Tag Archives: Music

A Busy Day (Off) Ahead

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning and Happy Friday, World!!! Today is my day off and I have a busy day ahead. My day started off by feeding my cat, Billie some wet food as he has dry food is free fed. I then went for a walk. As I walked I listened to music. When I got home from my walk, I did a mindfulness meditation practice. Now, I am sitting at my computer with my cat Billie in my lap as I write this blog post about to tell you how busy my day off is going to be.

You just heard how my day started, now let me tell you how busy my day is going to be. I will be volunteering at PAWS Cat City from 10:00am to 1:00pm today. I love volunteering at Cat City. I love being able to play with all the cats as well as helping cats find the perfect furrever home and helping people find a cat to join the family.

I, then come home and have two virtual appointments with my mental health treatment team. My first appointment is at 2:00pm with my psychiatric nurse practitioner for a med review for my psych meds. I do not think anything will change med wise except for getting refills. My next appointment is at 3:00pm with my therapist. My therapist and I will be discussing various things that I need to work on as well as coping skills. I look forward to meeting with my mental health treatment team.

After my appointments with my mental health team, I am planning on spending time with my cat, Billie who I consider family. I know there are some people out there in the world that do not consider pets as family but I do. Billie, is family and I am grateful for his unconditional love.

I do not have much to talk about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog post. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Friday and Peace Out, World!!!

Advertisement

Feeling the Blah’s with Being Sick

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I am feeling the blahs which usually happen when I am sick. On the plus note I am feeling better regarding being physically sick. Feeling better is always a good thing. Sadly, the one thing I wanted to do today was read but I was not able to concentrate and I am blaming my mental health symptoms on that.

On the plus note, I started doing my first diamond art. I knew it would be challenging and a lot of patients but it will be more challenging and required patients than at first thought. I spent about half an hour working on it before changing art genres to coloring. I love to color and spend more time on coloring than I did the diamond art. Of course while doing art work via coloring and diamond art, I listened to music. Music helps give me inspiration to be creative.

I am now going to take another nap and snuggle with my Billie. I want to thank you for reading my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Still Feeling Sick & Staying Home From Work

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! Or at least it is still morning here in Seattle. I am worried that I could lose my job due to missing so many days due to being sick. I would hope that they would at least give me a talk about missing so much work before letting me go. On the good hand, I am a part of a union and it is hard to get fired from my employer. The only thing the union can’t do in the first six months which is our probationary period is to help make sure we don’t get fired. Once the six months of the probationary period is up, the union can make sure we don’t get fired. So, yes I am a wee bit concerned but I think they have to go through all the union contract stuff before firing me.

One of the things to help me feel better due to sickness as well as less worried about anxiety missing too much work, plan on listening to music as I do some art work while my cat, Billie cuddles with me. I’m mostly going to listen to my Childhood Memories playlist which is 241 songs and just over fifteen hours long. While listening to music, I will be doing some art work. I plan on starting to do some diamond art work. The diamond art work is that of a treble clef which I find ironic that it’s the first one I chose to pick while listening to music.

If listening to music and/or doing diamond art work, I plan on reading a book called “Written In Time” by Jerry and Sharon Ahern. I really hope it is a good book. So far from the first twenty or so pages I have read, it has been a good book.

I wish I could write more about the book and the diamond art but my cat Billie is wanting to cuddle and play at the same time so I am ending this particular blog post for now. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. If it was not for you the reader, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Home Sick After a Four Day Weekend

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World! Sadly, I am not going to work today due to the fact that I am sick. I am sick with flu-like symptoms. Mainly, I am just puking my brains out which is a slang phrase of vomiting. As much as I would rather be working today, I am glad I didn’t see my mom over Mother’s Day weekend as she has Covid which is not good for her since she has stage three lung cancer. Missing work today and not seeing my mom over the weekend is a good thing as I don’t want to get anyone sick or expose anyone to Covid.

On top of being sick, I had a severe case of insomnia. Having insomnia on top of being sick is never a good thing. I really dislike being sick as well as having insomnia but both at the same time sucks shit. I am hoping to get some sleep and start feeling better soon.

