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  

By

Judith Lawrenson/Pink Magazine October, 2020

  Things change-Okay? Get Used To It!

    The Uphill skater I have been talking about emotional, physical, and mental health for quite a number of years now and you might think that those things would be pretty constant, wouldn’t you? I mean good eats are good eats, right? Also, if you are on the ball and can do a cross word puzzle you are pretty okay. If you don’t cry at the drop of a hat and you aren’t hoarding automatic weapons you should be pretty stable too, yes? Well, I guess not so much, you guys. First of all, food advice seems to change regularly with each book someone puts out or every time Dr. Oz appears on the cover of a magazine-and we all know from standing in line at the grocery how often we see him on the cover of whatever! Spinach used to be really great for you but oh, now it has too much acid. Oranges are all right, but watch the acid. An apple a day used to keep the Dr. away, but now it has to be an organic apple that was grown on a sustainable tree. I grew up on a farm and we ate eggs. Now yo can buy so many different kinds of “eggs” that it boggles the mind. Cage free, gently raised, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, more vitamins, and on and on. Honestly, and you know this, eggs range in price from 88 cents a dozen to over five dollars-who knew? I think not the chickens so much, but the chicken farmers maybe?? All of this and much more make writing a column about food quite a challenge. On the other hand, mental illness and things like depression have not changed at all, right? Well, wrong again. Behaviors that were once considered outlandish are somehow some kind of new normal. I know I am old-fashioned, but setting buildings and businesses on fire and pulling statues of George Washington over in parks seems a bit bizarre to me as a way to show displeasure with politics, but I guess that’s just because I don’t get it-I am also not quite sure what it is that I don’t get. At a different level though and not kidding around any more, mental illness and associated conditions have made great leaps and bounds. No longer is the subject taboo and not up for discussion. Depression is acknowledged as a real condition, not just being sad. New drugs have literally changed people’s lives for the better. We can talk about it now too. Autism, learning disabilities, and even abhorrent behaviors are dealt with in very open ways, thank God. Gender issues are also pretty open for discussion and differences of all types are much more tolerated Again, keeping up with all of this is quite a task. We used to say that when you felt downhearted you should take a shower, wash your hair, and clean the house. Go our and get a perm. Go to the movies. Bad advice for those who really do suffer from depression. Talk to someone yo trust and seek professional help is much better advice and shows a degree of caring that I hope we can all support.  We have talked about food and the many food changes and the multitude of mental health issues that have been readdressed and redefined based on the growth of scientific knowledge, so now let’s talk a bit about physical health. Either you are sick or you are well. Is that right. Well, yes and no. Leave it to me to give those really clear answers! Well, as we all know, health and health issues have changed drastically and I don’t mean Covid. I mean the multitude of advances in preventative medicine. To my mind, this is the real leap in medical advances. How do you prevent someone from getting something? No, no, not how do you treat an illness. I know that is also important, but what if you never had to be sick in the first place? Preventative medicine, yes and vaccines too, have saved countless lives and improved the quality of life for countless others. This all relates back as you can see. To eat well and keep your mind sharp and to keep yourself healthy is not a cure all, but but, it sure is close.  Obviously I am not a Doctor, but I read everything I can get my hands on and I’ll tell you what, keeping healthy is not all that hard. It is also not that expensive. First of all, walk. That is free. I have a cheap Walmart Fitbit and I do my 10,000 per day. Keep your weight within reason. That is the new thought by the way. Not to look at your scale regularly for just that right weight, but to be sure you can button your pants without lying down n the bed, your blood pressure is good, and eat well. I am not going to list all of the good foods this time. Maybe next month, but you already know that fudge is not on the list and lettuce is, right?  So my point is that while so many things change, there are constants. PINK has been an advocate for  woman’s rights for many years and continues to be so. Pink also follows trends and reports on women who are unique in their own way. Pink does not judge. People, not just women, need to do the same-keep up with information. Form your own opinions. Stand tall. Love, Judith