"Keep doing what you love to the best of your ability. Stop judging and get out of your own way." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Saw this quote today and thought of posting here to hopefully give us a lift.
I did not realize how important nature was to me until I came down sick.
So, I have learned I love nature.
I walk in the forest when able. I am thankful for the 5 min in, rest and then 5 min out.
I drive down a dirt road when able....on a good day I can be away from the house for an hour...the farthest I go is 10 miles on a 25 or 3 mph road...slower if a dirt road.
That lifts my spirits.
As health improves, hoping to find other things I can do.
I also enjoy sharing pics I take on FB
I am trying to find something I love that will also help bring in an income as health improves.
How about you. What do you love to do? Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
got above pic from this website
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I agree, kam. We all need something we love to do! I love to make jewelry and that has brought in some income... not a lot lately .. but over the years it's been very good to me.
And I'm with you.. my new passion is taking pictures. I won't say photography since I don't feel I'm of that caliber yet!
I'd love to take a course in photography, but that means I'd have to buy a better camera!! Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Hi kam,
I love home decorating, photography, going to yard sales, finding a really good bargain, going to the beach, visiting NYC, my grandsons, encouragement through faith in God, and helping someone in need.
Posted by Paul Mall (Member # 27581) on :
Seems we all love nature and Photgraphy
I photograph Nature at it's finest
Paul
Posted by sickntired19 (Member # 21949) on :
I love sewing! I wear only dresses in public and I sew all of them myself. I also like scrapbooking. It is very expensive and quite time consuming so I haven't really done much of it, but I enjoy it!
I love volleyball. I used to play once or twice a week. Now I haven't played for over 6 months and I miss it terribly!
And then some weird things, like organizing. I really enjoy taking a disorganized and cluttery space and making it look fabulous! I also like shopping for other people. I have had dreams of being a professional personal shopper.
And the weirdest of them all, I love potty training kids. I know, I'm psycho or something but I just enjoy it. I love kids and love teaching them to use the toilet! I'm only 20 and so far I have potty trained at least 2 kids, a boy and a girl.
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
I really enjoy listening to music.. i havent done much lately but i did go to a local club on sat to hear ny fav rock cover band! I used to make jewelry too...havent since before i got pregnant. Will likely pack up all my jewelry making supplies soon. Just no energy lately to do much of anything.
When i have a few dollars i really like to shop. Doesnt happen much anymore, but i love finding a bargain!
Right now i enjoy my bed...lol
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
reading. i love romance novels. ok, ok, i know.
i like to be alone, turn on the elevator or classical music and just well, be alone.
Posted by desertwind (Member # 25256) on :
Great post! Nature is my drug! music, writing, running (when I can), hiking, and just hanging with my hubby and golden retriever.
Day trips back home and walking by myself along the river....
Posted by momindeep (Member # 7618) on :
I don't have Lyme but my daughter does...but I really, really enjoy sitting with her. I enjoy our conversations so much, and love just being with her. We have been through so very much together and we have a great togetherness. And the best part is, she enjoys it too. Amazing considering we have been attatched at the hip these past eleven years (not by choice) and it hasn't always been good...many, many dark times.
I also enjoy my grandchildren and my other two children...they keep me young.
I like driving the back roads of my state, not too far from home, with my husband.
And I love visiting my friends in Montana.
Wow, it feels good just writing this...reminds me of the blessings I have in my life.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Very interesting to read these!!
Sickntired... I used to sew all my clothes until it got to where you could buy stuff more cheaply than to make it! But I've recently been wanting my sewing machine back so I can sew.
It's in storage about 800 miles away! Not sure I have room for it here. Darn.
Interesting about dresses too.. one of my great nieces who is 6 yrs old will ONLY wear dresses. I thought that would change when she went to school.. nope!
Oh yeah merrygirl .... a good bargain! Found one today! A $90 jacket for $16 !! a steal Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
surprise!!! i love to ride...
but i love listenting to music and walking the beach too
umm...sickand tired ... could you come visit??? i have some stuff that needs organizing...
Posted by 4Seasons (Member # 14601) on :
I loved being outside in the yard today, looking at the first flowers & seedlings. Spring is coming!
I love petting one of my four cats, one of which is sitting on my lap right now.
I love talking on the phone with a good friend.
I love it when I feel up to taking the dog to the beach - she is a joy to watch.
I love listening to Jackson Browne's music.
I love it when the wildflowers come out in spring!!!