Since I am home sick, I plan on reading. The book I just started reading is “Don’t Open The Door” by Allison Brennan. I am just starting the second chapter but so far it is captivating. I really hope that it continues to keep my eye on continuing to read the book.

Another thing I hope to do is do some art work. I plan on coloring at least one if not two of my big coloring pictures. I also plan on doing some diamond art painting. Diamond art painting is a bit tedious but well worth the accomplished feeling when finished even though I just started doing the Diamond Art Painting over the weekend.

I, of course will be hanging out with my cat, Billie while I read. Of course I will be hanging out with my cat Billie as I do art while listening to some music. Billie my cat is such a cuddle bug however he is much more of a cuddle bug when I am reading or doing art work. He is definitely more of a snuggle bug when music is on.

On to a slightly different topic but very similar to topics I wrote in the above paragraphs. As I mentioned Billie is very much a lovey dovey cuddle bug. I know this sounds weird but I read to Billie for a multitude of reasons. One reason is I have dyslexia and reading out loud to my cat Billie helps with my self confidence. The second reason I read out loud to Billie is because I have a couple of speech impediments, one of which is that I stutter and the other is that when I say anything with an r it sounds like a w. So, many of my speech therapists throughout the years including my current speech therapist have suggest to read out loud especially to animals and if I didn’t have an animal to read to a stuffed animal.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Home Sick from Work but Staying Busy w/Billie’s Help

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! Right now, I normally would be at work. Sadly, I am at home sick. I am not sure why I am not feeling very well and I think part of it has to do with a slight case of depression. Depression that is most likely due to the amount of people I have known that have passed away in a short period of time.

Since I am home sick, I am keeping myself busy. I am staying busy by doing various types of art work. The first type of art work that I am doing is coloring. I am coloring the posters that I showed you via pictures in my last two blog posts. The other type of art work I am doing is something called diamond art. I’m not sure how to explain it but it looks like a lot of fun that will take a lot of time as well as a lot of patients. I am looking forward to this new art adventure with diamond art as well as my continued love of the art of coloring. I also hope to be able to take photos of the diamond art to post them here on my blog as well as my continued progress of coloring the posters to show you how well they progressing.

Besides doing two types of art, I have been reading. Specifically, I have been reading the second edition of “Tarot for Beginners.” As of right now it is an easy read. A book that a fifth grader can comprehend which is a good thing for me because it makes it easier for me to comprehend. The best part is I haven’t picked up to read in roughly a month and am able to read it without having to reread what I have already read. I am hoping that reading this book will help me continue with my journey of mental health recovery as well as another coping skill. I hope that after reading this book that I can share what I have learned with you my reader as well as some of the spreads I do on myself as well as other people’s spread if they give permission of course.

Now it is time to get going so I can cuddle with my cat, Billie and read. Before I end this post I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. If it weren’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Long Time, No Blog

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! Long time, no blog. It has been a while since I blogged and a great deal has happened. Lets start with the beginning of this month. I had my birthday and overall it was a good one. It is hard to believe that I am forty-four years old. I never imagined that I would still be alive in my mid-forties because I thought I would die by suicide. I am beyond grateful to have found recovery and continue to be in active long term recovery.

Speaking of recovery, lets talk about one thing that has helped me throughout my recovery and life; music. I received an Amy Grant concert ticket for Christmas. The concert happened on March 14th and I absolutely had the time of my life. The concert was sold out and was located at the Admiral Theater in Bremerton, Washington. I took the day of and the day after the concert off. I even stayed in a hotel the night of the Amy Grant concert. On that note, after the concert I waited by Amy Grant’s buses to get an autograph and/or picture but sadly I didn’t. I didn’t because I was too shocked by the fact Amy Grant talked with me for about ten minutes and asked to give me a belated birthday hug and of course I said hi. Not sure how the subject of birthdays came up but it did. I am just shocked as hell that I received a hug from Amy Grant. As much as I am beyond stoked about attending the Amy Grant concert and getting a hug from her, I am thrilled that my work let me take two days off for it.

