A few weeks ago, someone (I think it was Chris but I apologize if it wasn’t) recommended Laura Mercier eye shadow stick.

I love it!!

I am grateful to whatever makeup loving friend turned me on to this nifty little product!! I am grateful for this wonderful, easy glide, nicely colored eye shadow!!

My prompt for the week is WELLNESS. Here’s how it’s used in the books that I am reading:

  1. Dr. Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal is both the personal tale of his Father’s battle with cancer and a public call for a better health care philosophy and system, one that should enable well-being above all else, even survival, and allow us to die a humane death when the time comes. Jane Mount
  2. This river flowing through time is alive and well in your body. Pedram Shojal
  3. She was a walking, talking wellness blog. Taylor Hahn
  4. If your writing takes a toll on your wellbeing, you’ll be undermining that most basic of goals, and likely compromising your ability to write: a potentially vicious circle. Graeme Simsion
  5. Frances is quite right: she’ll be perfectly well by this time next week. Emily Bronte.

Here’s how I’m going to think about WELLNESS/WELL

  1. If you say the word well enough times, it becomes non sensical. What’s the term for that?
  2. I’m not going to get through 1 out of my head for a bit so I see how my journal thoughts are going to go.
  3. Even though wellness is big business, do we still undermine it?
Dorothy Parker
Symptom Recital

I DO not like my state of mind;
I’m bitter, querulous, unkind.
I hate my legs, I hate my hands,
I do not yearn for lovelier lands.
I dread the dawn’s recurrent light;
I hate to go to bed at night.
I snoot at simple, earnest folk.
I cannot take the gentlest joke.
I find no peace in paint or type.
My world is but a lot of tripe.
I’m disillusioned, empty-breasted.
For what I think, I’d be arrested.
I am not sick, I am not well.
My quondam dreams are shot to hell.
My soul is crushed, my spirit sore;
I do not like me any more.
I cavil, quarrel, grumble, grouse.
I ponder on the narrow house.
I shudder at the thought of men. . . .
I’m due to fall in love again.

From Enough Rope (Boni & Liveright, 1926) by Dorothy Parker. This poem is in the public domain. poets.org

30 thoughts on “Gratitude and Mindfulness: 9/10/22”

  5. Wellness had been co-opted in my opinion. While I have not consulted Merriam Webster this morning I have a hunch wellness was originally meant to mean a state of not being sick or ill. I think it’s gone way beyond that and is, as you note- very big business. Do we undermine it? I suppose that depends on how the individual defines the word. Personally- wellness in the sense of overall health I embrace, wellness in terms of business models, trends, fads, products and such- I absolutely think I have better things to do than buy into the trends both in belief and monetarily.

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  6. First of all, I love that you used one of Dorothy Parker’s poems. I’m a huge fan. My mother was as well. I grew up listening to my mom quote Ms. Parker constantly. In high school she gave me her well worn pocket version of “Enough Rope” that she cherished. I refered to it often. I took that well loved book to college and often would sit under a tree In between classes rereading the clever works of Dorothy. I remember thinking back then how the late 60’s and the social consciousness at that time was in a way, similar to the creative bunch of folks who joined together at the Algonquin Hotel’s Round Table with Dorothy Parker. (BTW I now own a first edition hard copy of “Enough Rope” that I treasure)!

    Back to Wellness. Oh boy. An interesting topic for me. If I think about it as a state of mind then to me, wellness is about one’s internal agenda. How we keep a healthy, positive state of mind. Which I feel is essential to living a productive life. Positive energy and a good attitude is healing! And we have some control over how we feel.
    But, physically? Having a disease that I can’t trace genetically back to my ancestors, has made me come to the opinion that physical wellness is a “crap shoot”. We have no control over that. But we do have control over our state of mind.

    I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life. I’ve lived on organic food since the 70’s. I don’t eat red meat but I do eat plenty of fish. I’ve been physically healthy until age 70 when I was diagnosed with cancer. So, my opinion now is that all the wellness books about eating right don’t necessarily keep your body from getting sick. So I think most of those self help books are baloney. Stuff just happens. Some people develop diseases no matter what. The amount of patients with cancer in America is staggering. However, any book or any other method that helps guide someone to keeping a positive attitude and a healthy state of mind is worthwhile. Because attitude is everything!

    My advice for one’s wellbeing? Go for check ups, eat a balanced, healthy diet, exercise, read, think about what you are grateful for often. Cry when you are hurting, and laugh as often as possible. Tell people you care about how much they mean to you, and be kind to yourself and to others. Focus on the positives more than the negatives. I have no control over my cancer, it keeps coming back, but I do have control over my state of mind. And if I elect to be positive as often as possible, then I will spend more happy days than sad ones. And that will enhance my well being. Time on earth is precious. So cherishing each good moment every day is healthy for one’s well being.

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      1. Thank you. I’ve learned to focus on the positives. And that really does work. But I’d be lying if I said it was always easy. I have to protect myself. I can’t watch movies or read books right now that aren’t upbeat. ( I just can’t torture myself by exposing myself to anything depressive). I’m too fragile and can break down easily. Each time I go to the infusion center I have to mentally prepare because some of those women are extremely sick. I go in bubbly and positive and it perks everybody up. Last night I watched the newest Thor movie with Natalie Portman (only so I could discuss it with my grandson via FaceTime). A character in the film unexpectedly had to undergo chemotherapy and it showed her being sick while hooked up to an IV. it was too realistic and I literally broke down and had to stop watching. So I do protect myself from negative stuff . But generally speaking, it affects me the most after chemo.( A side affect for me is crying). Even cat commercials make me cry right after chemo). Lol
        But my doctor and chemo nurse said attitude is everything. They are always making jokes. So I’m convinced humor, positive vibes, and lots of laughter is the best medicine! I do appreciate your caring. I’m also sorry I write about cancer so often but it engulfs so much of my world right now. And it affects so many women. And people don’t generally consider how things affect cancer survivors or those in treatment. So I feel I have a duty to represent them.

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  7. Life is a combination of Nature and Nurture. I feel so much of your health is determined by your first 18 years and you nurture it for the rest of your life. You can beat a statistic with nurture, but sometimes the most limiting factor is your or others negative attitude.

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  8. I haven’t read anything by Dorothy Parker in a long time. Thank you for putting her back on my radar; she has a quick wit and a marvelous way with words.
    “Wellness”? I feel about it the same way I do about “natural”–overused until it has become meaningless.

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  13. Eyeshadow, wellness, and Dorothy! You mingle the most intriguing things LA. Now I’ll have to check out the cosmetics aisle, while I’m dwelling on my wellbeing, with my new Dorothy Parker book, Enough Rope, under my arm. Hugs, C

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