Most of all, I love to be out in nature, especially near rivers, lakes, creeks.
Posted by sickntired19 (Member # 21949) on :
Well, I can assure you that it is cheaper to wear my dresses than normal street cloths! I an make a dress for as little as $7. So yeah.
I am a Christian and I believe in modesty, hence the reason I wear modest, homemade dresses.
@merry- I love shopping and getting deals too! I used to shop, not a lot, but every week I would drop by the mall and check out my few specialty stores. I am a sweater/jacket/hoodie person. Have probably more than 30 and I have paid less than $10 a piece for most of them! LOVE IT!!
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: Very interesting to read these!!
Sickntired... I used to sew all my clothes until it got to where you could buy stuff more cheaply than to make it! But I've recently been wanting my sewing machine back so I can sew.
It's in storage about 800 miles away! Not sure I have room for it here. Darn.
Interesting about dresses too.. one of my great nieces who is 6 yrs old will ONLY wear dresses. I thought that would change when she went to school.. nope!
Oh yeah merrygirl .... a good bargain! Found one today! A $90 jacket for $16 !! a steal
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Wow...great to focus on those things that we love and to read what others love too.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by lpkayak:
umm...sickand tired ... could you come visit??? i have some stuff that needs organizing...
- ME TOO!! I need help TODAY!! I started doing the "paper chase" today and then found myself HERE. Gotta get busy!!
Posted by sickntired19 (Member # 21949) on :
I would love to come and organize your stuff!! All both of you! However, be forewarned that I don't tolerate clutter...if you haven't used it in the last 6 months to year, it goes!! LOL! My mom doesn't appreciate this aspect of my skills!
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo:
quote:Originally posted by lpkayak:
umm...sickand tired ... could you come visit??? i have some stuff that needs organizing...
- ME TOO!! I need help TODAY!! I started doing the "paper chase" today and then found myself HERE. Gotta get busy!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
What do I do with magazines?? Where to donate? I hate throwing them out! And some... I haven't even read!!! Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
magazines go to nursing homes and doctor's offices.
i cancelled most of mine except for taste of home. i was wasn't reading them and it got too expensive. even mike has cut down to about 4.
Posted by Bugg (Member # 8095) on :
I love playing with my dog...I love cuddling with him too...I love looking at pictures of my nieces...I love watching Damages on Netflix...I love laughing...I love listening to music...
When I'm down some days, I love that I can come on this board and not feel so alone...I live in a place where I don't run into many other lyme patients and this board gives me comfort....
Oh, I also forgot, I love doing research on the computer....
Posted by sickntired19 (Member # 21949) on :
Oh my, there are so many possibilities. You could donate them to a homeless shelter, nursing homes, Dr's offices, a thrift store, or even just recycle them. Save out the ones you haven't read and don't buy ANY MORE until those are read. I allow myself a years worth of magazines, but then again, I don't get that many. So if you get lots of them, keep maybe 6 months. Also, find friends who don't get the ones you do and swap magazines. So many options!!
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: What do I do with magazines?? Where to donate? I hate throwing them out! And some... I haven't even read!!!
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
I love to help my kids and others do things they ordinarily wouldnt do,,,in the name of education.
Talked my daughter into laying her own 'Pergo' floor in her huge basement room. Had nasty carpet that got flooded a time or two.
They corrected the drainage problem outside when they built the new deck last year. So this was the last piece of the puzzle.
the flooring goes down real easy snapping together and tapped tight with a special block. The hardest part is starting and stopping,,,cutting the ends.
Absolute hardest is going thru a doorway, cutting off old jamb to height(all my proper tools is 100 miles away).
That and it is going over a concrete floor and it cracked and heaved so had to grind concrete smooth first. That took one whole day.
The prep, cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, and cloroxing the floor and removing dust is the tedious. My daughter is a good cleaner so she is good at it.
Tommorrow I am talking my son into cutting out of his plumbing drain the washer and basement sink drain. Washer dumps water faster than old clogged iron pipe can take it. Runs all over the floor.
So we are going to take old iron pipe out. Rooto rooter out whats left and replace with a couple lengths of 2" plastic that will take all the water the washer can dump.
He says YOU can do that??? I said sure,,and so can you. I could start and do most of it today myself BUT that would shortcircuit the learning curve for HIM.
And thats the most valuable part of the job.
Another daughter has a near new house. They have a unfinished lower level. Always said it NEEDS finishing.
