Category: Thought of the Day

We read a really interesting article in class this morning. Basically, in Canada, doctors are writing prescriptions for free park admission to their patients. The Park Rx, known as PaRx, makes it free for recipients to enter over 80 parks in the area. Research has shown that being in nature helps lower blood pressure, lessen the risk of heart disease, as well as reduce stress and anxiety.

So, why write a prescription rather than just send people to the parks? Because people are more apt to actually visit the park if they have a prescription for it. Cool idea, right?! We should do something like that here…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

So, my son, Ethan, is learning to drive. On every morning that he has to work, we drive there together. We leave at the same time every morning and arrive at his job about 20 minutes early. Now, most people would adjust their schedule to arrive closer to his start time, but we don’t. Why? Because we love our talks.

We spend the time before he has to enter and start his day talking about anything and everything. Some days our conversations are light and fun, and other times they are deep and serious. But we talk, and talk, and talk…

We really value this quiet time to visit and connect. If you want to connect with your child, try arriving somewhere early…on purpose…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

My “Low Fuel” light came on this morning, so I swung by the gas station to fill up. As I pulled in, I saw the sign: Unleaded $3.49 9/10. Who are they kidding? Gas is now $3.50 per gallon. I couldn’t believe it!

I remember stopping by the gas station with my mom in the 70s. The little bell rang, and someone came out to pump the gas, clean the windshield, and check the oil. And gas cost under $0.50 per gallon.

Then in the 80s, self-serve gas started to emerge, and the price began rising. And as time went on the price continued to rise, and rise, and rise…And here we are today. No service and expensive gas. Maybe it’s time for me to get a hybrid…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

Okay, so let’s start out with the fact that I think the picture above is a groundhog. I’m not certain, but it’s what popped up when I searched “Groundhog Day”.

So, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and we’ll have six more weeks of winter. I’m a Florida girl, so this does not bode well for me. I was freezing, literally, when it got down to 31 degrees. I actually had to put the heat on as my house was showing 63 degrees.

Now, I know I should not complain because I have it far better than my daughter, Sammy, who is up in Pennsylvania. It’s really cold up there!! But being a Florida girl for 47 years, I just don’t enjoy this cold weather. So, listen up, Phil… Don’t see your shadow next time and bring spring our way sooner. I want to get out my shorts and sandals already…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

It’s rainy and it’s cold outside. So, I decided to approach the day as cozy as possible. Got my laptop and did my work in bed. Under the covers, toasty warm, relaxed, yet I still accomplished my tasks for the day. Life is good…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

So, if anyone had told me it would be super easy to give up my Diet Dr. Pepper habit, I would have quit a long time ago. Or would I have?

You see, getting off of it this time was not too difficult at all, much to my surprise. Before when I would try to give up soda, I literally had flu-like symptoms. Major headache, chills…classic withdrawal. But this time, just about nothing happened. I took a preventative Ibuprofen in the afternoon for the first couple of days, and that’s about it.

Why was it so easy to give up my addiction this time? It’s not that complicated: I think it was simply time for me to give it up. My body no longer wanted those soda chemicals and caffeine. My body craved water. So, I gave in to what my body told me to do. And therefore, I had a relatively symptom free process.

So, now I drink lemon water…and do yoga…and I’m starting to take a closer look at my eating habits… Who knows where this better health journey in 2022 will take me?

Stay groovy…

–Susie

Only in Florida do you turn on the heat in the morning and the air conditioner in the afternoon during the winter…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

I saw this on a bumper sticker years ago:

Know Yoga, Know Peace

No Yoga, No Peace

Stay groovy…

–Susie

So, I’ve always been a fan of yoga, but I’ve had trouble fitting it into my schedule. I’m not one to practice yoga on my own. I get bored with the same DVDs over and over again. Yet if I try to go to a studio to practice, I have to work within their schedule. And my favorite studio, College Park Yoga, is all the way on the other side of town.

My sister, Tammy, came to the rescue. You see, she’s been telling me about streaming workouts with Beachbody for years. It’s full of thousands of workouts of so many different types. And one of those types happens to be yoga. I’m getting started with a three-week beginner level class. It’s been so long since I’ve practiced yoga, I could use a refresher. After that I have tons of other yoga lessons to choose from. If I decide to change it up, I can stream any number of other kinds of workouts to keep things fresh.

Stef and I just finished a yoga class, and we both feel great! So, what are you doing to work out these days? Share what’s working for you…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

So, I know drinking water is good for you, but I just couldn’t bring myself to drink too much of it. It’s probably due to my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction, but something weird happened the other day. Out of nowhere I got a massive craving for water: lemon water.

Here’s the peculiar thing about this: I don’t like lemon water. Or should I say, I didn’t like lemon water…until now. You see, in restaurants when offered water, I’d always say, “…no lemon.” (It’s odd that I’d even accept the offer, since the glass usually sat next to my plate untouched.) I hated it when the lemon even tapped the water as it sat on the side of the glass.

So, on my next trip to the market, I bought lemons, filled a pitcher with water, and added those lemons. And I started drinking, and drinking, and drinking. This morning when I woke up for class at 4:00 a.m., I had one Diet Dr. Pepper…just one…to stave off the headache that would definitely visit with a cold turkey approach to quitting the soda habit. And then I started drinking my lemon water.

I have no idea what brought on this desire for a new beverage, but I hope it lasts. It’s better for my health, and maybe I’ll sleep sounder at night.

Stay groovy…

–Susie