The prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “in the corner.” Write about whatever the image or thought of “in the corner” brings to mind. Have fun!
Interesting prompt. I might just try #JusJoJan this year, too. No promises. If I miss a day, I won’t put myself in the corner. I don’t recall being sent to the corner as a child. There was usually furniture in the corner. But I was sent to “sit in the chair” for a time out. It was not a bad chair, just a normal chair. Now, I wouldn’t mind that at all – taking a time out in the chair.
There’s a comfortable chair in Mama Cat’s room which is a smallish room with a cubby and a window seat made from a pillow and blankets. She has a lot of blankets. A couple of days ago, I sat in the chair in Mama Cat’s room and she hopped up on my lap as she has started to do over the past month. I sat there in the late afternoon, or maybe it was evening, I don’t recall, stroking her soft fur as she fell asleep, and I almost fell asleep. Petting Mama Cat put me in a sort of trance. I can feel the brain waves changing if someone rubs my head or an ASMR thing – the tingle, which I find fascinating and easier to get to the more it happens. You can read more about ASMR here. I can imagine how it could be addicting. But on a brighter note, I’ve read that cat purrs can be healing like meditation.
But I can’t spend too much time there in the chair petting the cat. I need to get some energy. There’s that thing about inertia.
My main goal for 2021 is to improve my health. It’s not bad, but I fear I’ve gained some weight and feel tired more than I want to, so I’m going to be exploring joining a gym or/and other ways to increase my exercise, like walking and hiking more regularly. That will involve getting some better shoes.
Here’s a question for my older followers. No, more mature followers might sound better. Wise and experienced readers…. or anyone who might know. Has your shoe size gone up over the years? I think my feet might be feeling uncomfortable because I need to go up to a 8 and a half. Maybe even a 9? I haven’t changed shoe size in a lot of years, so maybe that’s it. Seems like I wore a seven in my 20s. That would be better than going to a foot doctor. Anything to keep me from getting totally hooked on sitting in the chair and petting the cat… or TV, but let’s not go there. I can always do some yoga stretches while watching TV.
SoCS and Just Jot January are hosted by Linda G. Hill. You can read all about it at:
Stream of Consciousness Saturday | (lindaghill.com)
January 2, 2021 at 10:31 am
I’ve never heard that acronym ASMR, before, JoAnna. I looked it up via your link and that sounds like a nice state to achieve. Very relaxing.
January 2, 2021 at 11:02 am
It can be very relaxing. I think some people are more susceptible to it than others. When I was a child, my mother used to rub my head at bedtime and I couldn’t get enough of it. But she (my mom) didn’t like people messing with her head or hair. I’m glad you found something interesting in my Stream of Consciousness.
January 2, 2021 at 10:34 am
I’ve heard that brushing a cat is good exercise. Although, I heard that from one of our cats.
January 2, 2021 at 11:21 am
Hmmm. Brushing a cat could be meditative, too, if you do it long enough. But my hands are not what they used to be, so I’d need to be careful not to overdo it. 🙂 Don’t want the cat to get addicted and just want more….
January 2, 2021 at 12:00 pm
That last bit is the definition of MuMu – brushaholic.
January 2, 2021 at 11:05 am
Glad to see Momma Cat at ease and enjoying your company, JoAnna. She’s beautiful! ❤
January 2, 2021 at 4:59 pm
Thank you! It’s been three months since she came here from the church. Considering this is probably the first time she’s lived in a house, we’ve made a lot of progress. She will probably always be a little skittish.
January 2, 2021 at 11:14 am
My daughter falls asleep to ASMR audios. They certainly do not have that effect on me. I find them to cause sensory overload for me. Petting a cat, however, is the best kind of relaxation therapy. My shoe size has changed, or maybe I no longer put up with uncomfortable shoes.so much depends on the manufacturer. I went to an REI store and had them fit me for a hiking boot. It makes a difference!
January 2, 2021 at 5:07 pm
Interesting about the sensory overload. Petting a cat is nice, because we have some control in the rhythm and speed. I just looked and we don’t have a REI in Wilmington. But getting fitted is a good idea.
January 3, 2021 at 7:11 am
Maybe there is another outdoor store that could do the same.
January 2, 2021 at 4:02 pm
I’ve had the ASMR-type sensations, but didn’t realize that I was having them (maybe because they didn’t have a name for them yet). I don’t necessarily get those sensations when I’m listening to the sounds I listen to at night, but then maybe I haven’t found the sounds that set off the sensation. It’s no big deal that I haven’t.
For the longest time, I was a size 8 1/2 4E shoe. One day, I tried putting on a new pair that I had bought six months earlier and they didn’t fit. I went to New Balance and had them fit me, and discovered I was now a 10 1/2 6E. Don’t ask me how that happened…
January 2, 2021 at 5:42 pm
Wow! That’s a big jump in shoe size! Thanks for reinforcing my plan to get a fitting! Sometimes I get more ASMR from repeating soft touches. In my old job I used to make repeated doodle marks like circles or boxes while “taking notes” in staff meetings. I could fill up half a page. Maybe that was mild ASMR.
January 2, 2021 at 4:04 pm
“in the corner” is an interesting prompt for these days of quarantine, lock downs, and social distancing. Leaving our safe corners may take a while.
My shoe sizes have changed over the years based on the different British, Brazilian, and American sizes. Do your feet swell during winter months? If so, that could explain the difference in shoe size.
January 2, 2021 at 9:28 pm
It is an interesting prompt for the times. Yes, it may take a while, I was transferring birthdays to my new wall calendar and noticed how many meetings in the our community I had scheduled for early 2020. Now, I’m getting used to staying home in my corner. As for the shoe size, I have not been aware of swelling, but that’s something to consider. Thank you!
January 2, 2021 at 9:16 pm
I was a size 7 in my youth,then in my 30s I needed an 8, and there I have stayed.
January 2, 2021 at 9:31 pm
Thank you! We will see what happens… 🙂
January 3, 2021 at 7:09 am
I think an increase in shoe size is normal. I have gone from 10 1/2 to 11
January 3, 2021 at 9:47 pm
Thanks, Derrick. I appreciate the info.
January 3, 2021 at 9:35 am
Wishing you all the best in 2021, JoAnna! There’s nothing quite like slowing down with an attentive, purring cat, to put one in a state of happy suspension. Good for your overall health, too, I would think! I got away from exercising myself for a few years there and got back into some regular activity the last year or too. It’s amazing how just a little bit of regular activity will give us a lot in return!
Peace
Michael
January 3, 2021 at 10:05 pm
Thanks for the encouragement and good wishes, Michael. I wish all the best for you, too and look forward to stopping by Embracing Forever soon!