Can you believe it’s another ‘Words & Wine Down Wednesday’ already? Where does the time go? Speaking of time, let’s just start off with a little ‘sip-time”. You know what they say, “Time is of the essence.” May as well utilize it with a little wine. {sip} While we’re on this topic of ‘time’, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to do another Q & A from the comment section on my Keep A Family Calendar blog post. I have been asked many times, not only on my blog, but other sources as well, how my husband and I make time for each other. I’ve had young, newly married snapchatters with kids inquire, as well as people that have been married as long as my husband and I, if not longer. I think we all can relate, it is just plain hard these days to fit it all in. There’s only one of us and everybody wants a piece. {sip}
Who’s ready for another ‘Words & Wine Down Wednesday’? Last weeks post was pretty deep and pretty looooong. While I can’t promise tonight’s post will be any shorter, it may be a little less intense. Bear in mind however, I am a woman, I have a glass of wine in hand and at any given moment, I could change my mind. Afterall, we ladies do that, you know. Those darn hormones, anyway. It’s all their fault! Go ahead, ladies. You have my permission. Blame it ALL on the hormones. Speaking of hormones, with all these girls, my house is FULL of them. (sip) I know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard it a zillion times, “Your poor husband!” Yeah, yeah … don’t even get me going on who the moody one in the house is. The very brilliant and extraordinarily funny comedian, George Carlin, once said, “Here’s all you have to know about men and women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid.” (I’ll sip to that) Few women I know would take issue with that statement. However, there is a certain time in our lives ladies, where as much as we’d like to, we can’t blame it all on the man. We have to own up, buck up, and blame it on the guilty one ….. hormones! It has nothing to do with us. We’re fine! Geesh! (sip)
This post is definitely a glass tipper, so if your a light-weight when it comes to the bottle, consider yourself warned. Hearing what I have to say may even require a shot. But I can only speak for myself. Alright, let’s just get it out there … I am in full blown perimenopause! (gulp) O.K., maybe my holistic practitioner would think full-blown is a bit of an exaggeration. After all, I’m on the very lowest dose of Progesterone, and my estrogen levels are still hangin’ on. But I’m going to continue using the term ‘full-blown’ every time my husband asks me why I’m acting like a quack. Or when he says, “What’s your problem?” or try this one, “You need help!” My CALM reply to these statements generally consist of a mumble-jumble of a few choice words and something about hiring a good lawyer. Fortunate for my husband, he married someone with an easy-going personality. (time for that shot)
The obvious question is “why?” What happens in perimenopause that makes women feel like they are going crazy? (insert sip – it relaxes the crazies)
MOOD SWINGS DON’T HELP
Looking back, it’s easy to make fun of your nutty mood swings. But, when you are swinging back and forth between heavy, oppressive bouts of depression, and screaming, eye-bulging profanity laced-rages, I can assure you, it’s not very funny. Not that I would know or anything, just assuming there are some ‘crazies’ out there who get like this. No judging! Mood swings in perimenopause are due to the extreme fluctuations of progesterone and estrogen. When estrogen is dominant, women may feel irritable and edgy often flying into angry rages. On the other hand, when estrogen levels drop too low, women can feel sad, weepy, and deeply depressed. Once your menstrual cycle begins and your hormone levels are no longer fluctuating, women often feel a sense of calm, normal, and back to themselves again. This is why it’s so easy to see where women think they are going crazy in perimenopause because they are constantly swinging back and forth between depression and rage, and feeling ‘normal’ again. Lets take a look at a typical month … hubby goes to bed one night with sweet, little wifey-poo all snuggled up lovey-dovey with her unshaven, winter-porcupine legs. Life is good. BAM! Hubby wakes in the morning to a switchblade at his throat. (GULP) He thought all he was doing, was sleeping. But the ‘crazie’ came out in the middle of the night and REMEMBERED something he did, possibly decades ago that pissed her off!! As forgetful as we are ladies, we have a good memory (take a shot) … heck, take one for the team.
ADRENAL FATIGUE
Adrenal fatigue is said to occur when the adrenal glands become over-worked and are unable to produce adequate levels of the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and nor-epinephrine. The hormone imbalance associated with perimenopause can be a contributor. Crashing fatigue and burn-out is a common complaint among women suffering with adrenal imbalance. They may have high-levels of anxiety and/or panic attacks. As you might expect, adrenal imbalance can also contribute to mood swings as well.
