March 2022 – Life in the Cheese Drawer

hello from my formative years

March 29, 2022 kate Comments 1 comment

i had semi-intentions of doing travelblog while i was out in denver, but the nights got away from me.

let me tell you a story about formative moments.

i think most of us have odd stories about our early years that stick with us, how something that happened in kindergarten or second grade affect our reaction to something in our adult lives.

i was super shy as a kid. at some points, it was debilitating – at a babysitter’s, i wouldn’t eat lunch if anyone else was in the room. i had no really close friends in gradeschool. some were almost there, but no one was really super close to me. was i too much of an academic nerd? was i too quiet and recluse-like? did my last-name curse to be last in line somehow also make me last on the social ladder? i felt out of place for most of gradeschool.

so this past week, i was in denver for a conference. i’d been to this same conference a couple times, but this was the first time i’d be able to go and actually know several other people; my leadership institute peeps were a built-in social group. and like i said, my nights got away from me because each night i was out with these people, talking about our jobs, our colleges, the different parts of the country we were from, how i had an endearing MN accent (i even brought out my two-syllable boat) (but refused to say bag), having some drinks, and just being with each other.

the first full day, we did our presentations to each other, some of which were extremely personal and poignant. few were about our colleges specifically and more out personal journeys. after i finished mine, the guy who i’d been randomly thrown into a zoom room with for our first “get-to-know-you” meeting said some of the kindest words – that i was truly someone who walked the talk. if i hadn’t been full of adrenaline post-presentation, i might’ve just cried at that moment.

and as i was sitting there in the evenings, laughing with these people and getting to know them better, i’d have the occasional flitting thought enter my brain, as insecurities normally do:

“do these people really like me? are they actually my friends?”

and i’d pause and look around and think, well, yes, they do. they are. and the thought would leave.

my shyness was something i worked really hard at to get over. it wasn’t easy, and of course it got easier as i got older in school, and it’s easier as an adult who’s more comfortable in her own skin, but those formative years are formative for a reason. i’m still shy and uncomfortable in new situations. i still cringe and prepare myself when meeting people for the first time. it’s still terrifying being thrown into a random zoom room with a stranger you know nothing about. it’s still terrifying trying something new.

but if you never try something new, well, then you never get on top of the elk statue in the conference hotel center and prompt quite the online conversation.

late saturday six

March 12, 2022 kate Comments 0 Comment

ooh, let’s do a life update since i haven’t done one of those in a while. i’ve been mostly introspective and all that jazz, and it’s time to liven up the feed a bit.

1. i /think/ spring may be around the corner? it was holy crap cold this morning, still, an early march temp that usually isn’t seen in early march. but the forecast looks better this next week, so hopefully it warms up and i can start running outside more. running on the treadmill is a drag. yes, i know i can run outdoors, but i’d rather stare at a wall than be freezing for the first mile of my run.

2. SO FAR (knocks on wood) i have been relatively injury and niggling issue free on the runs. this bodes well for the half marathon that’s a mere 5 weeks away. i’m a couple weeks ahead on my training, which is good, and my feet are good. my knees are manageable. my quads are killing me most days but that’s because i’m running 20+ miles a week. hopefully a transition to outdoors will help out these muscles. or maybe i’m just getting old and my muscles are like, stop! you are not 26 any more and we can’t do this.

3. i’m heading to denver in about a week! i’ve got a conference for work and also my leadership presentation. denver, in theory, should be warmer than here. we’ll see how the altitude sucks when i do my training runs. see, this is why i am two weeks ahead in training. anyway, these conferences are always fun and i’m excited to travel.

4. i got a couple additions to my ear piercings! it’d been 10 years since i had anything done to my ears, so i decided to just give it a go. i have two more on the left side. the first punch wasn’t too bad, but the second was worse (my ear was already on fire, so no doubt it was like WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME). so far, it’s not bothering me too much except at night when i inadvertently roll over on that side and bang them up.

wow my ear is actually kind of wrinkly. thanks, time.

5. i’ve been baking some stuff. made some more sourdough bread (always a crowdpleaser). i made a couple different kinds of cookies and realized that adding cloves to cookies makes them taste really good. i made some oatmeal chocolate/butterscotch pumpkin clove things that were to die for. made a detroit style pizza, which might be my new favorite style. made a weird lemon/dulce de leche cookie that looked good in theory, but was not. made the old standby of chocolate chip cookies. now i want cookies.

6. i booked a trip for november! nate and i are going to tuscon, where i got us an airbnb with a pool. woo! just 4 nights, but it’ll be good to get away. then in january, i’m going to orlando with my sisters.

ok, that’s my late saturday 6. as a bonus, tonight is daylight saving time, which means more light in the evening hours! i don’t even care that i lose an hour of sleep.

Living with Ayurveda

March 6, 2022 kate Comments 2 comments

Instead of changing my habits to reflect an ayurvedic lifestyle for a week, I decided to look at what habits I currently have that live within the ayurvedic realm and see if I can focus on them. For me, habits take a long time to form, and if I try to implement too many at once, it’s a useless endeavor. This way, I can take a look at what I’m already doing and see if I can expand or add incrementally to it.

