This post was originally posted on Blogger August 7, 2024.
I was going through a small box of photos of both Paul and myself growing up, before he immigrated with his family from South Africa, to North Vancouver in 1996. Most of the pictures were school pictures, my sports pictures, and some random photos of us in the early years of dating, up to our wedding.
Going through the pictures today inspired this blog post all about me, as a sort of way to get to know me a little better. I’m not the most outgoing person, and due to health reasons, cannot get out to community events as much as I’d like, so I thought it would be fun to tell my readers and supporters a bit about me.
1. My favourite ice cream flavours are bubble gum and cotton candy. Preferably Island Farms brand. Not the bubble gum with the real gum, but the bubble gum with the pink gum flavoured pieces. Random fact…eating ice cream is messier when you have 3 lip piercings with spikes, so I always make sure to grab extra napkins.
2. Like many of us, I do better with structure. I have my daily habits, routines and rituals that I complete each day. I use various apps and technologies to keep me on track and moving in a positive direction forward. I do much better physically and mentally when I am consistent with those daily habits, routines and rituals, and on days I don’t do them for whatever reason, I struggle so much harder. If I miss a few days, when I go back to it, it’s like meeting up with an old and comforting friend. It feels familiar and positive. I have my morning routine that sets me up with a to do list and tasks for the day, including scheduling self care. I also have a simple fitness and exercise routine and daily craft routines with my mother-in-law, routines with my bestie Allison and a few other friends, my mindfulness and meditation routine and my evening routine. All are not that time consuming, and I feel they help set me up for success day. A big part of my daily routines were created to help me work on my physical and mental health, organization and productivity, and I rely on that consistency to help me manage and navigate my days..
3. I didn’t start using cannabis regularly until after I was injured. I’ve been using it since 2010 and it’s simply something I cannot live without. It took me many years to learn how it works best for me, doses, strains, and consumption methods. It helps me in multiple ways, from slowing my frantic and scattered brain down, to giving me the ability to have focus and an energy boost, which are great for getting chores or writing done. Some strains are relaxing and cheerful, some make me really sleepy, some help with my anxiety and depression, and some are better for pain than others. I like to use a Sativa or Sativa hybrid until about 3pm, then I move to an Indica hybrid, and before bed a straight Indica. I enjoy learning about and trying new strains and seeing how my body experiences them compared to what is written about them. I keep my own alphabetical strain guide in a small address book of stats and personal comments of the strains I’ve tried. Another huge benefit to me is it dulls the sharpness and severity of the different extreme sensations and fluctuations of pain that I experience 24/7. It doesn’t exactly take the pain away, but it softens the harsh and shocking severity of those pain signals. I often catch myself “clenching” my body, especially in my back and legs, and the cannabis helps me relax that tension. I go for daily walks and it allows me a small exercise routine.
4. I quit smoking December 24, 2022 and switched to vaping. I am proud of myself as I thought I’d never be able to quit smoking. I smoked for a long time and I’m super stoked that I was able to quit, even if I have not quit ingesting nicotine. I love my different vapes and e-juice flavours and would love to learn how to make my own.
5. My favourite movie is Dirty Dancing. I watch it once a year around Christmas, along with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Brady Bunch Christmas movie.
6. I cannot sketch faces. I can draw many things well, and even sketch many things well, but I cannot sketch or draw faces. They always turn out wonky. I’d love to take a class one day and learn how to do it. I’d love to sketch my friends and family.
7. We live on over 10 acres of forested land and there’s not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the opportunity to live somewhere surrounded by the beauty of nature. I’m also thankful for living in a place where I am not bombarded by multiple competing noises all day. I can’t even stand to use the hood fan over the stove, or a fan, so I don’t think I’d do well living in the city again, with how much constant background noises go on. Combined with the variety of pain signals peppering my brain, it totally frazzles and stresses my brain out and makes me feel like I’m crawling in my skin.
8. Growing up, school supply shopping was one of my favourite times of year. Fresh duotangs or binders, art supplies, pencil cases and boxes and new pens and pencils, what’s not to love?! My love for school supply shopping was reignited after the kids started school. It was so much fun going with them to pick out their supplies and to see what fun and funky school supplies were available and what they chose for that year.
9. I am an avid journaler, and have a daily journaling practice, both in my physical journals, as well as my journaling apps. I started a simple journaling practice after I turned 40, and last year expanded that to include bullet journaling and getting journals with meaningful themed prompts to guide my writing. I’ve finished quite a few journals that I’ve bought so far, and each one has helped me process and work through a lot of trauma I’ve experienced. Expanding my journaling practice was a gift to myself, and it has helped me in so many ways. I don’t know what I would have done last year if I didn’t have my journaling. The process of writing was therapeutic and it kept my mind focused and motivated in doing things that would start to benefit my mental health.
10. One of my favourite book series growing up was The Babysitters Club. When my kids were younger the graphic novel versions of The Babysitters Club started coming out. Last year I really missed reading, and needed something comforting and simple to do, so I started reading young adult graphic and illustrated novels. I started with The Babysitters Club, Enola Holmes, Harry Potter, and a modern day version of Anne of Green Gables. I’m actually hoping that someone starts putting out Nancy Drew graphic novels, as I really enjoyed reading those growing up..
There you have it, ten random tidbits about me, pulled from the depths of a photo box and the corners of my mind. I hope this glimpse into my world has helped you to get to know me a bit better. If anything, it's shown that even with health challenges and life's ups and downs, there's always room for ice cream, laughter, and a good graphic novel. Thanks for reading and taking this journey with me.