Life and Random Thinking

Easily Cut Your Stress by 50%

Posted on June 23, 2019 by dfolstad58

Life is probably stressful for nearly all of us. The causes of stress are simply too many to list or this would be a very, very long blog post. Good news though, I think it is possible to reduce stress in our lives by 50% or more !

die

If I stop and honestly think about the causes for my stress, and you can do this also, more than half of it is not stress from actual events such as direct issues that happen like car accidents or work related.

More than half of my stress is caused by me worrying about potential events or issues. The discerning difference is that my stress is being provoked by events that have not happened yet and realistically may not happen at all.

It’s kind of like the quote about bravery –

A coward dies a thousand deaths; a brave person only once.

Another blogger – Brian Lageose had the poem (below) on his blog recently and gave me permission to share it. Click here to see his post.

There are moments

When you simply turn a corner

And you get a reminder

That we spend far too much time

Worrying about nothing

When the best thing you can do

Is let it all fall away

Let everything go

And just breathe…

Now I sincerely doubt that you or I worry about nothing, but we could be worrying and stressing about something that many never happen and then we will stress over it again when IF it actually happens.

Let’s all cut our stress levels by 50% or more, and train ourselves to stress over events ONLY that actually have occurred.

By doing that I hope that you and I both will cut down our stress by 50% or more easily, and that our minds can instead focus on the joy-provoking moments in our lives like the outdoors.

Okanagan lake and your scribe himself

My sincere thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and follow my posts. I appreciate you! If you have suggestions or feedback, I welcome it 🙂

Posted in health | Tagged actual stress, brave, don't worry, health, imaginary, reduce stress, release, stress, unprovoked, Worry | 4 Comments

Don’t blame me! Blame Albert Einstein

Posted on June 22, 2019 by dfolstad58

sweet 5 I think I like vacations for the same reason you do. On my vacation I try to relax and coast through the day. I don’t measure my vacation day on what I accomplished.

When I am home, I try to be balanced, accomplishments can vary – actually do a household chore, some exercise, blog, connect with friends live or via media, and some reading.

(Today I am thinking out loud.) Albert Einstein wants you, me and everyone to do more or possibly at minimum question what we are doing in our lives.

Learn from yesterday, Live for today, hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein

How should we interpret a quote like that?

In my case I know I have lots of room to improve, one of them is procrastination on obvious sins like clutter. But, I am going to put that one off until tomorrow to work on.

I do question also how I use my time, because I feel like I should be doing more.

In a lifetime 2.4 hours a day of tv adds up to seven years of an average lifetime. Oh boy, in this case I am above-average for sure.

kick in but 1

I am asking myself, especially after being recently blessed with a kidney transplant and free of dialysis three times a week (15 hours a week), how should I spend my time? I want to spend it well, improving my health but also activities that I enjoy. Isn’t that why we look forward to retirement? So that we can choose how we spend our days? I have responsibilities and family that I depend on and vice versa so I am not about to fly off to the Cook Islands. But I am going to carve out a little more time consciously for particular activities that take me off the couch.

Life needs more hugs

Thank you Albert ! I am indeed questioning, learning from yesterday, trying to live for today and while in the present – and in regards to the future -still hoping for more stories ahead to create with family and friends.

In the meanwhile I will also try not to take life too seriously but will at least try to coast less tomorrow.

When life is gone, all that will be left is the stories and I want to make more.

I wonder how this post will be received by readers. Thank you for taking the time and for reading my posts. Otherwise I would be like the tree falling in the forest and no one hears it.

Posted in Thinking Out loud | Tagged albert einstein, coasting, health, improving, sins, thinking out loud, Time, waste | 5 Comments

In healing – what the doctor didn’t tell you

Posted on June 21, 2019 by dfolstad58

After a major surgery of any type, doctors will tell you that you need rest, and extra protein to assist in the healing of tissues. They could be right; I have never been accused of being a doctor. But just like Readers Digest has told us for decades; Laughter is the Best medicine, laughter and smiles.

Over the years, surgeries and my collection of scars from various surgeries I have learned the value of humorous stories, silly jokes, and smiling faces to assist everyone from the doctors, the nurses, and also the patient.

Smiling faces make a huge difference in our lives and our attitudes.

f8342527-2420-4bb7-8ee0-07b8ba596672-990-000000e5034079b8 At the most painful times in our lives, a joke relieves faster than a Tylenol a quick dose of endorphins (endorphin definition: a chemical naturally, released in the brain to reduce pain, that in large amounts can make you feel relaxed or full of energy.)

Chuckle, I can still recall some of the silly jokes I told back in 1986 when I survived a five month hospital stay. I’m thinking of the three-legged chicken story. 🙂

At the risk of causing an ear-worm (defined in the urban dictionary as follows –A song stuck in your head. Came from the German word, “ohrwurm,” which means earworm litterally, and a song stuck in the head not literally.)

