Anxiety, Blogging, Favorite Things, Grief, Humor, Life, Nonsense, Tater Tots

screw it, i’m eating tater tots- episode 56

Kari

if you’re new to my blog, welcome! here is an explanation of the tater tot post.

when i read this poem, it reminded me of how i felt during my reiki class.

vibes

last weekend, i attended a reiki level one class at a nearby yoga studio.

if you’re unfamiliar with reiki, here’s a good overview video:

this is how i believe it: we are all born with abilities that we are socialized to lose (reiki, clairvoyance etc). but we now pay people to show us how to get these abilities back.

i hope to advance to level three and eventually teach others how to hone their own reiki skills. i have plans for all of this (world dominance muah ah ah), but i need to refine them before sharing them here.

i believe that a world of empowered humans who instinctively know how to help one another is a pretty amazing place to be.

source

no-so-mo-no–mo

i made that up. isn’t it like nablopomo? I went a week without using social media. I had planned to skip November because I felt I needed a month to recover from the previous two months. i’ve probably done about eight hours of soul homework in the last nine weeks. i felt i needed a social media vacation to recharge my batteries.

but on thursday night, my mom had a traumatic fall in her kitchen and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. we spent most of thursday night in the emergency room, where she needed five stitches in her head. this was the best case scenario because her fall was really bad (she knocked a cabinet off the hinges when her head hit it on the way down). she’s doing great and is essentially back to her old self.

my parents have been the bowl for me for the last two months. source

i’ve realized that I don’t want to spend time away from social media, and i don’t think now is the time to isolate. better time management is what I really want. i suspect fomo was the real culprit in my wanting to take a social media break. it’s been difficult to see others doing things that we couldn’t because of mike’s lack of mobility, but I also enjoy seeing others do things! others people’s joy makes me happy.

being a human is very complicated.

nablopomo = a blogging challenge to write a post every day in november

fomo = fear of missing out

one thing i read last month

little poetry books by james crews

all of the wonderful poetry i’ve been sharing in my recent posts came from this book.

i’ve read three of his poetry books since discovering the first one at my local library in april, and they’re all lovely. (and I don’t typically enjoy poetry).

also this book:

a book of life by peter kingsley

one thing i listened to last month

this playlist

also, while mike was filming the dogs playing last month, you can hear me giving advice to the real housewives of salt lake city.

one thing i watched last month

milli vanilli documentary

i never expected this to make me cry, but it did. several times. definitely worth watching.

and seeing alanis morrisette surprise concert goers at pink’s concert makes me feel all sorts of emotions. (the good sort)

links i clicked on last month

Will There Be “Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life” Season 2?

The 7 Chakras For Beginners And Their Meanings

The community orchestra

Leftover Turkey Pie

Overnight Yeast Waffles Recipe (Perfectly Crispy)

Lagom: Swedish philosophy on accepting “just enough”

Top 30 Most Delightful Things That Happen Unexpectedly

from the poem goldfish nation by jason strugnell

quotes that had me thinking last month

“certainty can be one of the greatest tickets to ignorance.” -anodea judith

“praying is talking to the universe. meditation is listening to it.” -paulo coelho

“what is to give light must first endure burning.” -victor frankl

here’s to november….PLEASE WALK CAREFULLY. ❤️

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53 thoughts on “screw it, i’m eating tater tots- episode 56”

  1. I know what you mean about the struggle [too strong of a word but the only one I have] between wanting to detach from social media entirely and wanting to not miss out on what is happening. I deal with this too. There is a balance, perhaps achieved with reiki, that allows me to accept that I need to feel a part of a group, but not too much of a part of it.

    Love this: “praying is talking to the universe. meditation is listening to it.”

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Kari, and can so see why that poem reminded you of Reiki. Beautiful!

    And yes, I truly believe we ALL have the ability to share Reiki. It’s just a matter of reconnecting ourselves and remembering. I clearly recall my first Reiki session (in 1997) and how emotional I got during the session because it felt like I had come “home”.

    Over the past five years, I’ve cut back on social media. I now only blog (once a week) and post on Instagram once a week. I’m not on any other social media plateforms.

    Sorry to hear about your mom. But I am sooooo happy to read that she recouperated fast and is back to her old self!

    LOVE the video you created! LOL!

    And btw, I also watched the Milli Vanilli documentary last month and really enjoyed it. This week I will be sharing my review on another documentary I recently watched. I LOVE documentaries!!!

    Happy November, my friend! We are finally getting some nice, cold fall weather here and I am reveling in it! :)

    Have a super-duper week! X

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, my friend, I am happy you felt that the first time with Reiki! I felt so good after my first session, and I did get emotional. I’m close to the end of Eastern Body Western Mind, an amazing book that goes in depth about the chakras, and I’m at the part where I’m figuring out where my deficiencies and strengths are, which is eye opening. It’s like the most customized personality test I’ve ever taken.

