Daily Dose of Cat Love

Grogu accompanies me everyday when I water plants. His favorite time is when I sit on a chair. That's when he rubs my legs and rolls on my feet.

The time we spend together is precious to me. He loves it when I scratch his chin and belly. It calms me down and that is what melts away the stresses of the day.

Today is also Bailey Boo's second birthday! I recorded the day his Mom, Kaley Boo, didn't visit us for her meals. She came the day after and she looked like she gave birth. Few weeks later she brought 4 kittens to our home. Bailey was the one she brought back more than a month after she upped and left. He has lived with us since June 2024.

Our sweet, sweet Bailey Boo has the most voracious appetite! He finishes whatever the others don't finish and he's very protective of the territory. Probably for it from his father, Grey.

Happy birthday our dear Bailey Boo!

#BeKind #StaySafe

What Makes You Happy?

What makes you happy? It's probably a question all of us ask ourselves every so often. Keep it simple my doctor told me. 

Whenever I feel down, one thing that helps me get back up is counting blessings or things I'm grateful for. This is what taught me to be happy even with simple things.

When I wake up every morning, I thank the Lord for the new day, then I look forward to seeing my boys, our cats and then my plants. 

I've changed a lot since I retired. I used to beat myself up for not being "productive". I kept praying for the next "big thing". My condition just got worse and I realized God is telling me I'm on a different path now. I'm meant to be where I am now.

What makes you happy can change over time. I used to chase wins across the region and now I'm chasing what's within a few meters around me. And it's enough.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Decluttering Gets You Going

I've been amiss with my blogs since I've been busy the past two weeks. After we had a decluttering session with Ally Canita and her team, I felt rejuvenated and I managed to putter around the house again.

I read several articles that said, "Women are more affected by clutter than men." I believe is true because I had several mishaps when we moved all the boxes from my childhood home. It filled up our sala and dining room. I got hospitalized and missed a step on the stairs while looking at the boxes.

Two years and sorting my Mom's things seemed never ending and I talked at the last huge batch. I wanted to do other things already, but was held down with a gazillion stuff to sort. I didn't have the stamina and energy to finish it. And that's why we got help from Ally Canita and her team.

In two days, the boxes littering our house dissipated. Boxes for donation was sent out and the rest of the stuff were sorted and organized. Majority of the things were donated and I set aside some stuff that will be given to relatives. 

Seeing our sala and dining room free from clutter felt like a huge thorn was pulled out of me. I've become more productive and have managed to declutter other areas which got gnarly in the last few months. I'm now able to work on crafting and gardening.

I hope we'll be able to set up for Christmas soon!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Choosing Battles

The past week has been riddled with issues! We lost internet over the weekend. Neighbor keeps doing un-neighborly stuff. And I couldn't find a slot to sign-up for the Paranaque Help Card.

Stress is bad for me and to be honest I become unstable whenever there's bad vibes around me. When I get annoyed, I usually want immediate action. I get more annoyed when the issue gets stuck and I think it's worse when you're perimenopausal.

I've since learned not to blow my top in the past two decades. I used to have an awful temper. Sweetie has been my "safety pin". He's such a calm force and I usually let him take the lead in berating people. I can be really sungit, so he obliges.

Choose your battles. You don't need to fight everything. Some you can just let go and you'll be happier. I've been attempting to register for the Paranaque Help Card as a PWD. I've tried a couple of times and it's just not working out. I'm letting that go since I might just get sick running after something that may not be worthwhile. Plus, the registration site has been wonky. I'm not sure if my data will be secure there.

Other things can be resolved through proper processes and being tenatious with following up. I'm retired, so I have time today breathe down the neck of anyone who has to move. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Happiness Pill

Stress is my kryptonite and I seriously had to avoid being online and watching the news at some point because of the flood control issue. I was hospitalized last month because I got so stressed over what we went through processing our building permit. I have to protect my peace and I've been focusing on praying for proper resolution of the issue (I know it's just the tip of the iceberg!). 

*Made by Gemini, it kinda missed my instructions for cats, but this would do

When you have anxiety and depression, you need to understand what your triggers are and what can reverse it. Seeing a counselor/doctor helps, but in the long run you need to be able to pull yourself out of the hole. I have a list of what makes me happy and what keeps me from falling in a rut. 

The first thing I did when I started getting stressed was to stay offline. I spent time with my cats, did some gardening and puttered around the kitchen. My leg is still healing, so I carefully planned my activities. Then I started to plan my next sewing project. I haven't sewn in more than a month. My happiness well is running dry. Of course, together with all these activities, I pray.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wellness Wednesday: Turning a Corner

I'm happy to share that my mind and soul is in a better place now. The past six months has been horrendous for me mentally. There's a lot of things that contributed to falling back into the ugly pit. I had a hard time sleeping, I was unproductive, I couldn't be pushed to do anything and, most of all, I didn't want to see anybody else except my boys. 

I've been in this place before and the biggest contributing factor was bad health and being overworked. I got help and bid goodbye to my doctor just before we went home. He warned me that the change may be too much and I could just holler if I needed him. I thought I didn't since there were times I was okay. I usually equate that I'm fine when I'm productive. 

And it's clearer to me now what sets me off. It's mostly my health. I thought about reaching out to my doctor, but I told myself I needed to respond to this challenge. If I'm able to win the challenge, I'd be able to change how I react whenever I have an issue. I prayed and slowly ramped up my activities.

One night I prayed and told the negative vibe to leave me. I woke up early and was surprised when I felt lighter. I felt like my old self and that week I was able to return to my weekly pulmo rehab. I was shaky and had asthma, but I was able to push through and finish the session. I was also able to complete some paperwork that had been waiting to be done. I also resumed sorting stuff. 

I turned the corner with prayer and continued to do activities that help me cope. I realized I'll be able to move forward only by moving on and doing what needs to be done. It's easier for me to create programs, run events, develop solutions, but I fail miserably at staying put and being happy. My goal is to make more happy memories with my boys and that's what I'll focus on. 

#BeKind #StaySafe