Tag: #theseventies

Count Your Blessings…

I can’t believe it’s August already which means that Summer is almost over, Boo!  To add insult to injury, the changeable weather in Connecticut has me feeling kinda blah…If you too are finding yourself feeling some kinda way and are looking for solutions,  here’s my list of ways to shake it off (smile).

First things first, Count Your Blessings.   I’ve been known to throw a pity party and not invite anyone but myself and that never ends well.   The quickest solution is to start counting my blessings no matter how large or small.  Works like a charm…

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Take a Mental Health Day – sometimes you just need to forget about work and take the day off, strictly for the purpose of resting and relaxing your mind…

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Get organized  – Declutter – Put things back where they belong – sometimes just getting organized takes a load off your mind and makes you feel accomplished (smile).

Surround yourself with positive people.   Life is too short to be made miserable by another person(s).  You can truly ‘do bad all by yourself’ as mama used to say (smile).

Listen to music that you absolutely love – the 70s is my Go-To decade so you’ll find me listening to one or more of the following musical genres:  Soul, Rock, Pop, R & B or Disco.  It instantly puts me in a good mood.

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This is not necessarily going to be easy but try turning offthe desktop, the laptop,  the cell phone, etc. for even a few half hours at a time.  You’ll be amazed at how good you feel.

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Read a bookby your favorite author or grab a self-help book.  Either one will do the trick.

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Take a power nap – quick, short naps not only rejuvenate you but they improve your mood, alertness and performance.

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Exercise for life – make working out a part of your daily life – not a dreaded thing to do.   Whether you belong to a gym, or work out at home, it’s one of the best ways to combat stress, reduce fatigue and improve your sleep.

Get involved in a sport that you have not played in years.  I used to play a mean game of badminton as a child so playing it again recently brought back some fond memories.

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Play with pets –  whether they are your own, your friends or your neighbors  – pets can easily bring a smile to your face and make your worries go away.

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And finally, Count Your Blessings, again…if you have a sound mind, good health, family, faith, friends and work, you’re already ahead in the Game of Life.

Sports Nut

From as far back as I can remember, I’ve been playing sports and/or keeping busy with physical activities.   I have an inordinate amount of energy so this works out just fine (smile).  And Growing up Hollis, both my mother and father always made sure that their 7 children were kept busy with physical activities and/or sports all year long.

Today it’s the gym (Edge Fitness Club in Hamden, CT) that keeps me active and sane.

But back in the day it was either organized sports (during the school year) or any kind of sports, activities or games (indoors or outdoors) with my 6 siblings and/or our neighbors.   I grew up in the ’70s, a time when there were no smart phones or tablets or laptops.  R U Social?   We played games with each other and if you needed to see someone, you simply hopped on your no-speed bike and peddled your way over to their house (smile).

Speaking of houses, this is the house where we grew up in the small town of Groton, CT – lots of really good memories were made here –  Easter Sunday back in the day…This is an updated version of when we lived in it as this picture was taken just two years ago.   For instance, back in the day we had a car port, not a garage…

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Organized Sports:

  • Softball – I started playing softball in a Women’s league when I was just 11 years old.  I ended up playing every position on the field with this league by the time I turned 15. I even won the team ball (which was signed by all of my teammates before they carried me off the field).  To this day I still own that ball…
  • Bowling – I starting bowling in a league at a local bowling alley when I was 11 as well.  Bowling Date
  • Judo – I started when I was 12 years of age and ended at age 16.  I almost made it to ‘purple belt’ and my rugged gi (purposely made to be loose-fitting) fit me all 5 years.
  • Track & Field  – I started running track in high school ( 10th through 12th grades back then).  My events were the 220, 440, mile relay and the long jump.  I have to admit: although I was a decent runner, I had nothing at all on then Fitch Senior High School track standout,  Sherry Johnson, whom we were all in awe of because her legs never seemed to quit :)).

Outside during the Winter – I (we) enjoyed sledding, playing ice hockey, building snowmen and/or snow caves, as well as ice skating Ski Date.

Outside during the Spring/Summer  – I (we) alternately participated in or played:  kickball, badminton, field hockey, dodgeball, roller skating, bike riding, and volley-ball  Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!

I (we) also walked on tall stilts, played on swings, climbed monkey bars and skipped rope.

A fave toy of mine back in the day was Big Wheels.   We lived on a cul-de-sac so I could easily (and safely) ride up the street, around the circle at the end of the street and back down again for hours at a time.  Once I picked up speed,  I would take my feet up and off the pedals, stretch my long legs out in both directions and whiz away!

big-wheelsIf it happened to be raining outside, I would ride my Big Wheels up and down our driveway underneath the car port (as long as my father was working) which meant that our oversized two-toned family station wagon was not parked underneath it and not in my way (smile).

Speaking of rain, Inside on rainy days:  I (we) played Klik Klaks, Clacker Ball, Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Monopoly, and pored through novels  Put your slippers on…plus I (we) enjoyed clap games like Patty Cake and Miss Mary Mack, musical chairs, blowing Bubbles and playing Freeze Dance or Monsters.

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Outside  in the Fall – We played Hide and Seek, Hop Scotch – tossed with a bean bag, Jump Rope, Jacks, Marbles, Red Light-Green Light, Mother May I?, Simon Sez, Tag, and Slinky.

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Life sure was different back in the day.  Electronics did not rule, our arms and legs did and, dare I say, we were better for it…

 

Bowling Date

I remember the first time I picked up a bowling ball.  I was 11 years old and in 5th grade at Mary Morrison Elementary School in Groton, CT.   Someone in my classroom was joining a league at the local bowling alley and I thought it might be fun to give it a try.   I had just finished up with Judo for the year and was looking for a new pastime.  So I joined the league and have been bowling off and on ever since.

Back in the day bowling alleys were dark, musty, smoky places with beat up old pins, wooden lanes and loud, piped in music.

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When I bowled back in the day, you really had to know a little something something about the game because you were truly on your own when it came to scoring and keeping track of your pins.   To this day I’m quite sure I gypped myself and my teammate out of points due to sheer ignorance.  Plus, quite honestly, focusing on keeping track of the score took most of the fun out of the game.

Conversely, what I like today about the modern bowling alleys (outside of the fact that they are both glamorous and sexy) is that everything is electronic and therefore soooooooo easy (smile).   Music videos play on large wall areas in between the lanes.  The lanes are now synthetic (low maintenance!) and feature automatic scoring systems which take the guesswork out of fully knowing the game.   At these modern bowling alleys you simply put on your bowling shoes,  enter your name(s) in the keypad of your assigned lane, take your photo(s) with the built-in camera and (this is optional) sign onto your social media account(s).  By the way I tried signing onto my social media account and did not like this feature as it felt too intrusive as every spare, strike or pin I knocked over was instantaneously posted to my Facebook timeline so I shut it off…At the end of your games a tally of you and your bowling party’s scores are handed to you.  Easy Breezy!

There’s even a snack bar with real food if you get hungry, an arcade if your kids need more stimulation, a bar for adult beverage recreation and a lounge featuring flat screen TVs.

I also like the fact that it’s a great way to spend quality time with family and/or friends.  And it’s fun!

Here’s the best part:  Check your Groupon app as there’s almost always a Groupon for bowling and shoe rentals at a location near you.  For example:  Two games of bowling for 4 people with shoe rentals included is just $25 dollars — you know how much I love Groupons :))  A real bargain compared to a lot of other entertainment options today…You’re welcome!

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