      She is so resilient! I’m so glad she’s feeling better.

      We love our documentaries! Mike and I just finished another great documentary last night. It’s called Navajo Police: Class 57 on Hbo Max. It follows a state trooper training class on the Navajo Native American Reservation. Very emotional.

      It is OUR TIME OF YEAR, my friend! Enjoy! 😘❤️

      Like

    1. She now has a black eye and several bruises. She’s in a lot of pain. They told her in the emergency room that she would feel like she had been in a car accident for the first week. I mean, she was basically.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Im fascinated by your reiki training! This is exciting on many levels.

    Your poor, sweet mom! I’m so sorry she fell, but happy it wasn’t worse. Give her a big hug from me. Xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is! I plan to learn how to do energy healing virtually in the future. Then I’m going to teach everyone else how to do it. Then we’ll be unstoppable.

      I will definitely give her big hugs from you. She will love that. 😘❤️

      Like

  7. Gosh, I’m so glad your mom is okay! That is so scary.
    Reiki is PERFECT for you and I’m so happy you’re taking these classes! Also, that poem about the most important thing is just gorgeous. I love it so much.
    I’m glad you’re around on SM. I have definitely cut mine back but it’s still a nice way of connection – time management around it is key, you’re so right.
    Poor Milli Vanilli. They got so screwed over, in so many ways. There is a woman who sang It’s Raining Men and she got massively screwed over, her voice is on many dance songs from the 90s and she did not get paid for them, other than the initial recording fee. I wish I could remember her name!

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Thank you, friend. Me too. So scary.

      It really is perfect. There are several other bloggers who practice Reiki, and I love connecting with them about this as well.

      Martha Wash! She did all the C+C Music Factory songs! It’s similar to the whole diet culture discussion you talked about on your blog last week. In addition to Hollywood Hollywooding. GAH.

      Like

  8. I truly, truly get the FOMO. For me, I’ve found that sometimes joining in isn’t enough to belong, which is especially painful.

    I am so sorry that your mom had such a horrible accident. How terrifying for you both. I’m glad it was a best case scenario situation and I hope she is recovering smoothly.

    LOVE that you are learning reiki! How cool! And your philosophy about people’s abilities is fascinating. I’m excited for you as you pursue this!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, yes, and yes. Oh my gosh, I get it. I recall being at an event last year where we didn’t know the people there, only our friends, and as nice as it was to be invited, I wanted to be somewhere other than where we were because we weren’t being included. Not because they were bad people, but because we didn’t belong to their group. So I can feel this in my bones.

      The best-case scenario. She was extremely fortunate, and we are eternally grateful for everything. The care she received was incredible.

      I’m excited as well! I want to help as many people as I can. That is my goal. ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  9. What the hell? Gravity is not always our friend. I’m relieved to hear your mom is doing good after such a horrific fall. That’s must of scared the heebie-jeebies out of you. Your reiki training is intriguing and I look forward to hearing more. I enjoyed the poems, I’ll have to check out James Crews. I loved your week. Hugs, C

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Gravity is not our friend. My poor Dad, he put on a brave face, but I knew he was scared. We made it through together. I am truly thankful for both of them. ❤️

      Even though it was a bumpy week, I appreciated it. Thank you so much for reading and for your kind words. 😘

      Like

  10. Yikes! So very sorry to hear about your mom but so glad to read that she’s doing better. And yes, being a human sure is complicated.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’m so relieved that your mom is OK. How scary. It’s funny that you thought about taking a break from social media because I was in the same boat! I was tired of all the nonsense in my feed, so I did a deep cleaning of my followers and follows. Then, I felt SO guilty about it! But my newly cleaned-up feed is so much more pleasant to engage with!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Me too, Michelle! ❤️

      Deep cleaning! YES. I remember doing something similar on Facebook once, and it was still a mess. That’s when I knew it was time to go. 🤣

      But yes, I love TikTok and Instagram, which provide me with lots of entertainment and laughter.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Love me some tater tots!!! I’m so sorry about your Mom, but thank goodness she is okay. That is super scary, as you know I know. I can’t imagine how horrific it was to have that back to back with Mike’s injury. Stressful!

    Hooray that you skipped the social media break. No pressure, but we count on you to brighten our days :) But yeah, I remember thinking about taking a break from just blogging in July when my mom fell, and then I’m like NOPE! I need my peeps!

    I always enjoy perusing your playlists. The Dream Academy is one I never see on First Wave, but I suppose I will tomorrow (hahaha). I was pleased to see 2 Thompson Twins songs. My husband and I were just saying how we’d love to see them in concert, but I don’t think they are together anymore (weren’t there 3 of them?) I cracked up at the Wichita Lineman, but it really is a good song. I say no thank you to Alanis Morissette though.

