Family Game Time - Wordle but Not Wordle

If you haven't been introduced to Wordle yet, it is a web-based game where,  as described here in Wikipedia, "players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word; feedback is given for each guess, in the form of colored tiles, indicating when letters match or occupy the correct position." The web-based program allows players to share their results without giving away the answer to others. As such, it has taken social media by storm. 

When I asked family members to help me understand it, my sister compared it to the Jotto game that our grandmother would play with us when we were children. I have to admit that all these years, I thought Grandmom made up the game and the name, Jotto. Turns out I gave her more credit than she deserved about Jotto, but she DOES deserve the credit for all the fond memories of playing the game. 💓  With those memories revived, we set up a family game time playing Jotto via Zoom. 

From top left (and yes I checked it IS left),
Emma, Me, Dave, Jean, Katie

Five players, Three rounds, a lot of laughs and a good time was had by all. 

As we played, Katie reminded us that when we played as kids, we weren't told which letters were in the right place (as Wordle does). 😲

If you'd like to try this with your family or friends, here are the rules we used. Please borrow or alter them to suit your group. We chose to stick with 5 letter words with no repeats. 

Each player is assigned a number. This is critical on Zoom since the order of video squares is not the same from my screen to yours. 

Player #1 has a word in mind. 

Player #2 guesses a word. Using the same scheme as Wordle, player #1 tells all other players which letters are GREEN (in the right place) or YELLOW (in the word but out of place). 

Players continue in order, using the clues previously revealed by others, until one player guesses the word. 

For round 2, Player number 2 has a word in mind and this time Player #3 gets the first guess. 

Looking back on the track of our games today, it was advantageous to be in position #4 as a guesser. The longest round took 7 guesses and a few rounds were made in 3. 

Keep Smiling and Keep Moving
-Paula 

Happy New Year - Let's Move

Hello! Remember me? Wow. I see my last entry here was April 2021. I also see by my draft folder that I visited in June, July and December but never published. Not sure why. I was tempted to look at those drafts to learn why but today, of all days, is not a day for reviewing past failures. Easier said than done but I deleted the drafts without reading them so Yay!! 

Today is a day traditionally filled with making commitments, promises, and resolutions. I have an on- again off-again relationship with New Year resolutions. One side of me knows making them will likely lead to failure and self-loathing and another side of me longs for the structure and self discipline they may provide. The struggle is real. Am I right? 

This year, as I did last year, I have committed to 30 days of Yoga with Adriene to start the year. I don't recall how far I made it last year. I only know that it wasn't the full 30 days. Time to let that thought go and simply try again. I've invited my Facebook Fitness Family to join me. You can too. Just use the "30 days of Yoga with Adriene" link in the first sentence and you are in. For fun and moral support, feel free to join our FB group or message me in the comments of this blog. Or do none of the above. It's all good and I don't presume to know what's best for you. I just make suggestions. 

The welcome email for 30 days of Yoga arrived this morning with a question. "What do I want to move towards?" Honestly, I'm not sure. Ok, I probably am more sure than I want to admit because I am not sure that I am brave enough to put it in writing. (Those drafts I deleted?? They were quite likely thoughts I decided I wasn't brave enough to share). Let me think on this and get back to you. 

I'm back fortified with a cup of coffee (and some breakfast). Let me do this. 

In a word, I want to move toward mindfulness. To be able to know what I'm feeling or thinking in the moment and act appropriately rather than react. And I want to do it all while still being able to function in real time. Right now, that feels like a pair of mountain-sized contradictions. 

I'm going to start by trying to stay in the moment while doing each day of 30 days of yoga. For 30 minutes (or less) for 30 days in a row I'm going to try to stay focused on the movements in the practice.  To type it out like that makes it sound so easy. Yet I know that some days I am going to have to settle for not giving up just because I couldn't stay focused. 

Happy New Year! 

Keep Smiling Keep Moving

-Paula 

A Hike and a Jab

 First, WOW, my last blog entry was December 31, 2020. 

Second, WOW, it's past mid-April already. How did that happen? 

Today (less than 90 minutes ago as I type this) I received my first dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine. As my LS says "Halfway There". Now the song is stuck in my head and I'm ok with that. My niece commented after her first jab (also today) that she felt "an overwhelming sense of relief as I see the light at the end of this tunnel." 

Yup. 

COVID anxiety is real. And just when I thought I was managing that better, COVID Vaccine anxiety set off another set of worries for me. I had hopes for the J&J vaccine so I would only have to go once. My work schedule is so so crazy right now that the thought of finding two compatible days was wreaking havoc on my brain. J&J's one and done scheme calmed those nerves. That dream was crushed earlier this week when J&J was temporarily halted. 

It's not that my job or I are all that important. And health DOES come first. And I'm sure no one would have hesitated to understand if I had to say, "I'm sorry, I have to reschedule that training you wanted because I'm scheduled for shot #2". However, the actual re-scheduling might mean someone would have to wait a month or more to get a new date on my calendar. While, I think people would understand, having to ask them to accommodate ME was not sitting well with me. 