They got a bid the other day for over $20,000 to finish. Dont know what they are planning there. At that price they wont do it.
Maybe we can finish it half at a time for just the cost of materials. That would be doable for both of us.
I am thinking 2 to 3 thousand dollars of materials would go a LONG way. I usually underestimate things tho. All those little things add up so fast.
But unless they want to go real fancy,,and I highly doubt that,,,it will work out.
Probably a bathroom down there will be the most expensive part and wiring outlets etc.
I always liked photography too till somebody took my good camera away from me back in the 80's. Never got another.
I am finding gainful employment hard to come by. Did apply for a job,,, but an old codger limping along, barely able to walk with a mouth full of gauze from getting teeth pulled doesnt make a good first impression.
BUT leg,foot area has gotten significantly stronger in last couple weeks. Now if I could get it not to throb from lack of return blood flow.
Oh and I have to go 100 miles on weekends soon as weather warms up and finish my soffit project,,,too many irons,,,too few fires!!!
Ortho doc cut me loose last week, I can do anything I want except fly.
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Wow Don. I am surprised you aren't out there flying too!
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Doc said no flying,,,he said you climb up a ladder or on a roof,,,you come down same way,,,flying down NOT allowed.
Posted by bashibazouks (Member # 28286) on :
I love animals, especially dogs, and I take so much comfort from them. My dog is my best friend and loves me no matter what... what more can I ask for? Just burying my head in his fur after a long day is therapeutic for me.
Posted by Elaine G (Member # 20735) on :
Stone sculpting, very relaxing. Drawing and oil painting when I put my mind to it.
Walking the beach and finding great shells on Sanibel. Love the smell of the salt almost as good as smelling honeysuckle.
Reading, also.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
So much for serious thinking!
I thought deeply as I read through these nice posts and asked myself what do I love to do? Nothing really jumped out at me, so....
I looked for some inspiration and sat back in the chair, closed my eyes and you know what the first thing was that came to my mind?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh well.
I will try again tomorrow to "think" what ELSE I love to do and hopefully before that same thought is thunked and I take off running... MAYBE I can focus and won't have to "go"... and can come up with a better answer.
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Stone sculpturing....now that sounds like fun.
And collecting shells at the beach. yes. miss the ocean atmosphere
And miss smelling honeysuckle too
Good memories.
Thanks for them.
A friend's daughter made a picture when she was little of a dog and then wrote dogs make me happy.
Her mom framed it. I thought of that picture the other day.
TC Voting for the lyme car and seeing it get in the top 10 makes me happy.
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
I love voting for the lyme car too. Was having trouble getting there,,,seems now resolved and pop right in;
Tincup- you are so funny you should be declared illegal.
Put you and Robin in a sack, shake it up and see who falls out first.
Progress report here,,,!!!! plumbing and all new drain lines intalled on washer drain, basement sink.
We also expanded the project and replaced horizontal shower/tub drain also.
Couldnt get to main bath sink line so just routered it out(now it works right).
IF you have horizontal metal drain pipes in your house,,,take them out and replace them with plastic PVC. You will be so happy ypu did.
metal pipe is 90% rusted out, about to leak, and plugged up to unbelievable degree.
On the huge pergo floor we are partially done. Had very busy several days in a row and ran out of time.
Daughter decided we needed to take part of it back up and do floor leveling compound under a few spots.
Thats the hard part of putting it over concrete!!!! That and grinding cracks smooth enough not to make a teeter totter out of it.
Highs are too high,,,lows are too low. But as I said this floor is huge with
multiple corners,nooks and crannies and different direction of room run. Probably at least 750 square feet.
What do YOU love??
Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :
Lymetoo,
My local library has a box by the door for books/magazines people want to give away for free. Maybe your local library does this.
As far as what I like to do. I love decorating/improving my house but I wish I had more energy to do it. I use to move furniture and paint without blinking an eye. Now I'm not as ambitious but I still like to do it. I get extreme satisfaction and pride out of taking something old, shabby and outdated and giving it new life. For example by painting a piece of furniture and changing the knobs or pulls. My kitchen cabinets were hideous when we moved in and I scrubbed them, oiled them, painted the hinges, and replaced the handles and they look like a million bucks. We thought we would have to replace the cabinets but not anymore. We don't have a lot of money so I have to be creative with how to update things but so far it has always turned out great. Takes a lot of brainstorming but then the light bulb goes off and the idea comes to me. I even updated old ugly lighting fixtures just by painting them. My next plan is to change out all the outlet plates and switch plates with pretty oil rubbed bronze ones. Can do my whole downstairs for $50 w/ones I found on the internet. Would cost quadruple that if I bought them at Lowe's. When I'm stuck at home and I look around and like what I see it makes me happier than being at home and not liking my surroundings.