    I just listened to a podcast yesterday that talked about the Milli Vanilli documentary. I had forgotten some of the key elements to the story, but also learned some new things. So sad.

    I enjoyed the list of 30 unexpected delights. I’ve been carded a number of times over the decades, the last time being just about 8 years ago at the grocery store. I told the cashier that my kids would think that’s WACK and she told me to tell them they were WACK if they didn’t think their mom looked young. That was very nice to hear. But I’ll tell you something that’s NEVER happened to me . . . any sort of upgrade ever. Boo!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was definitely a case of déjà vu. But I am so relieved that she was able to return home and that all of her scans were negative.

      Nope, I need my peeps! YES! That is exactly how I felt.

      Manifest who you want to see on First Wave, friend! You are powerful! I heard Heaven 17 the other day while driving with Mike and had to take a picture. I love how every time I hear that song, it reminds me of you. Thompson Twins are my absolute favorite. To be honest, they are totally underrated.

      This is where I think social media has been beneficial to humanity. When we blindly trusted the media and corporations, we were a very different species. That was the most important takeaway from the documentary.

      I can’t remember if I’ve ever been upgraded. But I rarely travel. My husband, who travels frequently for work, has definitely been upgraded. I think you have the ability to manifest that…😊

      Like

  13. Guess it might be time for you to be your mom’s bowl? You’ve sure had a lot of things this fall. I hope things start to settle down and get back to normal.

    I really like the poetry you shared; I now have that book on hold with the library. (I sure love libraries. What a great thing they are.)

    We’re big fans of lagom around here–there are so many aspects of Swedish culture that my daughter has shared with us, and this is one of my favorites. Works for everything from “how much salt should I add?” to “do I need to buy this sweater?” to “how much ice cream should I put on my pie?” Probably works for “how much time should I spend on Instagram?” too. ;-)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, friend. I think it is. I’m hoping the same thing for the rest of the fall. Maybe I should start calling it AUTUMN.

      Libraries are magical places. It came to me only during the lockdown. I’ve always appreciated them, but not as much as I do now. I love my library and the librarians. And I let them know. ❤️

      I love the fact that you all practice Lagom! When I start using this in my life, I’ll think of you all. I’m grateful for this blogging community. This article was suggested by Jill’s blog. It has supported me through the last two months.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Another deeeelightful post! To start, what a time you have had with Mike’s and your mom’s injuries… though fortunately she came through it well. Hopefully the recovery is full and good for both your dear ones!

    I looked through your ‘beautiful’ playlist… beautiful indeed! So many treasured songs in there, I might poach some! 😉 But not without sharing, of course: I saw you had a Sara Bareilles piece on it; here’s my post about a lovely version of her “Winter Song,” sung by a Canadian trio my sweety and our family and I saw perform live some years ago: https://songoftheday.ca/2020/12/22/winter-song/

    The poetry you shared is lovely; each one really spoke to me. Thank you for sharing them.

    Reiki is a therapy I’ve had a few times from a friend who trained in it. I think it has some similarities to orthobionomy (I’ve never known anyone else who heard of it in the 30 years since I tried it, other than the therapist who brought it to Winnipeg, Canada from California.) In the space of five years in the ’90s, I had four rear-end collisions and one t-bone crash (really, I wanted to stop driving after being hit so many times!). I was in constant pain and took physio for a year, which brought nothing but more pain. The (now late) therapist treating my “low mood” (ya think?!) recommended ‘ortho’ and after three treatments in as many weeks, I was completely healed! Needless to say, I have a lot of faith in eastern medicine.

    And, “Hold On, Be Strong,” wow. What an incredible piece of music. It doesn’t even matter that it’s so brief, it’s so divine.

    I’m sure I will be back to delve into more of the links and lovely bits you left in your ‘virtual living room’ and, in the meantime, thank you. I’m so pleased to have found your site. But now I’m hungry for tater tots…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This entire comment is wonderful, and I appreciate the time you took to write it. Thank you so much.

      They’re both doing much better now, thank you! Mike went to physical therapy for the first time yesterday and is learning exercises to stretch his foot and leg. On Sunday, he began walking on his leg while wearing his boot, and let me tell you, it was like watching my kids walk for the first time. 🤣 His morale is gradually improving, and as a result, all of ours is as well.

      Take as many songs (or all) off that playlist, Steve! I love music and enjoy sharing it with anyone who will listen. So take it and enjoy it!

      Winter Song is a favorite! It’s on my holiday playlist! I just added it to my beautiful playlist! I never consider adding holiday music to that playlist, but Aspenglow by John Denver is on there and it is considered a holiday song. Thank you for broadening my musical horizons.