Now that I am on the subject of work, I am still loving and enjoying work. The team I am on is awesome and my colleagues rock. Of course I have some tough days but I am grateful to have a job that I love as well as enjoy. I just don’t like being away from home so long because I miss my cat when I am at work and my cat misses me.

Since we are now on the subject of my cat, Billie lets talk about him. Billie is doing well. He is still a cuddle bug and loves to tell me how is day was when I come home from anywhere especially work. I love my cat so much.

I do not have much more to say. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not continue to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Play the flute for at least thirty minutes
  • Read
  • Artwork (color)
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Read
  • Artwork (color)
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Read
  • Play the flute at least thirty minutes
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Read
  • Artwork (color)
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Read
  • Play the flute at least thirty minutes
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Read
  • Artwork (color)
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Twenty to thirty minute walk while listening to a podcast
  • Read
  • Artwork (color)
  • Play the flute for at least thirty minutes
  • As always spend time with my cat, Billie

Up Too Early On A Sunday Morning!!!

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is just before six in the morning Seattle time. I have been up since just before four in the morning Seattle time. So, I have been up for barely two hours and I don’t have to be up for about another hour to get ready to go and volunteer at PAWS Cat City.

Anyway, since I am unable to go back to sleep, I decided to turn on some music and do some art. The type of art I did was color. I am coloring a giant poster. A giant poster, I hope to give it to my mom when I am done coloring it. As I colored this giant poster, I listened to music on Spotify. The music I listened to was my childhood play list. A play list that reminds me of good parts of my childhood. I’m glad to have started my day listening to music while coloring. Now it’s time to do my mindfulness meditation practice while my cat, Billie sits on my lap.

I do not have much more to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope you all have a great Sunday ahead of you. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is that time of the week where I do my weekly check-in. I’m not sure how eventful it was, if it was at all. Having a week being uneventful is a good thing. Since my week has been uneventful this will likely be a short and boring post.

If you read my blog regularly, you are aware that, I have been doing a mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App every morning. I have been finding this quite helpful to start my day out. I have also been doing a mindfulness meditation practice mid-day when I am working and this has been quite helpful to decompress the stress of whatever may be going on with my job. I am glad that I started the mid-day mindfulness meditation practice this week. I am finding that I am in a good head space more often since starting my day with a mindfulness meditation practice.

Work is going great. In fact today marks one month since I started my job with the PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) team at my employer. I really enjoy my job. In fact I love it. I spend half of my day outreaching to clients and the other half of the day in the office doing notes or attending meetings. My colleagues on the team I am a part of are awesome and I am grateful for them.

Working full time has made me fully aware of how much I need to do self care. I already mentioned one method of self care I do which is doing a daily mindfulness meditation practice. One of the ways I do self care is volunteering at PAWS Cat City. I love spending time with all the kitties and helping them get furrever homes. Of course another form of self care for me is spending time with my own cat, Billie. I love my cat to the moon and back. Another form of self care I do is going for a twenty to thirty walk every day. Walking not only helps with my physical health but my mental health as well.

As, I realized this week, I need to not only schedule my self care but add more self care to my life. Self care that can be considered hobbies. Of course listening to music is key to my self care and I tend to do this when I am on public transportation going to and from work. Another thing I started doing today is doing artwork as I listened to a podcast. The podcast will vary as well as the artwork I do. Of course reading is on the self care list and I started doing that today. In fact I am reading Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I need to make sure I schedule these various self care acts so I can continue doing the type of work I do for my job.

So, that was my week.

Everyday Inspiration, Day 2; Write a List

Posted on by Gertie

What I’ve Learned

  • I’ve learned to play the flute.
  • I’ve learned the basics of playing the harmonica.
  • I’ve learned that the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skill help me when life is unmanageable or just a little stressful.
  • I’ve learned to laugh at myself and that humor goes a long way.
  • I’ve (re)learned several times over that cats are always forgiving and full of unconditional love.
  • I’ve learned from my cat how to be a better human and how to have more patience with humans.
  • I’ve learned that my artwork doesn’t have to be perfect for others to enjoy it.
  • I’ve learned from my cat how to love myself.