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get this all over feeling that everything in this world is going to be okay it s warm and soothing like god is embracing me reminding me to enjoy my life and not to worry when i had the exceptional glimmer last month i had been in my office paying bills listening to my spotify playlist i stood to take a break and stretch out one of my favorite songs started to play sittin pretty by florida georgia line that sunset straight up as it gets short shorts restin just right on your hips the lyrics transported me to lazy summer days of long walks on the beach my skin warm and golden from the bright california sun biting into sweet watermelon and peaches al fresco dinners with twinkle lights and lanterns glowing in our back yard the night sky glittering with millions of stars for a brief moment i felt like a kid waking up on a summer day with no plans but super excited for what the day would hold zero worries or responsibilities simple pure exalted delight i was on a highly elevated level of happiness i hadn t felt that in a really long time i started to sway to the rhythm of the music but held back a bit it felt strange like i shouldn t be so joyous i thought of the heartbreak of the past couple of years when both of my parents were critically ill they passed away within five months of each other i thought of current problems our family and friends with health issues our business concerns and everyday life stressors that weigh me down i literally shook my head and let all that sadness and worry float away so i could allow myself to melt into utopia we got all damn day to do it our way like an old tire swing in the shade i danced like no one was watching no one was the song ended and the unbridled sweet contentment vanished like steam from my coffee mug even though it was too short i was grateful to experience that dreamy moment in time while still enjoying my happiness high there was also something about it that bothered me i tried to explain it to my husband i can t believe how much joy i felt but it really makes me wonder how much grief and fear i m holding in all the time i don t get why it was such a shock to feel so so happy i think of myself as a positive person but am i yes you are he said it takes a long time to process grief and you might never fully let go of it all i just didn t think i could ever ever feel that happy when did i feel that way before when i was eight maybe you d feel like that more if we moved to hawaii we both laughed all kidding aside i wondered if there was a way to be less anxious and feel that sudden burst of positivity more often even for a micro moment i did some research which spurred me to think of some ideas to improve mental health and maybe just maybe have more glimmers listen to music you love turn it up dance sing let your mind drift find joy in the ordinary notice and appreciate the simplicity of life practice gratitude take time to reflect on what you re grateful for no matter how big or small practice mindfulness be fully present in the moment spend time with animals pet or play with a furry friend surround yourself with positive people they can have a profound impact on your mindset and mood be creative write draw paint journal sew knit origami make your own cards spend time in nature walk hike swim go to the beach practice deep breathing inhale for four hold for two exhale for four close your eyes and think of your favorite place use your five senses see hear smell feel and taste to practice imagery pretending to be in the setting that brings you pleasure these tips won t guarantee more glimmers but they can help put me in the right frame of mind to at least have glimmers of hope i think i ll go listen to my spotify playlist first up sittin pretty pretty as a peach as a postcard picture of a west coast beach so pretty if i had to bet this is pretty much as good as it gets how a trip to hawaii helped me move forward december 11 2023 december 11 2023 jenidriscoll 6 comments our latest family vacation to maui is one i ll never forget i knew the trip this past october would be different instead of being obliviously happy in tropical paradise the reality was the island had recently been riddled with death and destruction wildfires raged through west maui in august killing one hundred people many more lost their homes businesses and loved ones i was devastated as maui holds a special place in my heart my husband and i have been there many times since our honeymoon thirty four years ago and we own a second home on the island our family s happiest place in the world there was another more personal reason this trip would be different it was the first time i d traveled since both my mom and dad passed away for the past two years my parents were critically ill they died within five months of each other while they were sick i went out of town a couple of times but it was stressful i worried constantly even when they were healthy i d be anxious when we d go on vacation especially if we went abroad what if something happens to mom and dad what if they need me and i m not there my anxiety wouldn t let me rest our maui trip was planned for early september but delayed until the end of october because of the wildfires as we boarded the plane i had mixed emotions excitement but also trepidation i was sad this was the first excursion without my parents on this earth i wondered if i d feel the usual joy and peacefulness of being on the island even though so many there were hurting did enough time pass to be respectful of those who lost loved ones or their homes or both as the flight took off i inhaled to the count of ten and exhaled slowly i made it through the hardest years of my life so far my mom and dad were safe and happier than they d ever been together in heaven i didn t need to worry about them anymore it felt freeing we d just flown above the clouds the plane climbing to its cruising altitude i touched the cold glass as i stared out the window thinking of my parents out in the powder blue ethereal sky i saw a vision of mom and dad they smiled and said have the best time jen warmth and comfort filled me the loving vision faded so fast that i wondered if it had really happened deep in my heart i believed it was them sun beamed through the airplane window and i peered down admiring the gold watch sparkling on my wrist my dad had given it to my mom on their 35th wedding anniversary they celebrated their love that year on the island of maui the back of the timepiece is engraved aloha 35 6 2 93 that watch is precious to me i didn t know it existed or forgot about it and was thrilled when i found the delicate treasure while my sisters and i were clearing out our parent s home i knew it was meant for me to find that s what both of my sisters thought too nearly six hours flying over the pacific ocean the plane descended preparing to land the turquoise blue ocean glittered seeming to welcome us to the island as if nothing had changed but for many islanders everything had changed i prepared myself to witness it firsthand on the drive from the airport to our place on kaanapali it was heartbreaking to see the devastation which was more widespread than we expected acres and acres of blackened landscape houses and businesses reduced to ash down to the concrete slabs charred trees stood among the rubble like scorched scarecrows our beloved historic and charming lahaina was gone the whole town obliterated by flames it felt