Autumnal Shifts

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 012023
 

Summer used to be my favorite season. That was until anything hotter than about 85F turned me into a fiery devil! πŸ‘Ώ Last summer, we had determined that we didn’t want to be in Italy for the August hell πŸ₯΅ temperatures since we spent about two weeks living in one room of the house during the day as we couldn’t justify having the A/C on all day.

This summer, we had planned to be away in France where it is closer to the Mediterranean Sea and our days could be spent on the beach. We did that until mid-August when we needed to adjust our plans. One reason was that M got unexpectedly “homesick” for our house and a “normal” routine. The other was because our Peanut πŸΆπŸ’œ was growing an abscess that needed operating on – they found a thorn stuck in her!

So, we have been back home in Italy since mid-August surviving the heat and trying to create “normal”, though we’ve had friends staying as we thought we were going to be away and they were our cat-sitters.

This week, though, the weather looks like it has turned. Big thunderstorms passed over us and dropped the temperatures. Now, the days are sunny staying under that 85F/30C range, which makes me a very happy camper!

Living in Japan made me appreciate the seasons more than I think I would have had I lived anywhere else. Most especially, fall/autumn became one of my favorite seasons. First, there is the relief that is felt from the dissipation of the summer heat. Then, there is the food that comes out in the fall! OMG, the food!

Although I might have to return to taking some allergy tablets to fight off the autumnal pollen, it is more than worth it for the rest of what the season brings. Here’s to a lovely next few months into the stretch toward the end of the year – already!!!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Finally Spring!

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Apr 262023
 

It was a late winter and the colder temps have lingered much longer than we either expected or wanted. Both M and I are sun seekers. β˜€οΈ We thrive in warmer temperatures and sunny climates. While I prefer the temperate warmth, M enjoys the more sweaty ones. πŸ˜… So, we agreed that we will not be spending another mid-winter period here because the cold and rainy days do not suit us. However, we are still left with a delay in the spring weather this year.

Thankfully, I think that we are nearly to the point when Mother Nature flips the switch to begin heating up the outside so that we can bat away the bugs and sit by the pool working on our tans. It has been a bit grey and wet today, but we enjoyed a beautiful mild weekend. The wisteria tree was in the town of Todi, not too far from us, where we met some new friends for lunch. So, with the various spring blooms coming out in their full colorful glory, we stop to enjoy and sigh relief that the cold is on its way out.

Another plus is that while my ankle is on the mend, I am not feeling as if I am missing anything yet since early spring pollen flurries usually keep me indoors anyway. By the time all of that passes and the temperatures are suitable, I shall be fully walking πŸšΆπŸ½β€β™€οΈon my own two feet! 🀞🏽

So… finally SPRING!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Happy Spring Equinox 2023

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Mar 212023
 

For many years, I had no real interest in the cycles of the seasons. When Japanese people and Japanophiles would say “I love that Japan has four seasons”, I would roll my eyes πŸ™„ with disdain at such a clichΓ© and trivial statement.

With the forced time to sit still with my thoughts, I have discovered that perhaps I was being a bit too dismissive, or dare I say immature and arrogant 😬, about what these people may have meant in their words. To be fair, I may be attributing too much credit to them now in my moment of softness. πŸ€ͺ

Still, today, during my brief meditation (trying to build myself back into the routine of it), I listened to the birds singing, our pups squealing and barking as they ran in the playground of our woodlands, and felt the warmth of the spring sun warm my face as I centered on my breath and the healing of my ankle. In the listening, I heard a whisper of appreciation in the consistency of the seasons.

Often, I can control my pain tolerance by impressing upon my mind that all things are temporary. Pain cannot last forever if we maintain a strong and healthy body. Illnesses come and go. Even people can be passing through our lives. In accepting the fleeting reality of life, we learn to appreciate the current moment. This is one of the main teachings of mindfulness meditation. It is also somehow one of the most difficult concepts to embrace with regularity and efficacy.

It was in this awareness of the coming of spring that I acknowledged the passing of winter. The past two days were chilly and grey, which affected my mood. Being aware of its effect, I did my best to stay upbeat, but it was difficult. Luckily, I could hide away in my room, take naps and escape with my crime TV shows. Then, today, the sun returned lifting my mood in celebration for the Spring Equinox.

In Japan, today is a national holiday. It is one of the few countries that celebrates “nature” as a reason to break up the regular routine of life. While other places might have a period of spring fairs or celebrations, they are not days off.

