Judith Lawrenson, PINK Magazine, November 2020

 “Okay, so imagine in your mind the words Hunker Down and Rest. Got it? Now imagine those words with a big red line drawn through them!”      The Uphill Skater  As many of you know and I am sure are sick of hearing about, I subscribe to several different magazines. Well, this month and last month almost all of them  are advising what I call shutting down. I mean I am reading this from my very special favorite people Joanna Gaines and Dr. Oz, for heaven’s sake! Be quiet, snug up, curl up by a fire, and on and on. How absolutely depressing. If you think you are going to get that kind of advise here, think again. I am advocating just the opposite.  I love December and Christmas and all that goes with it and I intend to keep as much of it as I can. We had planned a gathering for a group of people at the thrift Shop where we volunteer, but it got canceled. We had two other parties canceled to. Just so you know, I am putting up all of the decorations I had planned to put out anyway. We were the first people in the neighborhood to have our lights up and the day after Thanksgiving we went out and got our tree. BTW, I am wearing my Santa hat instead of one of those grey knit things too. I need to keep my ears warm and this works just fine, thank you very much.  Also, presents are way to special not to do. and speaking of presents, why not try  ETSY this year? Many marginal crafts people and single moms have made ETSY  have made this site fascinating. One of a kind is a great shopping motto this year and on-line shops are a great way to go. Perhaps even better are all of the local shopping locations. We have so many lovely shops that also feature one of a kind items.  Local shop also have on-line shops and isn’t it fun to get stuff in the mail? Go out and have a look around. (Wear your mask, of course)  If you are home, DO NOT sit in front of the TV! I love to cook and I also really like to try new things. On my blog (www.skatinguphill.com) I have one month of recipes and many four ingredient recipes and lots of good food tips. Give it a try and while you are at it, try some other blogs of better yet, try doing a blog yourself. If you are not in to that sort of thing, try keeping a journal. I find this gets me up and going just so I do not look boring to myself in my journal. Who wants to read that blank page of last Tuesday when I sat and did nothing all day??  Some people “food journal” and I have tried this several times and had limited success but others swear by it and not only journal their food but add in recipes that have worked. A friend of mine from California actually self-published her food/recipe journal and reuses it and gives copies as gifts. She had a ball doing this. So, maybe try something like this or another new kind of hobby. Learn to knit, crochet, block print, do your own nails, buy a DIY magazine and build something, and on and on. Remember also that reading a good book or better still a group of books in a series is not watching TV. Just as a recommendation, try the Laura Child’s Tea Room mysteries. They are set in Charleston and there are many of them and they are pretty good stories in addition to having all of the settings and landmarks around Charleston. Send for the books (Amazon) don’t use Kindle just because it is fun to get something in the mail. and speaking of that, I am setting up a mail back and forth between my daughter in California and my little grandson here. He is in kindergarten and loves to get something in the mail and my daughter has no family close so she loves hearing from him too. We send something twice a week and she sends about the same.  I have two final suggestions that really work for me. I am into HGTV and decor so I love to do and re-do my stuff. You do not need to paint a wall or wall paper or anything major unless you want to, but just try some new ways to show off your old stuff. I enjoy doing this so much I surprise myself. I put cute settings on my kitchen table with different table cloths and dishes, I move vales of flowers, I put out different holiday stuff, I change pillows around and lots of other stuff. I keep my “house decorations” in a pantry in the kitchen and you would be surprised what you can do over and over again with mostly the same items. When I get tired of that my next favorite is grocery store flowers and plants. So, buy some flowers. buy a plant. Enjoy. Last but not least, I feel like I give this advice every month, but it is so worth repeating. Walk! It is free, healthy, social if you want it to be, a feel good rush, a way to get out of the house, good for your dog who will love you even more if you take him for a walk, and many other things I can’t think of right now. Don’t give up, don’t stay home, wear your mask, and keep your chins up. We are better than all of this!  Love, Judith