Five Simple Things (January 31)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This tea.

I received this Carpathian Mountains Tea from Kiwi Eco Box, and I decided to bag it and try it this week. The tea leaves are hand-gathered along the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. I love the fact that I can support a small business and give back to Ukraine during this time. I will always stand by "NO WAR."

2. These ribbons.

This week, we said goodbye to Skip, Jeff's uncle. He had always been a nice man to me and treated me respectfully. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he served his time as a medic. He was a hard worker, a kind, and an overall generous man. He had wounds from his time in Vietnam and carried those with him physically and mentally. He was always a gentle man to Skylar and nicknamed him "Deets" from the Westerns he used to watch. He loved our dogs and was always welcoming to us when we walked to his house to visit. I miss those times, and we will miss him. I talked to him once about how I felt about things happening within the family, and his words I have carried with me. He said, "If we don't feel wanted where we feel we should, we have to make choices to protect our peace." After he said that, I made a choice. I am so appreciative that he talked to me and made me feel less of an outcast within Jeff's family. He spoke to me a few other times about things said or done over the years. He was a good person, and I value his words. He will always be one of the good ones to me. I hope he has now found peace and can rest his mind. These flags and black ribbons are for you, Gary "Skip" McDonough. I hope you are resting in peacefully now and know how much you meant to us and everyone that knew you.

3. These cookies.

I have perfected these chocolate chip cookies over years, and they are delicious! Here are a few other recipes to try (Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways).

4. This rainbow.

Always a delight to see in the skies here in Oregon on a rainy day.

5. This show.

This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. We didn't have cable growing up and I replied a lot on Public Broadcasting. I learned a lot through many of the programs, and loved when Mathnet would come on. This show taught me about square roots, long division, and algebraic geometry. When I see "defund PBS" online, I always get sad at how fast people are to want to get rid of programs that helped/help so many of us. Some of the people posting actually grew up watching the same programs, and are around my age group. The logic behind that falls short for me. We have donated one car, with another to be donated soon, to Public Broadcasting here in Oregon (OPB) and we are so happy that we could help keep these shows on air for kids growing up like I did.

One last thing:

This moment was posted by Patti Smith, a writer, singer, poet, and author. She captured this moment perfectly, because it gives us a chance to relate in a way that allows us a quiet, universal realization of simply needing to pause and exist. Sometimes it's okay to sit and reflect on nothing but that moment. And thanks to the "godmother of punk" I will do just that this weekend.

Positive affirmations this week:

Resilience to tough situations is a good mindset to have, but there are times that test us to the brink of making us feel like we are losing that resilience. There is this "high road" myth that exists. There are certain times that call for that, but there are other times that setting firm boundaries needs to be done. You do not need to tolerate abuse simply to keep the peace. It is okay to say no when someone crosses those boundaries. The key is to be able to bounce back resiliently after those boundaries have been given. Having guilt afterwards is because of your own empathy, but we must learn when to have that empathy and when not to. Keep setting those boundaries and keep working on your resilience through your healing.

You can do this!🌈