Spring Breaking Blogging Continues…(even though we are already home)

I never thought I was a vacation blogger, for sure I am not a vlogger- I will leave that to Jason. “I don’t want to be on a video!” is my go to phrase whenever Jason starts filming me! Head over to Jason Fuller Adventures on Youtube to see some of his work- his videos are really quite amazing!

However, I enjoyed sharing some of our vacation adventures via my blog.

I found this last vacation so unlike my normal life, so different from what I normally do everyday, that it is hard to not stop and think about doing things differently all the time. Perhaps blogging about vacation and trying new things is also a journey towards wellness.

Some wellness facts from this vacation:

I slept better than at home.

My heart rate and heart rate variability (according to my Oura Ring) are the best they have ever been. (Could it be related to the altitude? I guess I will have to research that!).

Because of the altitude and sun, I was highly aware of my water intake, and felt hydrated and refreshed.

I moved each day, outside in the fresh air and sun. (Please note: we had sunshine, blue skies ALL WEEK LONG- except for one overcast day- amazing weather- I’ve never had such an amazing vacation!).

I had no work related stress. (Thank you to my team for covering me!).

I felt really good, happy andcontent!

This vacation also graced me with the gift of time to think about what matters most. We had many hours in the car, driving from one National Park to the next- enjoying the scenery and being able to be inside my head for a bit without any competing priorities or thoughts. I know that many people don’t get the opportunity to take such a trip with friends or family. I know that I am so blessed and lucky to have a wonderful job that affords me the ability to take this time to adventure and see new things, and for that I am extraordinarily grateful. I also had the gift of time during this vacation- despite a busy packed schedule, I felt extraordinarily relaxed and fulfilled. Being able to physically move my body in some form of exercise everyday (hiking, walking) and being visually challenged by all the wonderful sights kept my brain engaged and my stress levels very low.

I was amazed and awed by the open landscape, the sweeping views, the never ending mountain ranges and the big sky. The only thing missing is that I don’t have this everyday. But, then if I had this everyday, would it become part of the background? Would it become less important because I was around it everyday?

That is an interesting question to ponder today while we discuss another adventure from our trip.

We visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert (I have a new favorite place- the Painted Desert). For as far as the eye can see, mounds of desert hills covered in the most soothing colors of cream, pale pink, salmon and even hints of blue. It was so soothing to look at that I found myself almost disappointed we had to get into the car again to travel through the Park. But then we continued to encounter the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The pictures do not do it justice. Besides the big peaked mountains, this was the next place on the trip that was so powerful for me. The brilliant colors, the awe inspiring view- words are not even enough to describe it. I sat near the Painted Desert for some time, while the kids got ice creams. I wandered around the various scenic overlooks and just stared. I can’t tell you exactly how it made me feel, except serene is a pretty close. This was on Day 5 of our trip, we were at about 6200 square feet and it was by far my most favorite place of the entire trip.

Would I be less inspired by it if I lived nearby and could walk that Park everyday? Would I feel less serene if I was able to visit it more frequently? I am not sure. What this does provoke within me is the feeling that I need to travel more, visit more of these awesome places. I am more enthralled by the natural wonders, the “earth made”, earth sustained views. The fact that our planet made these wonders inspires a creativity within me, even when I look at the pictures.

Many artists in the region are also inspired by the peaks, nooks and crannies of the deserts and mountains. We visited a Farmers Market, aka local arts and crafts fair in Santa Fe on the second day of our trip and I met (encountered) an artist who taught herself how to paint. She had a wonderful little art show, right inside the art show, she even wrote a little bit about herself, allowed you to take pictures of her art. I walked up and into her booth, drawn in by the colors. I smiled a quick hello to an elderly woman, dressed in old fashion clothes. She smiled back and nodded. I left quickly, trying to catch up with Jason and Ella. I wandered back as Ella was checking out cowboy hats, drawn in again by the colors of her art, wanting her business card. Instead, she told me to take a picture of her card and whatever piece of art I liked, that way she “can figure out where we have met before”. We were drawn back together. We both could feel that “knowing”. Her name is Raya and here is what she wrote about how she found and continues to challenge her artistic voice:

“The internal key elements- that became essential for my creative growth:

