A Horizontal Day – Day 119 of The Pollyanna Plan

I’m still in a lot of pain today (see yesterday’s post) and haven’t managed to stay vertical for very long because it hurts my injured neck too much. This, in turn, is not really conducive to feeling glad/happy/joyful. But, in between sleeping and feeling a little sorry for myself, I have been trying to keep focused on the positives – really, I have!

Another reason I’m struggling to grasp those happy feelings today, is because my dear friend’s father has to have a serious operation soon and it is a very difficult time for all the family.

However, I made a commitment when I began The Pollyanna Plan to find a daily reason to feel glad/happy/joyful no matter what happens, so here goes – I’m digging deep.

Day 119, Reason 119: Today I’m very grateful for the technology that allows me to lie on the sofa with an injured neck and type this post.

I didn’t know how I was going to type today, as sitting up really puts strain on my neck injury and hurts far too much. I tried typing this post on my phone, but I don’t have a mobile WordPress app (does one even exist? I expect so!) and when I tried to delete and correct a word the whole thing froze. Plus, I don’t have free internet on my phone and I suspected it would end up costing a lot.

So, with the help of my wonderful Mum, I have assumed a horizontal, reclining position on the sofa with my laptop propped up on my knees. Before the days of light as a feather (well, nearly) laptops, this would’t have been possible. I don’t have wifi, but thankfully the internet cable is long enough to reach. All in all, it’s pretty comfortable, or as comfortable as I’m going to get today. And seeing the photographic evidence has given me a much needed giggle!

Today I’m sending all my healing thoughts, energy and love to my friend’s father.

246 days to go

246 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor me on my healing journey through The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful)  your money will go directly to my chosen charity, Save the Children, whose vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.

To donate or to  find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

A Room With A View – Day 118 of The Pollyanna Plan

Day 118, Reason 118: Today I feel so grateful for the beautiful view from my workroom.

I’ve had many varied and interesting jobs in my life, but I’ve never worked anywhere with a view quite as stunning as this one.

I used to feel pretty down about not being well enough to have a job – I had to give up work 7.5 years ago when I became too ill. In fact, I’d go as far to say that I felt useless and worthless without a job, but now I see the situation very differently.

Ok, so I might not be earning much money…yet…but I work from home, doing something I enjoy, using my creativity and crafting skills and I can throw the french windows of my workroom open, let the sunshine filter through and gaze upon the glorious view. I think that makes me very lucky indeed!

Despite another terrible night’s sleep, I had a very productive morning finishing sorting out my workroom – I’ve recently converted it from a spare bedroom. Things were going really well and I was pleased with my progress, when I bent down to pick up something from the floor and two heavy bags rolled off the high shelf above my head and crashed down onto my neck. Owww!

I’ve been in bed ever since, as I’m in a lot of pain and it hurts too much to be upright. I can’t even take painkillers, as they really affect my stomach badly. However, I have dragged myself to the sofa to write this post – apologies if it’s not very coherent.

I’m trying not to feel annoyed that this has happened, as (apart from the no sleeping) I’ve been doing a lot better health wise these past couple of days. Not really what I needed, but it could have been worse.

In the spirit of The Pollyanna Plan I shall continue to focus on the positive…and go and lie down again.

247 days to go

247 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor me on my healing journey through The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful)  your money will go directly to my chosen charity, Save the Children, whose vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.

To donate or to  find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

Manifesting Les Mis – Day 117 of The Pollyanna Plan

Day 117, Reason 117: Today I am excited to watch Les Misérables and even more thrilled about how the DVD came to me.

Two evenings ago, I was watching TV when an advert came on for the DVD release of the film, Les Misérables. I have never seen the musical and, to be honest, I’ve always been a little put off by the less than cheerful title.

However, I have been longing to see the film since I first saw the spectacular trailer before its release in the cinema. It looked so powerful, dramatic and impressive and gave me goose bumps of anticipation. Plus, amongst the cast are some of my favourite actors and actresses. I just had to see it, and I made my Mum promise to go to the cinema with me, even though it’s one of her least favourite activities!

But, then unfortunately, I was too ill to venture out of the house, and as the weeks ticked by it looked like I might miss out on watching a screening. Finally, when I began to feel a little better, I heard the sad news that our cinema had been closed down. My Les Mis experience just didn’t look like it was going to happen.

So, when I saw the advert for the release of the DVD this weekend, I said to my Mum how much I still really wanted to see it, and wouldn’t it be great if someone had the DVD to lend to me.

