Friday Find: Joy In Just One New Year's Resolution?

This year I'm going to make just one New Year's resolution. I don't think making a laundry list of everything you want to change and feeling overwhelmed really gets you anywhere – besides, so many of things I am trying to work on (writing, de-cluttering, post-injury exercise, becoming a morning person) I'm already attempting (some more successfully than others) on a daily basis.

I'm not the only one thinking in this direction. I've read a certain number of blog posts recently about having a one-word theme for resolutions, most recently Gretchen Rubin's (of The Happiness Project) article in the Huffington Post on choosing a theme for 2011.

Also, it got me thinking... could a New Year's resolution be something more fun? It doesn't have to be about trying to be more perfect and eliminating what we perceive as our shortcomings. I'm starting to think more along the lines of mapping out something I'd really like to do, that I'd regret not enjoying during my lifetime. Perhaps New Year's resolutions can be more about joy and less about drudgery.

So what's my one New Year's resolution? Music.

I've written before a little about how music has fallen by the wayside a bit for me over the years. Although I generally know what's going on in the pop world, at least, sometimes I feel like my music collection is a frozen relic from my college years (which actually is no longer very recent). Much of my life is word-based. From writing for both work and fun, to watching movies, plays and TV programs, I am incredibly verbally focused, and I think I need a break from that.

I enjoy music. And listening to music uses a different side of the brain. Language uses the left side of our brain while music and art are centered in our right. Which means that while listening to music, the overactive reasoning side of my brain can have a little rest. Which is good for everyone around me too.

It's a good time for me to get back into knowing what's going on in music – we need to decide on all the music elements of the wedding over the next few months, from the ceremony to the DJ's play list. And one of these days, I'm going to get back to playing the piano. Although maybe that's reserved for next year's resolution.

Happy New Year!

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0

Coming Home

I have been at home (aka my parents' house) for about six days now. My flight left the UK just in time – narrowly missing snowstorms on both sides of the Atlantic. A few days on either side and I wouldn't have made it. And apart from spending 24 hours awake straight on Christmas Eve, and dealing with the very cold temperature my parents tend keep the house, it's been really nice to be here.

I am learning very quickly how to keep a good fire going in the wood burning stove (my Dad prefers the burning of wood over oil any day).

For the first time since I can remember, I am home for two straight weeks and am not making myself crazy by running around to see everyone. It helps that there will be pre-wedding-related activities where I will see many of my friends. But I am consciously trying to create more down time and space for myself to actually relax. This isn't easy and can make me uncomfortable – I thrive on being busy, socializing and getting things done.

So I am trying to relish the more leisurely pace. I'm staying out of New York City more than usual while I'm here, and instead curling up in front of the fire with a book (or my net book like right now!).

It's not often in our lives that we can actually come home and our meals get made for us by Dad and we get chauffeured around by Mom to CVS (chemist) to get toiletries we didn't bother filling up on pre-trip. I don't have to buy groceries here or make my own bed. What a luxury. And it's also one of those rare moments in time where everyone is healthy (ish) and relatively well and the family is full of excitement about the trip over to London for the upcoming wedding. Boy, am I grateful. And aware that I must savor it, for life is a continuous cycle of ups and downs and nothing stays constant for long.

Don't let these rare kinds of moments pass you by.

Related Posts:

• Bicentennial Baby*
• Wanted: Body Vacation**
• The Amazing Body Clock***

*I recently actually bought two pairs of skinny jeans. I'm just embracing them – and hoping I look slightly OK.
**Although I'm really enjoying this holiday I have had to do A LOT of physio exercises post flight. Staying up for 24 hours straight in one day really killed me – everything ached but I think I've finally pulled all the tight muscles out.
***Woke up last night at 3 a.m. starving – some sort of jet-lag related hunger I think. But three Triscuits (one of my favorites) from the kitchen did the trick.

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Friday Find: Holiday Eating

It's Christmas Eve today and that time of year again. Perhaps probably almost too late to talk about holiday eating, but I couldn't resist pointing out this excellent post.

