It's a quickie update of sorts...

We've been away for vacation. It was the best vacation yet - relaxing, fun, interesting, filled with people I love. Just the sort of bliss that you want to continue always, which got me to thinking about what might be in my life that negatively impacts my bliss. While floating on the lake or visiting charming small towns around the lake, I let my mind work in the background. No forced study, no struggle, no angst, just letting my brain do what it does best. At the end of the week, I knew that several things needed to change. (I started this on August 2 and am just finishing it today. When you start reading, perhaps you will understand why.)

Scarlet & Gray

The first on the list was my phone. It's nearly 4 years old and in smart phone technology, that's generations! For example: new smart phones have 2GB of RAM standard these days; my old phone had 368 MB of RAM (2GB=2000MB). So? you might say as my husband did... So, it means that when more than one app is running, using RAM, there are MANY screen freezes, system shut downs, inability to use the keyboard, etc. It had also started to lose functionality... like backing up.

So, what to do, what to do. I really love all the new technology, big screens, fancy cameras, but I do not really love the price tags. Technology, like cars, comes at a crazy premium for this year's model. I decided to take the same approach I do when buying a new car... I bought a good quality used model with all the important aspects I was looking for, but at a price I can live with. The bonus to the route I went is I don't have to commit to a two year contract. This is one are of my life where I am a true commitment-phobe. 

So now, I'm a happy iPhone user, who lost all my contacts. Apparently iPhone and Android are not friends and won't share contacts, which I didn't know. And I could enter them all in manually, except the old phone will not cooperate with that. So, I've been slowly rebuilding my contact list. Some people just don't want to help a girl out and so I'll be doing without the pleasure of their contact info. Oh well.

Another thing on the list is my job. I haven't been super happy... Okay, I haven't been happy, even, nevermind super happy, for a while. I like working and I want to feel happy working. I have in the past, so I know it's possible and I don't think it's asking too much. I'm discerning just how to handle this and as it's a big one, I'm taking my time. As Forrest Gump would say: That's all I have to say about that. For now. But, I'll keep you posted.

I've been suffering with some sort of rosacea on my face for a while now. At least I think it falls under the category of rosacea. As with a lot of things, there isn't one cause, everyone experiences it differently with different triggers and combinations of symptoms. The point is: I'm over it. It's negatively affecting me in subtle, sinister ways (like avoiding having my picture taken or avoiding situations with new people). I'm over it. I don't want to live like a hermit.

And it's not like I've been doing nothing... I tried eliminating common "food triggers", but to no avail. Eliminating wheat, tomatoes, spicy food, caffeine, sugar, etc... Any common food trigger I eliminated individually and in combination only made meal time challenging and made no difference whatsoever to my face.  

So, back to the drawing board. I've been researching and have found a couple of things that are really making a difference.

You may remember my post earlier this year about changing what products I was using for skin and hair care, to eliminate sketchy chemicals. At that time, I switched to using only Castille soaps for body and face. That made a difference. The one I use has two ingredients in it: Olive oil, Aloe. Because of the olive oil in the soap, I no longer need lotion on a daily basis. I use it occasionally when it's dry, but haven't used any all summer (so much humidity). Then, after much research and waiting for supplies to arrive, 10 days ago, I started using a blend of avocado oil and tea tree oil before bed. I basically use a 2 to 1 ratio, more avocado, which I eyeball so it's not exact. The change in my face has been dramatic. DRAMATIC. It's only been 10 days and it's noticeable! I was talking to my husband yesterday and he paused mid-sentence and told me how much better it looked. WOO!

Another area that needs attention is organization in our house. We live in a very old house, built when closets were novelties, so there is a serious lack of storage. So whatever storage we have must be really organized and faithfully reviewed. Prior to two years ago, I was much more diligent about looking at the drawers and cabinets and organizing and cleaning them out. But in the last two years it's fallen by the wayside a little and it's starting to negatively affect every day life. I've purchased a few shelving and storage ideas and am going to attack (sounds fierce, doesn't it!) the corner cabinet in the kitchen. I don't know why I think this must be the source of all the clutter, but I do. So, I'm about to wrap up this post and begin. 

There is much in life to be grateful for and every day I see it more and more. This post seems like of litany of problems, but I hope you will look at it the way I do. Life has challenges in it. Period. It does. No one is exempt. In knowing that, I find it very easy to say okay, this is what today holds let's get after it. In putting things aside, not really looking at it, refusing to deal with it or in any other way denying your challenges, just let's them breath and grow. When you shine a light on it, fear (and trouble) withers. It cannot withstand scrutiny. Fear needs the dark and the secret. 

This blog is my way of shining a light on things that are challenging me. I don't always list the most troublesome primarily because not every challenge I face is strictly my own. Just because I feel good and right about posting my personal struggles does not mean I have the right to detail the challenges of those I love. Respect first.

Geez, this is a long post. If you made it all the way to here, Woo HOO! I hope you found something worthwhile. If you didn't, you won't be reading this so, no point in finishi...

So, ALL that being said... I feel energized and am going to get after it. 

PS... We are still yoga-ing, now two times a week. LOVE it!