A couple of friends reading the blog correctly questioned my use of hot chocolate. I guess I was in denial, but, yes, chocolate has caffeine, not as much as coffee, but for me, right now, not a good idea.
So, I remembered drinking golden milk a number of years ago, and I made this last night.
It’s milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. It was very good, but didn’t make any difference with my sleep.
This is what last night looked like:
Although the cumulative time showed that I slept a bit over 7 hours, I wouldn’t call it good sleep. As Romiszewski suggests, I’m going to stay up much later in order to increase my sleep drive.
I remember as a kid, my mom making me go to bed at 7:30. She said I needed more sleep than other people. Maybe not true any longer. My plan now is to stay up until midnight. I’m going to spend the late hours watching videos. I have a number of titles on my to-watch list, so I’ll do it then. I don’t need to be sharp during those times, just awake. I was so tempted to take the Ambien last night, but I promised myself I would give this at least two weeks. I think this is just one week. I also am spending time just passively listening to Romiszewski during my day. I like to have her voice of encouragement in my head.
I’m trying something new with watercolors. Jolene sent me this Reel from Instagram, and I told her I would give it a try. I can’t embed an Instagram link, but this URL will take you there.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cjv4XTUJe_H/
I have obviously not mastered it yet. I’m going to try to find a shot glass or something similar with a rounded lip. To make mine, I used the lid from a spice jar, but it didn’t work very well.
Yesterday, as I was looking for watercolor paper, I came across a number of pages of my early attempts at calligraphy. It’s good to look back on occasion.
Today:
I’m going to Barbara and Murray’s this afternoon for lunch. Debra and Pascual will be joining us. I made a puttanesca.
I recently finished reading Walking Through Walls by Phillip Smith. It’s a memoir in which Smith tells the story of growing up with his father, Lew Smith, who was a popular psychic healer. I’ve never really been convinced by people who call themselves psychic or mediums. Many of them just seem to be stage performers, and I’m always amazed how they continue babbling on when their “recipient” is shaking their head and not connecting. But this book is creating curiosity. As we read the book, we see Smith (the author) go from resistant, skeptical teenager, to a respectful adult. He shares firsthand accounts of witnessing his father’s skill.
After reading the book, I started researching this skill, which is now being called energy healing. I tried a series of Reiki sessions in 2015, when I was going through a transition. The therapist actually fell asleep a couple of times during our sessions. I wasn’t convinced, and I never felt any change in my system. But some of the videos I’ve been watching lately are starting to make me question this. Stay tuned.