1. The ability to open my mind while designing it and have an avalanche of images and ideas spilling out.

2. The ability to SEE designs and images in 3 dimensions (pre-Computer era).

3. Self-critical judgement; SENSING THE BALANCE for the right or wrong of my artistic expressions.”

Wow. This lady was speaking to me. I read her biography, snapped a picture of my favorite picture, and if it is meant to be, I will reconnect with her and be able to share her art with my favorite people. She is a self taught artist and painter. Attending Fine Arts School was not in the cards for her. Her ability to search for self- improvement in a field that was growing and has intense competition is amazing, and with those guiding principles above to not loose faith that you are on the right path, to be self critical and self aware and to keep pushing- it is really quite admirable. The last sentence of her biography hanging on the wall near her paintings reads:

“Currently the count is over 6,000 original works of FINE ART that have SOLD around the world.

I am not finished.

I continue to live my life by taking creative risks and challenging my abilities and processes, in life and my art.”

I am going to keep investigating the boundary/border/intersection of creativity and wellness. There is something to being creative and being happy and healthy. This lady nailed it. And, I believe you can visualize that through her art.

Additional Resources:

Find Raya at www.rayasfineart.com (Santa Fe Modernist Landscapes). Her website seems like it is still a work in progress, she doesn’t yet have art for sale or pictures of her art on her website. I really think she likes meeting people in person. We found her on Saturday at the Farmers Market in Santa Fe. Her email is rayasstudio@msn.com.

Find Jason and his awesome videos at: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonfulleradventures

Sunday is the New Saturday!

With the Grand Reopening of the Farm Store yesterday, April 22nd, my blogging will continue but I won’t be able to post until Sunday. Sunday mornings are now our hang in, hang around, take our time morning, as compared with Saturday morning which now requires we awake by around 4am, bake for 4 hours, set up the Farm Store Bakery by 8:30am and be ready to greet customers by 9am. This work takes a village- all three of us are on the move in the morning, working to get everything ready. It is like throwing a small party for 50 to 75 people every…single…Saturday. Suffice to say, final touches to a blog post are probably not going to happen like normal on Saturday morning for a Saturday publishing.

And, I have a lot more to talk about with wellness and health and our Spring Break Adventures!

For today however, exhausted legs will be elevated and rested. Coffee will be savored while doing a little internet surfing. A tired puppy from a quick hike yesterday after we closed the Farm Store, needs some snuggles. Even Ella upon waking needed to lie down under a fleece blanket and rest again.

Planning, baking, serving and entertaining on Saturday mornings takes a lot of energy. But it is extraordinarily fulfilling. Happy people greeted us, saying they missed us. Customers gathered food and items from the store with smiles on their faces. A child found the perfect little crochet stuffy to take home with her- that smile stole my heart! There is also community- our little farm store draws many locals and friends from afar- our friend/customers stay and hang out, conversations abound. The gatherings remind me of parties- everyone is smiling, happy to be outside and enjoying a cup of pour over coffee (poured by me!) and a special breakfast treat. Families pull tables and chairs together to enjoy the time together. It is one of those things that we truly look forward to every week, despite the very tired feeling we feel this morning.

So, short and sweet today. It’s only good bye for now. I am working on some culminating Spring Break posts about the trip, mostly about how the trip made me feel. By the way, I still feel amazing and am really in awe about how much this trip filled my cup again. The picture I included to keep your interest sparked is a Petroglyph from Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. What I like most about this picture is the way the shadow of the rock perfectly aligns with the boulder. And of course the view of the mountains in the background- preserved forever on my iPhone and now in this blog. The mountains were by far my most favorite part of the trip- the juxtaposition of the mountains with every other terrain we witnessed was simply amazing. Mountains vs. flat desert. Mountains vs. rolling budding tree hills of West Virginia. Mountains vs. cities, like Santa Fe. Mountains vs. volcanic rock hills of petroglyphs. I could go on and on.

I look forward to telling you more about our Spring Break trip and its connection to wellness. There is a connection, I have been working on how best to describe it.

