StaywellMA

There’s something about floating in water that reminds you how little effort it takes to simply be . Picture it for a second. The cool blue water holds you without asking anything in return. Sunlight warms your skin while soft ripples lap quietly against your shoulders. Somewhere nearby, water hums its steady little song.  You’re not answering emails. You’re not checking your phone.  You’re not mentally sorting through tomorrow’s to do list. You’re just there. Weightless. Still. Untethered. And maybe that’s exactly what summer is trying to teach us. Summer Was Never Meant to Be Rushed Even if your life doesn’t magically slow down when the temperature climbs, summer carries an invitation to loosen your grip. The longer days, the warmth, the way the air seems to stretch itself lazily into evening. Everything about this season whispers that it’s okay to move differently. And yet, so many of us resist it. We pack our calendars. We push through exhaustion. We tell ourselve...

Boundaries are less about restriction and more about stewardship .  For a long time, I believed boundaries were a form of withholding — lines drawn out of fear of disappointing others  or as a means of punishment. With time and prayer, I’ve come to see them differently. Boundaries are an act of stewardship. What has been entrusted to me — my time, my talents, my attention — is not limitless. Caring for these gifts allows me to offer them with intention, not exhaustion; with love, not quiet resentment. Learning this required honesty. I had to listen to the moments when my spirit felt weary, when my body signaled strain, when I was giving beyond what was mine to give .  I began to notice patterns — the quiet habit of overextending , the unspoken belief that saying yes was the same as being faithful . But wisdom has a way of refining us.  I learned that boundaries do not require long explanations or external permission.  They ask only for internal truth and clari...

For a long time, I treated stress as something to manage quietly and move past quickly. Tight shoulders . Shallow breathing . Fatigue that lingered longer than it should. I learned to function through it. What I didn’t realize then was that my body wasn’t malfunctioning — it was communicating. Listening didn’t come naturally. It required slowing down enough to notice patterns.  Stress, I learned, doesn’t always arrive as urgency.  Sometimes it shows up as restlessness , forgetfulness , or irritability .  Sometimes it’s the absence of ease. When I finally started paying attention, I noticed how often I pushed past early signals.  I waited until exhaustion and burnout forced me to stop instead of responding when my body first asked for care. Learning to listen changed my relationship with productivity , rest , and responsibility. It taught me that honoring my limits doesn’t make me less capable — it makes me more sustainable. Now, when tension builds, I pause soone...

I approach smoothie making the same way I approach dumping whatever I want into a slow cooker or crock pot. Am using mangoes because I had some left over mangoes that were on their way out.  A good way to save fresh fruits is to freeze it until it's ready for use.  That't what I did with these mangoes. Secondly, I was craving the taste of ginger so I put that in the blender. The rest of the ingredients, honestly, were chosen based on my feelings in the moment :) and what my palette was craving. You can do whatever you want. You are the BOSS in your kitchen  I do have to mention that I've been dealing with some digestion and gut issues and that also inspired what I put in my smoothie like all the fiber and chia seeds you see. The end result tasted more tumericky than what i wanted because  I put too much of the powder so be mindful of your portion sizes. All in all, I was happy with my smoothie.  Don't over think it.  You can have a healthy smoothi...

Lesson #1.  "You cannot trade time for money". That is my biggest lesson in this season. And by this season I mean post pandemic, reopening transitioning phases where we're all grasping for ANY opportunities to earn an income.  I have come to appreciate my time in quarantine and all the ways I have grown mentally and spiritually. All the books I've read, learning a new skill in cyber security, connecting at a deeper level with my friends, getting on my financial & physical fitness, and etc. I'm learning that, sometimes there is more value in how I spend my free time than whatever income I would have earned if I had exchange that time to work on something without purpose just to earn some money. Lesson #2.  I am not unlovable and my expectations are not overboard.  Just because someone cannot love me the way I expect to be loved doesn't mean that they do not love me. It just means, they are limited in their ability to express it the way I want it to be expr...

One of my scriptures for this year has been Genesis 28:20 - 22 20  Then Jacob made a vow,  saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me  on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear   21  so that I return safely  to my father’s household,  then the  Lord [ a ]  will be my God   22  and [ b ]  this stone that I have set up as a pillar  will be God’s house,  and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth. ” I've been on a journey since the beginning of the year.  I have crossed continents and oceans back and forth and even now I  find mys elf in a new city where the journey continues. In a sense, I feel like all my life I've been on a journey.  The difference between now and the past is this;   in the past, I was always looking forward to a destination. Now, I find more pleasure in enjoying the ride, with little thought to  the destination.  My...