This afternoon, I was trying (unsuccessfully) to catch up on some much needed sleep, after a rubbish night, when the postman knocked on the door with a parcel for my Mum. Inside was a birthday present for her from her good friend. Mum’s birthday isn’t until the end of June, but the present had a note on it to say “open it now and enjoy!”

Yep, you’ve guessed it, inside was the DVD of Les Misérables! Thank you Universe…and my Mum’s friend (who knew nothing about my wish!)

248 days to go

248 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor me on my healing journey through The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful)  your money will go directly to my chosen charity, Save the Children, whose vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.

To donate or to  find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

Signs That I Am Healing – Day 116 of The Pollyanna Plan

Day 116, Reason 116: Today I am over the moon that I am feeling a little bit healthier.

I can’t tell you how happy I’m feeling right now, because today, ladies and gentleman, I have noticed an improvement in my health. Yippee!

After feeling decidedly lousy for the past couple of weeks, it was such a relief  to wake this morning feeling a lot less groggy, more refreshed and with a tiny spark of energy.

I’ve even been able to get some jobs done, including walking round to the local post office this morning. Even though it is only a few minutes walk away, I wouldn’t have been able to to this yesterday, so I am so grateful that I felt well enough to go today and didn’t have to send my Mum on my behalf.

I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but along with chucking out all the beauty products I owned that contained chemicals and/or natural products that I am intolerant to, (see Day 114 of The Pollyanna Plan,) I also stopped using toothpaste a couple of days ago.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…GROSS…but hear me out. The reason I have stopped, is that one of the foods that showed up in my food intolerance blood test as being a problem for me was mint. I know, who’d have thought!

Anyway, of course all toothpastes are mint flavoured, so whilst eliminating any chemicals or natural products I’m intolerant to that I was using on my skin, I decided that it probably wasn’t all that wise to be putting mint in my mouth on a daily basis.

So, I thought I’d try a little experiment and for the past 2 days I have been brushing my teeth with my toothbrush and water alone, along with flossing. And you know what? Remarkably, my teeth actually feel cleaner than when I used toothpaste!

It got me thinking about why this would be and I set about doing some research. I found these really interesting posts: I Stopped Using Toothpaste, and  Why I Don’t Use Toothpaste, that both discuss the benefits of not using toothpaste and also the alternatives that are out there. Apparently Julia Roberts doesn’t use toothpaste either, so I am in good company!

All the posts and articles I read also highlighted the toxins used in toothpaste – it’s quite scary really – which I’m sure with my health problems, I’ll be much better off without.

And what can I say, I really am feeling a bit better today. Who knows whether there is a link, but I’m going to continue toothpasteless, as it seems to be working for me.

249 days to go

249 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor me on my healing journey through The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful)  your money will go directly to my chosen charity, Save the Children, whose vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.

To donate or to  find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

We Never Know The Worth Of Water Till The Well Is Dry – Day 115 of The Pollyanna Plan

Well, who’d have ever thought this would be my reason to feel glad for the day?…

Day 115, Reason 115: Today I am extremely grateful for all the rain we have had this year.

I know, I know, rain sucks – at least it does in my book! I am definitely a fair weather person (very different to a fair weather friend, I hasten to add.)

I feel at my best when the sun is shining and the air pressure is high. All this cloud and rain business does not suit me and leaves me feeling exhausted, headachy and a little glum. However, in spite of  the turbulent weather and feeling far from my best today, I’ve really got to hand it to the rain!

It feels like an age since I last felt well enough to leave the house, so this morning, my Mum kindly took me out for a drive to give me a change of scenery. We set off out into the countryside, which still looks lush and verdant -1 brownie point to the rain! Normally at this time of year, the wild flowers would be dying and the grasses turning yellow, so it was lovely to see it all looking so green.

We followed the winding country roads until we reached a sign for the reservoir and decided to go and have a look. The last time we went, all the way back on Day 10 of The Pollyanna Plan, the water levels in the reservoir were still looking decidedly low, despite the copious amounts of rain we’ve had this winter.

Last year was a glorious year weather-wise – even the winter was warm, dry, sunny and cloudless (hoorah) but this also meant that come the summer, we had quite a serious drought – not so good!

As we drove up the steep track to the top of the dam, I was eager to see how much difference all this rain had made.

Bravely standing on the top of the dam wall

Now, for a little game of spot the difference! This is what the reservoir looked like at the beginning of February.

And here it is today – the photo is taken from the same place – 2 brownie points for the rain!

