Friday, April 19, 2013

How Much News Can We Absorb?

I remember a day that I felt it was my civic responsibility to watch the daily news. I watched the Today Show as I dressed for work and when I was home with my babies.  To make sure I was up to date on everything, I made sure I also watched the nightly news.  However, as I sat watching the Twin Towers fall over and over again and then listened to horror story after horror story of the lives affected by the Katrina disaster,  I decided this little heart of mine could only take in so much bad news.  This was the point that I stopped watching and listening to the news. 

What I have discovered during my years of avoiding the news is that you cannot hide from it.  I only have to log on to Facebook to know what horrific things have happened in the world. If I choose to avoid Facebook, which I often do after I have learned the basic details of the current news story, I am confronted with the same stories over and over again when I go to work, the store, or anywhere outside of my home.  I am quite envious of the few people in the world who honestly can avoid the news.  For me, it hasn't been possible.  Knowing this, I have decided the one thing I can do is make sure I don't watch or read the same story lines over and over again.   

While I believe we need to care for others and try to make this world a better place, I don't believe that happens by rehashing the same story over and over again.  I am a sensitive person by nature, but I honestly don't understand how people handle the news of so much bad going on day after day.  For me, it gives me nightmares, which is one of the reasons I stopped watching the news. It also makes me lose hope in the world which is something I refuse to do.

Wednesday night and Thursday morning, my local town experienced a lot of rain which created flooding issues.  My family and I were prevented from going to school and work yesterday due to our neighborhood roads being blocked off.  Three miles from our home, in Lisle, IL, a state of emergency has been called.  Cars are under water as well as homes destroyed.  Am I watching some of the news coverage?  You bet.  This is my community.  This is when and where I 100% need to know what is happening.  This is the time for me to open up my heart and feel for others, to send healing thoughts, and to be a good citizen.   I  know that many bad things are happening in the world right now, but I can't absorb all of the bad.  I can only concentrate on that right under my nose.  For those of you that have a bigger heart than me and can absorb all that is happening in the world - hooray for you!  I have learned my limits.  I can only handle so much bad news and need to hear plenty of good.       

Monday, April 1, 2013

Connecting with Myself

2013 has been all about bringing calm to my life.  Therefore, I have been focusing on me and the things I love to do.  Here is my spring break:  

A nature walk with my teenage son, his friend, and my border collie.  Breathing in the trees, birds, and fresh air helped clear my mind and renew me. 

On Easter Sunday, my family and I went for a ten mile bike ride.  Spending time outdoors with my family always makes me happy, even when I try to resist it.  

  
I require a lot of alone time and I took it over spring break.  While the kids were busy with their own activities, I read and watched shows that I enjoy.

I participated in Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Meditation Challenge  on creating Perfect Health with my sister Stacey.  Daily, we shared our goals with each other.  Knowing I have her there to support me and encourage me makes life wonderful.



Being gentle with ourselves and doing nice things that our bodies require is often overlooked in our society. Instead,  we are often made to believe that we are lazy if we aren't constantly on the go doing something..... anything, except being good to ourselves. 

My rheumatoid arthritis has been under control for a while now, but last Wednesday through Saturday I experienced a pretty rough flare in my hip.  What I realized is that I didn't freak out.  I remained calm.  In the past, when I've gone a while without a flare and then had one, I felt emotionally drained, worried that my body was turning on me.  This time, I didn't experience that at all.  In fact, I realized that my nourishing time was a sure sign to me that taking time for myself was a good choice.  This break gave me lots of time to reflect on some things that have been bothering me. I believe this flare might have been my body's way of ridding itself of all the negative feelings I have felt.  Now that they are out of my system, I can start this week back to work and a regular mom schedule feeling good about my self and my choices.  

I hope you are caring for yourself too.  Happy Monday!