Five Simple Things (February 26)

Hello.

This past week we took a trip to an area of Oregon named Deadwood and took in the sights along the way. We ended up at the Deadwood Cemetery, which has gravesites dating back to 1883 and listed with the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries. We walked through the grave markers and sadly there's a lot of children and mothers to those children. A lot of them had been buried together and there isn't a lot of things with the dead that get to me enough to bring tears, but the ones with mothers that die in childbirth and people that died at my age. We paid our respects at the cemetery and continued on our road trip. We stopped at the Deadwood Fire Department, and on our way there we passed through Shedd, Oregon, and Skylar got to try out a pay phone for the first time. Unfortunately, the two pay phones in Shedd weren't working, but it was still nostalgic to pretend. Here are five things this week.

1. These ☏ Booths.

First time Skylar got to use a pay phone and unfortunately neither one of them worked. We were kind of bummed about that, but it was still fun to play around with them for awhile.

2. This Kombucha.

This is the best kombucha, in my opinion. We have stopped drinking regular sodas and switched to sparkling waters and kombucha as a treat. We enjoy this brand's flavors, as well as Clear Mind from Brew Doctor's Kombucha. If you are trying to quit sodas and love the taste of Dr. Pepper, I suggest them one highly. You can try them here.

3. This Daytrip.

Such a great little day trip through the area. I haven't seen this area of Oregon before and it was a beautiful view and a nice trip overall.

4. This Drawing.

My therapist this week had me draw how I see myself when I'm around most people that I consider "relatives," or "family." Being someone that suffers from social and generalized anxiety a lot of people always say I talk a lot, but mostly my talking is because of my anxiety, people pleasing, and also a bit of validation seeking. The rambling is from my habit of trying to always fit as much as I can in so the person I'm talking to will like me. It comes from not being taught how to handle myself around other correctly and never being told that it's okay to feel my feelings. I grew up in a house where your feelings were not validated and everything you felt, be is a sickness, or sadness, or even mad, was just for attention. It's really sad that I wasn't allowed to feel what I felt and talked to about that in order to process them better as an adult, but I'm learning how to cope with those issues. Therapy has helped a great deal with being able to express myself and not have to feel like I always need to people please, or hide my emotions and feelings. Being told that you are seeking attention, no matter what you're going through as a child and into your teen years does take a toll on you as an adult. It's a hard place to come out of and this drawing is how I felt most of the time around those people. I still feel this way around some of them and even talking to them on the phone. I am stuck in a hole asking for help and all of them are walking by, talking about me negatively, or ignoring me. The fingernail marks on the side of the hole are definitely there for a reason, too. I am so pleased with the progress I've made and how far I've come from that toxic and dysfunctional behavior of others.

5. This Calligraphy.

While working on the podcast I've taken up calligraphy and enjoy writing the person's name we are on for that week. This week it is Wild Bill Longley and writing their names in calligraphy makes me think it could possibly be a signature from the 1800s. The calligraphy pens I use are here and I've found it quite relaxing, too. You can listen to our latest podcast episode here.

Positive affirmations this week:

Along with taking care of yourself taking care of the environment should also be an important aspect. Plastic is not for the environment, especially single-use plastics. There are ways around plastics and slowly making those changes can help not only the planet, but also yourself. Take care in the items and materials you bring into your home and life. If you can find an alternative to plastic, make those changes for the better.