Friday, April 5, 2013

This is what my life looks like: Random 5 Friday

I blog about living with OCD, depression and anxiety. I write a lot about what OCD is like and how I deal with it, how I handle the resurgence of depression and what happens when anxiety seems to overwhelm me.
But part of what I want to do with my blog is to show that life can be full and happy regardless of the obstacles that we face. Everyone has obstacles, hard times, illnesses, troubles, pain. And everyone can find reasons to rejoice in life and to keep on putting one foot in front of the other, moving towards a life that gives them satisfaction and contentment.
With that in mind, I’m sharing five random facts again this week, linking up with Nancy Claeys’ A Rural Journal.
These random facts about me and my days are just a few examples of how even the little things in life add to its beauty.

April snow at dusk in our backyard.

1. On Thursday, April 4, in central Virginia, it snowed. I couldn’t believe it. It looked like large cotton balls falling from the sky. We only got a light covering, but it was still strange to see the snow mixing with the dogwood blooms, the flowering pears and the daffodils. The photo above shows the snow in our backyard. On the right side, about midway up, you can see a small stand of daffodils. I didn’t get close enough for a really good shot—still wearing The Monster Boot and using my extra paws!



My new haircut.

2. I got a long-needed haircut on Thursday. I haven’t gotten one in almost a year. Larry already had an appointment to get a haircut, and when I mentioned the other day that I thought I’d call the stylist to see if she had an opening for me, Larry said, “Well, if she doesn’t, you can have my appointment.” Yes, he was being sweet. He was also apparently telling me that, yes indeed, I needed a cut! Getting a new look always raises my spirits. Do you feel like that when you get a haircut?

3. Also on Thursday (a busy day!), Larry and I ate at a fabulous Indian restaurant in Lynchburg. They have a lunch buffet with many delicious foods, plenty of vegetarian selections for me and plenty with meat for Larry. Whenever I walk into the restaurant, the scents and sights take me back 25 years to when I lived in Ohio and had a good friend from India who loved to cook. I learned to love Indian food and hospitality by spending time with her.

4. I’m getting ready to start a new book. It’s Ransom River by Meg Gardiner. Gardiner writes exciting mysteries/thrillers that you don’t want to put down. And she’s an intelligent and talented writer to boot. I love the anticipation that comes before starting a book that I know is going to be good!

5. April is National Poetry Month. I plan to reread some favorites and discover some new poetry this month. My favorite poet is Mary Oliver. I read and reread her poems, always catching something new: a new idea, a new way of seeing. I memorize my favorites and recite them to myself some nights as I go to sleep. Reciting her poems is a way of praying for me.

To read others’ random 5 facts or to participate, go to Nancy’s blog.



What’s a small thing that makes life more enjoyable for you?

54 comments:

  1. Hi Tina, you look great! Love the new haircut! A small thing that makes life more enjoyable for me is being able to appreciate the people and things that I have in my life.
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Linda. Appreciating what we have is so important, I've found. It makes me feel good to remember my blessings.

      Delete
  2. Love the haircut Tina!! You look wonderful! I can't believe you got snow yesterday - this has been such a crazy spring hasn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Keith. Yes, snow. I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought the weather was supposed to be raining. Apparently a cold front moved in and changed it to snow for a while.

      Delete
  3. aren't haircuts the greatest? they really make you feel fresh & new. a simple change to us that can mean the world. have a great day. ( :

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Beth. It really is a simple and easy way to feel, as you say, fresh and new. I don't know why I waited so long.

      Delete
  4. Your haircut looks great! - I'm a little nuts about getting regular haircuts - every January, I schedule all my appointments for an entire year. I've never gotten into poetry very much, although I'd like to. Thanks for mentioning your favorite, I think I'll check her out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen. That's a good idea, to plan the appointments ahead of time. That would keep me from getting the overgrown, unkempt look! :-) I hope you do check out Mary Oliver. She's a treasure!

      Delete
  5. Yum, I haven't had Indian food in ages!

    Your haircut looks great.

    I had to drive home in that snow last night and the roads were awful. I saw two flipped cars. I drove soooo slow and made it home safely, thankfully.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lisa. I'm so glad you got home safely! I heard that the snow was heavier in your area.

      Sounds like it's time for some Indian food!

      Delete
  6. Love the haircut Tina. Have a nice weekend it is starting to warm up here but I have no idea what it is like back home:) Take care B

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Buttons. I hope you are having a great time with your girls!

      Delete
  7. I agree with the others - Your Hair Cut is Fabulous!!!
    Happy 5 Day!
    -g-

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like your hair!
    Probably what I should do to mine as it is long and frizzy hanging down my back.
    Have a wonderful week-end!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lea. I go through stages where I want long hair. But it gets flat on top and starts dragging me down. Then I cut it off. Then I start thinking about long hair again. :-)

      Delete
  9. happy R Friday and if it makes you feel EVEN BETTER ? Here in Western PA we don't even have anything blooming and it was 29 degrees this morning :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debra, 29 degrees in April? Brrrrr! Hope it warms up for you soon so you can get some spring flowers. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.

      Delete
  10. I can so relate to you! I too have issues with anxiety but am overcoming them with EMDR therapy. Your haircut is fabulous. My parents live in Lynchburg! I just finished a book to and posted about it in my random 5! So glad I stopped in today.

