Tag: #GrowingupHollis;

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me!  On August 5, 2016 I will celebrate 5 years (Colon) Cancer free.  Yay!  IMG_7945You see on Friday, August 5, 2011 I had surgery to remove the colon cancer so I count that day in August as my anniversary date as opposed to counting when I actually completed my 12 chemo treatments which, by the way, was in February of 2012.  I’m not going to get into it here as I have already blogged about the actual experience which can be found under Blogs on my site, lajeunehollis.com (“A Place of Desert…”).  

Although I tried unsuccessfully to put on a Colon Cancer Cruise in 2015 (“Colon Cancer Survivors Cruise Info”) it was still a learning experience that left me much richer for it…

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The month of March will forever hold a special place in my  heart as it is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and without the colonoscopy I received back in June of 2011, I would not be sharing any of these stories with you today (“True Blue”).

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Eating healthy and nutritious foods is a way of life for me now, not just a passing fad (“My Clean Living Life – Parts I and II”).

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Working out at The Edge in Hamden is a great stress reliever for sure but it also serves the dual purpose of keeping me physically fit (“Pit Bull or Poodle?”).

And participating in seasonal sports and/or activities on a regular basis brings me right back to my childhood as my parents were always good about keeping all 7 of us Hollis kids busy in a good way (“Ski Date”).

Having good friends to lean on during a major illness (remember that old saying about the fact that you don’t really know who your real friends are until you encounter major illness) rang so true for me.  Also, making new friends as a direct result of my Cancer experience was humbling to say the least (“Friends are like jewels…”).

Family is crucial and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without the love and support of my father and my siblings during this trial (“Easter Sunday Back in the Day”).

And finally,  growing up in a religious household made all of the difference in the world in terms of how I viewed my illness and how I responded to it (“A Desert Place…”).   Having faith and a church home (for me, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, CT) was completely necessary for my sanity and my survival.  I was then, and continue to be now, truly blessed.

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Put your slippers on…

As I’ve gotten older,  I’ve truly started to take note of the things that make me happy and relaxed and conversely, stay away from the things that make me sad and/or stressed out.  It sounds simple in theory but in practice, not so much…

At any rate today it’s the little things that make me happy and/or relaxed.   And they don’t necessarily involve a lot of money.  Here are a list of them:

  • Sleeping in on Saturdays – Growing up Hollis, my father,  Jonie B., would not allow his kids to sleep in on the weekends – he was a “military man” and sleeping in was a sign of laziness…conseqently, this is a big deal to me today…you notice I only mentioned one weekend  day…
  • Taking long bubble baths on the weekends –  Growing up Hollis  and being one of 7 children, I used to have to share my bubble baths with my sister Elena to not only save water, but time…today I consider a bubble bath strictly “me time” and a luxury not enjoyed enough…

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  • Burning incense and candles – I love to burn things in a safe way (smile) so burning candles and incense has a unique way of relaxing me when I’m feeling stressed – watching a fire burn in an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire pit also does the trick
  • Eating comfort “snacky” foods – Growing up Hollis and being a “daddy’s girl” I used to pop “corn” for my father and watch Football with him so this snack has always held a special meaning to me
  • Reading a good book on a rainy day – There’s something about curling up on the sofa with a good book and cup of hot tea on a rainy day…

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  • Spending quality time at the beach -Water has always had a way of relaxing me and making me feel at peace with the world – I grew up in the small Shoreline town of Groton, CT where we had 5 beaches so I spent a lot of time with my siblings at the beach

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  • Getting pampered – feet, hair, nails, etc. – love to have someone else that I’m paying do these things for me – did not know that luxury growing up so it feels extra special now…

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  • Watching a good movie at the movie theater complete with snacks – my late mother Jean used to drop her 7 children off at the movie theater on Saturdays armed with snacks so going to the movies will always hold a special place in my heart
  • Spending time outdoors during the warmer months – Living in New England and dealing with such changeable weather, I love being outdoors when the weather is nice and I fully take advantage of it.  Whether it is playing sports or just lounging around, the sun becomes my friend
  • And finally, putting on my “jammies” and slippers as soon as I get home from a long stressful day at work – I work in a super stressful, highly competitive industry so as soon as I get home I take a nice hot shower and put on my “jammies” and slippers – – I can still hear my late mother Jean’s voice telling me,  ‘put your slippers on’ after an insanely busy day and miraculously, it worked!

 

 

R U Social?

