Survivor Finale - My Thoughts

Well, who saw that coming?

I didn't.

Congratulations Erika - The Little Player that Could! (I'm little too, just saying...)

I'm not surprised that Ricard didn't make it to final three. I knew if he lost a challenge he would be out. He still fascinates me, but his comments before he was voted out...mmmm. Arrogance or self-confidence? You be the judge.

The fire making challenge was epic! Heather, you had it! I don't know why your rope didn't break. Even though there was no path to victory for her, I was inspired by her story of overcoming her fear of water. I love witnessing transformations on this show.

I was very surprised by the jury's lack of love for Xander. I don't think the viewers felt the same way. I think he's a fine young man with a good heart (plus great abs and dreamy man curls) :)

At the same time, I am pleased that Erika was voted Sole Survivor. She won two individual immunity challenges, found an advantage at the penultimate challenge, and she flipped the game when given the opportunity. She is a worthy winner.

librarianintx 

Week of Gratitude Day 5

Today's gratitude is simple. I am grateful to have gratitude back in my life. I lost my way for awhile. I couldn't feel grateful. I was depressed and isolated and feeling sorry for myself. Gratitude is beneficial for your brain, your body, your soul. I'm so pleased to re-discover my gratitude. 

Thank you to ERS for this week of Gratitude. 

"It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful"

Brother David Steindl-Rast

librarianintx 

Week of Gratitude Day 4

Today, and every day, I am grateful for family and friends. The pandemic was a horrible time of physical separation and isolation, but I am grateful that we all endured, and I am beginning to spend time with people again. It is so meaningful to have conversations, laugh, and make memories with people I care about in person again.. For a year and three months I was only able to interact with most people by a phone or computer screen. At least we had technology to maintain connections. During the Spanish flu pandemic, people didn't have such luxury. I am very grateful that my friendships are ongoing, and my family is intact. Well, almost  I lost a very close friend who was family to me during the pandemic and that has been very difficult. As I go through the grief process, I try to focus on gratitude for the time we had together and the memories we made. No one ever leaves us. We carry them in our hearts and minds always.

librarianintx 

Week of Gratitude Day 3

Today I am grateful for medication. Some of the medicines I'm on are somewhat controversial. I am grateful that I have a team of doctors that work with me to make medical decisions that are right for me. They know I have health anxiety and struggle to make decisions, and they are patient with me. I am a member of a few health-related groups on Facebook, and every day I read about how much some people are suffering with certain conditions.  My health is not where I want it to be, but for my age and given my various conditions, I understand that I am actually doing pretty well. I am committed to exercising and doing as much as I can for myself in hopes that I can remain independent. Every day I strive to eat well, take all my medicine, exercise, reduce my stress, get enough sleep, and find balance in my life. Some days I'm more successful than others.. The medications are working towards giving me a quality of life that hopefully outweigh the small risks they are associated with.

librarianintx 

Tonight's Surivor Finale

Many people have expressed displeasure about this season of Survivor, but I have enjoyed it. I thought the twists were cool. And for the most part, I like the players. Evie was my favorite this season.

Of the remaining contestants, I don't dislike any of them. The only one who doesn't deserve to win in my opinion is Heather. I think most viewers would agree with me. I don't envision any path to victory for her.

I am rooting for Ricard. I know, a lot of people don't like him. I get that. But he is a very good player. And he fascinates me. I love his hair too, both the curls and the man bun. :)

Having said that, I am also a fan of Xander and Erika. I would be very happy to see either one of them named Sole Survivor. I think both of them have played hard enough and done enough in the game to earn the title. To a lesser extent, I think DeShawn has as well.

We'll see what happens. I think Ricard or Xander have the best chance at winning. But Ricard has to win the challenges in order to win the show. The others are definitely gunning for him. One loss, and he's out.

Looking forward to it!

librarianintx 

Week of Gratitude Day 2

Now that I participated in the morning zoom gratitude session with our Employee Retirement System, I will share two reasons to be grateful today. 

First of all, I am grateful to Joe, the speaker, for sharing his powerful story of addiction and recovery. Joe's vulnerability, strength, and truth affected all of us. We are glad you are still here, Joe. 

What I was going to talk about was my gratitude for phone games. Weird thing to be grateful for? Maybe. But during this time of increased anxiety, I can concentrate on phone games more than reading or other hobbies that I enjoy. Certain phone games can get me into a flow state, which makes the anxiety disappear. My favorite games during this time has been Triple Tile (a matching game), Minesweeper, and a new one my roommate told me about: Block Puzzle. I also enjoy Boggle, Yahtzee, Mind Games, Lexathon, Brain Lab, and several word games. Oh, and I am FINALLY learning how to play Sudoku. The phone version of Sudoku is much better than the workbook I bought, because it lets you know right away when you have messed up, and you have the opportunity to correct your mistake. I have solved an easy phone Sudoku puzzle in as little as five minutes with no errors. I haven't been brave enough to try an intermediate level puzzle yet. I also enjoy Words with Friends.

librarianintx

Week of Gratitude Day One

I am participating in a week long gratitude challenge.

This is day one.

I am grateful for my appetite. Most people have no trouble eating. But I lost my appetite a few months ago, and it was a very difficult time. I have lost my appetite before,  but this time was worse than ever. Not only did I have no desire to eat, no hunger most of the time, but the act of eating was such a chore. I didn't even want my favorite foods. It would take me literally hours to eat a meal. A bite of food would expand and spread in my mouth, and I'd have to drink something to get it to go down. Dry foods were the worst. The easiest foods for me to eat were ones that I didn't have to chew: yogurt,  mashed potatoes,  applesauce,  and hot cereal.

I am underweight, so worrying about my nonexistent appetite only made it more difficult for me to eat. It was a vicious cycle, and a dark time in my life.

So I am very grateful that my appetite is mostly back. I have physical hunger, food tastes good again, and I look forward to eating. Dear friends gave me an Instant Pot, and I am excited to try recipes. The first thing I cooked was American goulash, one of my favorite comfort foods. I am a big fan of leftovers, and making enough food to freeze some of it. I have been savoring my goulash leftovers for nearly a week. So delicious!

Weight can be a struggle. Some people need to lose. Some people need to gain. I'm trying not to focus on my weight. I'm simply grateful to have my appetite back.

librarianintx 

A Good Day

Today was a good day.

I had two opportunities to be social.

I talked to people - in person, not through a computer screen.

I laughed with co-workers, and talked about painful times too.

I enjoyed a holiday lights drive thru with friends.

I petted precious dogs.

I hugged sweet friends. 

I got back a piece of what the pandemic has stripped from me.

It was a very good day.

librarianintx