Monthly Archives: March 2023

Left Brain vs. Right Brain Thinking

Thoughts On Life, , , ,
Heart ornament I made last year using the creative side of my brain.

I always assumed I was left brained, which is the analytical side because my degree is in Biology and I spent my career as an environmental scientist. Lately, I have been wondering if this is so. I also do a number of creative or right brained activities. I make felt ornaments, design gardens, do very amateur sketches, and of course, write among other artsy things.

I began to wonder if perhaps I was really right brained and just became a scientist as the result of hard work. I did have trouble with chemistry and calculus in college. Maybe that was why it took so much effort on my part? I passed calculus after much frustration and many tears.

Yesterday evening, I found a test on-line that tells you which side of your brain predominates according to your answers to their questions. Care to venture a guess how mine turned out? I was a little surprised but should have expected the outcome. I fall in the middle with 46% of my thinking being left brained. I discovered upon further research that apparently falling in the middle range is a common thing.

 37 percent of Americans are left-brained, while only 29 percent are right-brained. In 34 percent of participants, the two hemispheres exert equal influence on decision-making. -excerpt from a Huffington Post article

I don’t claim to be normal, and by the way, I think “normal” is highly overrated. In this case, there is no normal or abnormal. I find the concept fascinating, nonetheless. We all know those people who analyze every area of their lives and those who can barely focus enough to string two thoughts together.

During my career I was proud of my analytical thinking. I still am. Now, I have decided that I am also proud to have my thought processes fall in between analytical and creative or artistic abilities. Although different, both have value. By having two ways of thinking, it gives a wider range of ideas for problem solving. It allows the ability to appreciate the beauty of things as well as how they work. I think being able to see things both ways, has the potential to enable us to understand different points of view. And we all need to make the effort to understand others’ perspectives, even when we disagree with them.

I hope you all enjoy pondering this issue as much as I did. Peace to you.

Hiking the Local Buckeye Trail & an Update on Shelby

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, , , , ,
Hiking the Buckeye Trail

We have started hiking portions of the Buckeye Trail (in Ohio) near us. The Buckeye Trail (BT) runs through West Branch State Park and volunteers have begun trail improvements. Some sections are new, and others were in need of maintenance. That blue blaze on the tree (see above) is an indicator that you are on the Buckeye Trail. Follow the blazes. We saw folks out doing trail upgrades during the winter and I wish that we had gotten their contact information. I wouldn’t mind putting in a few hours to help the cause. I’m sure if I keep looking, I can find the local group.

We hike a different place every day and once in a while, we try out a new section of the BT. We generally limit ourselves to 2 to 3 mile sections. On Tuesday, we hiked a 4 mile section which was what it took to get back to the car. Once we learn the distances from section to section, we can take two cars and leave them in different parking lots, so we don’t have to hike out and back.

Our route from a hike last week.

Above is the route one of our hikes took last week. We went out the A-section of the Mountain Bike Trail and then onto a portion of the BT that we recently discovered. It is always fun when we discover a trail that is new to us. Especially at West Branch. Before the area was a Reservoir and State Park, people lived there. It is thought provoking to come upon the foundations of old homesteads. In the spring, you can often tell where a house was from the border of daffodils or other domestic flowers that still bloom there.

You can see from the mapped hike above that Shelby was with us that day. She also hiked with us on Saturday and Sunday. Those will be her last hikes, at least for a while. On Monday morning, she was limping terribly, and more than one leg seemed to be involved. She does have arthritis, but this seemed to be something more. I called our vet right away and they were able to get us in that morning due to a cancellation. Four hundred dollars later, we know that Shelby has arthritis in her left front carpus (ankle) causing fluid retention, two significant areas of arthritis in her spine, and a completely collapsed spinal disc. The collapsed disc was a surprise to us all. This is a condition that can be managed. Shelby received a steroid injection and will be on oral steroids and Tramadol, a painkiller, for three weeks. She will have a follow-up appointment in a month and then be on Rimadyl, a different painkiller, for the rest of her life.

Shelby

Shelby is feeling a little better already. Her limp is only minor now and she’s not nearly as grumpy. Our vet will sign off on Shelby’s annual paperwork that allows her to perform therapy dog visits during her follow-up appointment. Unfortunately, the vet has also suggested that it may be time to think about retiring Shelby from hiking. Definitely no hiking for the next two months. After that I may be able to try her on our walks that are on level surfaces. We’ll have to see how she does.

On another note, I have never made this a subscription blog because I like the idea of anyone who wants to, being able to read it. And I don’t intend to make it by subscription at this point in time either. But there are costs involved in maintaining the blog. There is the cost of the WordPress Subscription, the price of the domain name, and I have the cost of Microsoft 365 that I maintain other documents on. Each of these is an annual cost. There is also the cost of my time. What I have decided to do at this point is to ask that any of you who wish to contribute, do so by sending me a gift of a Chewy gift card (https://www.chewy.com/chewy-egift-card/dp/226306?nav-submit-button=&ref-query=chewy%20gift%20cards&ref=searchRedirect) or an Amazon gift card (https://www.amazon.com/gift-cards/b?node=2238192011). The gift cards can be sent to my email address sheltiequeen1@yahoo.com.

By taking this approach, I can put any gifts towards supplies for the upkeep of our furry family members. The dogs and cats do always get more deliveries than I do! And you can know that the gifts are supporting our animals, and not my grand lifestyle. Seriously, we live in an old farmhouse that was built in 1830 and our day to day lives revolve around dogs. If you are unable, or choose not to contribute, please keep reading anyway. You are valued.