Be well,

Teresa

Additional Readings and Resources

To be ready for the upcoming blogs, I am currently reading and listening to:

The Body Code, Dr. Bradley Nelson

Smarter Not Harder, Dave Asprey

Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard

Native American Archaeology in the Parks, Kenneth L. Feder

Ancient America Fifty Archaeological Sites to See For Yourself, Kenneth L. Feder

Gnar Country, Steven Kotler

More Spring Breaking

Day Three: Albuquerque

An exciting adventure happens everyday. Something new to explore, something new to see. The grandness of the large landscapes and the unforgettable views are inspiring. Living moment to moment, capturing the essence of the new details is keeping my mind active and engaged. Remembering to relax and recharge is hard given all of the wonderful sights- your brain and eyes want to take it all in!

Awaken to another beautiful day, Ella and I watch the sunrise from the corner of our hotel window. Despite overlooking the parking lot for the airport, we can still see the beautiful snow capped mountains, and watching the sun rise certainly helps the soul!

We venture out for a morning adventure while we wait for our friends to join us- their flight the day before got a bit messed up due to winds in Denver, their connecting airport. So, we had the morning to do a little sightseeing. Given that our favorite thing so far has been the mountains, we headed to the Sandia Peak Sky Tram to really get on top of the ridge to see what we could see. The tram ride was fabulous- 15 minutes waitching the landscape turn from desert to mountain climate zones, watching the rock and dusty earth turn to a lush forest and then at the top, the trees start to lean in towards the mountain, their trunks knarly and their spiny pines all pointing away from the wind. Supposedly the wind gusts can be over 60 miles an hour near the summit and they actually weigh the tram with a water bladder and a large steel metal plate to keep it level and as it transports its sightseers up and down the mountain.

At the top, an icy walkway leads to an overlook. One trail goes along the peak of the summit towards an old abandoned house made of stone, the other trail goes along the peak in a southerly direction. Both were closed as they were covered in snow and very slushy, muddy and slick in places too.

But the view from the top was amazing- looking down at the city on one side, and down the other towards the mountain ranges to the West all snow peaked and a little hazy from some left over low clouds. (And by low, I really mean high- the height of the mountains is just amazing!)

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Our afternoon adventure took us to the other side of Albuquerque to the Pertroglyph National Monument. There we took a 3.5 mile hike with our friends, Jen and Kenny and their family of littles, alongside a volcanic ridge with piles of black volcanic rock. The short summit of volcanic rock contains within it hidden pictures carved into the rock- petroglyphs! It was a race to see who would spot one first- it was me! I am not sure what I won, but Kenny assured me there would be a prize to the first person who spotted the art!

The long winding trail paralleled the short slope of black rocks, so the left sides of our bodies got a good ol’ sunburn as our heads and bodies were slightly turned towards the right to scan the hill for art. Don’t worry, we had some sunblock on, but unlike the sun at home, this sun is closer to our bodies here and I was not anticipating this much result.

This petroglyph is my favorite. Two sheep. Kenny shared with me that this particular carving is over 500 years old. The native people were watching new comers to their lands bring animals that they have never seen before. These sheep must have been amazing to them. Much like the scenery that we are taking in that is so different from the Northeast, the native people must have been awed by the new sights they were seeing as people from around the world landed. This art depicts a number of sheep grazing. It is very peaceful to me. Plus, we love sheep on The Grassy Knoll Farm!

Ella, the scientist, drew the petroglyphs into her notebook as notes for her school project. She was thrilled to be pointing out the art, and found many of them all by herself. She then had to help us old people to see them. It was quite comical to watch her trying to point them out to us. On the pathway around the summit, you are a number of feet away from the art, and so spotting them becomes a game, we were pointing and jumping and yelling- great fun! Ella might be embarrassed by all of our shenanigans but it was delightful seeing what we could see. Despite Kenny having already visited a number of times, we found some petroglyphs he had never seen before!

The landscape is just so remarkable. So different from home. It may be what is making this trip so amazing. The new sights are a feast for your eyes and brains. It actually makes you feel like being creative, doing what you love to do that brings out those creative juices- you can feel the energy of seeing new sights, being in new places, seeing things differently- connects us to what makes us happy and fulfilled.

The local flora and fauna also have me intrigued…

Picture number one: Common name: Scorpion weed. Family Hydrophyllacaea, Genus Phacelia, Species Phacelia integrifolia. Small purple or white flowers, leaves almost look like the leaves of sedum plants. I couldn’t get close enough to touch them to see if they were more leaf like or more sedum like.

