Tag: wellness

Embracing Blessings: A Reflection on a Busy Thursday Morning

And here we go! Thursday morning, and this is shaping up to be a busier than normal sort of day. More to do this day than others. But it’s also a day that I choose to celebrate all of the blessings I have been fortunate to get. It can be easy, almost second-nature, to miss so much of life. I can remember the days before the cell phone, streaming television, round the clock news, and even computers. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to have a blog in the days of the typewriter! And inspite of all of the technology, I think I’ve been fortunate.

The sun should be slowly appearing in the East horizon. I think I’ll grab a cup of coffee and watch this day unfold.

Turn off the technology. Or simply set it to mute, and watch the sun announce this day. How have you been blessed? Share your blessings on this day.

Embracing the New Day: Awe and Wonder of the Exquisite June 8, 2024 Sunrise at 6:08 AM

The sunrise, often indescribable, holds awe and wonder. Some days, waking before dawn to witness the orange-filled sky, magnificence, and grandeur, marks the beginning of a new day. This daily spectacle surpasses words and encourages moving forward. A picture from June 8, 2024, at 6:08 am captures its beauty.

Not sure about you, but the part of the day that can often be indescribable is the sunrise. There are some days that I will waken before dawn, and can watch or observe this day start. I can still awaken before the dawn on somedays. Some I will sleep through. I’m not sure if that can be attributed to Army service. Perhaps it’s due to driving an hour to work. Some days are so filled with awe and wonder.

To witness the sky slowly beginning as an orange-filled sky can be beyond description. When the clouds are just right, the sky takes on a grandeur. Its magnificence lets me know that this is the beginning of a new day. The day is just beginning, and to wallow in the yesterdays just doesn’t do much of anything.

It’s better, I guess to just show a picture, from June 8, 2024 at 6:08 am.

“This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24, KJV

Navigating Digital and Analog Communication in the Modern Age

Maintaining connections with people has become a challenge. Parkinson’s affects handwriting, making it difficult to write letters. Speech-to-text technology has improved communication. Technology has decreased postal correspondence, but digital and analog communication should coexist. Different occasions may call for different forms of communication. Integrating technology into friendships requires considering alternative means of contact.

Part 1

It seems, at least to me, that it is much more of a challenge to maintain and nurture connections with people. Not sure what’s going on, but here are a few thoughts.

The written word

As my handwriting continues to become a bit more illegible, I am not likely to write a full letter. Even with ruled pages, my script will not be on the line. Above, below, but never with anysort of predictability where it should be. So, it is not my most comfortable form of communicating. Tremors that are a part of Parkinson’s will often cause letters to be misshaped to the point of being unintelligible. And that’s even for me, the writer who cannot even read what he wrote. Just the way it is.

The advances in technology for speech-t0-text have been transformational for me. Learning how to add punctuation, “Period,” “Question mark,” “Comma,”Exclamation mark,” have made it easier to write something. This simple capability of technology has given me much more opportunity to communicate and connect without having to rely on pen and paper.

Old or new

I have observed over many, many years that as technology has become more ubiquitous, correspondence delivered by the post office has declined. Can a SMS be an adequate or equivalent form to a postcard? No. Can an email equate to a letter? Definitely not. Not wanting to categorize all technology as bad, let me propose that there must be some sort of balance between the digital communication and the analog communication. Consider that there are some instances, selected events, particular gatherings that are better served with digital, and some analog.

What determined that writing a thank you note, placed in an envelope, addressed and with the postal stamp was not necessary, even perhaps just a wrong thing? I can remember writing thank you notes for birthday gifts, holiday gifts and much more. To receive a thank you social media post, or sms text message isn’t a written one. Not to worry, I know that the mode that each one communicates in differs. And that’s alright with me. I am letting you understand more about my own disciplines.

For now

If you find yourself with a friend who have integrated technology rather than uses technology, ask “So, how can I get back with you if I have any questions?” Would a physical, mailing address work? A phone number (not the corded variety, more than likely a wireless or digital or mobile)?

The times are and have changed. The IoT is present.

Sleep

To begin, I have been living with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive sleep apnea (think those are the correct words) for a decade or so. Forgive me if I’ve used the wrong words or been more precise in the time, I have never been able to have a precise recall of any event. I use a CPAP machine. And now that the background has been conveyed – oh yes, I am also living through Parkinson’s disease – we can talk about my sleep pattern.

My evening routine is be in bed by 10:30 pm. At 10:00 pm I head to the bedroom. Last round of medications, prepare CPAP machine, and then sleep. My goal is to sleep 7 or 8 hours. That should put wake-up around between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. No alarm clock on the nightstand for a long, long time has been a great part of setting the environment for optimum sleep.

Then, there is Parkinson’s disease to contend with. I am not sure how much my restless leg syndrome or generalized tremors disrupt my sleep, but there are nights where my sleep will be more like two or three naps, stitched together with periods of no sleep between 4 to 6 hours of sleep.