Wellness Wednesday: Nature Walking in Urbania

In short, I don't believe we have to buy products to be physically fit. I believe lots of marketing critters would like us to believe it though. This does a real disservice to low-income people who might actually believe they can't have good physical health because they can't "afford" it.

Sorry. Ain't buying it ~ figuratively or literally.

As long as we have arms and legs, we can exercise free. There's no need for gyms, gimmicks or "special programs". You don't need special clothes. You don't need Jenny Craig or Nutri-System. You don't need Curves. It is, as someone said, "a big bowl of wrong"! Physical fitness is relatively simple. Move. That's all there is to it. Eat less. Move around.

I believe this strongly which is why my purchase this morning surprised even me.

While walking, it's nice to have something to listen to besides other people's car radios (especially those jerks who honestly believe we want to hear their bass a mile away), trucks, sirens and other urban sounds. So... I bought a portable MP3 player. I looked at a variety of them. I even looked at iPods but there's no way I am willing to spend that kind of money for something so frivolous. As long as there are other people who need food and water, I can't justify that kind of expense for something so completely unnecessary. Even spending $80.00 on a player is a stretch but at least I can justify it a little bit.

The MP3 player isn't for music. Truth told, music isn't all that interesting ~ but I discovered that the soul series on Oprah's website which features many inspirational speakers and even the TED talks can be downloaded in MP3 format. Listening to inspirational speaking is something I've always liked. That's probably why I am a talk radio fan as well. There are just some fascinating people on this planet and I want to hear what they have to say.

Coast to Coast radio also offers MP3 downloads of the nightly show. Since I often fall asleep in the middle of it, it will be a pleasure to listen to it during the day.

I'm also going to download nature sounds on it. There are no birds chirping or crickets here in the 'hood. This area is mostly concrete and strip malls. Sometimes I would like to hear birds, small animals, wind, rain or even the ocean.

I know this device is certainly not necessary for health and well-being. It's strictly a luxury - but sometimes that needs to be okay, too. If it keeps my feet moving, I'll give it a try.

~*

Just for today, I can also be found here, as if you don't get enough of me already!

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Sacred Life Sunday: As easy as walking..

Today is the first day in the past few weeks that I've been able to go for an aimless walk.

Over the past few weeks it's simply been too hot so this morning was particularly satisfying. I stood under trees and looked up, paid special attention to the gardens in the neighborhood, stopped by Starbucks for a lemonade/green tea drink, wandered some more, petted a few meandering cats, watched the cars go by, sat on the lawn watching the breeze in the trees, went into a store to buy some peaches and leisurely walked home.

I walk a lot ordinarily. It's the best exercise in the world because it's something we do naturally anyway. Something tells me human beings were not designed to be transported everywhere in vehicles. I also suspect that aggressive, purposeful walking is not what we were designed to do. We're designed to walk. Just walk.

I walk almost everywhere in Thailand, too. Thai people walk... a lot! When they need to get somewhere, they might ride a moped or a small motorcycle but it seems they walk for the most part. It's only been recently that so many people have cars. The roads have not had a positive effect on the landscape. Still, there are always plenty of places to walk. There are always plenty of others doing it and plenty of things to see.

Sometimes it's interesting to just get on the bus to another part of the city and then walk around there. The Midtown area is one of my favorites because there are lots of old Victorians, interesting shops and interesting people. Some of the best spontaneous conversations I've ever had in this area have been around L Street, Cesar Chavez Park and McKinley Park.

It is a comfort knowing that in a few short weeks, autumn will be coming and there will be a greater opportunity to aimlessly walk.

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Just another day in fracking paradise....

Okay. So today hasn't been one of my better days. I should have seen it coming but got hit unexpectedly and hard by a depressive episode.

This stuff is chemical and I know the best thing to do is just wait it out. It goes away on its own. Physical exercise helps more than almost anything else.

This morning, I was feeling pretty crappy about several things, the main one being this damn isolation. Hearts in SF asked this morning in comments, "It's hard being an ex-pat in your own country, isn't it?"

Well, yeah. Actually it is. Most of the time, I deal with it pretty well. That's just how it is right now and there's no sense in bemoaning it. It won't change the circumstances in the least. I have good housemates and good friends. Additionally, I am pretty good at balancing it out and know when I've had enough American culture, American attitudes and just the swirl of American life around me.

