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What were some of the ordinary things you were doing last January that seem so extraordinary now?
Fill in the blanks to these four questions:
1.I went to the grocery store_______
2.My exercise routine included_____
3.Before going to bed, I’d ________
4.Me and my friends did ______
Here are my answers:
1. Twice a week
2. Yoga, snowshoeing, pickleball, and walking my dog
3. Get on my pajamas and climb in
4. Knitting, movies, writing, coffee, eating out
Now in 2021, answer these questions:
1. I go to the grocery store________
2. My exercise routine includes_______
3. Before going to be, I_____
4. Me and my friends do________
My answers include:
1. I go to my favorite store twice a month and arrange for pick up at as close-by national chain once a month
2. I do yoga at home and walk my dog
3. I do what I can to get cozy
4. Do Zoom meetings and exchange emails and texts
Are your answers from January 2020 as different as mine from 2021?
Are you feeling the need to make ordinary life NOW a little easier? These routine living tips might help grocery shopping and meal planning, exercise, sleep, and staying in touch with friends.
Friends remind me, “During tough times, take extra care of yourself – eat nutritiously, get enough sleep, exercise, and stay in touch.”
Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning
One of the pleasures for me as a retired lady-of-a-certain-age was to go grocery shopping whenever I wanted. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, so I went shopping to get fresh produce twice a week or about eight times a month. I went to my favorite store known for its fresh produce and great cheese. This small grocer has a limited selection of non-grocery items, so I would go to the nearby big national chain for those items several times a month.
After Covid invaded our peaceful valley in western Colorado last spring, I donned my mask and curtailed my shopping trips, which was relatively easy for me to do because I had done “mass shopping” as a working mom and later as a business professional. Then, I cooked batches and froze portions.
Now, I plan on meals for 14 days. During January and February, eight of those meals will include soup and roasted vegetables. They are easy to prepare and loaded with the recommended number of vegetable servings each day. Since additional protein is beneficial for older adults, the soups I make include rice and beans, which is a complete protein. The roasted veggies I cook have lots of full-of-protein nuts and slices of protein loaded plant-based sausage. (I am a vegetarian.) I round out the rest of the meals with pasta and melted cheese sandwiches, and salads. I like to include citrus in salads now because of their vitamin C content and mood enhancement qualities during these dark days (both literally and figuratively)
I devised a standard grocery list based on the route I took around the grocery store on my phone. Here are some of the categories: Frozen, dairy, and produce. As I shop, I delete what I put in my cart. This list helps me to quickly and effectively get in and out of the store. When I need to buy something on my next trip, I grab my phone and put it down.
What a disappointment; when I went to my nearby huge national chain to purchase several non-grocery items, I immediately noticed the store did not uphold our state’s pandemic guidelines. Numerous people were not wearing masks, and unlike the small grocer, no one was wiping down carts or monitoring how many people were in the store. I still do some shopping at that store; but, I learned how to do it on-line and pick up my purchases curbside. Most of the products I used to buy at this store I now purchase at a national big box store that diligently upholds the pandemic laws and guidelines in our state.
Exercise
Oh, those yoga teachers can be so maddening when their voices get in your head! One of my yoga teachers “tells me,” frequently, change your attitude, change your breath, and another says, “move your muscles, change your life.”
The biggest tip I can pass on from these yoga friends is simply this – do it, exercise daily!
As ladies-of-a-certain-age, time and time again, we are told, exercise is a significant key to health. Well, this might be so, but exercising alone, I have found not to be much fun. The hardest part for me is to get going. So, I do it in the morning, or else I find myself putting it off, and then it doesn’t get done. Sometimes I try particular exercise YouTube channels or Zoom sessions my friends recommend or listen to podcasts, mainly as I am doing bicep curls!
The best motivator I have found to get me to exercise is my dog, Bonnie Buttercup. As a pet owner, I committed to taking her for a walk daily. Sometimes I try to “excuse myself” because it is too cold outside. Then, I remember the snow pants I used to wear under my skirt going to and from grade school since girls were not allowed to wear pants in school. I put long johns or tights under my jeans or sweat pants on top of my jeans. A scarf and hat and gloves and doggie bags in my pockets complete my assemble. The only “excused absence to dog walking daily” is when it is extremely icy outside, and there is a danger of falling. Then we go into the backyard, and I chase her around the yard.
Sleep
Getting to sleep or going back to sleep after a run to the john seems to be a condition of advancing years! It doesn’t help when the world seems to be topsy-turvy with the pandemic and political unrest.
Yes, a routine bedtime, the smell of clean flannel sheets a warm bed all seem to help, so does a cuddly cat and a cup of hot cocoa.
As we age, touch is increasingly important to us and often increasingly missing. Massage is a godsend but may not be prudent during a pandemic. However, for centuries those, who practice the 5,000-year-old medical system from India called Ayurveda, do daily self-massage before retiring. Any lotion or salve or oil will work. Several essential oils added to these carriers, as they are called, are credited for helping to induce sleep. These include lavender, mandarin, and neroli. Massaging the feet, neck, and temples relieve much of the daily stress.
I like to use the slogan “Let Go and Let God” at night when I find myself wanting to solve XXX problems such as vaccine distribution or throngs of rioters.
Friends –
A friend I have had since the eighth grade gave me a little plaque one time. On it is inscribed, “Friends double our joy and divide our grief.” What would we do now without them!
“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends”
From “With a Little Help from My Friends”
Written by Paul Mccartney and John Lennon
Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, January 11, 2021
