Strategic Living | Page 3 of 6

What I Learned Using CBD Oil

I am on a mission to learn and understand more about CBD oil. Is CBD oil a modern day equivalent of snake oil? Based on my experience this past month, I think not.

As I have previously written, my original intent when embarking on this journey was to see if CBD oil would work for my husband’s chronic back pain. I also wanted to see if by taking it myself, I felt anything at all, good bad or indifferent given I did not think I had any specific ailments to address.

To that end, those of you that follow me on Facebook know that I have been providing weekly FB updates relative to my personal use of CBD oil. It has been an interesting experience, filled with unexpected surprises.

In this article, I share what I have learned so far while using CBD oil in my own household. As you read this, however, be aware that CBD works differently on different people and that what is working for my husband, Shelly, and myself, may be different for you.

Putting a Priority on Self-Care is Not Being Selfish

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If there is one thing I have learned since entering retirement, it is that demands for my time and attention have not changed. If anything, armed with the knowledge that I have time on my hands, the demands have seemed to escalate. If I am being honest, some of these demands are coming from within but others are coming from well-meaning but misguided acquaintances. Take note that I did not say “friends” but rather acquaintances. More about that in a moment.

So here is the thing. Saying yes to every request is exhausting. Whether it is an invitation to a social event or a request to serve on a committee, the never-ending list of demands on your time can turn you into a rat on a treadmill. Without adequate time to stop and catch your breath, your sleep suffers as does your health, and even though you otherwise have a healthy lifestyle, your immune system becomes compromised. Heck, even rats need to rest!

In this article, I am going to reaffirm nine things we all need to embrace in order to maintain our sanity in this crazy mixed up world. Some will call this self-care, while others will call it mindfulness. The ignorant will call it selfish. But trust me on this: putting a priority on self-care is not being selfish. Instead, it is an important component of living a strategic life.

Doing Thanksgiving Your Way

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This is not going to be your traditional Thanksgiving message. Instead, I am going to share my personal feelings about this time of year and buck the trend to stuff your inbox with “deals of the day” just so I can make a buck or two.

Thanksgiving and this time of year, in general, is not an easy one for me. There are many reasons that lead me to dread the frantic effort to bring people that may not like each other together, prepare meals that give you indigestion and make you feel ill, and, of course, rack up debt by purchasing gifts that may or may not be welcome.

For me, it is all too much. That doesn’t mean that I am not thankful for many things, but rather that I make Thanksgiving and the holidays more personal, with a private bucket list of things to do and to be grateful for.

For that reason, I tend to hunker down on this day and spend time on this day doing things I love and to heck with obligation and tradition. But that is just me. Perhaps your circumstances are different.

Does this make me antisocial? Perhaps, but read on.

Cook a Moist and Delicious Turkey in 2 Hours or Less

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For most of my adult life, my eating habits have been simple: real food, unadorned, and prepared well. This gets me into a lot of trouble when the eating out or at someone’s home. Usually, I use my fork to chase food around the plate, without really eating much.

Case in point is Thanksgiving. I am happy with a few slices of turkey, steamed green beans, and a baked sweet potato. No gravy, no marshmallows. and definitely no green bean and mushroom soup goop. So yeah, this puts me in an awkward situation but I deal because eating this way causes me no bloat, no indigestion, and no lethargy from carb overload.

That brings me to the topic of this article, namely how to cook a perfectly moist, delicious, and unadorned turkey or turkey breast in 2 hours or less.

7 Ways to Be Happy When Life Gets Dull and Boring

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A few nights ago I was reflecting on life in general. Who doesn’t do that from time to time? So there I was, staring out into the forest and thinking about life and how I could make it better.

The epiphany I came to during this round of self-reflection was that for as long as I can remember, I have been a happiness seeker. And in that process of seeking happiness, I often get very close but never quite 100%. This is not to say that life has been bad, or that I am sad. To the contrary. Instead, it reflects some deep insecurity that makes me think that things could be better and if I don’t keep searching, I will miss out.

I do not think this is unusual for type A’s such as myself. We have our happy moments and boom, the next day becomes mundane and we are back in happiness-seeking mode. Nuts, right?

Since happiness is one of the tenets of living a strategic life, I decided to come up with a list of ways to be happier during those times when life gets boring, or difficult, or simple routine and mundane.