Margarita who writes the great blog Weightless, talks this past week about Holiday Eating: Getting Rid Of The Guilt & Restriction. Accompanied by her own narrative on what holiday eating used to be like for her (I'm sure it will ring bells for many), she lists the Intuitive Eater's Holiday Bill of Rights, which includes such things as you have the right to enjoy second servings without apology and you have the right to say, “No thank you,” without explanation, when offered more food.

And she rounds it up with a very profound statement: Unfortunately, in our society, the idea that you can enjoy eating and have inner peace about it is revolutionary.

Very well put.

I guess this is a good time for me to continue to bang the drum for the intuitive eating process. If you've grown tired of worrying about what you eat all the time, thinking for about the millionth time that you need to lose some excess weight or feel you're spending too much thinking negative things about your body, consider exploring the process.

It's taken a while, and it's still a journey, but it's probably the first holiday season in ages that I'm not worrying that I'll overeat or thinking about including 'shaping up' as part of my New Year's Resolutions.

I recommend starting out by reading either Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, Breaking Free From Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth or Beyond Chocolate: How to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting and Lose Weight for Good by Sophie Boss and Audrey Boss.

And look out for my new Resources Page coming soon with all my book recommendations (on all topics) in one place.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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The Art Of De-cluttering

It's getting close to New Year's resolution time so I thought I'd talk a little bit about clutter. I've been working this week, which is a quiet time in the office (particularly in Britain where people get much more holiday). I've been disappointed, however, with the amount of work I've actually had to do because I was planning on doing a good desk de-cluttering.

I'm not saying it's my greatest thrill in life, but it may be close. Nothing gives me an instant pick-me-up like getting something de-cluttered. Even if it's only a drawer or one bookshelf, getting rid of the non-essentials really helps me to get focused and centered. Whenever I feel overwhelmed it's often because there's mess around. It makes everything seem worse than it is.

So I wanted to share my two top tips for getting rid of stuff.

First, you've got to do it constantly. When I was young I used to embark on missions to clean out my room. As a natural hoarder (my Mom used to call me Oscar the Grouch) things would get out of control quite frequently – from the numerous shoe boxes under my bed storing every letter/card ever received to dusty knick knacks littering my bookshelves.

The 'clean out' would always end quite badly, either with a meltdown of tears at the mess I had created or with my Mom bailing me out by helping me to at least get everything back into livable shape (stuffing the shoe boxes back under the bed perhaps?). I think what I failed to comprehend was that cleaning things out had to be done more than once a year.

These days I try to keep up a constant attack. When it's quiet at work I take 20 minutes or so to clear out old folders or stacks of papers that have surreptitiously piled themselves up on my desk. I will often tackle just one kitchen drawer or cupboard at home. At the end of every clothing season I try to do at least a quick clear through. I find I actually enjoy it – particularly when the task is very small. A basket of toiletries in the linen closet here, a nightstand drawer there. And no matter how sceptical you are that there's anything in there you need to throw away, you will always find something to get rid of. Promise.

But the second tip I have is probably the more important one. You have to shift or de-clutter something in your mind. For me, the hardest part is worrying that I'm going to get rid of something that I will need at some point. Whether it's a dress that doesn't fit and I don't wear anymore (and it's probably not even in style!) or a cardboard box that may make a good container for something.

So I have a mantra: be brutal. I think about how nice it is to have clear space and how there are charity shops out there that need my old things and clothes. Again, I remind myself how less is more and that if I need something in the future I will get it somehow.

I don't want to live my life in constant fear, needing things just in case.

And, when I have a clear workspace, a clutter-free kitchen counter top and a closet where I can actually see my clothes and shoes, my blood pressure seems to fall a notch and I feel much calmer. It's well worth it keeping Oscar the Grouch in his trash can where he belongs.

How do you tackle clutter? Or does it not bother you?

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0

Inshallah

It's the shortest day of the year today. In England, the sun rose this morning at 8:04 a.m. and set at 3:53 p.m. It's been really cold here and the recent tiny snowfall has crippled the country, including the airports. All my American ex-pat friends (me included) are worried about not getting home for Christmas.

I'm not the biggest fan of travelling or packing myself up for a few weeks away. And with Christmas and wedding planning plus tying up loose ends at work, there's so much to do before heading off. I thought I was stressed before I found out there was a chance that I couldn't get home, and then the snow arrived.