Picture number two: commone name: Tree Cholla. Family Cactaceae, Genus Cylindropuntia, Species Cylindropunita imbricata. It looks like canes with little yellow flowers at the ends. Looks fuzzy, but is most definitely in the cactus family, hence that fur is really tiny spikes.

Picture number three: The small prints of a little animal running through the sand. These tracks look like a little bird, but we also saw telltale prints of little mice and some tail drags of little lizards.

Picture number four: The sandy path along the summit which we traveled to see the petroglyphs.

Till the next adventure,

Be well,

Teresa

First Day of Spring Break

Day One

Breckenridge, Colorado

We woke up after the red eye flight into Denver to the beautiful scene of the Rocky Mountains through our hotel window. Anxious to get on the road towards the ski hill, we ate a quick, lousy hotel breakfast and were on our way. The road to Breckenridge from Denver goes through Loveland Pass which at over 11,000 feet, was incredible. There aren’t enough fantastical words to describe the way the mountains make me feel. Just being near them caused breathlessness. From awe, not from the altitude (or so I thought!). Powerful. Inspirational. Calming. A sense of something bigger than myself. Just amazing.

Our heads swung from left to right taking in all the sights, while we yelled out the cool things we were seeing, abandoned old mining buildings, more high peaks and even a big horn sheep (Ella saw the first one, each time we saw one our cameras were not poised- they are very hard to see being the color of the rocks around them- they blend so well there is little chance you can snap a picture from a moving vehicle once your brain recognizes what it is!).

Speaking of snapping pictures from inside the van… give me some grace about the below picture. It doesn’t do the view justice, but believe me when I tell you, it was absolutely amazing.

The mountains are absolutely stunning and we could not get enough! The big scenery was not only beautiful but also very calming. Climbing higher and higher, weaving around the mountains all the while looking at even higher peaks covered in snow was breath taking and serene. As we climbed higher, I couldn’t really tell that we were experiencing any altitude issues until we parked at the bottom of Breckenridge and Ella and Jason started to get ready to ski.

My first inkling that we were all struggling with the change in altitude from Denver to Breckenridge (5,200 feet to 9,600 feet) occurred when Jason kept losing his wallet and other important pieces of life. We had to break changing into ski clothes to look for his lost items. Then, Ella’s boots felt tight as she tried to strap her feet in and she was becoming more frustrated with each passing minute. Getting ready for skiing took an exceptionally long time. I watched as multiple other families jumped out of their cars, threw on their boots and started walking towards the gondola.

Finally all settled, we were on our way. I took the gondola up with them to the base of where the ski lifts starts. Of course, I screamed the entire way up, but am so glad I went! The views were even more amazing from the base and I got to see them off on Ella’s first ski run down a real mountain. They had a fabulous time! I enjoyed a cup of coffee while watching them ski down after their first run, caught a not great picture, but at least I know it is them and then watched as they boarded the chair lift again and went on their way for more runs.

My second inkling that we were all struggling with the change in altitude came when I tried to have a conversation with a stranger.

The scenario: A woman approached a few of us seated in Adirondack chairs facing towards the mountain and asked if any of us had seen a red cell phone. I had just sat down, so I nodded no, but the couple to my left had seen the phone and pointed at the man who had taken the phone towards lost and found and successfully connected the woman with her cell phone.

The dreaded conversation when I realized my head was in a fog: I turned to the couple and said “I found a cell phone once in the road, and placed it on top of the thing, at the side of the road, you know… it is made of metal. (Picture me using my arm to demonstrate what a metal guardrail was, all the while, not being able to come up with the WORD for it!) Anyway… I put it there and then saw a man in a vehicle driving around and thought he was probably looking for it. So, I told him where I put it. What are the chances? What are the chances that you connected her with her cell phone? What are the chances?”.

OMG. I was so embarrassed. That was not what I had intended to say. What I said made no sense AT ALL and wasn’t even a good story. The couple looked at me funny, nodded and then looked away. Later on when talking with Ella and Jason about the day, I relayed the funny, Momma has lost her mind story and we all had a good laugh. They remember the day when I reunited someone with their cell phone, and the story was WAY better than that!

So noted. We were all suffering a little from the altitude and perhaps a little jet lag with lack of sleep thrown in. Time to take good care of ourselves. Resting, feet up, lots of water and a good night sleep are in order.

More Spring Break adventures will find their way into my blog.

