This week was probably one of the toughest week’s I’ve endured since I had heart surgery. This wasn’t even related to my health, and thankfully my body has been keeping up with the stress. If I didn’t do the following, I don’t know what state I’d have been by now.

  1. I write a daily Haiku. It’s something I started on January 1st. I believe it’s rewired the way I think about things, especially when the poem becomes something you’re emotional about.
  2. Being active outdoors. Movement is my medicine. Thankful for some of the sunny days we were blessed with this week/weekend.
  3. Sometimes I just stay sad and let myself be sad. Crying is a nice release when you’re going through something upsetting.
  4. I read Jesse Thistle’s From the Ashes before I went to sleep each night. I tend to avoid depressing books before bed but reading it each night reminded me there are worse situations one can be in.
  5. Doing new things. I went out to events that don’t usually interest me. I took new walking routes. New workouts. New art media (pastels!) A few nights ago I felt the urge to bake. (I’m not a baker). I made flatbread. Here’s the recipe. Sorry no pictures of the finished product.

Flatbread recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 cup of warm water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of spice mix of your choice. I used thyme, oregano and rosemary.
1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese (optional)

Add spice mix and salt to warm water. Put flour in a bowl and slowly pour water/salt/spice and oil into bowl. Keep mixing with hands or spoon until it becomes a dough like consistency. Cover the bowl with a clean and dry tea towel. Leave the bowl in a draught-free place for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Divide the dough into about 4 pieces, each the size of a small egg. Flour your work area. Flatten each piece of dough to a round and roll out thinly. Place flattened dough rounds on baking sheet.Sprinkle half the parmesan on top. Bake in oven for about 6-8 minutes, then flip, sprinkle the rest of the parmesan and bake for another 6-8 minutes. Enjoy with topping of choice or plain straight out of the oven!

It was my dad’s birthday Sunday. Celebrations with people you love are a great distraction.
I usually don’t like teaching after 6pm but this neighbourhood class is a lot of fun to teach. When I’m having fun, it’s hard to be sad.