5 Possible Antidotes to Drinking Coffee After 5PM

 

Things I found to be true, as I took my daily walkabout this morning. It was just an hour later than usual. I"ll get to the coffee thing, later...

Memo to me:

1) The young are out showing off their agility, as they come upon you unaware of their presence. Earlier is better. Only 1, or possibly 2, out before the sun comes up.

2) Traffic is heavy on the sidewalks of life, causing the slightest breeze of human presence to make you jump. 

3) People in cars are way friendlier later in the day, even to the point of stopping in the street and rolling down their window, just to greet you with a smile and a "good to see you." Early walkabouts, not so much. Probably haven't had their caffeine, yet.

Last night was an interesting night. I knew it would be, even before pouring myself that cup of coffee to enjoy a brownie (with walnuts), fresh out of the oven. I didn't care. Tomorrow (today) [now I'm sounding like Kamala Harris] is my day off work. I could slide into the morning with ease. Like I said, I couldn't care less what that beautiful brown, aromatic, liquid was preparing for me.

Surprisingly, I was a bit sleepy when I removed myself from the kitchen, so deciding to catch up on some Chicago Fire, while I could, I propped myself up in bed and turned the TV on. Yes, we have a television in the bedroom. There is a reason. No man-cave in this house, so DW gets the big screen, I don't. And it's okay. 

It wasn't long before I was dozing, so removing the prop, I laid down. Two hours later, I was up for a bathroom break (wonder why). Went back to bed, then two hours later (yes, again), I was up. Another bathroom break. Dang coffee! This went on ALLLLLLL night long until it was my usual time of rising, when the caffeine finally exited my nervous system, and I was out like a light!

When my eyes finally opened, I decided to miss my daily walk because of the heat and North Carolina humidity. I checked the humidity of Miami, OK...where we moved from, just out of curiosity. At the time I looked, it was a full 20% lower than here. That didn't help my decision at all. 😑

But...like I said in an earlier blog post, once I get hold of a thing, it's hard to pry outta my hands (mind). So, I faced the music of late night (5 PM) coffee, and put my walking shoes on and headed out. What a difference one hour makes around here!

So, for us older adults, maybe we should hold off the caffeine after 3PM. Just a thought...that I've had for many a year, now. So...the antidote? Here's 5 of them:

1) First off, lower the room temp to 60 degrees (or thereabouts). Just throw an extra blanket over your husband. Cover his head, too. If you have one. Husband, that is...

2) Get rid of ALL light emitting thingys in the room. This includes the tiny white light at the bottom of your TV that lets you know it's still there waiting on you. Also the bathroom night light that's there for impromptu late night visits, and the air purifier light should go, too. Or, maybe just use a heavy-weight sleep mask. 🤷‍♀️

3) Read a book. An entire book...

4) Exercise by doing sit ups...in bed. All night long.

5) Try playing dead...

Recovering, here you will find me...in Mary's World.

The Quest for Excellence

A couple of decades ago, I worked for a family owned pizza restaurant in Miami, Oklahoma. I had removed myself from the salon industry and had gone to "help out" my sister and her family, as their business grew to unimaginable heights. They/we were head and neck deep in customers, so much so, that we were always rubbing shoulders with someone (literally), as we took care of such a valuable asset. 

Eventually I was made to oversee the dining room experience. That included the monthly training of the wait team. One of our mottos was, "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean." And the 68% rule would unexpectedly be thrown in during our times together, just to see who remembered it and why they thought it was important to know. In our Quest for Excellence monthly meetings, product knowledge was at the top of our list of things needing understood. That, and the cleaning thing...

I can remember cutting out various shapes with labels for toppings that would go on various sandwiches, because those were the items new employees had a hard time remembering. I wanted them to be able to tell a customer exactly what they were getting when they ordered whatever it was they had ordered, so it was a "put the right ingredient on" whatever I chose to give them as a customer order. Our wait team was amazing. They listened. They learned quickly. They were respectful. Mostly...*ahem. And, I'm pretty sure most of the girls & guys remember the car lights shining on the entry doors at close to make sure they cleaned them thoroughly for the morning opening staff (which always complained they weren't). I'm pretty sure the night elves snuck in and dirtied up those doors, because my girls (and guy) were awesome at cleaning. They even learned how to get ALL crumbs out of the booths seats without cutting the leather. I saw more than a few raised eyebrows, on occasion, but they loved me, whether they think they did or not. 😂

It wasn't all a bed of roses, so-to-speak. There were some very trying times. Life is like that, ya know. How else would we learn to do good, if challenges weren't present? There are many stories I could tell about those years at Papazano's, but this post is not about that.

Yesterday, I had gone to the grocery store and because it was so very hot outside, I decided we would just enjoy some Chicken Salad from Chicken Salad Chick in Waverly Place, for our dinner. Sometimes, I will stop in and purchase their made-ahead containers of various flavorings. Always delicious. I do love their Broccoli Salad (sprinkled with bacon bits) AND their Grape Salad (sprinkled with brown sugar and pecan bits) as sides to any main dish. If you know me, you probably also know that I give anything at least 3 times before judging whether it needs addressed. Anything.

