Day might have the opposite effect on some!)

I have my favorites that I’m looking forward to. Please join me in a discovery of how you can celebrate National Blood Pressure Month and add to your health – body and soul!

Navy Blue Oranges Squares Weekly Calendar

Bright Yellow Daffodils and Dirty Old Cars

Michael 5 Comments

It seems the bright yellow daffodils and colorful tulips popped out of nowhere to boldly welcome Spring!  That’s not an original thought. I stole it from a text I got a few days ago. My friend opened a conversation with that. She went on to say how exciting spring is and, how it fills her with wonder watching the world transform as nature awakens from its log winter slumber. As the chat continued she talked about her neighbor, bundled against the still chilly air while he conducted his own transformation, washing the last of winter from his car, wiping not only the visible exterior but getting under the bumpers, between the open spaces on the wheels, and in all those other nooks and crannies nobody sees whether the car is sitting in the garage or speeding down the highway.

How does one get from daffodils to dirty cars in the same conversation? They naturally go together of course! Consider how those daffodils and tulips, how the crocuses and all the other early bulbs bring forth their colorful displays. They spend the winter buried under layers of dirt, push they way through the surface, some rain comes and nurtures the part we don’t see until with a little coaxing, a shimmering flower blooms with a burst of color. Not so different is the car that spent its winter buried under layers of road grime and salt residue. No matter how often you spray it down with soapy water out of a hose it won’t really shine until you do a little coaxing, getting down to the wheel and bumper level and give it the attention is needs to pull it through the dirt.

Daffodils and dirty cars. We fit in that discussion also. We too need a good cleaning after sitting dormant for so long. We need to give ourselves that attention and wipe away our stress, wash off the fatigue, polish the shiny parts of what makes us burst on the scene, coaxing ourselves into a riot of bright ideas and invigorated thoughts. We need to wake ourselves from the dormancy of complacency and refresh, rejuvenate, and re-energize our lives a few times a year.

Now would be one of those good times. Now while there are flowers blooming and cars shining under the sun climbing hirer into the sky each day. Now while all things of nature and of man are going under their yearly rebirth and renewal, now would be a good time to act like a daffodil or a dirty car and do a little regrowth and self-polishing.

What do daffodils, dirty cars, and you have in common? If you can answer that you’re ready to boldly welcomed Spring.