Till the next adventure…

Be well,

Teresa

A Girl and her Dog

OK, she’s 11. I don’t really want to admit it, but she is growing up. She is a thoughtful, caring young lady. One day in late March, Jason had to leave emergently to check on the Maine house for fear of freezing pipes. The last storm that swept through Maine left the house without power abruptly. I was on my way home from work, about 15 minutes out from home. He needed to leave. Ella was home alone with her best friend, Jake.

Ella and I talked by audio Facetime, I was on my phone in my car, she was on her iPad, because of course Jason took his phone with him. I could hear her walking around the house, doing after school stuff like plugging in her Chrome book, getting a snack, etc. We hit the dead zone on the hill into Riverton, so our connection was severed.

I have to say, I was freaking out just a little bit. I knew I was five minutes from home. Ella knew I was five minutes from home. But still. This was the first time we left Ella alone. Ever. We have become so accustomed to doing everything together. Including Jake. He comes along on car rides. He travels with us to Maine and Lake George. You can tell from the pictures he is her companion.

So, what I didn’t know until I got home was that Jake followed Ella everywhere throughout the house once Jason left. Wherever Ella went, Jake followed. If she sat down, he sat down right next to her. He would not leave her side. He was making a lot of squeaks and squeals, Ella thought he needed to go out, when she opened the door, he wouldn’t leave her. He was glued to her.

Adorable and amazing.

He knew that Jason had left and that I wasn’t home yet. He knew that he was in charge and he needed to protect her until another large human came home.

How do dogs tie into the theme for this blog? Researching about reducing stress naturally leads to pet ownership. Petting and taking care of an animal in your home can help to relieve anxiety and stress. Studies have demonstrated that human and animal interaction increase oxytocin levels in the brain. As you know, oxytocin is the “feel good hormone”. Oxytocin is responsible for creating that loving bond between mother and baby, and it also works wonders for calming the nervous system and strengthening bonds between humans and humans and animals. One study found that workplaces which are pet friendly or have workplace dogs have better employee engagement, are recommended more frequently, have increased retention, improved relationships between colleagues, decreased absenteeism, closer relationships between the leaders and colleagues and stronger performance on key outcomes. If all of these great things can happen at work, imagine what having a pet will do for your own families stress level! Humans enjoy exercise more, have better mental health and find joy and comfort in taking care of a pet.

One study found that there are three influencers to human health called the biopsychosocial model. As one can see from the name the influencers are:

• Physiological (biology)- changes to our blood pressure, cortisol levels, heart rate

• Psychological- personality, mood, emotions

• Social- cultural, socioeconomic, social relationships, family dynamic

Owning or interacting with a dog specifically may impact each of these three influencers of human health. Dogs are also very sensitive to our emotional states and changes in our physiological markers so can usually determine if we need a friend close by. Just like Jake could tell that Ella was slightly anxious being alone in the house, he stuck by her side like glue.

I was never a dog person, in fact, I hated dogs. A few stories about dogs before coming to where I currently am with Jake.

First Story: As a little girl, I had a dream I was sitting cross legged on the ground, at the edge of the long jump track, waiting for one of my school friends to run the track and perform a long jump into the sand pit. A dark colored dog walked up to me and started biting my neck. In my dream, I was trying to get the dog off me to no avail. When I awoke, my pillow was jammed into my neck making it all the more realistic. I knew I never liked dogs and now I had a reason why!

Second Story: Meeting Porter for the first time. Porter was Jason’s Australian Shepard. I was making it to his condo before he was done with work. Jason left a “Scooby snack” for Porter on the door knob with a Post it Note of instructions to carefully open the door a few inches, let Porter smell the snack, all the while whispering sweet nothings to the dog, then open the door and let him have the treat, put his leash on and take him for a walk. He will love you forever (or bite you) it could go either way. Porter loved me. We were best buddies from that day forward.

Third Story: Visiting friends for the first time with Jason, early in our marriage. I walked in, was greeted by two very active pups- I think they were boxers. I settled in to chatting on the couch when all of a sudden one of the boxers jumped up onto my lap and inserted its tongue into my mouth! Yuck! I practically turned green. Jason knew how much I did not like dog kisses, dog drool, dogs near my face. Ever. I was so horrified, I ran to the bathroom and started rinsing out my mouth. I must have just had a tasty hors-devours that the dog could smell to make him do such a thing! All the while, Jason and friends were laughing hysterically at my violent reaction. What are the chances that the dog would French Kiss the one person in the room who hated to be licked by dogs!!!