like all our memories of this special place were simply erased my husband two daughters and i loved lahaina town going there was a highlight of every trip we never missed it we d stroll down lively front street nestled next to the ocean we had our favorite art galleries shops bars and restaurants so many memories like the time my youngest little girl fell asleep on my lap during dinner as she was lulled by waves lapping up against the side of the restaurant watching the sunset torch lighting ceremony on the rooftop of fleetwood s sipping lava flows and listening to live music at down the hatch halloween festivities on front street wandering around the 150 year old lahaina banyan tree hundreds of mynah birds chirping away etched in my mind forever is when my husband daughters and i sat on a grassy ridge at the lahaina harbor in september 2019 witnessing the most spectacular sunset we d ever seen ever vivid blues pinks reds oranges and yellows lit up the evening sky like it was proud to be shining above the cherished town of lahaina the people of maui are what makes the island so special over the years we ve become friends with hawaiian locals it saddened us to think of what they ve been through one of them is a man named justo who we ve known for years we consider him part of our maui ohana he works security at the resort where our place is it always amazes us how quickly justo recognizes us when we get to the resort even if we re hundreds of feet away and greets us with a huge wave and warm smile he brings us papayas mangos and star fruit picked from his trees at home when i think of someone who embodies the aloha spirit i think of justo on the day we arrived on this most recent trip my family and i were walking by one of the pools when we spotted justo we hurried over and gave him great big hugs i told him how worried we d been and asked if he and his family were okay i lost everything i was living with my sister in lahaina and her house burned justo s brother owned a food truck which was destroyed in an instant the brother s business and livelihood were gone but they re all here safe on the day of the fire justo had been at the resort which is a ten minute drive from lahaina town he went up to the tenth floor of one of the buildings and snapped photos of the orange and red spiky flames ravaging his home town the incredible part was justo s positive attitude and big smile despite the sadness he had hope and optimism for the future my husband told justo he admired his outlook all i can do is move forward justo said thank god i m here i have to keep going what else can i do before we said goodbye to justo that day we took selfies of the five of us our huge grins and beaming eyes said it all pure joy to be together again justo s words about moving forward inspired me to celebrate and honor my mom and dad by being present and enjoying every moment of our time on maui i felt myself melt into island life the stress and anxiety float away from my body every sunset plumeria palm tree rainbow and the warm hawaiian clear blue ocean were beautiful comforting reminders of my parents i knew what they d want most for me is to be happy and live my blessed life to the fullest celebrating the power of friendship october 25 2023 october 25 2023 jenidriscoll 16 comments my mom used to tell me best friends don t come along often you ll be able to count those special people on one hand and if you re really fortunate you ll count them on two she was so right i m happy to say i can count mine on two not only are my friends fun to be around there s no doubt they have a positive influence on my mental health my friends fill my life with joy accept me for who i am and are there to support and encourage me when times are hard i m definitely not alone in feeling like this experts agree good friends are good for your health the mayo clinic says friends can increase your sense of belonging and purpose reduce your stress and boost your self worth one of my closest bffs is a beautiful woman named alicia she recently came to southern california for a visit it had been twenty nine years since we last saw each other alicia is a huge philadelphia eagles fan she found out they were scheduled to be in los angeles to play the rams in october she decided she had to come not just for the game but to see me and some other lifelong family friends alicia s oldest son came with her so i got to meet him for the first time we planned lunch at a restaurant on the beach near santa monica when my husband and i were walking to the front of the restaurant i spotted alicia and called out her name we rushed toward each other and hugged tight two long lost friends ecstatic to be together again it felt surreal yet totally natural i couldn t stop smiling happy friends i m on the right our friendship is unique we were ten years old when we met in fifth grade and became fast friends the summer before sixth grade alicia and her family moved across the country it blows me away to think we only knew each other for one year and here we are forty nine years later still very close there s an unexplainable childhood bond that s remained strong we have one of those friendships where even if we don t talk for months when we do we pick up right where we left off in fifth grade we were at that impressionable age growing up and trying to figure ourselves out but not ready to stop being little girls our bodies were changing we noticed boys but didn t really want to have a conversation with any and we had major crushes on singers donny osmond and shaun cassidy we experimented with fruit flavored lip gloss and roll on perfume that smelled like rain we played with dolls pretending we had husbands and babies when we weren t at school together or at our houses playing we were writing cute letters to each other decorated with drawings of elephants and puppies using rainbow colored pencils we got to know each other s families well alicia s mom taught us how to oil paint and bake cookies my mom often took us to the beach and once i went camping in the sequoias with her family when she moved away i was devastated it was impossible for me to know how in the world i was going to navigate sixth grade without her let alone the rest of my life two years later when we were twelve my mom and dad bought me a plane ticket to pennsylvania to visit alicia during the summer we had so much fun it was like we still lived near each other but the reality was we were thousands of miles apart in my heart i knew we had no choice other than to go our separate ways as we headed toward our teenage years alicia and i kept in touch on and off as we went through high school college found our future husbands and got married she had two baby boys i had two baby girls still living on opposite coasts we were absorbed with taking care of our growing families life was beautiful but also challenging and heartbreaking for us in different ways divorce a cancer diagnosis healing from panic disorder nursing our parents through serious illness and then losing them through it all i ve known alicia would always be there for me and me for her over the years we ve made other super close friends other bffs i feel so blessed and i celebrate the special women in my life they enrich my world are there for me to laugh with learn from and lean on during the tough times i love and treasure those relationships but there s only one alicia here s to one of a kind life long friendships especially the ones you ca...