FEELING POWERLESS AND OVERWHELMED
The hallmark of perimenopause is the erratic, unpredictable symptoms which literally seem to come out of nowhere. As a result, women often feel confused, powerless, and overwhelmed which, unfortunately, only exacerbates the symptoms and intensifies the feelings of losing control. If you are having a difficult time coping with the symptoms of perimenopause, it is very important that you understand it is not a sign of mental weakness or a lack of self-control. You’re not a ‘quack’! But you may want to get rid of the switchblade, just in case. Again, we are women, and we’ve been known at least once or twice to change our mind. Although it may seem as if the symptoms will never end, from what I hear, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Bring it! Please! Bring it! (big sip as you get rid of the switchblade)
Red Ruffle Coat: on sale here | Over the Knee Boots: old, similar here | Infinity Scarf: old, similar here| Blush Handbag: old, similar here
as for tonight’s wine …
For such an inexpensive wine, Petite Sirah deserves some love. This wine is easy to find, around $10 a bottle and pairs well with some hard-to-pair-with dishes. Bogle Petite Sirah has a deep, rich flavor, accompanied by aromas of blueberry, spice, chocolate, and sometimes even cedar or eucalyptus, making it quite different from my cabernet loves. This is a great wine for young millennials just discovering wine. Definitely a recommendation from me with a solid 8 out of 10 rating. If you pick up a bottle for yourself, let me know what you think.
Disclaimer:Beverages containing alcohol are often associated with sharing, pleasure, unwinding and socializing. However, there are times when drinking at all, or too much can be risky to you or to others. This blog post is for light-hearted, sharing ONLY! If you are over the age of 21, and choose to drink, please drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive.
I had dinner last week with a gentleman {may want to insert sip, right off the bat}… don’t worry, my husband was there too! This gentleman is a very successful businessman out of New York. His success, was no question… he seemed to have everything it takes, the charismatic personality, the look – with his black, mock turtleneck and tweed, sport coat. I’m not sure, but he may have been wearing jeans, which I think is a nice, approachable look. I couldn’t really tell because when I arrived at the steakhouse .. an hour late, he had already been seated. Late to a dinner meeting, you ask? Well, I am a woman! Actually, if I remember correctly, I think Macy’s may have been having a sale … you ladies get it, priorities. {sippy cup} Anyway, throughout the year, this gentleman travels all over the United States. He makes several stops to Michigan, thanks to my husband, who generates some good business for him. By now, you’re probably wondering where I am going with this. It’s ‘Word’s & Wine Down Wednesday’, I don’t have to stay on track. I’m a woman equipped with a lot of wires, and many tabs open. But nonetheless, grab your wine glass and I’ll tell you where it is that I am going … {sip, optional}
We’ve all heard, or at least I hope you have, the phrase ‘Leave people better than you found them’. It’s always been one of my favorite quotes. It sticks with me, I think about it once in awhile … mainly when I come across a person who has left me ‘better’ than they ‘found’ me. It doesn’t take much, trust me! I need as much ‘better’ as I can get! {gulp} So going back to this gentleman, and what it has to do with this quote. You see, this particular dinner meeting was one of those moments. Now I already knew that my husband highly respected this man. They have been doing business together for the past year and this gentleman has impacted my husband in many ways. But before this night’s socializing, I had never met the man in person before. I knew some things about him, I knew he had his faith, I knew he had raised five children who were all thriving, and he was a happily married man. I also knew that his wife occasionally traveled with him, and assisted him with some of the nitty-gritty’s of his training agendas. On one such trip, my husband had actually done business with her and didn’t even know it was his wife, until after the fact. I knew this man had built his own empire, starting out owning his own tool and die business and now his consulting firm. He told me a story about working as an intern while in college. Everyday, he would show up at the business he was interning for and a particular man that worked for this company would walk around ALL DAY and say, “3:30!” .. “3:30!” .. “3:30!” My dinner companian proceeded to tell the story. On the last day of the internship, he asked this man, ‘Why do you walk around all day saying, 3:30?” Very matter-of-fact, the man replied, “Buddy, you just wait! You’ll be saying those same words the rest of your life, too!” That was all it took! My dinner companian knew from that point on, he would NEVER work for anyone else but himself, EVER! And that’s exactly what he did! Ahh, the power of words. {my mouth is dry, after that …big sip}
Another interesting thing I knew about this man, was he had a grip on my husband, better than I do. {gulp} After sitting and chatting for several hours over ‘Oysters on the Half Shell’ and a few glasses of wine, {sip, optional} it all made sense to me. I knew exactly why this gentleman had such a grip on my husband. You see, he is one of those people that leaves you better than he found you. The trickle down effect is people have a strong desire to be with someone like that. They motivate you, they lift you. You are encouraged by them. You can’t stop looking directly at them and taking in every word that comes out of their mouth. Your ears burn, you want to pull out your smartphone, pull up your notes and start documenting what they are saying to you, with quotes, words of wisdom … but it’s all too fast, it’s all too much! It’s no wonder this guy speaks to several hundred people at a time and has more business offers than he has time to do. It all makes sense. People like this leave you better than you were. If we could bottle that up, put a patent on it ….. we wouldn’t need a Powerball for 1.5 Billion!!!!