This all has made me think about control. As a self-confessed control freak (I actually corrected Future Hub last night on his cheese grating technique), what bothers me so much about the possibility of not getting home Christmas Eve is more about the sinking feeling you get in your stomach when you realize that you truly have very little control over many things that happen to you in life.

When you hear a practicing Muslim talk about most things in life, they typically add a phrase to most statements of intent – Inshallah – which is an Arabic translation of the phrase 'God willing'. As in, I'll be going home for the holidays, Inshallah (abbreviated IA when written).

I love this. Whether or not you are religious or whether you believe in a God, or Gods, or just some sort of universal force, to add a sentiment to your statements of intent that leaves room for the fact that you are not always in control is a wonderful humble reminder.

Because it's so easy to forget.

I haven't been meditating much recently. Last year I was doing small short bursts a few times a week and trying to get into a routine. But this year, I've got lost in being busy. And when you're busy and getting a lot of things done, that illusion of control often sneaks in.

I think the reason why meditation (and yoga for that matter) is called 'practice' is because when you practice letting go and just sitting there, accepting things as they are and not how you want them to be, it makes it slightly easier when you are faced with the less-fun things in life. Like cancelled flights due to a dusting of snow or having to wait for ages for the bus and then sitting in a seat that smells slightly of vomit.

And worse things, of course.

For me, part of trying to maintain the illusion of control is not wanting to accept things as they are. Sometimes I don't want to meditate and practice. I just want everything to be perfect and easy. I know life's not fair but I want to pretend, no matter how miserable it makes me.

And I guess that's the thing. When you fight the lack of control tooth and nail, life can be a real misery. It's just hard work. You miss the joy because you're too busy feeling frustrated and upset.

So this Christmas maybe I'll try to just accept whatever comes my way, Inshallah. That would be a very nice gift indeed.

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2

Friday Find: On Xmas Gifts

I'm trying something new. I know lots of bloggers do a round of up of their week's favourite posts on Friday, so I'm totally stealing the idea, but with my own twist.

I plan to point out only one post/article (doesn't have to be a blog) I've read during the week that I really liked, made me think or affected me in some way. I'll try to comment relatively extensively on it as well – it may even turn into a real blog post instead of just a link. We'll see!

So this week, and I'm not even sure if he wrote it this week (but hey, cut me a little slack on this first one) is Leo Babauta's post on the case against buying Christmas presents. I forwarded it to a colleague of mine, which made me think, 'hey, I should point this out to my lovely blog readers!'

Christmas presents are a divisive thing. Some people just love giving them, some people find them really stressful and there is always the view that they are just for kids. The reason I liked Babauta's post so much is he really thoroughly addresses all the arguments that everyone uses as to why we should keep giving them (WHAT? NO CHRISTMAS PRESENTS?) and comes back with some well thought-out answers.

The spirit of gifts is great. But the reality can be just the opposite.

I think the crux of the issue these days is time. Time should be our greatest gift to ourselves and others. For example, no one can make gifts these days because they don't have the 'time'. But even if we didn't sacrifice time to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies or photo albums for each other, what about just trying to spend more time as a family doing something together instead of opening gifts? Playing a board game, going for a walk, even – hey – just talking. When did we all get so busy?

Don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts. And I don't even find it that stressful. But I know plenty of people who do. Also, Babauta's whole 'people in this world are still going hungry' really resonated. Often we just give up on creativity and give something useless to someone just because we feel we have to. Like when you buy one of those baskets of soap & lotion (come on, you know you've done it and it's a total I-didn't-know-what-to-buy-for-you-so-I-bought-you-something-smelly cop out gift). Why not donate that money to charity?

But even resolving the gift giving issue amongst our families and friends takes time and effort and a wiliness to confront our own issues. And who has time for that?

Maybe the best way to resolve it is to decide on your own gift-giving policy and set an example. Ask people to make donations to specific charities for you (to handle the incoming gifts) and then decide you're only going to spend £10 or $20 on each person, or nothing at all, and make your own gifts – force yourself to get really creative. I especially like Babauta's suggestion to only buy things from charity shops or passing on your treasured items – that way you're essentially recycling, instead of consuming. I might try that next year.

Food for thought, anyway, as Christmas fast approaches. I still have about six gifts left to buy – arrrgh! And that's my first Friday Find.

