Positively Tuesday: Managing Headaches

      

Old picture-I ordered lids for this year. 

     I've woken up the last three days with a really bad headache-todays' is still lingering in fact. I know they come from a combination of not being hydrated enough when I go to bed and disrupted sleep. The remedy, as I'm trying to avoid taking  pain relievers unless I am in such discomfort that I can't function, is a whole lot of water while also getting my morning caffeine fix. I know caffeine is a diuretic so counters, but I  don't add caffeine after noon. I share this not for sympathy but as sort of a metaphor comparing managing my physical headaches to the daily in and out headaches, bothers, small worries, we all face. My  thinking about and documenting simple pleasures each week is sort of my extra water and coffee. Enjoying the days with the ordinary good things make annoyances seem like just merely an annoyance. It leads me to the first of on my list, and nine more.

1. I've seen this movie pop up in my recommendations before, but it seemed not really my thing, but finally on a rainy Sunday night I watched About Time. A quirky movie where  the males in a family after the age of 21 can travel back in their own timeline. It was sweeter than the description sounds, and there is a scene, without giving too much away, where the main character goes through a day, sort of just existing, not noticing or appreciating anything. Then, he relives the exact same day, but with the  only change being positive takes on the same previous benign interactions, like a fist pump and hugs with a colleague, or friendly banter with the  lunch counter worker, or humming along to music being played too loud by the guy on the tube seat next to him. What previously was  a long, hard day, on repeat, was a good day. It sort of summed up the whole point of simple pleasures and appreciating life as we experience it. The reality is really long, hard days will come, so enjoy the ones that are not to their fullest. 
2. Speaking of Sunday rain-we got it and loads of it. Our  Minnesota earth was very happy after weeks and weeks of no rain and hot temperatures. 
3. The cancelled lake plans also gave me time to try the  rhubarb jam recipe I wrote about Sunday.  DD2 has declared it "sooo good" and has eaten it on toast the last two mornings. 
4. I probably paid double, but with finding no lids  for canning in any stores, I went ahead and ordered Kerr regular lids online-$10 for 12. I don't' care as I want to make more of the rhubarb and other jam, and will keep my eye open for  locally sourced. In the meantime, I can get more made and canned this week Unless folks are lying to me, family and friends seem to really appreciate my homemade jams and jelly's for gifts. They return jars so I'm guess that is a sign they'd like refills. This is the one crafty skill I have, so I look at the lid purchase as part of investing in a hobby. 
5. I'm happy the Farmers Market is back and running. Pickings were slim in the produce arena this time of year in Minnesota, so all I bought was rhubarb, but it was nice seeing the familiar  local farm stands again. There were homemade candles, jam and jelly stands, slasa, and both the bread and cheese vendors. Plus, and it was tempting, the egg roll stand was selling. I got there late morning and the family with the flowers-so beautiful in August, were down to just one bunch left. 
6. I'm on vacation this week, and even though I went on-line to do a cross check with  people I missed last week, I was not texted or called at all  on Monday. 
7.  Last night I went to my great nieces soccer game. She's U10 and to make a full team, they have a few 7 and 8 year olds play up It brought back good memories of my kids first playing. Afterwards my little niece thanked me for coming and was all smiles. Can't put a price on that! 
8. I took down and stored the card table and chairs that had been in the family room for puzzles or other things during our Stay at Home time, but had really become a dumping ground for unfolded laundry and other things in the wrong place. It felt so good to clear that spot back-in more ways than  just getting the clutter put away. 
9. After Sunday's rain, it got very chilly. I made a big batch of wild rice soup yesterday. It was comfort in a bowl. Making soup on a coolish summer day is akin to that unexpected picnic weather in late October or November. 
10. Last, but not least, once again we have sleeping with an open window weather nights. I'm surprised I had the headache as normally the fresh air does me good. 

     Later this morning I'm going to the  lake just  until tomorrow afternoon. My daughter and a friend are using the other cabin this week and I'll visit with them, read some more, and take them out for lunch or supper. We ended up taking DH out for an early supper on Sunday since grilling was a wash out, but I have his thick butcher made burgers ready for him for Wednesday night. He'll get two Father's Day meals. That's my week of recapping a few of the simple pleasures. While just a movie, I hope I can shape my days with a new point references and keep finding the snippets that make breathing  living a life. I hope you have a positively Tuesday.