I also love finding bargains merrygirl! The comfy sweatpants I wear around the house are usually $5 and they were just on sale for $2.50 apiece! I bought them in every color! I wait for everything to go on sale. Even got a great deal on my car! Was posted on Craigslist by a woman who was moving back to England. I offered way less than she was asking but she was leaving in 2 wks. and really had no choice but to accept my offer. Even our house was a bargain. It was a foreclosure. We got a great deal on it!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by just don:
Tincup- you are so funny you should be declared illegal.
Put you and Robin in a sack, shake it up and see who falls out first.
-
- thanks for the tip, laura!
ps.. K-Mart has sweats for $3 right now. I don't wear them but was tempted to buy them at that price!
Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :
I wouldn't go out in public in mine but they sure are comfy! I wear my "dress" sweats for that!
And to think, just a few short years ago I looked like a supermodel. Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :
I wouldn't go out in public in mine but they sure are comfy! I wear my "dress" sweats for that!
And to think, just a few short years ago I looked like a supermodel. Posted by 4Seasons (Member # 14601) on :
I love looking at this link!!!
I was thinking back to the 2 1/2 horrible, nightmarish years I spent caring for my bedridden daughter, and even in the midst of that nightmare I could remember things that I loved:
-reading out loud to her, sometimes hours per day. I read the entire Harry Potter series out loud THREE times! Plus the Inkheart series, Golden Compass series and others. Great books and some great memories. (no Little House on the Prairie, TuTu!)
-We watched the entire five seasons of "I Love Lucy" a few times. Lucille Ball was such a great comedienne. Also, seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls" and other great shows.
-Because she was so isolated, we decided to foster kittens in her bedroom through a local cat rescue group. So, many times there were tiny balls of fur to be cuddled and snuggled. The kittens we raised were always the first to be adopted; they were so well socialized.
I am so, so glad that she is no longer suffering. And I am reminded that even in our darkest hour there is something to be grateful for.
Posted by Deshi (Member # 30949) on :
I am a musician. I was studying jazz in college before I got sick. I want to return to playing, but I think I have nerve damage in my right hand. I cant really play as well as I used to...
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
I did get to read through again, but couldn't post at the time. Now I am on my way to bed.
You all made me laugh though!
Maybe I can at least DREAM of something I love!
And Just Don... funny man you are!
And TuTu.. it wasn't THAT funny! Don't encourage him- you know how he gets!
HA!
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
yesterday, I had a moment of feeling a bit better than usual.
I pretended I was back in my high school days, low riding (only in my power chair this time), crusing the hood (going around the block in my power chair....yep..funeral home is coming along fine that they are building in my hood..zip line to be installed soon from the sr apartments I live in to the funeral home across the canal..
..all is well in the hood
When health is a bit better than usual, I do enjoy going for a cruise in the power chair
Posted by fatherguido (Member # 25266) on :
I like playing with my kids (and wife!) I like working on my house to keep my mind off Lyme I like to skydive and BASE I like beer but that is put on hold for now I like working outside in the sun I like walking my dog I like good Italian cooking I like getting a good night of sleep I like getting together with old friends I like the fact that I am getting better with Lyme
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Not to be a downer, but I find that I am struggling with this thread. I use to love so many things, but now those things are hard to think of. I want to come up with some though, to keep up a positive attitude. So.........
I love the sunshine....its finally out I love being on the beach looking for sea shells I love being with my sweet hubby I love listening to music I love going out to eat I love to read and when I'm healthy I love a glass of wine or a frozen margarita
Posted by searching4truth (Member # 28481) on :
There are so many things that I love to do, but am unable to for about a year now, and I know may of you are in the same boat.
So I am trying to look at what I CAN do today. Right now. Because the present moment is all I have, and I need to celebrate that. I am too sick most days to do much, but I love:
Baking. It is therapy to me.
Watching movies. Especially while cuddling my daughter in bed in the morning, before we have even gotten out of bed.
Reading. Although printed word is difficult to comprehend. So I bought a nook, an electronic reader, and I can change the size, brightness, and contrast, and I can read again!