Wellll....yesterday was the 3rd time I was graced with an employees attitude that put me over the top. But, since I have mellowed in my old age, I chose to wait and just lay my frustration out on my keyboard, instead of embarrassing the young man by asking if he was having a good day. And possibly some other snyd remark. Yep. I used to be kinda bossy. Kinda rude. Kinda self-serving. Those attributes never go anywhere but down, where they belong.

Here's the low-down on what I'm talking about: With money in hand, I choose my take-out and proceed to the checkout point, where there were 2 employees checking out their customers. The lines were moving smoothly, until it was my turn at the register. The young man behind the register never once looked up to greet his customer. With head down, he continued to fiddle with his computer. I have no idea what he was doing, but pretty sure he did. I waited calmly, although the fact he was ignoring a faithful customer was annoying to say the least. But, maybe he was having a really hard day and I wasn't in too much of a hurry, so...

I didn't time the wait, but it felt longer than it should have been. The only way I knew he knew I was there, was the fact he began to separate my purchases. Still, with his head hanging down, never once speaking a word or making eye contact. He was just going through the motions of a job needing done. Since this was my third interaction with him, in as many weeks, I'm beginning to think he must have a hard life, or is just indifferent to life. Remember the 68% rule? It was about to kick in. Look it up, if you have no idea what I'm talking about. I asked him a couple of questions about toppings they offer for a couple of my choices, which he answered with a closed mouth "um-hum", head still down. This dude would never be able to identify any part of me in a line-up. Guess I should be thankful.

To be fair, I do think he mumbled something about me having a "good" or "nice" day, as I was leaving. I can't be 100% sure about that, because as I turned to leave, my last view of him was with his head still down. 🤷‍♀️

Life can be hard. I do understand that. What I don't understand is why businesses aren't more mindful of their employees and make sure they are okay. Mentally, if not physically. Both, really...but the emotional state of a human being (especially being used in a service position to customers), is of vital importance. Not just for the employee, but for the business as well! Good grief! I just don't get it.

When I went back to the beauty industry, after leaving Papazanos (Miami, remember?), I leased a building for a couple of years on the South side of town, then moved to North Main where I purchased land and a building. After gutting the building and creating a spa-like atmosphere, inside, and out, I began the process of hiring. Each potential employee had to pass 3 reviews by having 3 meetings with me. Then, they had to sign a document that outlined who the business was, what they could expect from me, and what was expected of them. That cut down on surprises. One of those things I expected of them, was that although I understood life can throw us a curve that creates a lot of stress, they would have to be able to leave those difficulties at the back door when coming to work, and walk into the salon with a smile on their face and gratitude in their heart for having a job where clients choose them to take care of what they viewed to be a very important part of their confidence. They were to come to work with clean clothes and hair done. Our customers hair always made a statement that either gave them great confidence, or made their load heavier. The employees were to be able to step away from their own problems for the time they were serving others, and make that time about the customer...never pouring their own problems onto the customer. Then, upon leaving the business for the day, they could pick that problem back up and try to find a solution, so their own spirit would be lifted the next day.

I wish businesses would hire me to train their employees since it appears they can't find the time. I would go once a month (maybe twice, depending on the need), to each business that hired me. The Quest for Excellence would be launched in each business. Wouldn't you, as a customer, enjoy a smiling face that genuinely offered you a blessing for your day? 

Always searching for excellence, here you'll find me...in Mary's World.

"Walking It Off" on Day 35

Forget Taylor Swift's admonition to "Shake if off". Shaking it off doesn't always mean one has dealt with an irritation. Sometimes, shaking it off simply means one has been successful at pushing it down into the archives of what one deems to be injustice. Those archives have a nasty way of sneaking up on oneself and imploding once the pile has no place to "shake off" yet another annoyance, or what one believes to be a direct attack.

I would rather "walk it off". Want to know why? Because when we talk a walk (maybe even a hike *wink *wink), we have time to process what has happened to make us want to go out in 80% humidity during a rainstorm, in long jeans and a tee-shirt that offers little to no protection from the onslaught of blood thirsty mosquitos. Have you ever noticed how much faster you can walk while thinking about how to keep your head from exploding? Even in high humidity? 

I felt like I was breathing in a paper bag this morning as my morning routine of walking around the neighborhood transpired. The morning walk was significantly delayed because of storms in the area. Real thunder and lightning and pouring rain, storms. God's little show of power lasted a full hour and dumped out a depth of humidity that felt like walking in mud...upstream.

Yes. I did consider not going until later in the day. However, here in the state that's just a rocks throw above the Deep South states, later, means HOTTER! But that's not what pushed me out the door sooner than I probably should have. My "widdle feelings" got hurt because someone didn't know what I needed to hear. Yep. You heard that right. I temporarily became a Democratic Woke person right there in my kitchen. I just didn't realize it until I "walked it off". Until I gave myself time to consider WHY my response (or lack thereof) was wrong. 

