Grounded?! Grounded!! Grounded.

Being grounded can be a good thing. 

Aw!! Grounded?

...when you get in trouble and privileges are revoked and are sent to your room to think about it.  

I recently had one of those days where all the little things seemed to go wrong and so I decided to self-impose my own being grounded.  Not punishment for anything done wrong per se, but it seemed like the kind of day to just “think about it” and do some course correction.  I caught up on some recent professional development seminars provided by the university system.  It was the right day to watch “ Pause, Reflect and Design: Creating a Personal Wellness Plan.”  

The presenter shared a wellness wheel model with five dimensions, and we marked where we thought we were on each spoke - the idea being that you don’t work as well if your spikes are at different levels. Funny enough, the dimension I marked lowest is recovery and regeneration.  I realized that the five things I have been keeping accountability on did not really include this - "what gets measured gets managed." The corollary being what is not measured is not managed? I like this 5-dimension model (from the National Association of Sports Medicine) so I am adjusting to this going forward. More on this later.  

(There are many different wellness wheels out there with other dimensions including financial, spiritual, etc. Find the model you like and go for it.)

That day the signs were all lining up. I had intended to go to the gym for strength training but had the feeling that if I got in the car, with the way my day was going, I would be in a car accident.  So I opted for a FItOn “Stretch & Soothe” video.  I like FitOn and I haven’t been using it for awhile, so it was like hanging out with a friend I hadn’t seen in some time. When you open the app, a motivational phrase first pops up.  The message I received was something along the lines of that sometimes a step backward gives you a running start. Works for me.

Grounded!!

…when your flight is cancelled due to weather, strikes, etc.  

I recently flew to Athens to rejoin Dirk on the ship. Greece had planned a national strike for the day after my scheduled arrival. On October 1, taxis, public transportation and possibly air traffic controllers would be protesting new labor laws. Strikes seem to be fairly regular occurrences in Europe - it was a good reminder to keep an eye on them ( as well as holidays you might be unfamiliar with). This particular strike was not really a travel hassle unless my flights got delayed. So throw in the news of two hurricanes possible interacting in a highly unusual manner affecting the east coast of the US, and I was keeping an eye on the interplay of weather, flight delays/cancellations and the strike.  

Fortunately, all went smoothly.  Unrelated with strike, I had prearranged a taxi and I was very pleased with the service. Tip:

Uber is an option in Athens and if you are traveling with multiple people there are some reasonably priced options on Get Your Guide, Viator, etc. But as a solo traveler, this ride to Piraeus cruise terminal was only €60 and payable by card on the taxi.  Airport Athens Taxi communicates very clearly, keeps an eye on your flight for delays,  and  having  the driver waiting for me was lovely. 

Happily, not grounded.

Side note to this: I decided to only do carry-on luggage - something INCREDIBLY rare for me. I knew I could get toothpaste at a grocery store in Piraeus that I have gone to for years.  My very first contract I learned an important lesson: if there is a particular product or brand you like, pack enough of it because you might not find it globally. I am very picky about my toothpaste: Aim, no whitening, no flavors, just good old fashioned Aim. It is hard to find even in the states these days (the Dollar Tree is one of the few places).  Well, this grocery store in Piraeus carried Aim toothpaste!  The trouble was there were many kind of Aim and the labels were all in Greek. As we know, back in 2001 there was no Google translate.  So I took my best guess and bought the toothpaste. Nope. Not the right kind. We were there every Saturday so I just kept going back until I found the kind I like. Fast forward to 2025 - they still have plenty of kinds, and the labels are also in English!  

Grounded.

...when you are confident, well-balanced, stable.  

For those that are familiar with Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way, I had a full artist’s date for myself the previous weekend.  Brunch at the Unconventional Diner, a trip to the Renwick Gallery and a matinee performance of Merry Wives at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.  

The restaurant was suggested by Trisha - I didn’t need a reservation for a party of one and could sit outside; one of their brunch specialties is a Lebanese rice- yummy and healthy. 

The Renwick Gallery was recommended by LaMar. It is one of the smaller Smithsonian galleries focused on crafts.  The current exhibit is about the art and crafts of State Fairs.  Fun!  The quilting was stunning, the corn dog sculpture and butter label clothing unique and the cow made of butter surprising - for this California girl.

Merry Wives was a self-recommendation.  The Merry Wives of Windsor is not one of the more frequently produced Shakespeare plays so I was excited to see a live production.  This adaptation set in Harlem was joyful.

The spiritual well was filled. 

Happily, grounded.

Wellness Round Up

Sleep - This has been jet lag impacted big time and I have struggled to adjust this go around. I have heard it takes a day for every hour time difference;  I definitely used those seven days. Tomorrow is just a two hour difference - phew.….

Nutrition (folding hydration into this) - overall pretty good.

• I have always thought of hummus as a dip, but recently had this as a meal basis (instead of lettuce or a wrap) - delicious and protein forward. 

• I have been working on not needing to finish everything on my plate when I am out, even if the plate contains lots of protein and fiber and especially if a treat like carrot cake ( a few bites only and then a box to share it at home).  It was a lot of food on the plane as well. I ate maybe half.

Mental & Emotional Wellness (replacing stress) - overall OK.  Some work stress as well as some worry about the travel to Athens, but overall OK.

Recovery & Regeneration (also replacing stress) - this has been fun to think about.  I’ve been taking time for meditation, massage and my zen happy place of sewing. Similar to the random FitOn motivational settings, I have random motivational reminders set on my phone. The one that popped up on my self-imposed grounded day: Emily P Freeman calls rest for your soul “sitting down on the inside.”

Movement - Good enough.  

• Some cardio -I started running again, plenty of walking. For Sydney to Melbourne, I have walked enough to earn another virtual postcard, have another real tree and planted and hit the halfway mark.  

• There has been some gym for upper body strength training and have decided I would rather do barre and FitOn videos for lower body strength.  

• And I decided to do the pickleball lesson on the ship.  

I’m not sure that getting your first senior discount has that same level of memory impact like when you get your first bra.  But between a senior shopping discount and pickleball, I figure next cruise I will make it a trifecta and try the morning Tai Chi. 😜

That’s it for now. Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit!