When All Else Fails, Add Some Lights To Your LIfe

Son and I both say we are survivors and we are. But we also have learned how to be adaptable and it takes that in life today. If we can’t do it one way, we figure out another.

I have found that being disabled and being down and out are two different things.  Do I have days where I feel like just laying here and not doing anything. Oh yeah. I am human. Shhh don’t tell anyone. It is only on months with 31 days that I am human. LOL. But I also am a proverbial Pollyanna and look for the bright side of things.

Son today decided to finish putting stuff up in my room since I will be spending even more time here after the surgery. We have learned that lights like Christmas lights can add so much to how a room feels. That is when I learned that no matter what your house looks like, if you just add some little lights the whole mood changes.

So, am going to first show you that even being disabled does not mean that you can’t do. I am laying here now typing on my tummy. Many think I joke when I say that but it is true. Sometimes sitting is very hard for me. Here is one picture showing me on my bed and typing with a pillow on my tummy.

And when laying on my back gets tiring, I type like this. Believe me when I say…where there is a will…there is a way.

Is it like everyone else? NO, but life would be boring if we were all alike.   And it gets the job done.

So, anyway, son wanted my room to be bright and cheery and with all the things I love. I have wind chimes, cause I must have a fan blowing all the time, I have lights two special friends  sent me hanging in the corner to make it look warm and cozy and my favorite box-tree sitting on Jack’s hut. I have crystals hanging on my beautiful ceiling light that Mama gave me, a special quilt a friend made me hanging on the wall where my monitors sit and son put my angel doll and bear up high so I could see them. There is a recliner in here that mama sat on to watch tv with me and son comes in and sits and talks and visits. Life is so nice. Yes this is my world, but look how warm and cozy it is.

If you look, you will see Jack in his hut under the tree all lit up.

The beauty of my room is that it is not rich or expensive…in money. It is rich in love in things people have sent me and in the love my son put into making my little world bright and joyful.  I love the little lights for they just warm a room right up and make it seem so magical.

Son also got the living room Indian stuff put up on the wall. It looks so great. I love the Indian head we found at the reservation. And all the other stuff.

We are not rich, we don’t own a lot of expensive stuff…but we are by far richer in love and joy and happiness than I could ever ask for. So, when all else fails…..add some little lights to your space and make it sparkle.

Pleasing Scents and Healing

Pleasing aromas have been shown to help promote healing. I have believed in this for a long time and due to my being so sensory, I use smells, tastes, sounds, etc to help me in times of high pain.

“By Triggering comforting memories, scents help turn on the brain’s relaxation response and lower the stress response.”

Esther M. Sternberg, MD

I was reading in the doctor’s office yesterday and did the unthinkable. I ripped out a page from a magazine. I wanted this article so badly so that I could use it today. Dr. Sternberg talks about how scents can take us back to a place in our life that is filled with comfort, safety, joy, happiness and it helps us leave the space we are in at the moment that is causing us pain, grief, etc.

Certain smells take me back in time. Old Spice Cologne reminds me of my Uncle Jack. He was the sweetest most loving man and those thoughts take me to a time of fun with him.  Juicy Fruit gum reminds me my grandmother, Mimi and the fun we had at her house.  The smell of turkey takes me to happy holiday times.

I have a “scent box” that I keep all sorts of lotions, perfumes etc in. I pull it out when I need to distract myself and start opening the bottles one by one and let my mind flow over the memories.

Certain aromas are known for relaxation. Lavendar,  for example,helps one sleep and helps lower pain. This is probably why the candle industry does so well.  According to Dr. Sternberg, Frankincense has properties in it that help the immune system and even been shown to reduce inflammation. I think I will buy some for I have autoimmune disorders.

Dr. Sternberg says:

“When odor molecules reach the olfactory organ at the top of the nose, they activate a direct nerve pathway to memory and emotion centers in the brain, so smells and tastes quickly spark memories  that can influence your mood.”

I find that when certain scents hit me, I am more relaxed and less stressed. This helps my pain to lower. I also find that memories…those joyful, pleasant memories help me when I am fighting health issues or pain is so high.

I believe in filling up our brains with wonderful memories and holding on to them for it is like this huge album when one is down or sick to help get through the moment.

For me, cologne, candles, after shave, lotions all have an effect on me. So does, the smell of food cooking. Tangerines take me to Christmas. Thanksgiving smells and Christmas smells are especially nice. Son always asks me to make the pumpkin pies ON Thanksgiving day because he loves to smell them cooking.

So, I decided to take a moment to write down smells that particularly take me to pleasant moments. The smell of baby powder takes me to when my boys were little and the joy that they brought to my life. Smells of my loved ones..their colognes, their lotions, etc bring pleasant memories. I love the smell of wood in the lumbar yard. I don’t know why but it is something that brings me comfort.

I think sometimes we have to direct ourselves to the smells and tastes and memories. I lay here sometimes and just think about good things and take a walk down the memory lane, filling my heart and soul and senses up.

Have you ever thought about smells and tastes and the memories they evoke? Too bad they don’t make a “Scent Book” for adults.