3

When Is A Crisis Not A Crisis?

When is a crisis not a crisis? When the crisis involves envelopes. I have to say, I think I have remained relatively sane throughout the process of wedding planning. Despite my night sweats and terrors over whether or not we're going to be able to fit everyone into the venue. But that's been private (well, except for when I talk about it on the blog).

But yesterday, I had a sort of public meltdown over our wedding invitation envelopes. You see, the invitations to this wedding have definitely caused me the most agita.* In America there is certain etiquette, in England there is certain etiquette and I just couldn't make heads or tails of whether or not I should combine the two or have separate invitations. In the end I just did what I wanted, which was to take whichever bits of the whole thing I felt applied best.

The envelope crisis occurred when I neglected to order enough envelopes for both UK and US mailings and the supplier ran out unexpectedly. Why was I ordering separate envelopes? Well, this may be a lesson for another day, but I was trying to save money, which is not my normal operation mode. I should have applied my general rule to saving money which is not to try to cut corners but to instead only go out and buy what I need, no matter the price (within reason, of course). My hope is this should save me money in the end because I don't usually buy things I don't need.

But I didn't apply this method. For some reason, unlike the cost of food, drink and the dress, spending loads of money on paper invitations incensed me. So I found a design I really liked from a supplier that was amazingly cheap. Not surprisingly, the envelopes that came with them were crappy and I had to order some separately. And so, in this case, the panic ordering of about 150 extra envelopes yesterday has probably not saved me any money.**

Luckily, my friend came over to my desk and suggested something sensible and creative and calmed me down. This is where a crisis is not a crisis. I don't know what it is about me, but I'm sure this is true of many other people as well. It's the small things you think you can control that give you the most stress.

We've all had very bad things happen to us. We've lost loved ones, failed at jobs and had our hearts broken. And I'm not trying to say that these things aren't incredibly difficult and life changing. But I believe that it's the things we stress over day-to-day that are what makes us unnecessarily unhappy -- and yet these are things we can actually stop reacting to so badly. As Richard Carlson would say, we tend to sweat the small stuff.

Running out of wedding envelopes was indeed annoying, but if I hadn't become so crazy, ranting to all my colleagues over it, I could have thought with a clearer head, asked for some advice in a calmer manner and figured out a quicker solution without the drama.

A crisis becomes a crisis when we make it that way. We can't control everything, but we can keep things in perspective. All of which I really failed to do yesterday. I get one get-out-of-jail-free Bridezilla card, right?

*Agita is one of my favourite words ever. My mother uses it all the time – particularly when I was a child, as in, "you're giving me agita!". It is Italian in origin and literally means to have heartburn, but can be used as slang to describe a feeling of agitation or anxiety. Where my mom picked this up I have no idea, as she's from Wisconsin originally. I don't think I've ever really heard anyone else say it.

**The white envelopes I bought are of an amazingly good quality. I couldn't find replacement ones anywhere, but still ordered 150 extra ones in a variety of colors and styles to replace them (I only needed about 50). That is, until my friend suggested buying black envelopes (the invitations themselves are actually black) to go with the invitations, and use a silver pen to address them. Brilliant!

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0

Small Towns And Solo Weddings

This past weekend I did two things that were unusual for me. For one, I went to a town about an hour outside of London. Second, I went to a wedding on my own.

Here's the funny thing about England. There are suburban belts of land, which are similar to the kind of environment where I grew up in the suburbs of New York. But, you can take easily take the train only an hour outside of London and end up in true countryside with little lambs jumping around incredibly verdant green meadows (yes, England is so damp that the meadows are still green in December).

It's a different world. I was in Marlborough, which is home to one of the big British boarding schools – called Marlborough College. If you've heard of it recently, and you're not English it may be because that's where Kate Middleton (you know, future Queen of England) went to school. And everyone I met seemed to know her, including the taxi driver who drove me to the bed and breakfast from the train station. I heard she's a very nice girl.

Chatty, that’s what people are in other parts of England, apparently. Perhaps my lack of experiencing stranger chat has been because I live in London. I spent quite a bit of time roaming the streets of Marlborough on my own and I was certainly not lacking for company and conversation. I bought a nice dress for wedding-related activities and I even got some Christmas shopping done.