Whenever I see your smiling face
I have to smile myself
Because I love you – James Taylor

Smiling faces are a gift; the medicine that your doctor didn’t tell you about. A close friend and a laugh always makes me smile, whether from a phone call or in person. Some people make you smile merely at the sight of them.

If you have family and friends who give you smiles, call yourself rich, that is certainly a huge part of what I call my treasure, family and friends who give me smiles and help me to heal, and make every day better.

My daughter is a smile giver.

Sincerely, I wish all the best to you, have fun , be yourself and smile.

Thank YOU to everyone who reads, likes and comments to my blog.

I have created some other categories also if you are inclined to investigate including a five-part ultra short story involving a character named Skywalker. (It will make more sense if you start at the beginning.)

May smiles fill your life today and in your future 🙂

Posted in health, Uncategorized | Tagged endorphins, family, friends, healing, health, Laughter, medicine, smiles | 8 Comments

At long last – new hope

Posted on June 20, 2019 by dfolstad58

Dear friends and readers,

I wondered what to title this post. My posts became especially irregular after my failing kidney transplant resulted in returning to reliance on dialysis three times a week for five hours to live. What most people don’t realize (and I understand why) is how draining (no pun intended) dialysis is and what it entails in changes to energy and diet. For example you can only have a small amount of fluids orally between each dialysis treatment.

Basically I would report to my local hospital here in Penticton and they would put two needles in my left arm.

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My left arm during hemodialysis

My left arm has a fistula that allows thick needles to be inserted for about 4 hours. One needle and tube allows the blood flow into a hemodialysis machine basically a pump that assists the heart to push the blood through a filter. Over a period of four hours my blood supply would pass through the filter removing toxins and water that a healthy kidney normally would. A second tube and needle returns the blood back into the left arm. It’s a loop!

What is the new hope? April 24, about 8 weeks ago I received a new kidney transplant !! Yes and what a miracle it was to find a match. Match depend on blood type and antibodies and lots of other things that I don’t understand. My antibodies were high and there was a 99% to 1% chance for me to find a transplant match. They told me to expect to wait years and years for the remote chance.

But I was blessed, and I found a match immediately, a really excellent match. Amazing!

My transplant was aided (prompted) by the fact that a special amazing friend of mine, donated one of his kidneys to someone else who needed one in Ontario. It’s called a shared donor chain. One person or a chain of persons all donate to help someone if they donate to help someone else. I was on a chain gang !

The day before my new transplant, me and my son Dave Jr.

April 23 My family traveled with me to Vancouver, BC to Vancouver General Hospital. They do hundreds of transplants a year but the demand is high and many are still dying waiting on the list because while most people would accept an organ, most people have still not signed a consent to be a donor.

April 24, they wheeled me to the surgery room and I remember nothing more accept my donor was wheeled out of surgery just before they wheeled me in.

A little bruised on my arm from surgery needles

I was out of the hospital after only six days but continued to stay locally for six weeks of followup, bloodtests and meetings with nurses, doctors and others for six weeks.

Now the surgery did have some complications and so did the recovery but I am energized and returned home finally after six weeks post surgery followup 400 kilometers away from my Okanagan home.

New hope, no more dialysis, new energy, longer healthier life, travel, …. life! My bruises have faded, my incisions are healing and I blessed and grateful.

Thank you for sincerely for reading and your likes and/or questions or comments- I will reply to each of you who adds a comment individually. I missed everyone and it feels wonderful to be posting and sharing my news.

Welcome home Dad from my son

Posted in health, Uncategorized | Tagged grateful, hemodialysis, hope, life, Organ donation, organ donor, organ transplant, surgery, Transplant, Vancouver General Hospital | 35 Comments

Let’s Get Cracking!

Posted on March 18, 2019 by dfolstad58

March 18 – 2019 Hello from the Canadian Okanagan valley, in particular Penticton BC where I live.

Spring is arriving in the valley this week. Temperatures are slightly below zero at night also but frost and cold temperatures are losing their grip on Okanagan and Skaha lake quickly.

The snow on my front yard is retreating and with the onset of temperatures like 15 expected this week, the ice on the lakes is noisy. Yesterday walking along the Okanagan lake seen below, the ice made a loud noise similar to when you add milk to your rice krispies cereal. Snap, Crackle, Pop but much, MUCH noisier. Occasionally a really large piece would crack and move away from the shore, making me jump.

American Robin from Pexel

I have noticed the birds have returned from their down south holidays, and I even spotted an American Robin when I drove to Summerland last week.

Seasons sneak up on us in the valley, and that I believe will be the case this year. Next week bikes will emerge from garages, gardeners will be starting seeds, and people will be washing cars in driveways.

Just like the Okanagan lake is cracking, and moving ahead to the spring temperatures – I need to get cracking for the optimism and longer days of spring. I will be out there in the sun walking along shore again today. I hope you enjoy my slides from my walk yesterday, featured below.

Dear reader – what is happening where you live? Does the longer days of sunlight in spring spark you into action? Thank you for reading and I look forward to replying to any comments. 🙂

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