Drinking a good cup of coffee.
And I love the fact that I am beginning to be ok with the fact that all I can do is bake a little, watch tv, read a little. I went from working in a fast paced company designing snowboard and ski clothes to not even being able to sew. I picked up a violin and music addiction and was taking lessons and classes, but have not played in a year. It was really hard to realize I cannot do these things anymore. Or at least right now.
I love the fact that I am (most days) ok with doing so little. I have learned to celebrate the fact that I can even do one thing a day. If all I get done is putting one load of laundry in the washer, but no dryer or folding or putting away, then I had a successful day.
Posted by deerose (Member # 27484) on :
In the darkest times I can watch birds feed out the back window and smile.
like searching4truth it was about being ok with capacity for so little. I discovered enjoyment in food and meal prep...anticipating the sights, sounds, smells.
the feel good of being fulling groomed and dressed for the day.
I was so deeply aware that there was an intensity to smaller appreciations that is not there in that way during better times. sinking into little moments because that is all you can do...but has its own riches.
still grateful and appreciative with the bettering times.
I am in times better than then and glad for it... but am rediscovering again, again, where the "what I love" is and where the tickles are. I know what I used to love...not sure what hits the buttons now.
They are always there somewhere. Recently a little tree frog showed up in my house where it had hitchhiked in a potted plant in the fall unbeknownst to me.
it has been a joyful episode of having this little critter suprise me and finding ways to care for him until it is warm enough out to release. He eats mealworms quite nicely. :-)
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
deerose...well said
you reminded me of when I first came down sick I couldn't wash beans off in my kitchen sink was it was full of dishes due to being too low in health to clean up the kitchen
so i washed the beans off in my bathroom sink.
Well, one morning I went into the bathroom sink and one of the beans had sprouted in my drain with leaves and all.
That tickled me
As a teacher I had tried to get beans to sprout for the primary grade students and some had succeeded and others did nothing.
hadn't considered using a bathroom sink. HA!
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Every once and a while I am able to listen to a few bars of music and get my groove on...love it when that happens
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo:
quote:Originally posted by just don:
Tincup- you are so funny you should be declared illegal.
Put you and Robin in a sack, shake it up and see who falls out first.
-
- thanks for the tip, laura!
ps.. K-Mart has sweats for $3 right now. I don't wear them but was tempted to buy them at that price!
Haha - maybe we should add you in the sack, Don, and Lymetoo too, definitely Cobweb, and anyone else who thinks they've got a funny bone or two is welcome -
I love happenstances! those very unplanned now-what-do-we-do type occasions -
like one day, or eve rather, the symphony was getting out, the opera was getting out,
it was the last Friday of the month, which is the day 1000s of bike riders ride together all over town, escorted by the police,
there was a protest march of some kind,
AND it happened to be the time we hosted the X-Games, which is extreme sports, for two weeks -
well, someone did not organize the collective situation very well - they all showed up at the same time at the same intersection -
the X-Games skateboarders, with their purple and blue hair and tattoos and piercings, were skating on the stairs and banister railings of the symphony and opera house,
the elegantly-dressed operagoers and symphonygoers found themselves joining a rowdy protest march,
the bikers en masse were adjacent to the protest marchers, with police car lights and sirens going at both ends of the lengthy bike procession,
and I sat there and howled till the tears ran down my cheeks!!
[ 03-24-2011, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Robin...that would have been a sight to see!
Posted by Dawn2137 (Member # 27238) on :
So many people much better than I am that they are able to think so positively, when I so often focus on what I MISS!
Enjoyed this thread!
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
I loved writing music, weight training, running, studying and excelling.
I still do some of these things but they're so weak and pathetic. It's the best I can do though.
The creativity ebbs and flows with the disease, fatigue is constant, studying is difficult since I can't attend school or commit to any program without failing.
Life is better than it was early in the diagnosis, but only because I'm now stable, but I want to get in my car and drive around this town. I want to go racing again. I want to hit the bars with my friends and sit back and enjoy a night out.
Most of all I want to spend more time with my partner and be available for those I love. I can do all of these things 1/4th what I'd do if I were healthy.
Posted by sizzled (Member # 1357) on :
I love sunshine. I love being with a good friend and having a hearty laugh. I love being able to take care of my animals. I love all you guys on Lymenet!
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Nature is my drug! music, writing, running (when I can), hiking, and just hanging with my hubby and golden retriever.![[Cool]](cool.gif)
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