While continuing our chat, this gentleman, whom I now admired, became concerned that he was boring me as he was telling me about his legacy: His failed first marriage, the disappearance of his wife at the time, and his two toddler children, whom he later recovered and raised with his current wife and their 3 children. We talked a little bit about politics, but you can do that when you’re on the same page with someone, and can shake your head in agreement. He talked a little about his faith, shared what all his grown children were doing, and a few laughs over the dynamics of married life and parenting a large number of kids. Most people can’t relate to some of the trials of a large family, so when you come across someone who has done it, and done it well, you’re drawn to them. Here I go traveling into another open tab. All right Tracy, back on track now sister, back on track. {sip time, and maybe a yawn}.
My point is, don’t underestimate the power of what you can do in someone else’s day, week, or life. This isn’t about giving someone a welcoming smile, or a nice compliment, or buying them dinner or a gift… sure those are all great and have thier appropriate time. I’m talking about approaching every interaction and every situation with the intention of leaving anybody better off than when you found them. That’s what a legacy is. That’s what creates a life that will live far beyond your years. That’s true power!!! {tippy-tippy} It’s the beginning of the year, and we’re all doing our January Jumpstart! Lets make a concious effort to not only make ourselves better, but other people better, too! I’ll drink to that!
Oh the wine, I almost forgot, AGAIN! (sip) Today’s wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon by ‘Dark Horse’. My daughter likes this wine and brought home a bottle for this past Monday’s, Bachelor night. This is not personally one of my favorite Cabs. It’s definitely a cherry bomb hitting the olfactory sensors laced with smoke, wood and licorice, then layers of cassis, boysenberry and concord grapes. It lacks the little bit of sweetness I am looking for in a cab. I generally drink white wine with fish, but I had a glass of this ‘Dark Horse’ prior to eating my dinner and still was not as fond as other Cabernet. I would rate it 5 out of 10. But my daughter likes it, so it may be worth trying for yourself. Don’t forget today is also ‘What I Eat Wednesday’ on my Snapchat (@ tracy_hensel). Here’s a look at tonight’s dinner. What wine are you drinking with your dinner tonight? Feel free to comment below or snap me!
If you take one thing from this post, besides the wine recommendation (of course), “Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart. One who looks for the best in people. Leave People BETTER than you found Them!” ~ Marvin J. Ashton
Zara Blanket Scarf: sold out, eBay has a similar ‘Zara’ here, and other ‘Zara’ optionshereandhere . I also LOVE & have this one here | Sweater: sold out, similarhere and check out this one on clearance for $14.99 here | Burgundy Skinnies: on clearance here and here Boots: Sold out, similar here, here and here| Phone Case (mentioned on Snapchat): Cabernet Phone Case
Disclaimer:Beverages containing alcohol are often associated with sharing, pleasure, unwinding and socializing. However, there are times when drinking at all, or too much can be risky to you or to others. This blog post is for light-hearted, sharing ONLY! If you are over the age of 21, and choose to drink, please drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive.
If you take one thing from this post, besides the wine recommendation (of course),