a peek inside the fishbowl

I went to bed early last night and actually woke up without having to force myself out of bed. I was a little creaky and sore this morning (from the gym yesterday) but once I got moving I limbered up quickly enough.

I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to slip into a state of vegetativeness and how hard it can be to motivate yourself to get out of that slump. It’s hard. It takes effort. But time and time again I realize that the small bit of effort is worth it.

Would I rather (a) feel tired and crabby, or (b) spend some focused energy on feeling good?

I’m going with the latter.

One good breakfast (huge bowl of oatmeal), a mini-workout on the Wii Fit, and one latte later I’m sitting here in front of my LiteBook (yes, it works!) thinking about how the rest of my day is going to unfold.

I’m doubling today’s task. It’s a two-fer:

• help someone out (i.e. volunteer, or do a good deed)
• do something out of my comfort zone

As it happens I was asked to do participate in something today, something that embodies both points. I will describe it later today. There is a mightily shameful confession involved in this one too. Gah. But I will say this: volunteering does make me feel good. The kind of volunteering I’ve been doing lately is fairly low-key. I’m on the board of our community association and I maintain their website. I also volunteer at Sarah’s school from time to time. It’s about all the volunteering I can muster. (There is such a thing as volunteer burn out!)

I think the trick is to find a cause you connect with and find the right balance for you.

Volunteering makes me feel good in many ways. I’m getting out of the house, meeting people, helping people, and using my brain. All good things, right?

Do you volunteer? Do share! If not, what kind of volunteering would you consider doing?

(Will update this post later today with the results of my two tasks.)

Update: 9:15 p.m.

Well, this day sure did not turn out like I had expected.

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me if I would come help out for one afternoon in a food kitchen for the homeless. Here’s where my unpleasant confession comes in. My first reaction: no thanks. I hate even admitting that. How awful. But then I gave myself as a swift kick in the pants. I was asked. I had nothing booked. I had to help, even if it was out of my comfort zone.

I was all set to go (and strangely nervous!) but then my friend called to tell me her kids (all three, I think!) were down with chicken pox. It was a no-go. I had no way to get there.  (Fortunately the kitchen had lots of people coming out to volunteer so we weren’t leaving anyone in the lurch. Phew.)

But this left me without a good deed to do. I thought about my friend at home with her children and the idea came to me. I got out my recipe book and made a couple loaves of oatmeal molasses bread. The girls brought thr prettiest one over, (the other was a bit of a dud), along with a get-well card Sarah made.

Not exactly what I had planned, but I think it worked out okay. Good deed done!

And now, I just want to lie on the couch and drink tea. I’m zonked.

As I leaned over to kiss her goodbye I noticed her hair was tinged with frost. Her cheeks were red. My face felt frozen. Her coat was crispy. I hightailed it out of there and speedwalked back home, where hot coffee and a breakfast of hot oatmeal (which I came dangerously close to seasoning with cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon) were waiting for me.

This winter is getting me down. Usually I do pretty well, but for some reason I’m not coping as well this year. So I’ve decided to get proactive about it. Every day this week I am going to do something specific to beat down those January blues.

I’ll post my task every morning, and update it later that day (when it’s done). No excuses. 

ALSO: I will use my Litebook for 30 minutes every morning. I will be diligent about taking my vitamins and will try to be in bed at a reasonable hour.

Today’s task: Do something physical. Even though it’s freezing outside, I will leave my cocoon, go to the gym, and do a full workout. While I’m doing it I will remember that just last week the trainer stopped to tell me how slim & fabulous I looked. (!) Reason enough to keep going, right? ;)

LATER (1:30 p.m.):

It’s done. I’ve been to the gym and back. And I almost didn’t go. Just before I left I realized my iPod shuffle was totally out of juice. I can’t work out without music. I CAAAaaaannnn’t! But I decided it was a stupid excuse, and that I had to go anyway, music or no music.

I did my regular 25 minutes on the elliptical trainer – entirely to the beat of my own drum – and did a full a series of reps on every machine. I didn’t skip any because I was “too tired” … something I have been known to do. Afterwards I trudged home and had a super long hot shower AND I also got rid of two bottles o’ bathroom stuff. Ha! You see, I have been participating in something I like to call Operation Purge, in which I target the mess of half-empty bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotions and other beauty-related goop I have accumulated over the years. It may sound manic, but I truly love finishing off a bottle of stuff and getting rid of it. It is such a satisfying feeling. I got to pitch two of them today, and make the space under the cabinets a tiny bit neater.

As an added bonus, Mark brought us home some shwarma for lunch, which included a tiny bite of baklava, just for me. Isn’t he nice?

I am feeling pretty good right now.

We’re thinking of getting each of our kids their own little digital camera for their birthdays. (Sarah will be 8, Emma will be 10.) Anyone have any recommendations to share?

It should be easy-to-use, point and shoot, and crank out a decent photo. I would love to get your input on this before we start going through consumer reports.

Thanks!