Wordless Wednesday - World Photography Week - A Community in Action

 Habitat for Humanity

It's World Photography Week, scroll through the gallery on your phone; What do your favorite photos reflect?

Monday Musings – National Wellness Month

 

Here we are halfway through the month of August, and I just discovered that this is National Wellness Month. Everything is becoming clear to me now, this must be why Weight Watchers keeps sending me emails inviting me to join.

Once upon a time and two kids ago, I was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. The program worked for me, but life changed and so did my body. If no one has told you, let me tell you, your body will change. Ladies, your metabolism may turn on you, foods that you used to eat may affect your body differently.

Aging is not all doom and gloom, just know that you may need to shift some things. The things you did for health and wellness five years ago may need to look different. Remember nutrition, fitness, and sleep all affect your health and wellness. What do you do to be sure you have a balance of all these things? Do more of the things that bring you joy.

As you focus on a healthy lifestyle be sure to include activities that stimulate laughter. There are studies that say laughter can help lessen stress, anxiety, depression, and make you feel happier.

Did you know that happiness “lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease, lowers your blood pressure, enables better sleep, and improves your diet.” At least that’s what Google told me. These are enough reasons for me to use laughter as part of my self-care. I’ve found that laughing at some of my struggles (and turning them into comedy) makes them a little more bearable.

From weight gain to wild chin hairs, and wacky kids, humor is always lurking in everyday life situations. My weight gain/weight loss efforts consistently provide material for jokes. In the last couple of years, I’ve worked with a nutritionist and a fitness trainer (at different times), yet my body refuses to cooperate.

And my chin hairs, I get rid of them, and they find their way back, longer, stronger…and grey.

Use this month to jump start or continue focusing on your health and wellness and make it fun rather than a chore. I challenge you to find something funny every day for the rest of this month.

 

Fun Friday – Visibly Clean

 

I’ve often heard the phrase, “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Here’s a thought to ponder, does that phrase apply to the vehicle you drive? I’m asking for a friend…maybe. I keep my gas tank filled, have my oil changed regularly, but washing my car…yikes. This is where my story begins.

Once upon a time in an inner-city parking lot, I met him, the owner of a car detailing shop. He wasn’t there for me, but to take care of a fleet of city owned vehicles. There was an instant connection, he had a detailing shop…I owned a car. After seeing his work on a fleet of eight vehicles, I knew he was the one…for my car.

When I told my colleagues I was having my car detailed, they jumped on the bandwagon and scheduled an appointment too. The owner “Jake” brought his equipment to us and began the detailing job with my car. I warned him that my fabric seats needed extra love and attention. In other words, they were past dirty…and my seats are a light color.

I checked on Jake’s progress, he was on his hands and knees, scrubbing, grunting; I saw patches of sweat on the back of his white T-shirt. When he stood to talk to me, I saw that his face matched his shirt, drenched with tracks of sweat. He used the back of his hand to wipe seat from his brows.

“Hi Jake, it’s looking good, were the seats bad?” I asked.

“Yes, but the carpet was worse, I had to dig into the fibers.”

“Oh.”

I went back inside and got out of Jakes way.

This company cleaned eight buses in the time it took to clean my 4-door sedan.

After he finished, Jake brought my keys back to me; sweat still covering his face like makeup, and his t-shirt clinging to him like a wet T-shirt contest.

I said, “I guess I shouldn’t ask for a discount.”

He didn’t even want to tell me the final cost; he wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

After my car, he cancelled the rest of his appointments…went out of business! Not really, but it was a funny thought. He did have to postpone my colleagues’ detailing until the next day, due to time constraints (time invested on my car).

Jake told me, “If you’re not going to clean your car often, you might want to invest in seat covers. And your tires, I got the rust off the rims best I could.”

When I walked outside to my car at the end of that day, it was visibly clean. Sitting in the driver’s seat, looking through the windshield, I could see up to Heaven. My car had been transformed. It was clean.

The end.

The moral of the story…take care of your vehicle, treat it to a deep cleaning every now and then. How often do you deep clean your vehicle?

Fun Friday - Fall into Fun

 

The red rubber ball bounced across the gritty playground and slid over home plate. It was game on in a kickball battle of talent and teamwork. As my son kicked the ball it sailed between first and second base and landed in the outfield. He sprinted past first, second, then third base. Home run!

Aaah, the joys of summer…outdoor games, dipping your feet in a swimming pool, and licking an ice cream cone as it melts down your knuckles. Just because summer is drifting to an end does not mean fun has to cease. No need to fret, pout, or stump your feet, joy in on the way in the next season.

I got a little anxious at the beginning of July when I walked in a store and saw shelves filled with notebooks, backpacks, highlighters and ink pens. My eyes screamed, “nooo, not yet. Where has summer gone?” After the initial shock, I came to grips with the changing of seasons.

Since it is back to school time, I decided to go back to school too, and I convinced my son to take this adventure with me. We have signed up for a class…a comedy class. He has said to me on multiple occasions, ”Ma you get all your material from us.” Now that he can mimic all my jokes, he’ll have a chance to create his own.

I plan to “fall into fun” by letting my sense of humor guide me. As a comedian, ideas can come from anywhere. The majority of my jokes or stories come from everyday life, and it’s usually from something crazy, weird or outlandish that happens.

I keep a humor journal or notebook to jot down ideas that I may want to later develop into jokes. The first time I write a joke, it is never considered finished. The joke may need to be shortened, words switched around and practiced out loud at an open mic.

Here’s an excerpt from one of my humor notebooks from a few years ago:

Move Out Day

Talking on the phone with my youngest son, he’s  21, almost done with college. We set his move out date. The day he’ll move out of my house. He told me in his man voice, “when I move out, I’m NEVER coming back.”

 “Okay, that’s called growing up.”

I asked him, “Why are you in such a hurry to be an adult? Let’s practice first. I’ll put your name on the water bill, the electric bill and let you pay one month on the mortgage. Oh yeah and don’t buy a house that has grass. Lord knows you don’t like to cut the grass.”

“Remember that time you cut the front yard and told me you didn’t cut the back because no one would see it.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

When I reminded my son about the story above, all he could do was chuckle.

What’s new for you on the horizon for this fall? Make it something fun.

Wordless Wednesday - Hump Day Humor

YouTube Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Nikki Carr