On the way home, we took a different route and came across this beautiful Roman bridge over a river, that has far more water in than usual – more brownie points. And I have to admit that the clouds make the composition of the photo much more interesting.

Thinking about how grateful I felt today, made me realise that having a plentiful supply of clean, safe water is something I often take for granted. Others are not so fortunate. There are many places in the world that suffer extreme droughts and where the little water they have is filthy and contaminated.

This got me thinking and I have been doing a little research. Here is what I’ve discovered -

My target of raising £365 for Save the Children through sponsorship of The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful) will pay for a water pump to give clean water to a whole village and keep families safe from deadly diseases. How brilliant is that?

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor me, your money will go directly to my chosen charity, Save the Children, whose vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.

250 days to go

250 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

Another Piece Of The Puzzle – Day 114 of The Pollyanna Plan

It’s official – my thermostat is broken! Last night, I had yet another night of disturbed sleep, interspersed with being either way too hot or shivering cold. This temperature control problem is part of the illness I am now in the process of healing.

Along with all the other crazy symptoms, it can be a real pain in the backside, but soon all of this will be a thing of the past, as I am slowly finding and working out ways in which to help my body back to it’s natural state of good health.

Day 114, Reason 114: Today I am delighted to discover another piece of the puzzle.

As I am typing this, I am sipping a cup of black, decaf, Earl Grey tea, which tastes even better than usual. This is because that from today, I am only drinking bottled spring water, having found that the filtered tap water I have been drinking all this time (although technically safe to drink) is laden with chemicals.

I’ve also been painstakingly going through all my beauty products – shampoo, moisturisers, make up, toothpaste etc. I’m already quite careful about which products I put on my skin, and I (mostly) adhere to the rule of not putting anything on my skin and hair that I wouldn’t be prepared to eat – mostly because sometimes the power of advertising appeals to my vanity and I have succumbed!

I came across a few items in my (very limited) beauty regime, containing natural ingredients that showed up on my food intolerance blood test result as being in the red zone – that is I have very high antibodies against them. So, they have now gone – donated to my Mum – and also plenty of products that, even though they promise to get rid of my cellulite etc,  just had too many chemical nasties. Yuck!

One of the affirmations I have been using over the past few months, is that “I attract everything I need for my body to heal.” It seems to be working, as quite a few little things have shown up recently and I have a strong feeling that eliminating these chemicals from my life will have a very positive effect on my health and the healing process. Yay!

251 days to go

251 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you have enjoyed reading this post, maybe you would like to sponsor The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful) by making a small donation to my chosen charity, Save the Children.

To find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Finding My Theme Tune – Day 113 of The Pollyanna Plan

Today I am officially a techno-whiz! Is that even a real word or have I just made it up? Either way, I am claiming it as my title, for today I have (after several days and many long hours of struggle) successfully moved my iTunes library from my old, temperamental, on-the-brink-of-packing-up laptop, to my newer, more friendly and amenable laptop.

It might not sound like much of an achievement, but have you ever tried it? It’s tricky, as the iTunes folder is humungous (techno term,) and if you’re anything like me and you’re not a fan of following written instructions and reading manuals (yawn,) it really is a mammoth task. But, it is finally done and I can now relax in the knowledge that I have backed up all my precious music. Hoorah!

To celebrate this achievement, I splashed out! I very rarely buy anything for myself, but I have been hankering after the album “Love is a Four Letter Word” by Jason Mraz, having listened to a fabulously uplifting song on a WordPress blog post the other day – sorry, I can’t remember who posted it, but whoever it was, I thank you!

I hardly ever buy whole albums (I usually just purchase a single) as I find that I only like one or two songs on a album these days, but listening through the previews of the songs, I was delighted to discover that I love them all!

However, I felt particularly drawn to the song “Living In The Moment” and I’ve been happily listening to it on repeat ever since, as the beautiful lyrics sum up exactly how I feel right now at this point in my life.  Don’t you just love it when a song does that? I’m making it my theme tune!

Day 113, Reason 113: Today I am loving living in the moment and feeling at peace with myself.

Listen and smile!

“I’m living in the moment
I’m living my life
Just taking it easy
With peace in my mind
I got peace in my heart
I got peace in my soul
Oh, wherever I’m going, I’m already home.”
Living In The Moment – Jason Mraz

252 days to go

252 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful to find

£238.68 to raise for Save the Children

If you have enjoyed reading this post, maybe you would like to sponsor The Pollyanna Plan (365 days to find 365 reasons to feel glad/happy/joyful) by making a small donation to my chosen charity, Save the Children.

To find out more, please click on the tab below:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.