On to Jake. Big and fluffy, Jake is an enormous teddy bear shaped fur ball. He sounds ferocious at times, especially when the UPS man is delivering something (like almost everyday! LOL), but Jake wouldn’t hurt a fly (he might eat one now and then, but he would never hurt or bite anyone). He is a love. Jake, Jason, Ella and I go almost everywhere together. He looks forward to car rides, river walks and running to Grammie’s house. We can’t imagine life without Jake.

Jake knows when we are upset. He comes right in for snuggles.

Jake knows when we are happy. He greets us always with his happy feet, swaying hips and wiggling nub tail.

Jake helps us reduce our stress by just being there- his big, furry, fluffy self. Always ready for pets and snuggles.

Be well,

Teresa

Additional Reading and Resources

www.habri.org

Gee, N, et al (2021). Dogs supporting human health and wellbeing: a psychosocial approach. Frontiers in Vet Science, 8, 1-11.

I, Cosmo, Carlie Sorosiak

The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein

What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell

Social Connections

Sometimes people show up in your life exactly when you need them.

I needed a boost. I wasn’t sure exactly what I needed, but I knew I needed something.

Then, out of nowhere and completely unexpectedly, a person shows up in my office to offer me just that. Connections are remarkable.

I had no idea when I started my day that I would have such a remarkable visit with a complete stranger. I saw my calendar for the day and asked my assistance to remind me about my 11 am meeting. I didn’t recognize the persons name and had no idea what the meeting was about. I usually like to be prepared and my mind was a complete blank. My assistance knows everything and pulled an old email out of her electronic files to remind me of the meeting. A woman asked to meet with me a few months ago to explain her connection to the hospital and nursing school. Thinking that this may be a waste of time, I asked my assistant to keep me on schedule and come knock on my door at a five minute warning.

An elderly woman dressed in her St. Patricks Day best, carrying a little box of green cookies (don’t go to someone’s home with your arms swinging!) walked into my office and told me she had wanted to meet and talk with me since she first saw me back in the Fall of 2022 when I was new to my job in Bridgeport. We were at a Parish Nurse Event- celebrating the work that the parish nurses across greater Bridgeport do for their parishes and parishioners. I gave a short speech at the event, introduced myself to many of the nurses, attended a lovely dinner, the nuns blessed our hands and because it was late, scooted out to start my hour long commute home.

Sometimes connections happen when you least expect them. She asked about my experience as a nurse and nurse leader. She told me about her experience as a nurse and nurse leader. She has had an amazing journey to becoming a chief nursing officer, like me, but back in the 70’s. She shared with me a number of mistakes she made in her career. She told me to always listen to my gut when making decisions. We had an awesome conversation about the science behind listening to your gut- how the gut and brain are connected through a maze of hormones and nerves. She told me stories about how her decisions affected her experience and performance. At one point she paused, looked down and told me that being a CNO was one of the hardest jobs she ever had. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and explained I was just going to ask about that! This job is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had too!

This conversation could not have come at a better time. I was feeling down this past week about just how hard this job really is- how maybe I am not good enough, how I may not be making good decisions. Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough. Or maybe I’m just not good enough in general. That voice inside my head was fierce last week. This nurse leader’s visit helped me to quell that inner critic a bit. Her connecting with me also helped me overcome a difficult situation and difficult conversation I knew I needed to have at work.

Truly, I was in awe. I hadn’t realized how much I missed our older generation. My grandparents have slowly left us, and since COVID the older generation is not as active in our lives. There is so much experience to learn from those who have been on the planet longer than we have. Funny story about that, Ella, Jason and I were recently traveling in the car together, Ella was asking us a question about something, I don’t remember what the conversation was about. We were answering her and she was arguing with us, telling us we were wrong, when in fact, we were right. I turned around and said to her, “Your dad has been on the planet for almost 40 more years than you, why don’t you believe us? Why would you ever think we would not be honest with you and tell you the truth?”. I know this questioning and pushing of boundaries is a part of growing up, tweens do this to figure out who they are supposed to be, how they are supposed to interact with the world. As we grow older, the wisdom of those who have come before us becomes more important. I hadn’t realized that I was missing that until this little lady showed up in my office and asked to be my friend. She actually said as we were parting, “I hope we can be friends”.

