Simple Happiness

@margaretfriel
Hi again, Peggy.
The body will get rid of any excess water you don’t need. (Can you say, “where’s the bathroom?”)
The important thing, especially if you are elderly, is not to become dehydrated. Older people don’t feel thirst as well as a young person so a good rule of thumb is 6-8 glasses of water a day.
Here’s how to check whether a senior is dehydrated. Pinch the skin on top of the forearm. If it sticks together, they need to drink more water.
One caution.: Do not punch the skin on top of the hand. We loose a lot of fat there first as we age and it’s bound to stick together whether or not we are dehydrated.

@calofmichigan
Correction: Do not pinch the skin on the hand.

@calofmichigan
Good To Know. Thank You!
(My Dear Dad used to say, "Every Day Should be a Learning Experience.")

..as an aside because i have normal tension glaucoma with narrow angles ... diagnozed 2018, and take drops nightly to remove liquid , so to speak, from eyes re pressure they had said not to drink too many fluids... but agree have to remain hydrated.... can be a fine line too depending on how many cups of coffee, tea, or juice, soup we consume??

@ireland123

How wonderful!! 😍

I, like you, very much appreciate the extraordinarily rare visits from humans.

A neighborhood cat will stop by and sit at my feet as I read on the porch and I feel so...connected to a bigger world!

What a delightful idea! I have an aroma diffuser in my mosted used room, but it doesn't waft into the home office.

Some days I don't like to light a candle by my desk (for fear of not remembering to blow it out, even though I have an alarm set).

But a wee bottle of essential oil? No danger in that! And no filling with water - and remembering to turn it on 🙈 - either!

Thanks!

@slarson14 regarding good diets, i focus on making what I can have and how to make it tasty…gave up worrying about what I can’t have …and there must always be a tiny treat here and there…total deprivation doesn’t work for me.

@nycmusic, I agree. If I went cold turkey on this WholeFoodsPlantBased Lifestyle, I would be sure to have cravings and obsess (and grieve 😊) about what I can't have.
So, I allow myself to have that 1 coffee/day with cream, that small piece of chocolate when I put out goodies for my company, eat whatever my host cooked when I'm lucky enough to be invited out, choose whatever looks delicious on the menu on the rare occasion to be out at a resaurant. It makes the whole change doable when I don't become too rigid and punish myself, but treat myself with respect and kindness.

@greengold amen ! Bon appetit !

It seems to me that we over-do or under-do certain things such as in food, physical exertion, or even socially connection is because we do not allow ourselves our Innate Pleasures that we all are born with.

Each of us is born curious and playful, and has a bent toward what we are inclined to pursue, even excel in.
It is when these essential needs are not not adequately satisfied, that we run into Making Up for the loss of these Basic Pleasures by reacting for example, with excessive alcohol use, needing bigger, larger amounts of sweat and creamy foods, or lounging/sitting too long for our own good health.

Today in a hurry, as I left to attend a philosophy discussion of 100 people to talk in smaller groups, mostly in mid 20s to mid 40s (I am 82). I ate two bananas with full-cream yogurt and two fistfulls of cashews in each pocket to eat during my subway ride in below freezing weather. The desire to meet people trumped my desire for a long relaxed full lunch.

Today I want a healthy shape to help me also find interesting social connections. If I tried to be healthy for health's sake, I'll fail because I'd ask myself: Good health FOR what? In other words I need a higher/bigger Purpose in life to want me to be in good-enough shape with my food and activity choices.

This seems to have worked for me for eight decades, being the same size as in my early adulthood. How Much we need in food or exertion our bodies tell us, When we have an overall life purpose, even if it is to desire a more enriching, satisfying life, the internal guide for hunger, exertion and rest will often step up to guide us.