Why is it so easy to misunderstand our spouses, or significant others? D.W. and I are almost to the 49 year mark, and still, I occasionally misunderstand his intent. Today, I think it was because I have hated (strong word...I know), the reflection I see in the mirror. I am also very grateful that God has allowed my one foot that's on the proverbial banana peel, to hold steady and not slip. Bottom line, He has shown us all how to have health. We just either ignore it, or choose unwisely. Sometimes we don't even know what we are doing to our bodies, until it's too late and consequences hit us head on. That's another story...

Resistance has been trying to set in for the last 3 days, now. You know what I'm talking about, right? That little dark cloud that likes to hover when more than one thing is bouncing around inside the walls of our brains computer-like memories. Today, I was ready to embrace what I believed to be a legitimate excuse. And even though I felt really bummed about it, I was ready to cave. At least for the moment, all the while understanding the walk may not happen at all, today. The storms have never stopped me before, so why today? The jury for that question is still out.

The question you're all wanting answered is, "So, what did Dennis say, or do, for crying out loud?" Well, it's more what he didn't say, than what he did say. What I needed to hear was, "It's okay, Mary. One day off won't destroy everything you've accomplished. You can pick back up tomorrow." But that's not what he said. "You can't go out when there's lightning, just go later," is what he said. Okay. Okay. You can stop laughing now.

He didn't have the same feelings I did. The same thought process that I did. He didn't conform to my way of thinking, therefore he was wrong. He should have been more sensitive to my needs. Like I said, for a moment in time I fully understood the Woke Democratic brain. 😉

Memo: Everything doesn't have to be a direct attack on me/you. In this instance. D.W. really was watching out for me. Don't go out while it's lightning. Go later, simply meant he was for me. For my determined spirit to get this excess weight off. For my determined spirit to become as healthy as possible. It actually was a very gentle nudge forward. 

Okay. I'm back to my "Always Search Out the Truth, Republican" 😉

Persevering, here you'll find me...in Mary's World.

Day 32

Today I hit a wall. The sky was overcast, and the previous night had not given me the rest this sometimes weary shell I recognize as my body, needs. Yes, there have been other mornings that I really didn't want to "go for a walk", but not enough to keep the door from opening and spitting my resistant spirit out onto the driveway that meets up with the road I choose to walk upon.

I'm an early riser, so I work on other things while I wait for the sun to rise. Today, I went back to bed for 20 minutes. Didn't help. AND, the sun didn't show itself until 6:07 (that's 5 whole minutes later than yesterday). Since I won't go outside while it's still dark, for various reasons, it gave my body time to get comfortable. And it was tired.  Poured myself a cup of coffee and stretched this aging bod while waiting. 

I've always been able to shrug off the resistance and hit the road at a fairly fast pace. It's how I'm wired. My mom was a fast walker because she had to be in order to do all that must be done in the space of a days time. Ten kids, ya know. Just not enough hours in a day. Somehow, I either learned that was the way one was supposed to walk, or it was just my "get it done" mannerism.

If anything, I'm faithful. Once I commit to something, I never waver. My mind tries to talk me out of things, but I never give up. Today, it was a mental battle. Why, I'm not sure. The weather gave us a break and it was a cool 70 degrees at 6 AM, compared to the 78 & 79 degrees I normally walk in. Perfect walking weather. So, I resolved to put one foot in front of the other and just "get it done".

A funny thing happened as I walked. I had gone about half a mile when I spotted what appeared to be a homeless man across the street. I've never seen homelessness in our area. I've seen beggars that were clearly not what they hoped you'd think they were, but never someone in our neck of the woods that reminded me of what I see on the news from time to time. Usually across the country, in California. Oh, this person hadn't set up a tent, or anything that resembled a "home". He was actually walking with a brown knapsack in one hand, and a plastic bag in the other. Not knowing his story, my heart went out to him, while at the same time finding a lot more strength in my legs than what I began with. My stride lengthened, my heart bumped up its beats-per-minute, and my arms swung just a bit faster as the pavement below my feet shortened. The next time I looked over my shoulder, he had disappeared.

It's been said that our past doesn't define us. Yet, some days I feel mine does. I do know fear can be a healthy thing at times. It helps us understand the physical and mental pain of ignoring it. But, just like everything else, we should have a healthy balance. Too much of a thing can/will destroy us (which I'm known to allow). Too much eating. Too much sleeping. Too much TV watching. Too much work, etc. You get the picture. Too little of a thing also has the capability of destroying us. So, mostly because I was alone this morning, I allowed fear to dictate my actions. What had I not noticed? Should I be afraid? Once off that stretch of road, I settled down and was able to relax my mind as I finished my walk-about.

The question I'm left with this morning, is, "Will this one event cause my faithful walking to be altered?" This is the thing...there will always be something to test our resilience. To test our fortitude. To test our faithfulness. No matter what our goals are. What, or who, rules your thoughts?

Heading into day 33, here you'll find me...in Mary's World.