thefouramigosblog

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

I begin my day with a little prayer and meditation, I write this daily blog. I read my emails and play a few games. Of course, I do all this drinking my morning coffee.

Four or five days a week I go to the gym to work out. Lately, I have been doing water aerobics.

I sometimes have lunch with a friend or a group of friends. Today I’m having lunch with a group of friends.

I retired nine years ago so I don’t work.. My work is generally planning a trip. Finding deals on cruises, flights, etc. This takes up more time than you can imagine.

I use my car as little as possible. I walk around my neighborhood. I ride my bike. I recycle. I eat healthy – lots of fruits and veggies. I try to be helpful and kind.

I have a great life!

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

I love lobster. Not lobster rolls. Just lobster. But ever since I first went to Maine and ate lobster there, I no longer eat it anywhere else.

I love to dunk the pieces of lobster in melted butter. And I always wear the bib so I don’t spill on me.

Often it’s served with corn on the cob and a roll but I really don’t care about that. It’s all about the delicious lobster.

I start by sucking on the tiny little legs. Yes, there is meat in them. Then I go to the claws. When that is done I begin on the tail. You can tell if it is a female if there is red roe, a shiny rubbery substance that is called lobster caviar.

When I’m finished, I dream of the next time I can eat a lobster.

Lobsters are fairly expensive even in Maine. But on the prison books dating back a century, it says they could only feed the inmates lobster once a week. I guess as a bottom feeder, they didn’t appreciate how delicious lobster really is!

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

I have a pair of black sweats. They are not heavy like most sweat materials. They are light and baggy with a drawstring waist. They are also versatile. I can wear them with a T-shirt for casual but if I put on a sparkly top, I look dressed up.

But if I’m going for a whole outfit to wear over and over, I have a silky T-shirt in mauve that I would wear.

Also, a gray swing jacket if I get cold.

On my feet I always wear oofos. I live in them. I have 5 pairs in different colors but my black ones go with everything.

How important is spirituality in your life?

First I want to say that for me there is a big difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is the practice of worship of a supreme being such as God,

Spirituality is the inner belief that there is a divine being that is greater than me. This I believe in strongly and it is a very important part of my daily life.

I practice prayer and meditation to help bring me into alignment with my higher power. Prayer to me is talking to my higher power and meditation is listening to my higher power.

Through meditation, I try to live my life as my higher power wants me to live. If I’m on the wrong track, meditation helps me to get bs k on the right course.

I’ve learned to feel discomfort and notice this discomfort when I’m not doing my higher power’s will.

In developing a deeper spirituality I have entered churches, synagogues, and Buddhist temples and have engaged in native American sweat lodges. I believe my higher power is everywhere.

And my higher power wants me to be happy, joyous, and free!

How do you practice self-care?

Life swirls by so quickly. It seems as though when I don’t slow down I’m not showing up for my own life.

The children grow up. Did I spend enough time with them.

My hair is turning gray. I have wrinkles in my face and it is harder to move. I used to literally jump out of my seat but no more,

Luckily several decades ago I realized this would happen. I realized if I didn’t stop to smell the roses I would miss all the priceless moments in my life.

So I smelled the roses. Yes the children grew up but I was there for each moment.

My hair turned gray actually it’s a little white but it mixes with my blonde so it is hard to see. But the wrinkles came. And with age comes wisdom.

How do you waste the most time every day?

Ok I have to admit it. I sm quite adficted to the game candy crush. It started on my computer but now I play on my phone.

In the morning, I drink coffee, read my daily meditation, chat with my husband, write my blog and play candy crush. I play until I lose all my lives which sometimes can be too long.

If I’m working on booking a trip and looking for flights and hotels, I do limit my time. But when I’m not I waste a lot of time.

Today I’ve been playing and making plans for tonight. Doing both simultaneously. But its Saturday morning and I have a lot to do so I’m keeping this short and heading out to face my day!

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

Sweet, juicy watermelon with seeds brings me back to times of sitting at a picnic table with large oak trees for shading.

As I sit there spitting out seeds remembering times my friends and I would see who could spit the seeds the furthest.

The juice of the watermelon flowing over my tiny hands, sticky but oh so delicious. Afterwards running up to the fountain to get a bit of water on my hands to remove some of the stickiness. What I remember though is not minding the sticky hands at all. It was kind of like being buried in the sand at the beach. Loved all that sand on me.

Oh, and I did eat watermelon at the beach with sticky plus sandy hands. What fond memories.

As an adult the thought of sticky hands is quite uncomfortable. And today they have re-engineered watermelon without seeds. But when I’m lucky enough to find a watermelon with seeds it transports me back to spitting seeds with sticky hands. Heavenly!

Who is your favorite historical figure?

She along with Susan B. Anthony were the leaders of the suffragette movement in the United States.

She was an activist in the 1800s long before women even had the right to vote.

She was also an abolitionist, fighting for freedom from slavery.

Why I admire her is that she was the foundation of Women’s rights which started a trend toward giving women the right to vote and also no longer being property of their husbands.

She was married and had seven children but still fought for Womens freedom. I probably should give kudos to her husband for supporting her and he was also an abolishionist.

She wrote several booksmost notably the History of Woman Suffrage.

She died in 1902 but all her children were educated and continued with her activism.

Write about your first crush.

Actually, I believe my first crush was when I was really young, maybe four or five, and he was a friend of my father’s. Not anything sordid. He wasn’t inappropriate but I remember I was always happy when he was visiting.

I had three siblings and they tended to be out in the spotlight. But this man, Jim Morrison, not the Jim Morrison spent time with me. He noticed me. He talked to me. So was that a crush? I don’t know. I just know I loved him.

What countries do you want to visit?

Now the question should be what countries haven’t I visited? I’ve been traveling since retirement 9 years ago. We’ve been around the world twice.

However, we have not been to India, China or Russia. They are big spots on my world map. I’d like to go to India but not sure about the other two. Although both have many things beautiful for the traveler to see.

I am going to Iceland in two weeks. That’s a bucket list item.

I still have to venture into Austria and Germany. They will be next year.

So still some places I want to travel to if my health and mobility hold up. That’s always key.

But things like climbing volcanoes I think I’m finished with. As well as ancient ruins, After Olympia, we decided we had enough rocks.

There’s also a few places in Canada I’d like to visit by train such as Lake Louise. If you’ve never been to Quebec City, give it a try. It’s like being in Europe but not so far.

And on the homefront, I live in Florida and haven’t explored the West Coast. That I plan to do in the fall, barring any major hurricanes.

Traveling is my passion and there are still so many adventures to be taken.