You Have Permission!

 

Have you been needing permission to go against the flow, be the odd one out, or break the habit?

Then here it is: "You have permission to shut it off."

When "it" is raising your stress levels, filling your mind with fear & darkness, or simply wasting your time...

Just try it! Turn off the power and notice the difference! In fact you may not know just how much "it" is negatively affecting you until you do so.

What then?! Start to notice all the beauty and gifts around you... or if that is hard to spot right now, look for a way to bring joy to another!

What is your "it"?

• the news

• the ads

• the drama

• the posts

• the stories

• the music

• the talk

• ...

Stop and notice how "it" raises your blood pressure, tightens your muscles, takes over your thoughts, and makes you more depressed, irritable or even fearful.

And when that happens, simply shut it off!

We were made for much more than media!

❤️ Hannah

The Autumn Push

Though we don't farm any of the miles of fields all around, late summer-autumn always meant a seasonal rush of work even in our family. Dad had to fit most of the plowing in of telephone cable after the crops came off, but before freeze-up.

And though that work was sold with the telephone company, these have been extra full weeks again!

Besides garden harvest, the post-mold-remediation house-rebuilding entered a new phase of finish-work. Dad spent days and weeks sanding and spraying paint and finish on woodwork in the shed until it got too cold. 

Then the work moved into the basement (through the window) where Mom and Elsa joined the action.

Meanwhile, Dad had prepared the new subfloor in the porch for tiling. He and I laid the tiles together, and I am still working on cleaning up in preparation for grout.

I also took two trips to town to get our Toyotas serviced - spending a couple hours in the waiting room each time (good knitting time) and running errands, which are huge wins in this healing journey - unthinkable a year or two ago!

It felt so strange to drive through town traffic and enter the grocery store I hadn't seen in probably a decade. To fight the rising stress responses of overwhelm, disorientation, and even grief over "lost" years, I chose to praise God and focus on the progress.

Then another rare event was my driving alone the hour to my sister's house for some lively family-time. The largest, multi-pronged carrot from our raised bed gardens was a hit with the littles!

Back home, I mowed lawn twice this year... a huge win.

A couple days ago Dad and I also got the roses covered for winter. First dirt, then leaves.

Mom and Elsa cleared vegetable and flower gardens.

And I picked in a basket full of bouquet-makings just in time.

This morning we woke to snow! 

Autumn Joys 2023

What do you love about Autumn?!

For some, the season can mean increased pain, allergies, and other symptoms. So it's important for our health and wellbeing that we focus on the gifts and joys the season brings!

My list of Autumn Joys includes:
• cool breezes with warm sun
• colored leaves & the sound they make underfoot
• cosy, longer evenings
• wool sock & sweater weather
• the scent of apples cooking

This year we got on a little stroll through the woods. Amazing!

What is one [or more] of your Autumn Joys?!

Photos taken on our annual autumn drive, 9.28.23