WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU HEAR A "POP" IN YOUR CALF?

What happens when you hear a pop sound in your calf? It means you've strained it. Here's what happened to me.

HEARING A "POP" IN YOUR CALF

I'm no fitness fanatic and don't often experience muscle problems or injuries. I'm not a runner or a gym junkie, and my main way of staying healthy, fit, and mobile is to walk every day - aiming always for those magical 10,000 steps on my Fitbit - and generally enjoying being outside in the fresh air. I've taken my physical health for granted until something bizarre happened at the beginning of December.

We'd just returned from a lovely week of vacationing on the beach - bike riding, walking, and relaxing without a care in the world. Then, on my return home I bent down to pick up a box and as I straightened and turned, I heard a "POP" in the back of my left calf - I'm sure it was an audible pop, or maybe it was internally audible? Whatever, there was a "POP" and I knew that wasn't good.

SUPER EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

super easy chocolate cake - great for afternoon tea or for a birthday cake.

INTRO

After reading and giving up on all the tricky, interesting, exotic recipes I see shared on blogs everywhere, I decided to work from the other end of the spectrum and share some of my super easy recipes that are guaranteed to taste good, be easy to prepare with basic ingredients, and they always turn out well.

Today's recipe comes from "Cookery For Young Australians" which was the cookbook we used in early high school home economics. So, if a 12 year old can successfully bake this then I knew I could too - and it always makes a great last minute cake if visitors are coming and I even used it successfully for our daughter's spontaneous 30th birthday visit.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BUY A SCOOTER

What have you been wanting to do that feels frivolous and fun? Stopping thinking about it and just do it - right now!

JOY IN THE LITTLE THINGS

I read an interesting article recently about allowing yourself the pleasure of small joys. To let yourself feel excited about something - even if it seems a little bit ridiculous . When it comes to joy, Leslie Ralph says:

To begin, start by saying yes to yourself a little more. Yes to that little spark of curiosity, yes to that little smile that you shrug off, and definitely yes to that burning feeling inside your chest that screams, “Listen to this. This is joy.”

It doesn’t matter if it feels ridiculous, it doesn’t matter if it’s “wasting time,” and it sure doesn’t matter if you’re any good at it. What matters is the feeling you get when you do it.

 Those words sparked something in me - the new "Me" who is willing to cultivate experiences and ideas that enrich my life - and there was one "ridiculous" thing that had been sitting in the back of my mind for years - something I'd thought about and discarded many times. But with 60 looming on the horizon towards the end of this year, I had to ask myself "if not now, then when?"

SUNSHINE, LOLLIPOPS AND RAINBOWS ~ WHAT'S MAKING ME HAPPY #5

There's always something to be grateful for, something to smile about, and something silly to laugh at - we just need to look for them.
 

IT'S TIME TO BE HAPPY

December and Christmas are behind us and we're into 2021 already! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by - so now it's time to share some "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" ..... Sunshine - what's been happening to make me happy, Lollipops - silly things and memes that gave me a smile, and Rainbows - what I'm grateful for this month.

CULTIVATING WHOLEHEARTED LIVING IN MIDLIFE

Have you thought about cultivating qualities that will enrich and enhance your life in the years to come?  I'm sharing how to do this intentionally.


CHOOSING MY WORD OF THE YEAR

At the beginning of each year I've chosen a Word to represent how I want to grow and develop in the months ahead. I've had some that appeared in my head without a second thought, and others that have taken a lot longer to filter through. Last year I chose Symphony and it was something that came to mind in the dying weeks of 2019 - and actually worked very well for the highs and lows that 2020 brought with it.

This year I have a new word. I actually had several that presented themselves during last year, and I duly noted them down - Courage, Emerge, Harmony, Discovery, and Self-Acceptance. Each had meaning for me and each spoke of growth and balance. As I was mulling them over, a picture popped up on my Pinterest page that perfectly tied them all together...