When did that happen?

I was on a small boat cruise during the winter in the galapagos islands. We were getting ready to do a bit of snorkling. I scuba dived for a years and worked as a diver for a field season. Back in those days, I only had a wet suit. A bit tight, but I didn’t replace it as I grew somewhat.

Flash forward a few decades on the galapagos tour and the outfitters gave me an extra large wetsuit. And I’m trying to squeeze 11 pounds of sausage into a 10 pound casing. This was one of the suits that zipped up in the back. It had one of those long langards so that you do the zipping up by yourself.

I was always careful not to get hair caught in my front zipper wetsuit. I had to stop zipping up the rear zippered wet suit owing to the sudden sharp pain. It never occurred to me that I might now have the same amount of hair on my back that I had on my chest.

Just one of those aging things I know, but when the hell did that happen?

When did that happen?

I have had a number of realizations in the past few months. I mentally feel in the same place but the world has evolved around me.

I purchased some new wool tailored pants. They looked great. I took them on a business trip and felt they crept up a bit too far on my legs when I sat down. I took them back to get another inch or so. trying to get that appropriate break on pants when they touched the shoe.

The clerk suggested that people are wearing their pants shorter now. Perhaps meeting at the ankle or so. I always thought that younger people bought them at the right length, but as they grew, they didn’t have the money to replace them.

The same concept applies to the gym I just joined. My sweat sock go up to about mid calf or so. After the pant incident, I finally noticed that everyone, and I mean everyone, only had socks ending right above the line of the running shoe.

When did the rules regarding style suddenly, or slowly, change?

Chekhov

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

Chekhov

I came across this quote by Chekhov illuminating the need not to tell your readers but to show them.

#motivation #personaldevelopment #inspiration

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter brings the onset of seasonal affective disorder. Where does one go for a sunny day in Canada? Calgary takes the spot as a major centre with the most sunny days. Considering the oil market, they appear to need it. Vancouver with 154 rain days ranks just behind Prince Rupert as the cloudiest part of Canada. But at least when you live in Vancouver, at least you are in Vancouver.

Those of us in other parts of the country must turn to the Amazon. Not the river, the shopping platform. Here you can purchase your own light therapy box. Light therapy impacts brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep and eases SAD symptoms.

We have the Northern Light Technologies 10,000 lux desk light. Minimal UV radiation since you don’t want to fix one problem and cause an even greater melanoma problem.

Ignore the pictures showing people sitting in a chair enjoying a coffee. Read the brochure, but generally the light box should be within 18 inches of your face for maximum effectiveness. The exact distance that your mother always warned you about when you watched TV.

Perhaps 15 minutes a day in the morning ought to do it. Just keep a consistent schedule and do all those other things that your mother told you to do. Get outside and play.

 

#sad #motivation