New Beginnings

The first couple of months in a new year are a time of reflection and preparation. A fresh new calendar is on the kitchen wall, a new semester has started, paperwork needs to be collected for taxes, gardens and holidays are planned, pet licenses need to be renewed... The list is long. Much of our society has gone paperless, we use our computers, phones and tablets to organize our lives. Don't get me wrong, I love my phone calendar with it's alerts to help me stay on track. It's always with me, which makes it incredibly convenient. Despite all that, I have a great fondness for writing things down. I find the physical act of writing helps me remember things better. Even if I forget to bring my list, if I wrote it down, I will remember what was on it. (Or I have a kid text a picture of it to me while I'm in the grocery store!)

For the first time in my adult life, I did not have a calendar on my kitchen wall, made by either my Mom or my Aunt (they took turns) of family and farm pictures. Since my parents moved to town, there are no more farm pictures. So there I was, in the third week of January with a naked spot where the calendar has lived. Now that much of our business is done online or over the phone, we don't even visit businesses that give away customer appreciation calendars. I had to go buy one, but local stores hadn't received their shipments! The situation was dire! 

The search for a calendar got me reflecting on planning and organizing. When I was young and we went to the mall, I spent more time in the stationary store than the toy store. I loved the beautiful pens, fancy papers and elegant journals. I watched a few videos about the latest craze of bullet journals, and fell into a bit of a fountain pen rabbit hole (sooo many rabbit holes on You Tube!) So it's not a surprise that when I was stocking up on printer paper, I bought inexpensive coloured fountain pens, and one refillable, higher quality fountain pen. (Note to self - there is no coming back from leaving the cap off a fountain pen overnight. Poor green pen, I loved you while you lasted!)

I'm not interested in the pre-made bullet journals you can buy. A few years ago, I bought a half sized binder. I like having dividers, page protectors and pockets (oh, do I love pockets!) It is a combination journal, day timer, calendar and notebook. It holds half sized lined paper that I use to take notes at meetings, pockets for business receipts, and my kids' school pictures. From one year to the next, I only have to remove the calendar pages and put in fresh ones. Information that I want to keep from year to year can stay put. It may be a bit bulkier than a journal, but I like that every aspect of my life can have a place. I also like that I can print things off the computer, hole punch it and slot it in anywhere.

This is where the pretty pens come in. They are such a joy to write with
that just using them is a reward for keeping organized. 

It was lost for a while. Let's face it, during 2020 and 2021, I barely left home and didn't need a portable organizer. It was recently rediscovered during a clean and purge of my beloved craft room. It was printing new pages that led to the stationary shopping expedition, I ran out of printer paper!

My dividers are currently: Monthly Organizer, Garden, Professional, Household, Inspiration and Hobby. 

Monthly Organizer

This is the biggest section and the most regularly updated. I make the monthly pages on my computer and they have evolved over the years. Currently there are two pages per month and they are more of a categorized 'to do' list than a calendar. Some categories are for dates; like birthdays, anniversaries and appointments. Others are for monthly tasks like renewals, changing filters & batteries or deadlines. 

My favorite headings are for accomplishments. Too much of our lives is about what we should do or need to do. I felt it was important to recognize the things I do for myself. It encourages me on the days when I feel like life is all about obligations and I'm not accomplishing anything positive in a week. I have a section for books I have read and another for projects I have finished. Most importantly I have a health & wellness section. This is where the infamous shiny stars come in! If I have a specific goal, like drinking enough water, it also gets a line.

One of my proudest blogger moments - after my last post
a friend went out and bought herself stars!

At the back of the section I have a Christmas list. As I have ideas for gifts, I can jot it besides the person's name so I don't forget. If I'm planning a trip, the notes would go here as well.

Garden

I leave these pages from year to year. I keep track of my plant and seed purchases, planting dates, garden maps and goals. It's a place to brainstorm and make a note of recommendations from other gardeners. This section has a subcategory for camping and hiking. A place for packing lists, directions to favourite sites and trailer information.

Professional

As a massage therapist, I have to continue professional development. I have a master list of courses I have taken and the dates I took them. I have a page protector for my first aid certificate and business receipts. I can brainstorm ideas for blogging, note courses I would like to take in the future, and keep track of resources. It makes it really easy to see when I have to renew something or take more continuing education.

Household

This is a great place to keep track of the chores that need to be done before winter, sizes for furnace filters and when I got new tires for the car. It has the wish list of household renovations and contact information for professionals like plumbers and carpenters. It's also a great place to keep track of budgets and comparison shopping for big purchases or renovations. If I need to make a note of instructions for things I don't do often, they go here. I have master lists of tasks that are monthly (like bills), quarterly or occasionally (filters, oil changes) and yearly (insurance, taxes, vet). Pockets hold business cards, stamps, notes and paint chips.

