Showing posts with label # OAGblog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label # OAGblog. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Re-blogged: Nightmares and Witching Hour

 Are you persistently waking up at night at the same time?

Please note:
Although this article contains some medical facts, it’s mostly my own observation of patients and talking to patients throughout my nursing career.

Can’t sleep 6-8 hours straight without waking up?
If you’re persistently waking up at night at the same time, it might be because your body and mind are trying to tell you something. Our bodies and minds work like an amazing computer system. The body is “resetting” the physical body, and the mind is organizing the previous day’s events, thoughts, and feelings. We need a restful sleep to help our body, but sometimes our sleep is interrupted.

Waking up 10 Pm – midnight:
Waking up at this time of the night might be due to stress and anxious thoughts throughout the day that hasn’t been resolved before going to sleep. You might be feeling pressured at your job, in your family life, or you have a lot on your “to-do” list and having a hard time keeping up.
Try:
Take a warm bath before bed, watch, or read a relaxing story, or listen to calming music. Think about the positive things you’ve accomplished. Next, put the unresolved issues and to-do list in your mind to a mental file “to be solved another day”.

Waking up midnight – 1 Am:
This is when your mind is dealing with anger issues and the pent-up, unresolved anger tends to wake you up at this time of the night. Anger might manifest itself as a bad dream or nightmare.
Try:
Before bed try to stretch, do some light yoga exercises, and think about what made you angry throughout the day. Remember, some things you cannot change, follow the philosophy of a dog. If you can’t change it, don’t waste time being angry about it. Piss on it, kick some dirt on it, and move on.

Waking up 1 Am – 3 Am:
The feeling of hate is keeping you up around this time of the night that related mostly to self-hatred. You might hate your aging or sick body, weaknesses of your personality, or situations you got yourself into.
Try:
Have a good talk with yourself and point out what you like about your body and personality. Embrace the positive things and make fun of the negative ones. Yeah, my boobs have been taken over by gravity and moving to the south, but with the help of a push-up bra, they can still look perky. Remember, just because people put on a cheerful mask, every single person is dealing with problems that life throws at us, even with occasional self-doubt and self-loathing. You’re not alone. Accept yourself, the whole package, and don’t pick on little things that are only temporary.    
Forgive others who hurt you. Remember, when you keep a grudge alive, you carry the much-hated person with you 24/7 in your mind. Drop them like a hot potato and move on.


Thursday, February 25, 2021

All I can Make is Fudge Soup

 I want to make delicious fudge


But all I can make is fudge soup

I love fudge! 
Creamy chocolate peanut butter is my absolute favorite!  I have a recipe that makes it perfect. Not too sweet, not too chocolatey, just the ideal blending of flavors, and so smooth. Maybe you have the same one as I do, it is the recipe from the Hershey's cocoa can, then you add peanut butter with the regular butter.

I am almost 64 years old, so you know I have had this recipe for a very long time. Unfortunately, my success with it is not impressive.  I swear the recipe was created by the devil himself.  It is more touchy than a porcupine in a minefield.  If not for the few times I have created this masterpiece, I would have chucked it and gone on with life.  But, the victories are so delicious!  

Usually, I end up with chocolate peanut butter soup


It tastes ok but somehow a spoon of fudge just doesn't fulfill my cravings.  The cost of ingredients makes tossing it impossible so I have found ways to use this fail besides eating it by the spoonful. As an ice cream topping it is not bad and, if it's really soupy, adding oatmeal turns it into no-bake cookies.  Tasty but not what my tastebuds want.  

Chocolate peanut butter soup is not the only way this fudge defeats me.  I have over-cooked or over-stirred it and created something that resembles freshly turned dirt.


It is flaky and does not taste good, in my opinion.  I usually end up with soup, but when I create this mess, it does go to the trash.

In all my years of making fudge, my record stands at 4 successes and 100+ failures.  The jealousy in my eyes is evident when a friend boasts about how perfect theirs has turned out.

Do you have a favorite flavor of fudge?  
Can you share your recipe? 
If so, please know my green eyes are looking at you!

Written by Cindy J. Smith
Author of poetry and children's books

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