I got bite with the diffuser/humidifier/vaporizer craze. This seems to be the newest wellness fad in the market.  Essential oils and the use of humidifiers/vaporizers/diffusers. These devices have been around for many years as a medical tool assistance for those suffering from different ailments, especially related to breathing but now it's been commercialized as an every day product/routine to improve the quality of air at home. What is the difference between the three? Diffuser                             Humidifier                    Vaporizer                                     Introduces mist  in  t he air  in a  breathable  form. Used to dilute oils  and introduce them in the  air to...

In this season of social distancing and the restructuring of our lives, I honestly don't know how people who don't practice any sort of Faith/Spirituality are coping. I don't know what I would do without my church family and my faith to hold on to daily; through prayers and meditating on the word. How are you coping ? Are you working out? Eating healthy? Using a meditation app? It's one thing to have a coping strategy but if it isn't healthy you might find yourself more sick when it's all said and done.  Wouldn't that be a shame? A tragedy? That while you were at home trying to prevent yourself from catching the corona virus, you instead gave yourself an alternate disease or condition through substance abuse, alcohol abuse, emotional eating, weight gain and etc In tomorrow's blog post I'll talk about 5 ways I am staying healthy during the quarantine.

Disclaimer: I ended up buying a bag of apples from the farm for like$10 and split it with a friend because there were no apples left for picking. The highlight of Smolak farms for me was their boutique store and the ice cream store. I had to exercise ALOT of restrain in the store to stop myself from buying up all the donuts and all the other quaint baking type stuff and touristy souvenirs in the store. It also didn't help that while it was slightly chilly outside, the store was arm and cozy,  filled with the aroma of apple cider and baked doughnuts. #thatshowtheygetyou The apple picking on the other hand left little to be desired. Now I understand that going at the end of October, which is the tale end of the season, is not the best time to go.  This was my first time going apple picking . All the pictures I have seen on the internet made it seem like it was such a cool experience to have?  I didn't quite enjoy ...

Podcasts are all the rave these days. That and audio book but while I've not been able to get into listening to audio books, I love podcasts! With audio books I find that I quickly forget the stories or details around the novels like character names and locations and etc. I am not able to re-tell a story accurately to another person when I've only listened to the audio books. There is something about having your fingers caress through the words and pages of a book that leaves a lasting imprint on the mind. My favorite podcasts usually have not more than 3 speakers. Any more than that  and its overwhelming and chaotic for me. I have been using podcasts to build my faith, to learn financial principles and just work on my mental health. I love listening to podcasts on long commutes to work (driving) or when I go for a walk at the park (evening walk routine after dinner). Here is my list Transformation Church The Minimalist   Redef...

"Expectations are premeditated resentments" Entitlement : A belief that one is inherently deserving of certain privileges or special treatment. Expectations : The act or state of looking forward to something Lately, I've been reflecting on how my  unme t entitled expectations surrounding the various relationships in my life have left me feeling angry, frustrated and resentful.  The more I dig into my feelings, the more I begin to question if I am deserving of the support I expect? What makes me feel like I am entitled to support? Have I sowed into the relationships and it's a matter of me just being disappointed when I tried to reap my investments?? And in the case of family, is it wise to have expectations whether you have earned them or not? And should one have to earn them in the context of family relationships?  I honestly do not know the answers to these questions.  Am still wrestling with how I proceed emotionally fr...

Did you know that men & women can sometimes experience  different symptoms when experiencing a heart attack? I consider my heart to be very healthy. Some of the things I do  including leading an active lifestyle that helps with my heart health  is what I eat. One of my favorite meals or to-go snacks are  smoothies. The invention of machines like the ninja or magic  bullet has made smoothie making into a less than 10 mins culinary  extravaganza. I love my smoothies very simple. I've never felt the need to make it exotic with the latest fad  ingredients like matcha and etc. Berries, bananas, flax seeds, some  sort of   protein powder &  milk is all I need in a good smoothie. I  know it  sounds boring but  it gets the job done in terms of taste and  nutritional value. Berries and Flax seeds have macronutri...