Inspiration

One of my favourite parts of the whole book. This is where I write down quotes or ideas that I find meaningful (some are even tattoos that I have seen on my clients!) This section showcases all the beautiful pen colours! It also has subcatgories for books/authors and wine (I can never remember names of what I like!) I found half size page protectors that I use for special cards, photographs or pictures children have drawn for me.

Hobby

I have some simple knitting patterns written out, like for my favourite "go to" baby sweater, because more than once I have wanted it when travelling. In fact, just last week when visiting the Grandmas, I picked up a ball of yarn and started one because I finished the mittens I was working on. It's always good to have a baby sweater on the go (shhh, it's a surprise for one of my favourite massage therapists!)

Made this for a client turned friend.
The baby just turned 4! It has pea pod buttons!!

I also have my Christmas baking supply list (I always underestimate how much butter I really need to make all those varieties of cookies!) It's a great place to plan a project or make a shopping list of supplies when going to the city.

Sometimes, the best laid plans and the most ambitious of resolutions have unintended consequences or detours. And then you have to see your friendly neighbourhood massage therapist!

Just Keep Swimming

This time of year my massage table sees a lot of injuries. Overuse, slip and fall, sports injuries occur from New Year Resolutions, winter sports, shoveling, icy sidewalks, etc. There is also a lot of muscle and joint stiffness from not getting outside and moving like we do in warmer weather. 

Generally speaking, unless you have a broken bone, serious sprain or torn tissues, you want to keep it moving. I'm not talking about hard core workouts. We had a friend when we lived up North. He was in the military before he became a teacher. His favourite phrase was "motion is lotion". Not only does movement lubricate the joints with synovial fluid, but muscles that are moving stay limber.

Sometimes it's the resting position that is the issue:

When we sit, our hip joints (acetabulum femoral, if you really wanted to know) are at 90 degrees and usually our legs are rotated outwards. That makes the muscles on the sides of our hips and legs short and tight. Look at your footprints in the snow. We feel like our feet are straight, but our toes point out.

When we sleep, our ankles are not at 90 degrees. They relax, and our toes naturally point down. That makes our Achilles tendon and plantar fascia shorten and leads to foot pain in the morning.

Sometimes it's our working position:

Spending hours of our work day without a lot of variety in movement "locks" our muscles in a position. They are so used to being one way, that they complain when we try to do something else. Habitual slouchers complain about it being uncomfortable to stand or sit with good posture!

Abruptly changing habits, in either direction can cause a lot of problems:

Projects that keep you really active for weeks or months (like renovations) and then suddenly end will result in very unhappy muscles. They stiffen and seize uncomfortably. In some cases they can pinch nerves, activate angry trigger points, reduce circulation and pull joints out of place.

Going back to a favorite activity after shut downs or seasonal breaks brings a lot of people to my massage table. People think they can just pick up where they left off, and their limbs say "uh, no!" Ironically, as I was writing this post, Donovan came back from his first swim in two years. He pushed himself to try and swim as fast as he could when he was swimming regularly. Now he's sore, and a subject of Mom's blog! To be fair, I kinda did the same thing yesterday, trying to increase my number of laps in an hour by 50%- but since I spent the past 24 hours complaining about my sore knee, he should have learned from my bad example! 

Very tired and sore, a little sheepish!

Part of the problem is that it often doesn't hurt while we are in the middle of it. The endorphins from exercise, the focus on our goal, the warmth of our muscles all distract us. It hurts after; when the muscles get cold and the adrenaline wears off.

When we feel achy and sore, our natural instinct is to get into our favourite cozy spot and stay there. We want to just rest what hurts. At these times, it's really important to hydrate and keep moving. I'm not talking about a 2 kilometer walk. Just get up regularly and move around. Spread out work or household tasks so that you are moving frequently.  Remember to stretch after strenuous activity. This is also a great time for a hot shower or bath. Don't forget the importance of a good night's sleep!

Nothing is more discouraging then setting out goals and hitting a major road block at the start. Slow and steady wins the race. Renew activities in a reasonable fashion, give your muscles a chance to adjust and remember to either have rest days or switch it up.

If you know you will be doing something unusual, like moving your parents into a condo, building a fence, painting your kitchen; book a massage appointment for after. If you are starting a new sport or workout routine, plan some regular massage appointments into your schedule. Your muscles will thank you!