I was thrilled to get a Saturday appointment for jab #1 and the second dose is now scheduled for a Saturday as well. I am riding waves of relief now. 

My appointment today was at 3 pm. I could have had an appointment earlier in the day. I chose 3 pm because I didn't want to give up a hike planned for this morning. Had there not been a choice, I would have taken jab over hike. I am grateful that I did not have to choose. The vaccine is good for my physical well-being, the hike is good for my mental health. 

Before I sign off, I have to share that the people at the Delaware County Wellness Center were beyond amazing. All volunteers. They were friendly, helpful and downright cheerful. They made a daunting task enjoyable. 

Keep Smiling Keep Moving

-Paula 

2021

I am not a fan of New Year resolutions for myself. However, 2020 being the year that it was (or will be by the time I post this... if I post it) the start of a new year begs for something. 

In my email today, I received the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)Newsletter. The theme of this month's newsletter "Building Back Stronger in 2021" has left me with some thoughts for the non-resolution something I believe I am looking for. 

1) "Acknowledging the good around you can put you in a better mood and is a positive way to start the New Year." 

• I'll start with acknowledging that I am grateful I took the MHFA course last December (2019). I didn't take it with COVID in mind but it sure was helpful in that regard and I imagine it will continue to be so. 
• I am also grateful for a job that was not eliminated or reduced in 2020. In fact, heading into 2021 my job description has been re-defined due to a merger. This move will mean more, and more challenging, work. The challenge will give me a renewed excitement for my 23 year career and divert my focus away from fear and anxiety that have plagued me for years and seem worse as I get older. It may add to them as well but "Acknowledging the good around you can put you in a better mood..." 
• I am also grateful to learn that I am CMV negative. I was informed of this at our blood donation today. Turns out Cytomegalovirus is a virus that affects most adults at some point in their lives. Most never know they had it. The antibodies stay in your body forever. The antibodies are harmless to adults but fatal to babies. Being one of only 15% of adults that are CMV negative means my blood can be safely given to babies and young children. I'm going to do my best to donate as often as possible this year. 

2) "It can also be helpful to create a self-care routine to take with you into 2021"

• About a week ago, I decided to make the commitment to Yoga With Adrienne's BREATH 30-day yoga challenge which starts tomorrow. This will serve as a start to a self-care routine. 
• I also would like to see a return to more hiking and walking in 2021. Both activities work wonders for me both physically and mentally.  

Happy New Year

Keep Smiling and Keep Moving

-Paula 

Perspective: Alter Egos and Self-Distancing

I enjoy getting my news from the BBC. The BBC's choices of, and perspectives on, US events is most often different than what I see in US news outlets. 

Perusing BBC.com/news also gives me the chance to see what else is going around the world. It's a chance to get outside of the world I live in. Try it, you might like it. 

In my experience and opinion, BBC.com/News also provides much more in the way of human interest or thought pieces. During my morning check-in today, I was prompted to read "The ‘Batman Effect’: How having an alter ego empowers you". It's a long, enjoyable read. Here is my short takeaway. I recommend reading the piece, though, as your mileage may vary. 

How many times have any of us been in a position to motivate or support someone else with our words? "YOU can do it", "YOU'VE got this", I believe in YOU". Sometimes our words (or actions) are more involved, but these pretty much sum up the efforts. Yet when it comes to motivating ourselves we get bogged down in the minutia or weighted down by sad or frustrated feelings. So much so, that we can't realize the advice we would give another having the same or similar type frustrations. 

It turns out, scientific studies have shown that when we speak to ourselves in the second or third person, we are better able to manage the stress and anxiety.

“Self-distancing gives us a little bit of extra space to think rationally about the situation,” says Rachel White, assistant professor of psychology at Hamilton College in New York State. "It allows us to rein in undesirable feelings like anxiety, increases our perseverance on challenging tasks, and boosts our self-control."

The Little-Engine-That-Could managed with the "I think I can" mantra. Self-distancing studies show that some of us will do well if we substitute "I" with "you" or "(fill in your name here)". Ok, the concept is more sound than the rhythm of that particular substitution. You get the idea, though, right? 

"Self-distancing seems to enable people to reap these positive effects by leading them to focus on the bigger picture – it’s possible to see events as part of a broader plan rather than getting bogged down in immediate feelings." 

I believe it works. 2020 has been a rough year an so many fronts. When I think of the times I've had to pull myself out of a downward spiral, I CAN relate it to the self-distancing phenomena. Getting out of my own head. It's often not as easy as that sounds. Still, it's worth the effort. 

So just as getting my news from BBC.com/news gives me different perspectives on the world, getting out of my own head emotionally provides a bigger picture that leads to alternatives I might not have considered otherwise. 

-Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Paula 

PS: For those worried that embracing the BBC will cause me to miss local Philadelphia news, know that the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, GRITTY, made the BBC newsfeed in 2018 😎 Plus I'll never give up Action News -- just for the sheer fun of it.