Time for Happy Thoughts

Tags

author, Health, mood, Writer

I read an article that said everyone can develop skills to improve our optimism. As the product of parochial schooling, I confess to being skeptical.

But the one thing I am sure of is that every optimist surrounds themself with positive people.

Mother used to say, “You are only as good as the company you keep.”  If you’re around gloomy people, there’s a good chance you won’t be smiling. I am now making it my mission to dodge negativity. I plan to surround myself with supportive friends who have positive outlooks. As they say, if you want to soar with the eagles, you have to stop hanging out with the ducks.

Optimism is a learned habit, and it can be contagious – even during quarantine. Surround yourself with people who can infect you with positivity.  Then, pass your new good mood on to a friend or stranger – let somebody have that parking space, let that person with only a few items cut in front of you at the market.  The simple act of doing something nice for others is actually a good pick-me-up all by itself.

Award-winning author Renee Garrison’s latest book is Anchored Together.

Early to bed, early to rise…

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bed, diary, Home, mood, scientists, sleep, tired, vacation

This morning I was awakened at 4:30 by an elderly dog with a bladder problem. As I write this, I know that my energy will evaporate by mid-afternoon and my ability to write coherently will cease.
I’ve read about research that indicates getting too little sleep causes cognitive and health declines as well as weight gain. (Thank God wine and chocolate have nothing to do with it…)
I also remember my mother insisting that I needed 8 hours of sleep every night. But doctors have learned that sleep needs vary between individuals. According to recent studies people sleep 6 hours, 31 minutes on weekdays and 7 hours, 22 minutes on weekends.
However, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine says getting just 20 or 30 minutes less than the minimum recommendation of seven hours can slow cognitive speed and increase attention lapses. Huh?
How much sleep do YOU need?
It’s kind of easy to figure it out.
Experts say we can figure out our optimal amount of sleep in a trial of three days or a week – ideally while on vacation. Don’t use an alarm clock. Go to sleep when you get tired. Avoid too much caffeine or alcohol. And stay off electronic devices for a couple of hours before going to bed. During the trial, track your sleep with a diary or a device that records your actual sleep time. If you feel refreshed and awake during the day, you’ve probably discovered your optimal sleep time.
Congratulations – now I’m going back to bed.

The power of place

Tags

Architecture, Community, environment, Memories, mood, motherhood

Driving through Hyde Park recently, I passed the Methodist Church where I once enrolled my 3-year-old daughter in “Mother’s Morning Out.” For a nominal fee, children played from 9 a.m. until noon, under the supervision of an elderly couple (probably my current age, but without benefit of hair color or moisturizer.)

My darling Katie cried for all three hours – no amount of cajoling from the couple could stem her tide of tears. After three unsuccessful attempts, they suggested I keep her at home. In disbelief, I stood outside the playroom one morning and listened to be sure their claims were true. Her whimper escalated to a wail and, when neither of us could bear it any longer, I rushed in to retrieve her.

Sitting in my car at the stop sign, I felt the same raw anguish in the pit of my stomach. It could have happened yesterday – the pain was so real. Oddly, my daughter is now 31 and contemplating a child of her own.

I am continually amazed by the power of place: so strong, it can transport you to another time. Sheer geography – bricks and mortar – can elicit memories so vivid they can bring you to a smile (or a sob) in an instant.

Have you ever experienced it (or should I contact a mental health professional immediately?)

The Sunshine Award

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Architecture, Awards, clothing, Conversation, Dreams, dress code, environment, Family, fashion, Humor, Memories, mood, Writer

I want to thank the wildly creative Kate at MasonBentleyStyle for nominating me for this lovely award. The international fashion press will soon be writing about her vintage-inspired designs!

My 10 questions from Kate:
1. Who is your style icon?The elegant, glamorous and ageless Carolina Herrera, who was elected to the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1980 and remains there to this day. Her signature crisp, white shirt – with cuffs turned back and collar turned up – is impeccable. (Hell, I’ve watched the woman chew gum elegantly!)

2. What are you wearing right now?
A “Simply Vera” Vera Wang dress for Kohl’s. Ever since Target Corp. successfully broke the mold and asked Isaac Mizrahi to design a capsule collection for their stores (a one-time product partnership between a high-end designer and a retail chain,) others have followed: Who could imagine Versace for H&M or Georgina Chapman of Marchesa designing prom gowns for JC Penney? It’s a treat for those of us who can’t afford couture.

