Disclaimer: this is a bit of a longer read, since there are some embedded links for back entries.
I’ve said this time and time again, but living along a river is the best thing that could have happened to me. Not only is life by the water incredibly soothing and calming, but the entertainment value of all the river fowl is priceless.
For the past two days we have been serenaded by a Canadian goose and his partner who are clearly checking out the neighbourhood for new digs. This is a returning visitor who turns up at the riverbank like clockwork every spring. I first met him back in 2017 and noticed he hangs around throughout summer and the early part of autumn. Because of the cacophony he creates, you can imagine he doesn’t have too many friends, human or feathered, least of all four-legged, and it seems as though he is constantly complaining about something – a true Berliner in every sense of the word. His name, which is the only name I will address him by, is Baron von Meckergans, (Baron Complainagoose). I’m quite fond of him, in spite of his shortcomings, I keep hoping he will one day grace us with his presence at our docks like Mr. and Mrs. Swan, who waddle up for date night or to show off their cygnets.
Today I want to do something different with the blog and give you an update on a few things I wrote about over the past months, since many of you have written in. I’ve embedded the link to the original posts so that we are on the same page.
The Crows
Mrs. Crow has finally given the seal of approval on the new nest and as of yesterday has not left her nest. That can only mean she is indeed hatching the eggs, which I understand to be a period of 17-19 days, during which time she is fed exclusively by her husband. Again, this new information about hooded crows and their behaviour as couples is a definite eye-opener! I only get to see her tail or head peeking out from the nest these days, so I look forward to a full and noisy menagerie in a couple of weeks.
Essential Oils
When I made the radical decision to turn my back on all my vitamins, pain killers, blood pressure medicine, and muscle relaxants, I knew I was taking a huge gamble on my body and health. A few weeks into this process I began to feel like an alchemist from the Middle Ages and knew there was no turning back. Four months down the road
- I have not touched a single pill to lower my blood pressure. I monitor it daily and stick to my oil mix to lower it if I feel a change in pulse and palpitations.
- I stopped buying moisturising and anti-ageing creams and serums. I make my own blend, and am proud to say I never once broke out in rashes or blemishes. I’ve modified the formula three times and am still short of a few oils to obtain that perfect mix.
- The ADD blend I initially made for my daughter has been upgraded to an ADHD mix and has helped her focus on her art lately. We’re on the right path with this one.
- The greatest change for me has been my knee. I went from wearing knee support bandages and hobbling around town to being absolutely pain-free. The mysterious swelling that plagued me for months has vanished.
- Every morning I begin my day with a glass of warm water and a drop of lemon oil, which sets off a curious chemical reaction. It wakes me up in ways that no coffee ever did, and also flushes out superfluous toxins in my body throughout the day. This has replaced all the pill-popping of multivitamins and I got through winter brilliantly.
Social Media Decluttering
I left Facebook and Twitter earlier this month and don’t miss it one bit. I am putting a few more things into place before I bid my final adieu from Instagram as well. This is an incredibly risky thing to do in terms of exposure as author and photographer, but I have a clearly defined trajectory now and will follow that. So if you have been questioning the validity of your own social media recently, I highly recommend this article and encourage you to walk away from Facebook & Co and Twitter. In hindsight I understand the concept of over-exposure in social media much better now and how toxic it is to our minds and souls.
Weightloss
This has a lot to do with weightloss as well as self-image. For purposes of consistency let’s just focus on the weightloss journey. After switching around the timings of my eating habits and having only one full meal a day (breakfast), doing intermittent fasting at least three times a week, and completely eradicating red meat from my diet, the weight has stayed off and the mass continues to reduce. I am a vegetarian 95% of the time, and my body has adjusted perfectly, not craving meat at all. I honestly thought it would be more difficult to do, but the beauty of being flexitarian is that if I do have the occasional in non-vegetarian dalliance (fish or poultry) I don’t have to feel guilty. I don’t even consider this dieting, it is simply an overhaul of eating habits.
Healing The Broken Pieces
I began my journey with psychotherapy in January 2018 and it has been a long, painful and sometimes horrifying experience. There were demons that I hoped never to face again, and issues that I could never put a name for finger on that I finally called out by name and dealt with. I met my childhood self, my dark side, and hauled it all into the light. The decluttering and new self-acceptance has been part of the healing, and so has the emotional detox. I spoke of milestones last week, and wrapping up the three year journey this month is a graduation on so many levels. How do I feel? Confident, ready, and strong. I was always courageous, but also very impulsive, which led me down paths of self-destruction. This time around, I know when to pull the brakes and bolt when those alarm bells ring.
FrogDiva Thoughts 