I hibernate.

That didn't work this time because of the double-whammy of a depressive episode and the other feelings colliding.

Physical exercise is the best solution. There's a little Thai restaurant three or four miles from my house. That would provide an 8-mile walk and, by damn!, I wanted sa tay chicken on a stick! And jasmine rice!

So I put on my walking shoes, grabbed my book and headed out the door.

The walk did help and some of that feel-good chemical started hitting my brain. By the time I got to the restaurant, it really wasn't all that bad. At least I didn't feel like my head was full of hot water.

I sat down, ordered my meal and began to read while waiting.

I heard a voice from behind me.

"Chaaah-nah!"

My friend Ba came in! Now this was completely unexpected and I can't tell you how happy I was to see him.

"Chaaah-nah!" (He doesn't call me Chani because chanee is a really nasty animal in Thai. He calls me Chana or Chada, depending on his mood apparently.) He gave me a big smile. I admit that I smiled for the first time today, too.

He was alone. That was even better!

I invited him to sit with me and we talked for an hour or so over good food. Ba has a bad habit of being able to read me pretty well and I wasn't fooling him with cheery talk. He bluntly asked me why there is "sadness in your eyes". Being a lousy liar and lousy at covering up, I began to tear up even more. Crying really isn't part of my nature and when I do, it's very quiet and not usually noticeable to anyone else.

I hate to dump on people and wasn't going to do it with him today. He can be trusted with many things that I can't say to others who surround me. He is here from Thailand for a fixed period of time, just to make money. He works his proverbial ass off and saves fifty percent of everything he earns. That's no easy feat in this part of the country. He plans to return to Thailand by the time he is my age. (He's 44 now.) There are certain things I know he "gets" about me. In other words, he's safe.

So I explained that I miss Thailand a lot. I told him that today in particular, I feel brutalized and battered by my surroundings. I feel it physically. It's like I've been beaten up by some angry punk in an alley. My muscles hurt. "That's why," I told him, "I'm here for some food. A taste of honey is better than none at all, eh?"

I kept trying to change the subject and he kept coming back to it. For a guy who only had an hour for lunch before having to go back to work, he was certainly persistent! He wasn't going to let me get away without talking which he knew would shift my energy.

It did. It shifted it enough to make this bearable. My next step is to spend 20 minutes or so in the spa. The hot pounding water will hopefully take the ache out of my muscles.

It really is extraordinary how we are provided with exactly what we need at exactly the right time. If there is a happy ending to all of this, that's it. Serendipity.

Tomorrow, Ba has the day off. We'll go to lunch again and he has agreed to be my Thai instructor. It is hard to learn a language with just CDs and practice. Due to his work schedule, we'll only be able to meet every few weeks but I'm certain it will be a great help.


Peace,

~Chani

Plain Jane....

It's almost time to go out for my "no damn excuses" 30-minute walk, per "You On A Diet". It is part of my exercise effort that's fallen to the wayside since the weather has gotten colder. If I ruled the universe, it would never get over 90 degrees and never under 60 degrees. I love a mild climate.

And I'm going to survive in Thailand.

Right!

Anyway, I went to the bedroom to begin dressing. It occurred to me that I have become very dependent on my "Thailand look". It's become a habit and part of my overall self-perception. It is too cold for it this month though and I've had to resort to my previous "plain jane" look. Capris and a fleece top are the best I can do without freezing my butt off, not to mention arms and legs.

Thai clothes are designed for warm weather. Last winter, I suffered it out. Not going to do it this year. Last winter, I froze for three solid months, all in an effort to keep "my look". (Ghod, I feel so shallow!) The fact that this has become such an important part of my daily life that I would risk getting sick and being very uncomfortable is telling in itself. It's telling me I'm an idiot!

Off for a walk. Hopefully, I'll think of things with just a bit more relevance.

Okay. So this is an insignificant and silly post. And I'm goin' ta hell for wasting bandwidth on the Internet this way. But... it's Sunday. :)

Hope everyone has a great day!


Peace,


~Chani, who really does have an IQ above room temperature...