    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tracey, I'm glad you stopped by, too! I'm glad you are getting help for your anxiety. It's not fun, is it? We live about 20 miles south of Lynchburg, and I spent a lot of my working life in the city.

      Delete
  11. A new haircut always lifts the spirits, doesn't it?
    I'm thinking about Indian food for dinner now...the buffets are a favorite!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tina, haircuts, especially after a long wait, will indeed lift the spirits! I think Indian food for dinner sounds like a plan. I love the buffets, too, because I can try different dishes.

      Delete
  12. a fun five.....mother nature is so cranky this year!! LOVE the haircut, looks awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Debbie. Mother Nature does seem to have trouble making up her mind! :-)

      Delete
  13. Your hair looks awesome! Yes, something about a haircut makes me feel spunky. Sometimes I really go nuts and will have it chopped off really, really short.
    I'm glad you were able to enjoy a snowfall. We had a ton of snow in Iowa this year and we had lots of drifts over my head. Driving out from our back driveway, it was like a tunnel..kind of cool. I'm ready for it to be gone now and for Spring but I like a fresh snowfall and how it makes me feel cozy to watch it fall through the window.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Krystal Lynn. I like that word "spunky."

      I would love it if we got more snow during the winter, but I understand you growing tired of it. When I lived in Ohio, during my first winter, once it snowed for the first time in November, there was snow on the ground the entire season. I got a bit tired of it.

      Delete
  14. agree with everyone... awesome haircut!! sometimes even a little thing can really offer a boost!
    also agree it is the season of "strange weather". t-shirt weather one day, coat and gloves the next. today (and the rest of the weekend) is rainy and cold here. so grateful for an umbrella and a warm/dry house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Becky. It did give me a boost! The weather has been very changeable here, too. I don't always know how to dress in the mornings--turtleneck or short sleeves?

      Delete
  15. Love the haircut. You look great!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love your new haircut! You have such beautiful, thick, full hair!

    Snow!!! We haven't had any this week but we did have some last week or the week before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Elizabeth. It's been a funny spring for the weather. I'll take the cooler temperatures while we can get them, though--I dread it getting hot!

      Delete
  17. I love Indian food but I haven't had it a long time! For a while, I was making it myself, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristina, I love the mix of flavors in Indian food. I've never tried cooking any dishes, but I do have some recipes in a vegetarian cookbook I have. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  18. Your new haircut looks wonderful! And I absolutely agree, that they feel fantastic to get - I feel like a new person every single time!

    I did not know that it's National Poetry Month! My favorite is Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay (probably because my professor has memories of playing in her home as a young boy - and tells us the story often)!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Amanda. I haven't read a lot of Millay's poetry, but I enjoy what I have read. I'll have to revisit her this month!

      Delete
  19. It looks like you live in a beautiful place!
    Meg's books? I love them. She is an author that I have recently discovered. And yes, a new haircut makes me feel awesome.
    I always tell my grown daughter to write down these moments. Then when her depression hits hard....she should pull out and read those things as a reminder. And duh,....I also need to do this myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Middle Child. That's a good idea--to write down the moments that lift our spirits so we can remember them later.

      I'm always glad when Meg Gardiner comes out with a new book!

      Delete
  20. Hi Tina, Love the post! Your haircut is adorable. Your backyard looks so serene, like a magical place to twirl around while looking at the sky. Thanks, have a great weekend:-)

    Madison

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Madison. It is a nice backyard to stand in and look up at the sky, especially at night.

      Delete
  21. Loved the glimpse into your day. And the photos, especially of you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sounds like you had an enjoyable week, Tina -- despite the snow! Love your new "do" -- I haven't had a real haircut in about 10 years. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I saw on the news last night that Virginia had snow. Mother Nature is sure taking her time arriving in your neck of the woods, isn't she? Pretty photo of your back yard. Your haircut looks great. I need one too. My daughter usually does mine and I'm going to have to nail down a time this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration.

    I hope you enjoy your book and have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Grace. It has been an odd spring. Usually it gets very warm very early. I don't mind holding the heat off for a while!

      Delete
  24. Love your new cut/style! The book sounds very good. Hope you have an enjoyable weekend and hope it warms up soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. I think the temps are supposed to get into the 70s next week, so spring should be here for good soon!

      Delete
  25. I love your haircut! It's beautiful.

    I have never read Meg Gardiner's mysteries, but i'll want to check them out. They sound like just my thing. :) I love a good, well written mystery to become engrossed in. The snow in your photo looks pretty. But i think the time for snow should be passed. lol. Bring on the warmer weather!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary. Yes, the time for snow has passed! I love Meg Gardiner's books. They're an absorbing read, a good mystery, with intelligent writing.

      Delete
  26. Awesome haircut, Tina! You look so cute!

    I will have to check out that book. I'm always looking for good recommendations. I'll download a sample to my kindle.

    I'm with Mary, time to say goodbye to the snow for the year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sunny. It's neat how we can download samples of books on our e-readers, isn't it? Helps me make up my mind sometimes.

      Delete
  27. Beautiful haircut Tina! I'm jealous of your thick hair!
    Here it's not snowing anymore, but still very cold.
    But yesterday the Sun was out and it just made me so happy.
    Spring IS near!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Klaaske. I'm glad you enjoyed the sunshine. It's nice to see such lovely signs of spring.

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.