As I was doing a lot of reading on Blue Zones and Longevity, one of the special pieces of that research that really stuck out to me was the importance of social connections and the part that they play in your happiness and health. A study describes that satisfaction with the three primary relationship types; intimate, family and friendships; is associated with overall life satisfaction (Kaufman, 2022). Research in the Blue Zones of the world found that forming strong social ties, calling your grandparents and partying (yes, partying!) were essential to a long life of happiness.

Researchers of Blue Zones have found some unique routines of individuals who live in these areas that may impact their longevity and health. There are so many things we can incorporate into our daily lives, we need to find those things that work best for us, that make us feel good. It is so interesting to me to see the social connections and friend items on the lists. Making a social connection everyday is so important to our overall well being. Making it a point to do this is one of the ways we can ensure a long, happy life.

As we reach the end of March, the month of blogs about community and making social connections, I was so thrilled to share this story with you. The connection could not have come at a better time for me and remarkable that it connects with this months theme too.

Be Well,

Teresa

Resources and Additional Readings:

Kaufman, Et al (2022). Unique ways in which the quality of friendships matter for life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23, 2563-2580.

The Book of Ichigo Ichie, The art of making the most of every moment the Japanese way, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Ikigai, The Japanese secret to a long and happy life, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Super Human, Dave Aspry

The Longevity Project: surprising discoveries for health and long life from the landmark 8 decade study, H. Friedman

www.bluezones.com- from this website the Daily Downshift Routines of Okinawans:

1. Go outside and get 15 minutes of sunlight

2. Get together with friends to have fun, complain, lend support

3. Take 10 minutes to pray, meditate or reflect every day

4. Get gardening

5. Boost your mood with food

6. Take a nap

7. Schedule a weekly friend date

8. Don’t take life too seriously and laugh daily

9. Plan a happy hour

10. Call your grandparents

11. Develop a personal statement “plan de vida”- purpose driven individuals are more likely to live longer

12. Make friends with someone older than you

Creating Space for Creativity

It’s all about time. Or, it’s all about your perception of time. Creating space and time for creativity is essential to feeling good. I have been working on creating space and time for myself to be creative, but it is often the first thing to go by the wayside (including exercise) when things get busy! Making this time sacred, in your calendar and non negotiable is the only way to ensure that you have the time and space to create and expend some of your creative juices!

Our Farm Store customers often ask me, “How do you have the time to do all of this?” My usual answer consists of a shrug and a giggle. But seriously, people are really trying to understand how I work as a healthcare executive, bake early on Saturday mornings and have time to make all of the products in our farm store. Many folks who overhear the conversation say, “I bet you don’t watch T.V”. While my family does relax with a little TV in the evening, watching movies and television is not really a part of our lives. Reading, writing, crafting, baking, researching, studying- those are the things we do in our spare time- what little spare time we actually have.

Our Farm Store customers stymie me with this question quite often. It usually comes up because of a new bake we are selling or a new product in the store. They look at me, tilt their heads to the side and then ask me again, “How do you have the time to do all of this?”. I started to wonder myself. I looked around at my life and I determined that I probably just do more each day than the normal person does. Right now, with an hour commute in the morning and evening, I have alone time to listen to books and podcasts, so much of my research and learning happens in the car. I usually get up very early in the morning to have my alone time to read and write. As for the weekly baking for the farm store- my husband and I practically have it down to a science. In 2 1/2 hours we can bake all the bakes- we are very efficient- years of practice, years of perfecting recipes, years of understanding the ovens- we have it down pat. I can’t say I would want to open a real bakery and do that everyday, but one day a week is doable from April through December. Have to admit I do enjoy the winters off!

How do I do the work of a healthcare executive while having this kind of life? I have boundaries, I have a really good team that works for me, and I have a very supportive family that helps me when I need it. I also have chosen to off load certain work to others that just takes up my free time and space and I am always looking for ways to free up more time using automation- think regular deliveries from your favorite online store so you don’t have to worry about things that you use up frequently.

Given all that I/we do on the farm, at work and in life, I have been researching and reading about time, time management and how to get everything accomplished- looking for pearls or ways to do what I am already doing better. I can’t explain exactly how I have time to do what I do, but what I can tell you is that parts of my life are very structured and intentionally predictable in order to accomplish everything.

