Winter musings

Advent calendar on my laptop

Looking for some inspiration for the first full day of winter (in my hemisphere, anyway), I visited the Jacquie Lawson Cotswold Advent calendar that was gifted to me by my blogging friend Dee Ready. It showed up in my e-mailbox right before my birthday, and I've been visiting it every morning since. Every day there is another delight to see, a game or a scene that shows the animated village of Cotswold, with puzzles and clues that enchant me for hours. First thing every day I go looking for the sheep hidden in the scene. This morning I see him there in the lower left. I click on him and he disappears, until I get to find him again tomorrow in another part of the scene.

This is the second year in a row that she has gifted me with this calendar. Many of the games are the same as last year's, but my memory had forgotten so much, until they popped back up into consciousness when I see them again. Memories are such strange phenomena, aren't they? Somewhere vast storerooms of my past lie dormant in my brain, and something jogs a memory loose and an explosion of thoughts fill my mind. There is so much available if I only knew how to access it all.

But why would I even want to do that? It's hard enough to remember where I put my shoes yesterday, and I guess my mental processes are conveniently taking old memories and storing them without my knowledge, so that I can concentrate on the present. Like so many other seniors, I fret sometimes that I'm losing my grip because I cannot remember names or where I just put my glasses. (They are often on top of my head and therefore invisible to me.) There is no doubt that some slippage has occurred, but right now it doesn't seem terribly worrisome. Many people my age experience mental cognitive decline.

A dear hiking friend has slipped into that state, and it's hard to watch him struggle to figure out how to put on his backpack, or remember how to use the car seat belt as we head up into the mountains. He no longer drives; his wife drops him off and then picks him up afterwards. We keep a close eye on him, and everyone is glad he can still get out and enjoy the outdoors, where he is himself again. It's odd what he remembers: names and faces are easy for him, but spatial orientation is slipping away fast.

Years ago I took one of those cognitive tests to determine the state of my own cognitive abilities, and the test was pretty easy for me, except for that pesky problem of counting backwards from 100 by seven. I just couldn't do it, until I figured out that I could count backwards by ten and then add three. Not exactly elegant, but I could manage. It just occurred to me that these days, there are probably plenty of online tests one can take to see how I'm doing. I might do that one day, if I can remember to (smile).

* * *

What is on my mind these days is how to keep myself from gaining any more weight during this holiday season. Mostly I allow myself anything I want, but that daily weigh-in has become annoying. It shows that I have definitely been eating more calories than I am burning. It's a problem that many of us experience at this time of the year. I read an article recently that studied whether getting on the scales often makes any difference. It said that yes, those in the study who weigh themselves daily gain less and have an easier time losing the excess weight. (I tried to find the article again and had no luck, but I'm glad to know it works.)

It does make a difference what I allow myself to eat on a day when the scale says I'm maintaining, and when I realize I've indulged too often. I weigh myself at the same time every day, after I have my tea and read the news on my laptop (or, in the case of Sunday mornings, after I write this post). If I've been particularly indulgent, I will hold onto the nearby table and ease myself on the scales. Not that it makes much difference, but I've been able to fool the scales once in awhile. I know when I see a number that doesn't make sense that I've got to get on again. I keep gaining and losing the same five pounds and I know by the way my clothes fit whether it's time to get serious.

However, the older I get, the less I seem to care about those extra pounds. Well, that's not exactly true: it still matters to me that I am able to keep my knees happy, and any extra weight makes it harder to walk up and down hills. I learned that every extra pound is a four-pound stress on my knees, which makes me hesitate when I get ready to bite into that wonderful Christmas cookie. Maybe it's true that a daily weigh-in helps to keep one honest. But I no longer feel like I need to get on the straight-and-narrow path of eating. Some people eat to live, and others live to eat. Mostly I see myself in the first group, but the enjoyment of good food helps me understand the second. Plus, food tastes better when you're hungry.

I found this lovely quote from Peace Pilgrim, which deals with the first and second parts of this post: "I don't eat junk foods and I don't think junk thoughts." If I could remember to follow her precept, I'd be a much happier person. She was quite an inspiration to me for years. If you don't know who she was, you can find out about Peace Pilgrim here. She was only 72 when she died, but she created a legacy of peace and wonder in the world that continues today.

And with her admonition, I finish today's post and look forward to what the rest of the day will be. Every single day is one to be treasured, and the company of good friends and family always lightens my heart during these dark days of winter. I hope you will have a wonderful holiday season, and that you will come back to visit me here next Sunday. Until then, be well, dear friends, and don't forget to count your blessings.