Armor for Life

Thoughts On Life, , , , ,

I was talking to my brother and his wife recently and mentioned that I have certain clothes that I wear when I anticipate I may need emotional comfort. I don’t know if this is something other people do or not, but it has always been helpful for me. It is usually clothing that was a gift from someone I know, who will always have my back. Often times it is something that my brother has given me, such as the purple sweatshirt I’m wearing above. It might also be something from my daughter or from my dear friend Becky. (See post about the ring Becky gave me posthumously Dear Friends Make Life Worthwhile.)

In the instance of the sweatshirt, I know my brother will always be there for me to help in any way he can. He also believes that I am a strong, intelligent, capable person who can handle most things. Somedays, when I wear this shirt, it is like putting on armor that protects me from negativity and gives me additional energy to face the day. Other days, it is just a shirt.

Now, I know that the shirt has no actual special power. But the fact that it reminds me of a loved one, makes me feel better. What the shirt really is, is something that channels my thoughts toward positivity. It gives me focus when I need it. And having something that brings us focus, does indeed make our minds work better.

When I was in college, I made sure I always wore my opal ring on exam days. The ring was a gift from my mother. We were shopping at the mall one day shortly before my high school graduation when I saw this beautiful opal ring at the jewelry store. It had a lovely opal in the center with smaller opals on each side in a gold setting. I remember staring at its loveliness for a long time. My mom told me that as a graduation gift, she would buy me a set of luggage or the ring. I immediately chose the ring. As I wore this ring on exam days, I imagined it had magical powers and that by focusing my mind on it, it would draw through the light of the universe and show me the answers to particularly tough exam questions. I know what the ring actually did was calm me and give me focus on the matter at hand. Isn’t that part of what good test taking skill are? Remaining calm and drawing on your knowledge? Worked for me.

Silly? Yes, definitely. Who cares? These potential talismans have assisted me with passing classes, graduating college, to survive tough times, and pursue goals that I made for myself. In actuality, I did these things for myself, sometimes with the help of others. The power of the mind is an amazing thing. We just need to harness our individual ways to use it.

Everyone must draw on the resources they have to make it through life in whatever way works for them. This is what works for me. I hope you have found something that works for you. And as we make our way through life, let’s all do our bit to leave the world a better place than we found it. I’ll leave you with my favorite quote, a copy of which hangs on my wall.

“I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do…or any kindness that I can show-let me do it now for I shall not pass this way again.“

Books I Read in February 2023

Books & Reading, , , , ,
A puzzle I finished recently.

I didn’t read many books last month. It was a short month, and I spent some time doing other things. I was fortunate to be able to spend time visiting with family and friends. I got to hang out with my daughter for a whole day, I saw my nieces a few times, and other family members as well. I even met an old coworker for lunch and caught up with her. February is usually a slow month for me but not this year. I even put together two jigsaw puzzles! I haven’t worked any puzzles for a few years because of, well…cats! Puzzle pieces are not safe from cats, especially the young kitten we had. My mother-in-law gave me a puzzle case for my birthday this year. What a great gift! I am back in business. By the way, she also gave me the puzzle for my birthday last year.

I promise to read more books next month, but here is what I have to report on.

  1. A Frog in the Fjord-Lorelou Desjardins (Non-fiction)

Lorelou moves to Norway for the ideal job and has hilarious adventures learning to acclimate to the culture she finds there. The book is rich with her experiences of beauty in this foreign land. The social cues and norms are very different, she has quite the time learning the language and trying to fit in. If you’ve ever been curious about a different culture, I think you will enjoy this book. The author also has a blog about her ongoing adventures in Norway.

2. The Light We Carry-Michelle Obama (Non-fiction)

This is the second book Michelle Obama has written since leaving the Whitehouse. The first was an autobiography and an excellent book. This one is a different type of book but also very good. It’s more of a how to survive our current times and make a difference book, covering survival in the modern landscape. It focuses on two major areas, investing in our children and continuing to “go high”. There were times when I found myself bogged down by the details, but there were other times when I was greatly inspired. An encouraging read by a classy lady.

3. The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas-James Patterson & Tad Safran

This is a fun book! Henry the father, and Will & Ella his children have been living in a funk since the death of their wife and mother, five years ago. Henry has not celebrated Christmas for the children since her passing. The children sign their dad up on a dating website and odd things begin to happen. The events from the 12 Days of Christmas song begin to happen in quirky events in their lives. Chaos and mayhem ensue, and the results couldn’t be funnier to onlookers, but not so funny for the family. An unexpected Christmas miracle occurs and happiness returns. A silly book that I enjoyed.

4. Me Before You-Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clark loses her job and desperately needs another. Although she has never been a caregiver before, she becomes one for recent quadriplegic Will Traynor. Will had everything-a high powered job, wealth, women, exciting adventures. He is struck down in the street during a freak accident and becomes a quadriplegic. Will no longer wants to live in his failing body. Louisa takes him on adventures to make him want to live. This book is beautiful and heart achingly painful at the same time. I couldn’t stop reading it and then had to read the last few chapters a bit at a time because I couldn’t stop crying. This book has been on my mind ever since I finished it. I don’t think I will ever look at life quite the same way again. Many things we take for granted, should be cherished.

Magazines-Akron Living (2), Pioneer Woman, Real Simple, Down East, AARP

If you can only read one book from this list, make it Me Before You. This book has the potential to change how people think about those with disabilities and even how we perceive our own lives. Compassion can make the world a different place.

Peace to you, my friends.