Back in the day,  when I was growing up in Groton, CT, to be “social” meant something other than what I think it means today.  Correct me if I’m wrong but here’s what I think: back in the day being social meant that you had a certain number of friends or people who you would actually hang out with in person, socialize with, do things with, etc.  Today being “social” means having a certain number of social media “friends” or “followers” that “like” you and that you communicate online with, having a certain number of social media accounts,  spending more time with your mobile devices then with each other, and posting photos about what you are doing while you are doing it and sending the “pix” online to your “followers” even before you are finished doing it.  I have my hand up as I’m guilty of it (see my blog post: An Apple a Day).  For instance, at home I am never too far away from my iPhone, my iPad or my MacBook Pro – clearly I’m an Apple fan – but it’s exhausting and sometimes I just want to retreat to a quiet place where there is no WI-FI or so-called “friends” to “follow” me…

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I’m not a “social media butterfly” i.e., someone who is always connected to social media sites, constantly giving updates, but rarely socialize with any of these “friends” or “followers” in real life.  I connect with people in “real life” as well as on-line, hence where the exhaustion sets in.   So this weekend I am taking a break, un-plugging, un-wiring and getting back to basics.  Life without the internet.  Let’s see how long I last…wish me luck!

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Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!

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I am truly a Child of the 70’s.  I was born in a blizzard in Newport, Rhode Island on Valentine’s day in 1962.  So I really came of age in the 70’s.  Which is why, to this day, the 70s is my favorite decade of music to listen to in my car on Sirius radio.   Growing up, I loved listening to music on my 8 track player.  Because of my eclectic tastes in music, I could be listening to the sounds of Motown,  Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Boston, Chic, Zeppelin and/or GQ.

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My sisters sported Bell Bottoms and tie-dye t-shirts.   Huge afros with picks in the middle were our hair style of choice.  My favorite color in clothes was blue because my mom said so and the only adult conversation I was privy to was when I had my ear against the hall door during one of my parents couples-only parties at home.

During the summers which were sooooooo long back then, l played with my Dawn doll, went rollerskating for long periods of time and ate Little Debbie’s, washing them down with cold whole milk.   Me, my brothers and sisters and the neighborhood kids kept busy with games of kick-ball in the middle of the street we grew up on ’till the lights came on. Neighbors were friendly then and you didn’t mind borrowing sugar from them.

Back then, children were seen and not heard, telephones were connected to the wall and had long cords that we could carry into a closet if we needed privacy.  Walking home alone from school was not a problem and pets (our dog) ate right from the table and were never walked.  Our male dachshund would sometimes disappear for days at a time and we never worried that he would not come back.

Vacations consisted of us all piling up in the oversized two-toned family station wagon and going to visit ‘the cousins’ in Newport, Rhode Island or my father’s side of the family in Newark, New Jersey or Niagara Falls, New York.

Those were the days…

With 2 parents and 7 kids in the house, Halloween was an event.  We would dress up, take our own pillow sack (flimsy plastic bags would not do!) out into the neighborhood and gather as much candy as we could carry home.  Once home, our mother would put all of the chocolates into separate containers for freezing and then store the rest of the candy into places unknown to us.  We were literally eating candy for the next 6 months.  The dentists had to love us!
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I would not trade my childhood for the world.  Having a stay-at-home mom and a traditional dad allowed me to reap the benefits that I am still enjoying to this day.  Good times!

Friends are like jewels…?

I learned about the importance of having and keeping good friends early on. I grew up in a big dual parent family (with five girls, 2 boys) and since I was the ‘baby girl,’ I considered myself the odd girl out because, in my mind, my 4 other sisters were all closer in age and therefore already had each other for playmates.

The Hollis kids
The Hollis kids – I’m the sixth from the left

Consequently, in my six year old mind,  my best bet was to make my own girlfriends who could ‘feel like sisters’ so I found myself becoming really good at cultivating  friendships that lasted.  As I became older I got better and better at it.  When  it came to friendships with the opposite sex I found friendships with boys easier and less complicated. That is, until,  I was old enough to date.   Then things became more complicated as my boyfriend would look at me like: ‘who is he and what is he to you?’

Which brings me to present day.  I am so blessed to have in my life my S.O. James who is not only the love of my life but also my best friend, confidant,  travel partner and partner in crime.

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Another benefit to becoming older is that the gap between my sisters has somehow shrunk and we are now truly friends.

I am also blessed to have in my life what I consider my wide circle of friends:  family friends, friend friends,  church friends, client friends, gym friends, doggie friends, co-worker friends and social media friends.

Speaking of co-worker friends, I recently became very close to a co-worker friend named Jamie who I was initially introduced to by a mutual and former co-worker friend who asked me, upon her exit,  to look after Jamie since she was new and did not have any friends.  I immediately bristled at the idea of making friends with a friend of a friend as I always prided myself on choosing  my own friends but once I got over that feeling I began to like Jamie.   We both had a different idea of what the other person was like based upon preconceived notions but once we got past that we became fast friends.  I always feel as if I meet a person for a reason and  I quickly found what that reason was through my friendship with Jamie.   She is and was the inspiration behind my blog as she both trained and helped get me started on WordPress plus she has her own enviable blog, jamieeverafter.

Me and Jamie at CT Convention Center
Me and Jamie at the CT Convention Center last Fall

So in conclusion I have to say that friends are like jewels…precious, valuable, treasured…no two are alike.