But I have to say, the whole thing freaked me out a little. Is this what living in a big city does to you? I'm so used to anonymity that having the inn owner reminding me to book a taxi to the station the next day made me feel a little creeped out. All the chat was starting to feel surreal, as if I was in some sort of horror film where everyone seemed nice – too nice in fact – and really I was just going to end up sawed into little pieces.

Maybe the real problem is that I watch too many horror films.

So after my lovely but slightly surreal shopping day, I went to a wedding on my own. Now I think I'm pretty good in situations where I don't know too many people – one of my greatest skills is my ability to make small talk in a variety of situations. Being a journalist was great training for this.

But this past weekend being alone in a situation where I wouldn't usually be and not knowing too many people reminded me how important it is to be nice to people who are at a disadvantage in some way. Whether it is a person at a party who doesn't know anyone, a new person or someone who is just not 'part of the crowd' – being nice can really give someone else a boost, and actually make their day.

I was really lucky – many of the friends of my friend who was getting married were really nice and chatted to me at length and made me feel included. A former teacher from my friend's school days adopted me, so to speak, and sat with me during the ceremony.

This is the kind of thing that is so easy to do for someone else but that goes such a long way. It's no skin off our backs to chat with someone at a party for five or 10 minutes, but it can make their evening so much better. People always talk about wanting to make a difference in this world, but you don't have to go far to do it. There are so many ways to make a small difference to those in our own back yard that we don't always think about.

It was an interesting weekend. And so great to get out of London for some fresh air and a change of perspective. But this city mouse was pretty happy to get back on the train to civilization where there are fewer lambs and meadows (or none, actually) but no one takes much notice of you.

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2

Authenticity: Being True But Growing Too

The other day at work I got the news that my desk was to be moved. Not the most tragic of news, or even bad news at all. In fact, I ended up with a great desk, still near the window and near people I like to chat with. All good stuff.

But I still felt weird, what with my overactive fight-flight reflex. I spent a few weeks feeling disoriented. I'm not asking for sympathy here, but just trying to make the point that I knew I was going to feel this way. I've become more aware of myself as I've careened through the ups and downs of adulthood and I know that I'm an anxious person – and part of this is that physical change does affect me. (This might be a good time to read an older blog of mine called Baby 19, where I discuss an ice cream shop touring opportunity I sadly missed at the age of five).

Knowing myself, knowing why I react to things the way I do, knowing what it is I prefer and what I don't like – that's what authenticity means to me. I believe it's about being true to yourself and not trying to be something or someone you're not. Such as trying to avoid situations where you have a boyfriend who surfs and suddenly you need to buy yourself a wet suit.

That said, I'm glad I tried surfing (badly) in the freezing cold water in Ireland. And one of my friends got good use out of the wetsuit during her two-year trip to Australia.

So where does accepting yourself as you are meet pushing yourself to try new things and be someone you never thought you could be? Where is it productive to be true to yourself and where does it harm you?

When you push yourself to do something that you know is tough for you, it gives you a small bit of insight into what life could be like if you weren't so scared or didn't create arbitrary limits. Sometimes it may reinforce your belief that something isn't for you – perhaps you actually don't enjoy it and it shouldn't be a priority. But occasionally, doing something that's a challenge – and even possibly making a fool of yourself – is a great experience to have. It keeps you humble and from taking yourself too seriously.

And that's what authenticity is about. Keeping it real (ha, ha). Knowing who you are but also being open to expanding that definition from time to time. For example, you could move desks every once in a while.

When I moved to London nearly nine years ago it was terrifying and lonely and it took a few years to actually feel like I fit in and that I was part of my adopted country. And although I still don't like pre-made sandwiches, I can complain about the weather like an old pro. More importantly, I learned that I can push myself to do new scary things, in spite of my anxiety. And by living on my edge, I got to know myself pretty well, which in my opinion is what authenticity is about. It's trying to get closer to your truth – whatever it may be.

This post is part of the Self-Discovery, Word by Word series. Katie at Health for the Whole Self kicked it off this month with 'authenticity'. Click here to read more about it or get involved.