The first thing I did was google ayurvedic lifestyle. I watched the ayurveda movie, which was more about fixing health problems, and I did the dosha quiz, which talks about the constitution of a person, but nothing really listed out items you could do on a daily basis to make ayurveda part of your lifestyle. Sure, I can eat nutritiously or make sure that I am balanced in my intake, but what else is there? Here’s a few things I found.

From mapi.com, I found a list of ways to live ayruvedically.

Take a walk with a friend: this is specifically a walk, not a run. These days I’m running 4-5 days a week, so I get the exercise, but this is calling reducing excess strain. At least once a day I am walking, but not with a friend. But about once a week at work, I will walk around campus to do a bulletin board cleanup, and maybe that counts!
Fresh lunch. I’ll admit that the protein bar I grab for lunch or the packaged oatmeal probably doesn’t cut it. But I do try to bring a piece of fruit for lunch: an apple, a container of blueberries and blackberries, sometimes a banana. Sometimes a couple of these!
Drink water: I drink a lot of fluid throughout the day, but not nearly enough of that is just plain water. I should work on that.
Drink milk: I don’t drink milk anymore. If I do, it’s oatmilk. I don’t think this is something that I would count toward an ayurvedic lifestyle.
Take a break: this is about meditation! Which I am incorporating more and more into my daily life.
Sip herb tea: while not necessarily herb tea, I do drink tea a few times a week. Sometimes it’s black tea, or oolong, or roobios. I don’t know if i will ever drink herb tea, but the warm coziness of a cup of tea is really nice.
Massage your body: I think this is about making sure you keep your skin hydrated and the power of touch, but I almost want to count this in the self-care category. I get massages maybe once every couple of months, and now that summer is around the corner, I will likely get a pedicure once a month.
Call a friend: keeping in touch with people you like is so helpful, and I am so bad at calling people. I wonder if texting counts? There is something different about a phone call or seeing someone face to face though. I have noticed an uptick of feeling better with more and more of my work meetings being back in person vs. on zoom. I’d much rather have in person meetings.
Breath deep: this is SO nice. I do this when I do yoga. Usually Lesley Fightmaster will have us do at least a couple rounds of deep breathing during a practice, and it’s really relaxing to actually focus on a deep breath.
Go to bed early: HA nope. This just won’t happen unless I’m exhausted, and even then it’s probably 10:30 (that’s early for me).
Rise with the sun: also a big not happening for me. I have noticed that I am getting to sleep and waking up earlier on the weekends, though. Keeping a consistent weekend schedule is nice.
Have a good breakfast: This is something I would struggle with. Some days I don’t have breakfast except for coffee, whether or not you can call that breakfast. I’m just not hungry when I wake up, and according to ayurveda, a juicy fruit like an apple should be eaten first thing. I can’t imagine getting out of bed and eating an apple first thing. If I DO eat a good breakfast, it’s usually oatmeal, not juicy fruits. I think this is one thing I will just have to not embrace, especially if we should be listening to our body as to when it’s hungry. If I’m not hungry until it’s time for lunch, I should just listen to my body.
Care for your hair: after reading through this recommendation, I realize this is more about self image. If your hair is not how you want it (limp and lifeless), then you’ll be pessimistic about life. This is also about nutrition that helps your hair out (and likely your skin): fruit, nuts. I don’t have a problem with how my hair looks, but I likely could eat more nutritiouly!
Flush out the amas. Amas are undigested metabolic waste, which is always a weird thing for me to wrap my head around because our liver and kidneys do their job well. Detoxing the body is done by…the body most times. If you want to really “detox” and get rid of waste (not toxins – our organs are good at that), then you almost need to move to a liquid diet or drink laxatives like before a colonoscopy. Or a better option would be fasting for a bit or stopping eating really processed foods. This is one I’m slightly skeptical of, just like I’m skeptical of detoxes. But, I continue to try to steer clear of corn syrup of all kinds!
Decorate your dining table: I LOVE this one! I love a good tablescape. This is something I don’t do regularly, but that I should do more. Make your meals a celebration. Too many times i take my supper and sit on the couch so I can watch Netflix. When I get flowers for the table, I do try to sit at the table so I can look at the flowers, but I likely also have a book with me.
Boost your immunity: especially during the winter, I am ultra vigilant of taking vitamin C and D (and calcium) to help prevent getting sick. During the summer I’m not as concerned, and now I wonder if I should be keeping the C vitamin regiment during the summer months.
Spice up your dinner: mapi.com calls out spices like turmeric, cumin, and coriander. I know turmeric is especially good for you, and I can taste it when I eat things that have it – I like the taste. But the foods I usually eat are not Indian in nature, so it’s hard to incorporate this one more regularly. One I do eat is cumin as part of my more regular Mexican food preparation. I wonder what other spices that are used worldwide would be helpful? I might have to look into this.
BOND WITH NATURE: YES. YES. YES. Winter is hard. (I do, however, get outside a few times.) But the rest of the year? Sign me up wholeheartedly! I am outside as much as possible, getting my hands dirty in my garden, tromping through the woods, sitting outside listening to the spring frogs in my pond.
See a vaidya (doctor): I regularly visit a doctor and will go if I’m not feeling right. I like that this is part of the list – combining traditional ayurveda with science.