So, perhaps there is something to appreciating four distinct seasons. Or, perhaps, the main point is to appreciate that somewhere like Japan takes time to notice and celebrate them. Most importantly, though, we can learn to appreciate, notice, and celebrate as individuals no matter where we are.

Therefore, today, I feel positive with warmth as the spring season begins.

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

S.A.D.

 Going Mental  3 Responses »
Jan 262023
 

When I lived in Oregon as a young person I would often have a sense of melancholy during the winter or grey sky days. For a long time, I chalked it up to me just being a bit depressive by nature and a characteristic of my more introspective ways. 😒 Then, I heard about this thing called seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.) or seasonal depression.

Although having a label is not necessarily my aim, it is often helpful to have terms to use in describing a certain way of thinking or behaving. With a label definition as a guideline, one can try to address it and create a new understanding of one’s identity either within the guidelines or push on beyond it. So, it was when I went to Japan and experienced colder, but sunnier winters that I realized I would not feel as “blue” as I normally would that time of year in the Pacific Northwest.

My nine years in the desert really highlighted just how much I love/need the sun β˜€οΈ and warmth as not once did I miss rain or cold weather. On the rare occasion when rain β˜”οΈ did fall or a sandstorm πŸŒͺ️ rose up, I accepted a temporary lapse in the ideal weather pattern, but if it lasted more than a day or two I was not pleased. 😑

Now that we are in our second year in the Italian countryside, I am more settled and aware of myself outside of the external contributing factors that may cause stress or a lower mood level. Without those things to explain why suddenly I feel less chipper than I used to, I can now put my finger on the fact that where we live continues to be similar to where I grew up in another part of the world with weather conditions not much different. In fact, as my father often mentions, our temps and weather doesn’t differ much than at home. πŸ€¦πŸ½β€β™€οΈ

So, I finally acknowledged this week that I think I might be a little depressed. 😬

It’s not stress as we really have nothing to stress about. Although my husband can cause me external grief πŸ™„, it is not enough to definitively say that it is him as the source of my darker moods. The fact that it is cold, we have many days of grey, and the dark is where I spend a great portion of my day to avoid letting the heat out are undeniable causes of my gloom. πŸ˜΅β€πŸ’«

They say the first step is to be aware. Check βœ…. The next step is to accept. Check βœ…. Now, to do something about it! πŸ’ͺ🏽

We have discussed plans to go away in March, but the fact is that the weather here will be better by then. So, for this year, we are looking at traveling a bit more since seeing new places always lifts my mood. Then, for this time next year, we are going to plan in advance to be away in warmer climates to avoid a repeat of these darker days in the future.

In the meantime, I am focusing on the positives and layering up even more as I open my windows more often to let the sunlight β˜€οΈ in during the day. 😁

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Cool Sighs

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 242018
 
Fall 2018 Begins

It has been a little less humid and lot cooler the past week or so. Of course, more rain has come with that, but it also means that the fall blooms are starting to brighten up the paths.

When you live in a place with actual seasons (despite people’s recent complaints that Japan doesn’t have four seasons πŸβ›„οΈπŸŒΈβ˜€οΈ) conversation around weather is inevitable. After living in a country that really had no seasons other than hot β˜€οΈand hotterβ˜„οΈ I have come to appreciate them more than I did before. Also, I have become more aware of my preference for one season over another.

Before, people would ask me as a small talk conversational piece, “What’s your favorite season?”. I would look at them as if they were crazy and think, “What a dumb question…, who cares?” πŸ˜–

Now, I understand. Now, I have a favorite season with a more mature understanding of why. πŸ‘΅πŸ½

As a youth, I would say ‘summer’ was my favorite because it meant school holidays and long sunny days of nothing but pleasurable activities. As I got older, I would stubbornly refuse to answer such a question and say something sarcastic, like “I prefer tropical climate”, which isn’t an answer to the question at all. πŸ™„

These days, I can honestly say that ‘fall/autumn’ is my favorite season. It’s a season that feels like the biggest ‘sigh’ of relief and letting go. The heat goes away lowering humidity levels. The winds blow a cooler breeze that refreshes the skin. The colors become bright on the trees giving the eyes some stimulation. People come out to enjoy the weather with smiles and chatty sounds.Β 

Although the rain increases and there is still some humidity, it feels as if the community (or at least my little place in the world in Japan) has breathed out a collective cool sigh of relief with a quicker step in their feet as we forget about the trying summer times and avoid the need to hunker down for winter. It’s a period of time to just be and breathe.

~T πŸ˜€

Β 

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