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6

Pain Can Make You Ill

As well as just being, well, a pain, chronic pain can make you ill. I saw Super Physio last week and we were actually discussing how well everything was going with my body. This might sound like I'm bragging, but believe me, there have been many more visits when the discussion was quite the opposite. It's hard for me to believe how well things are going, in fact. I've now gone to yoga once a week for seven weeks straight with no shoulder/neck problems (which is a world record for me at this point) and my back is pain free again.

As SP and I chatted, we were marveling at the fact that I hadn't been ill for ages (apart from a sore throat a few weeks ago that I can't be sure wasn't caused by getting the flu shot!). And she pointed out to me that another contributor to my better general health – apart from the tonsils coming out – is likely to be my lack of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is an ugly, nasty thing. First, it makes you very cranky. I read a posting on Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project some time ago and made a note of it because it really struck a chord with me. It's called 7 Tips For Dealing With A Sweetheart Who Is Constantly Crabby. Tip #6 is: Is your sweetheart crabby due to chronic pain?

I'm sure Future Hub could have used some commiseration when he was dealing with me in a lot of pain (I am, by the way, so grateful for his support over the last five years, particularly when things were really bad – I probably don't tell him that enough).

Rubin says:

I had excruciating back pain that was substantially relieved after I saw the physical therapist that my father-in-law had been recommending for months. Of course, sadly, chronic pain often doesn’t have an easy solution. But whatever the problem is, it’s worth trying to address it. Sometimes we need a little push to seek help.

I am cheered by the fact that she saw a physiotherapist (physical therapist in American English) who helped her. As we know, there are lots of practitioners out there who don't help people and, I believe, compound the problem so much more because patients lose faith and stop looking for someone who can help them.

But pain has physiological effects on the body as well. It took me forever to find, but I finally located a good article on Nursingtimes.net that explains the physiological effects of unrelieved pain, in quite a great deal of technical detail. From what I can understand of it, pain is a stressor that can threaten our body's homeostatic state. This is useful and potentially life-saving, at first (as in, we stay still and rest). However, if the stress response is allowed to continue it can have harmful effects on multiple systems of the body.

The endocrine and nervous system work together to produce a variety of hormones (including adrenaline, cortisol and glucagon) in response to pain that are secreted into the bloodstream. These hormones have effects on all the systems of our body and can cause, among other things, increased heart rate and blood pressure, impaired gastrointestinal function, respiratory dysfunction, retention of sodium and water, depression of the immune system and an increase in anxiety.

No wonder things are so much better for me these days.

Bottom line is if you're experiencing chronic pain you should not ignore it. I know how hard it is to find help, but that's no reason to stop trying. Your body (and your loved ones) will thank you for it.

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0

Wearing A Hat Inside The House

We are having a bit of a cold spell here in England. I just got home from work and I'm sitting in the flat wearing two sweaters and my hat and scarf. I can see my breath.

I don't like to drink a) alone b) on weeknights c) at home, but times are desperate and I think the only thing that can keep me warm right now is the mulled wine I just mixed up. I had a friend from out-of-town over for a drink earlier this week and I made us some, so when I got home and saw the leftover wine sitting there I just had to mix up another batch.

Hopefully the boiler will actually heat up the flat soon – otherwise I'll have to get out the hot water bottle. Yes, the hot water bottle. People still use these in England! They are great though – couldn't recommend them more. Maybe one of the reasons they are popular here is that they also have electric kettles so that you don't have to boil water on the stove to fill them up. Americans seem to be ahead of the times when it comes to heating but behind the times when boiling water.

Thought I'd use the opportunity to share a few funny things about the British (or English, I guess) today.

First, nothing in this country is prepared for weather that isn't slightly overcast and between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Add in a few inches of snow and the country grinds to a halt. It took me two hours to get into work today. I ended up taking the bus to Waterloo station which although a pleasant route, was very slow. The trains just weren't running consistently enough to get people into the city.

But the best reason I've ever heard in this country for the late running of a train was that it was 'too sunny'. What we passengers were told was that the sun was so bright it blinded conductors, preventing them from operating the trains.

Second funny fact, when someone asks you if you want a drink – particularly at the office – it doesn't necessarily mean an alcoholic drink. There are many of these slight differences between American English and English English, but this one still amuses me. I often hear the guy who sits behind me at work asking his colleagues if they'd like a drink. He's not asking them if they'd like a gin and tonic, he typically means tea.

