Thursday Thoughts on Life

Someone, I forget who, said that "life is a journey, not a race". I'm thankful for that because with my walker I can race very fast. Come to think about it, I never was very fast or athletic. I always preferred reading, listening to music, or picnicking as opposed to playing sports. I enjoyed going to The Lake ( don't know if it had a name because we always called it The Lake) with my grandparents and  swimming around their boat dock. 

I never was a very good swimmer, but since we always wore lifejackets I didn't think it matter. In the summer, we would go to The Lake where we would swim, waterski, and fish off the boat dock. That was fun, especially around the Fourth of July because we always stayed the night so that we could set off fire works. Grandpa always made sure we celebrated Independence Day. 

I was going to write more about how we celebrated Independence Day and other holidays with my grandparents. Unfortunately, I was interrupted by a telephone call. The call was about mindfulness and positive thinking. These two are important because without them a person will be unhappy and depressed all the time which has an effect on a person's health. Anyway the gist of the message is that this week I'm supposed to be mindful of what's troubling me. If I can do something about it, I need to. If I can do anything about the problem then I need to let it go. Letting go is an important  part of life's journey because it helps a person's physical, emotional, and spiritual health. 

Thursday Thoughts on Falling Asleep

Istijlál (Majesty), 4 Bahá (Splendour), 174 BE - Thursday, March 23, 2017 CE about 10:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time 

"Research indicates that you should end screen time well before bedtime for quality sleep. What is your take on this, do you believe it makes a difference or not?" Blog Prompt 

I usually get off the computer about twenty to thirty minutes before I go to the recliner I sleep in. It takes me around thirty minutes to get ready for sleep. After I sit down then I put some eye drops in my eyes, take medication, put lotion on my feet and legs, say prayer and read something. This takes me about an hour. 
Once this is done I put another type of eye drops in my eyes, turn out the light and attempt to go to sleep.

My smartphone usually lays on the wooden television stand on the left side of the recliner. Also on that stand is my prayer book, a loose leaf notebook, a pen, the pillbox containing my morning meds, and a bottle of water. I close my eyes and attempt to fall asleep. Sometimes it is easy to fall asleep and sometimes it is difficult. If I find it difficult to sleep then I meditate by closing my eyes and focusing my mind on something pleasant. The only time I don't have any difficulty falling asleep is when I eat some chocolate before laying down. 

I don't think putting my phone farther from my sleeping recliner would make any difference. At least it hasn't made a difference the few times I've left it on the desk by my computer. I also don't think sleeping in a bed or on the couch would make any difference. When I sleep in a bed my back hurts so badly that I can't sleep. When I sleep on the couch I can't raise my feet up comfortably. My doctor has told me to sleep with my feet up. The only solution to my sleeping problems is to sleep on a recliner. 

Thursday Thoughts: Halfway through January 2017: A Poem

Istijlál (Majesty), 2 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 173 BE - Thursday, January 19, 2017 AD about 11:14 AM Pacific Standard Time 

It's halfway through January 2017 

Without any resolutions 

Because I every year I attempt and fail 

So this year I'm trying something different. 

It's halfway through January 2017 

And I've placed the year in God's hands 

I'm asking for assistance to finish 

Editing, rewriting, composing 

And increasing my financial viability. 

It's halfway through January 2017, 

I'm setting weekly goals 

To accomplish the stuff 

I need to accomplish 

While attempting to spread my wings.