I have been reading and listening to some of Steven Kotler works- one book in particular- The Art of Impossible. In his book, he outlines the best way to spend our time to accomplish the impossible- your “Big Goals”. He recommends many weekly and daily activities, here are the ones that were the most helpful to me:

• 2-6 hours (1-2 times per week) in your High Flow Activity- this is the activity where you find flow frequently and quickly, it brings you joy- could be writing, skiing, creating something.

• 60 minutes (3 times per week) in a Regular Exercise Routine- exercise stimulates your brain to be creative

• 20-40 minutes (3 times per week) in Active Recovery- think napping, saunas, massage, red light therapy, gentle yoga/stretching, etc.

• 30-60 minutes (once a week) in receiving or seeking out feedback. This may be difficult for some, but asking others what they think will help to increase your ability to perform.

• 120 minutes (once per week) in social support and connecting with others- that is exactly what this months blogs was supposed to be about! The power of social connections and friends does wonders to your body, mind and overall health and wellness.

• 90-120 minutes daily of uninterrupted concentration on your most important task- the tasks that are going to help you reach your big goal.

• 5 minutes on making a clear goals list at the end of the day for your next day- write down everything you need to do, not just your 9a-5p work, everything. Then, the next day, do everything, check everything off- never violate this rule.

• 5 minutes on daily gratitude- thanking others verbally, with a note or email. I have created a practice of gratitude on Fridays- at work, I make sure to thank, recognize and create gratefulness with my staff, family and friends every Friday by sending notes, thanks you's and emails.

• 20 minutes for Mindfulness- I try for two 10 minute meditation sessions per day. I am not always successful, but at least that is my aim.

• 7-8 hours of sleep- this was my favorite recommendation- I usually am able to get this many hours of sleep, but only because I go to bed at the same time as Ella!

I found these incredibly helpful to me. I noticed many of these recommendations are how I already organized my day, week, life- if I follow this type of regiment, I find that I am more productive, more creative and happier.

I am feeling that I need more to create even more time to relax, more time to be creative- allowing creativity to flow and to come to me- the universe keeps sharing my book with me- so, I am taking the time each morning to write a little bit, research, read- all in preparation for the book, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like it is enough. This winter, ski season, was very good to me. It allowed for some alone time, creative time. I created many new products for the Farm Store, worked on new recipes, created new ideas, went on long walks with my friend and even had time for long walks by myself- the perfect kind for relaxing the mind and being creative!

I was recently reading Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird, the chapter where she writes about having her tonsils out as an adult. That was wild! I had my tonsils out as a young adult myself! The book is about the process of writing and the chapter was about perfectionism. There is something to how we hold ourselves on the inside- how we think about ourselves- that perhaps causes infection and disease and the need to remove a part of ourselves. Perhaps our anxiety and thoughts of perfectionism were stuck inside and once removed we could be free of that anxiety? Perhaps that is why getting started on something new feels so difficult? We want it to be perfect, we are striving for it to be perfect and sometimes we can barely get started because we are so worried about it not being our best work.

Hence my blog this morning. Sometimes it is about finding the time, making the space for the “thing” you want to do. Sometimes it is about convincing yourself that you are special enough, the “thing” you are doing is awesome and you just need to continue doing and practicing it!

This month I was trying to continue the theme of community and anticipation. But, when I woke up this morning, I was drawn to a part of my journal that discussed creativity and the block I sometimes have just in getting started. A part of me is worried no one will like it and no one will read it. The interesting thing here, with writing a blog, is that I can pretty much write whatever I want and to whatever audience I want. I do receive some feedback (thank you friends!) but for the most part, I post this out to the world wide web and while it feels very personal to me, it probably doesn’t mean anything in the scheme of things. (See here we go again! My mind goes to that negative place a lot!)

So, bit by bit (“Bird by Bird” according to Anne) I am getting started, I am being creative, I am writing and people are reading it. All of my research, reading, thinking and writing is towards my goal. I have already started and this blog is exactly what I needed to keep me going! I hope it helps you too.

Be well,

Teresa

Additional Reading:

Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

The Art of Impossible, Steven Kotler

Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business, Jenny Blake

I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time, Laura Vancerkam

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help, Amanda Palmer