In America, we would say, "would you like something to drink?" Prepositions and articles can be confusing. The English take out articles where we add them in. Here you are in hospital instead of in the hospital.

Third, another little known fact in America: Easter in Britain is a secular holiday. For many years Easter really confused me. I know America is the home of consumerism, but when Easter happens, Britain can't be beat. As far as I'm concerned, Britain is a post-Christian society. Christianity is the state religion – in fact it's Presbyterianism in Scotland, Church of England in England, Catholicism in Northern Ireland and I forget Wales (in case you're wondering, this was on the citizenship test). But I don't know anyone who goes to church. When I tell people my parents go to church every week, and that my Dad is a deacon, they look at me as if I'm going to take a bible out of my handbag and start preaching hell and damnation.

Ergo, Easter here is a little like Christmas can sometimes be in the US. You don't have to be Christian to buy large chocolate Easter eggs in boxes at the supermarket and give them to your loved ones. And another lesser-known fact is that they don't eat chocolate bunnies here as much as chocolate eggs. Lastly, sadly, I haven't seen any of those brightly-colored marshmallow ducks and bunnies. I miss those.

I'm not sure if this post has much of a point, other than the fact that my fingers are warmer when they're moving. And I've been dying to share those observations for ages.

Related posts (these may be a bit of a stretch, but at least they all mention England, or other cultures):

• Guilt And Marshmallows
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Keeping Score

I have a very large Excel spreadsheet where I have kept track of all things physio-related, including various exercises done (how many reps), heart rate, anti-inflammatories taken and general comments about my pain – how severe and where. A thrilling read. And it goes back to early 2007.

Recently, I've just stopped filling it out. I kept forgetting – which is surprising – as I have kept it faithfully every day for over three years. Recently I started to use it to keep track of the new exercise I was starting to incorporate into my routine. In fact, I decided to start a new one – focused more on regular exercise and less on the physio-kind. But I've failed miserably to fill that one in as well.

Maybe it's that I've started to internalize what it is I need to be doing without the need for anything external. I don't need to keep track anymore. It's clear to me which exercises I still need to do daily, and those that I need to only use from time-to-time. I rarely need to take ibuprophen (or the stronger anti-inflams) anymore. And I can tell when I'm feeling run-down or over tired – my morning pulse rate probably only confirms what it is I already know.

I've settled into an exercise routine over the past six weeks. I go to tap class on Mondays, Zumba at the gym on Wednesdays and Bikram Yoga on Saturdays. I'm not doing any walking other than the 10 minutes each morning and night to and from the train station. Frankly, I'm not too keen on walking these days – now that I can finally do other things.

Three exercise sessions a week suits me just fine. When I told a friend recentlywhat I was up to these days in terms of exercise, she said: "That doesn't sound like exercise, that sounds like fun!" Exactly. And I feel better. You don't realize how much you like something (even exercise), until it's gone. It's a privilege (and if you don't believe me, read a recent post from Nourishing The Soul on another reason why exercise is a privilege – specifically running in this case).

I don't want to keep score any longer, I just want to do it. It's like when I went away to college. Throughout much of my childhood, I was a fanatical journal writer. But I ditched the habit when I moved away from home for the first time, keen not to observe, but to enjoy, to live a little more. And likewise, I'm ditching the spreadsheet.

There is quite a bit of research out there that shows that people who measure things do more of them, but there's also the theory that to get something done what you really need is excitement. One of Leo Babauta's recent posts along these lines has got me thinking about achieving, without goals, and although I'm not ready to throw away the to-do list, there may be something to not keeping track of everything.

And maybe letting the spreadsheet go is part of the journey to view myself as a 'normal' person. I still find it hard to believe that I'm going to be able to play golf and tennis next summer. And that I don't really need to take anti-inflammatories everyday anymore (you wouldn't believe the amount of drugs I carry with me at all times, just in case). It's as if I'm afraid to accept that I am well and healthy. That I just might jinx it.

But I suppose it's time to relax a little – stop keeping score and start enjoying the game.

Related posts:

• What's Your RPR?
• Tap Dancing And Mind Shifting
• Other People's Backs
• Give Me An Inch

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