      My friends Rita, Melanie, and Jill have all shared poetry on their blogs, and thanks to them, I’ve gradually fallen in love with it over the years. I just came to this realization in this comment. I’m hoping they read this. 🤣

      Oh my God, Steve! That’s a lot of accidents! On the bright side, you’ve been saved lots of times in your life! Orthobionomy. I’ll go check it out. I also have a lot of faith in Eastern Medicine.

      I just came across that song in the last two months. Or, rather, the song found me. It is divine, you are right.

      I always say that if you’re craving tater tots after reading this, I’ve done my job.❤️

      Liked by 2 people

      1. What an awesome response, Kari! Wow. Thanks so much.

        I can totally relate to how one family member’s level of pain or illness has a huge effect on others’.

        It’s great to meet new friends on the internet who have similar interests and who also expose us to new things! 😊

        And yes you have done your job well!

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Love the poems you shared with us. And the Paulo Coelho quote – wow.

    Can’t wait to talk to you about Reiki…

    Holy moly on the news about your mom; I could not believe this when I read it! That is so freaking scary. I just want to give her a big hug. I’m so glad she is doing OK.

    xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That quote is also one of my favorites.

      I also can’t wait! I have so much to tell you.

      Melanie, it was awful. Maybe I’ll see if we can get lunch close to them so we can go see her on Thursday? She would love a hug from you.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. OH no. So scary that your mom fell like that. That had to be so jarring after Mike’s fall. I’m glad she’s recovering well.

    I’ve heard of the Milii Vanilii documentary and I do want to see it.

    The Reiki training sounds like something so well suited for you. I’m glad you are pursing that. Looking forward to updates on how that is going and what you plan to do with it. Very exciting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was scary, but she is now feeling better and we are so relieved she was able to return home.
      The documentary as a whole surprised Mike and me. Definitely recommend. 

      I knew what I was getting into because of the books I’d read and a Reiki session I’d had before, but learning it firsthand was a lot of fun.

      Like

  17. So many great things in your post, as usual. I love that you’re learning reiki and I look forward to learning more about it from you. I’m sorry to hear of your mom’s fall. That must have been scary. I love the bowl concept. Enjoyed watching your dogs play and your commentary on the housewives show in the background. Funny and cute! And it was fun to see your playlist. So much good you share. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Oh Kari, you are going through it with life at the moment. I am glad to hear that your mother is doing OK and long may that continue.

    For me, social media is a mixed blessing. There are the good parts – like the blogging community, and the bad parts – like the nasty trolling on Twitter/X. I enjoy my blogging breaks when I have them, but am always ready to get back or I probably wouldn’t. I hope that you continue to get the sustenance and support you need at the moment from social media.

    While I’m not a particular fan of Paolo Coelho, I really do like that meditation quotation very much – thank you so much for sharing it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. She is doing great. 🖤

      You said it: mixed blessing! I left Twitter when it changed its name. I used to love it, but I wasn’t as appreciative of it as I once was. For me, two forms of social media (TikTok and Instagram) are enough.

      I like the quote too.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I wonder if manifesting is somehow related to reiki? I definitely have some rather unusual abilities that I haven’t really talked about.

    No, I cannot turn invisible. Dare to dream!

    I’m sorry to hear about your mom, but glad the cabinet fared worse than she did. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If you’re open to manifestation, you’re definitely open to reiki, and I believe we can all practice reiki on ourselves and each other. Tell me about your unusual abilities…

      I wish I could be invisible. I’d make traveling a lot easier.

      She’s doing a lot better. My dad fixed the cabinet the following day, so there was no reminder.🖤

      Liked by 1 person

  20. I always love the poems you leave for us, and I’m reminded that I need to get a little poetry back into my life.

    And…I’m totally with you there on social media. I thought I needed a break from it. What I NEEDED was to pare the list of those I follow, and even moreso, just to RESIST responding to what I read on social media.

    I’m trying to be a lot more intentional on what and how I respond, and what I post. I haven’t written on my blog for about six months, and I’m contemplating switching to Substack for smaller bits (and keeping the blog for…I’m not sure what, because book reviews aren’t enough to get people to actually read it.)

    I think reiki is perfect for you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those poems are so lovely. Poetry, it turns out, is easier for my ADHD brain to read! Who’d have guessed? (Certainly not me.)

      Anna and I send TikToks to each other throughout the day, and when I took that break, we missed that interaction, so it’s also about a love language.

      Can you send me your Substack address so I can follow you if you end up there?

      I’m hoping to join some Reiki shares with a friend to keep up with the practice because it’s so much fun. I did an energy clearing yesterday and something really cool happened that made me think, HOLY SHIT, I AM POWERFUL. But we ALL are powerful, and that is what I intend for the future of this.

      Like

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