3. Where was your best holiday?We spent 10 lovely days in Villefranche sur Mer while our son attended the University of Monaco. The lavender and rosemary-scented air was so fragrant…I’ve never been able to replicate it at home. Life moves at a more leisurely pace there (which gave me more time to enjoy the delicious café crème!)

4. And your worst?
We were staying on Useppa Island, off the west coast of Florida and my husband had to return to Tampa for business meetings. He left by boat and literally abandoned me with our 5-year-old daughter and infant son on an island without electrical power or generators. I was sitting in the dark (actually candlelight) when my sweet friend called and asked, “Renee, have you ever seen “The Shining?”

5. Did you learn much at school?
Certainly the basic tenets of journalism, but I also learned success is not something you HAVE. Success is something you DO. It’s something you experience when you wake up and act accordingly.

6. Could you predict your life?
Heavens, no, but I suppose that’s a blessing. I graduated from college with a journalism degree and established a career as a writer – that prediction came true. I supposed I intended to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but if I’d pursued that I might not have had time or energy to raise my amazing son and daughter. What is that saying…”Life is what happens while you’re making other plans?”

7. What was the first album you bought?
Sooooo long ago, but I’m guessing it might be James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” or Carole King’s “Tapestry.”

8. Could you live in another country?
I’d move to the south of France or Tuscany in a heartbeat!

9. If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
I would be called “Spring” or “Summer.” I love the colors and growth associated with those two seasons. Every time I hear the Olympic swimmer Summer Sander’s name, I smile.

10. If you could have any person be your mentor, who would it be?
After her husband’s suicide, Katharine Graham led her family’s newspaper, The Washington Post, for two decades. She was unsure of herself but totally sure of her principles: The Pentagon Papers and Watergate are milestones in journalistic history. Kay Graham understood two rules of business: Surround yourself with talented people , then nourish them with responsibilities and gratitude. Her memoir, “Personal History,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.

And now, my 10 Questions:
1. What was the best advice you ever received?
2. What inspires you?
3. What is most important in life, to you?
4. Who is your style icon?
5. Can you describe your perfect day?
6. Where was your best holiday?
7. Have you ever had an Oprah Winfrey “Aha moment?”
8. Do you have any regrets?
9. Does religion/spirituality play a significant role in your life?
10. What would your epitaph be?

I’ve nominated these blogs for the Sunshine Award:
1. YumandYummer – You’ll love Kerry’s cooking and travel adventures!
2. Rose of Bohemia’s World – This Manhattanite is a fabulous tourguide of what to see and where to eat!
3. Digging Archaeology – Someday I’d love to assist on a dig with her!
4. Sadie and Dasie – A photography blog featuring two darling dogs.
5. Crooked Halo Catholic blogspot.com – Nanette muses about spiritual issues.

The Rules:
Include the award logo in a post on your blog.
Link to the person who nominated you.
Answer 10 questions about yourself.
Nominate 10 bloggers in the post and comment on their blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

Haphazard

Tags

Hair, Humor, mood

Whether they were imperfect updos, off-center buns or masses of messy waves, models walked the runways with do-it-yourself hairstyles for spring. There wasn’t a controlled hair in sight.

Loose ends “should look like a curtain that’s covering the bun,” insisted celebrity hairstylist Orlando Pita. “It’s how girls are dressing today, but in a way that’s kind of haphazard. It’s something that translates well to the average woman.”

Haphazard? You bet…I can do that.

According to Rose Weitz, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Arizona State University, who wrote the book, Rapunzel’s Daughters, What Women’s Hair Tells Us About Women’s Lives: “In part because our hair plays such a large role in how we view ourselves and are viewed by others, it offers us many opportunities for pleasure. Each day our hair provides us with the means to create ourselves anew – at least until our perm, release or hair dye grows out.

“And in comparison to losing weight, affording a better-looking wardrobe or finding true love, changing our lives by changing our hair seems downright easy.”

In that case, let me find my brush.

Just ask Cinderella

Tags

fashion, mood, Vreeland, wardrobe

Fashion legend Diana Vreeland once said the first place to put your clothing dollars is in shoes.  According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, women spent $38.5 billion on shoes in the U.S. last year.  (I fear I may have contributed slightly to that amount…)

Quality was Vreeland’s chief priority. But there’s another reason that shoes top so many seasonal shopping lists:  More than any other item, they beacon fashion changes and establish its prevailing mood.

Case in point? The wedge. Out of fashion for decades, it’s now striding onto center stage for summer in bright leathers or woven rope and raffia.