April 15th is Tax Day. They say the only sure things in life are death and taxes. It is a day that people who owe taxes dread and those who receive refunds enjoy. Paying taxes is not the highlight of anyone’s financial life, but have you considered the other “taxing” things in your life?

While paying taxes might drain our bank accounts, many other things in life drain our “Well-being” accounts. These well-being taxes take their toll on us in many ways—physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Unlike the taxes imposed on us by the government, we have some control over the well-being taxes.

It’s not easy, but we must remember to take stock and mitigate the cost of these taxes on our mental and physical health. Are we working too hard, or do we have a healthy work/life balance? How about our relationships? Are they strained with family, friends, or our partners? Are social pressures and comparisons making us feel the need to conform? Are personal health struggles taking their toll? I am sure you could add to the list.

The weather in my area is finally beginning to show signs of spring, and thoughts of spring cleaning are in the air. The winter doldrums are in the rearview mirror, and I am ready to face decluttering, cleaning my home, and making deposits into my “well-being” account. How about you?

Let’s find ways to give ourselves “tax breaks” and boost our “well-being” accounts. I am calling this the REGROUPING ERA!

The warmer weather and the start of a new month have made me feel more optimistic than I have in a long time. This month, I look forward to a baby shower, my nephew’s wedding, and a gathering with family on Easter Sunday.

Armed with a renewed sense of writing energy, I am trying my hand at writing a poem each day, pushing my limits and growing. Completing the SOL challenge has made me realize how much joy writing brings me. It also helps my mental health.

I am also more optimistic about reclaiming my health – physically, spiritually, and mentally. New MRI results and a script for PT have set me on a path to prioritizing my health and wellness. This girl had a “Snap Out of It.” moment. I am determined to make the last quarter of my life the best quarter possible.

Here’s to thriving!

The challenge ends today, but I don’t want the consistency in my writing practice to end. These past thirty-one days have shown me that I can set and achieve a goal by consistently prioritizing it. I made room each day to write and post. While I know I won’t be posting every day, I want to stay connected with the other writers in the community and post on Tuesdays each week.

I have enjoyed reading everyone’s posts from around the world. I appreciate the thoughtful comments on my posts and the wealth of inspiration I have received.

A couple of other areas in my life could use a little consistency, so I will stop procrastinating and start making room each day for those other things that need attention. Completing this challenge has reminded me that I can accomplish anything I want. It won’t be easy every day, but nothing worthwhile is easy.

On to the next challenge – a poem a day in April!

This format caught my eye during the Slice of Life Challenge, so I wrote it in my notebook to use later. Unfortunately, I don’t know whose blog I saw it on because I forgot to write that information down. Whoever you are, thank you for sharing it.

Five Things About Me
I married my high school sweetheart. We have been together for over 51 years and will be married for 45 years in August.
I live in the Philadelphia suburbs and am a die-hard Phillies fan.
I love to write essays and poetry. I belong to a poetry writing group at my local library.
I hate to cook. My husband is a retired chef, so I have no need to cook, thank goodness.
I want to learn to speak Italian. I have a 150-day streak on Duolingo.

Would my answers be different if I wrote this on another day? Humm.

My day is busy right from the start

Yes, it is full, but so is my heart. 

Today, I get to see all of my Grands

Just need to show up and follow the plan. 

Honors Band Concert

Lunch

Time to chill

Windows open

Cool breeze

Bird songs

Watch the Phillies game

Pizza

Dairy Queen

Puzzle time

Kid talk

It is a perfect way to spend a Saturday! 

Yesterday,

Yesterday, franki22 wrote about little surprises; today, I received one!

One of my work friends, Kathy C., surprised me with a gorgeous book of poetry. It was the perfect way to end a week of standardized testing that felt more like two weeks.

Kathy and I often give each other book recommendations, and we have talked about starting a book club at school but haven’t followed through.

I told her I joined a poetry writing group at my local library, and she told me she reads a poem every night before going to sleep. Kathy bought herself the same book of poetry, so maybe we could have a poetry club to discuss poems instead of a book club.

As I said, it has been a long week, and that poetry anthology awaits me downstairs. That makes for a short Friday night post.

It’s my favorite day of the year—MLB’s OPENING DAY. Baseball makes me nostalgic for simple summer days when arguments were usually smack talk between a Phillies fan and a Mets fan. I love watching baseball and hearing the crack of the bat and the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt. It is music to my ears. I can put the world’s worries on a shelf for a few hours and cheer (or yell at) my favorite team. Life is good.

Opening Day of MLB
Phillies Phans are Pheeling Phine
Energized for another season
Nine innings of nail-biting nervousness
Insurance runs a plus
Never count us out
Going yard – ring the bell

Day game or night
America’s Pastime lives on
Young & old alike

Barometric Effect

Weather changes

ethmoidal sinuses

Pulsating pressure

Facial pain

Brain blood vessels dilate

maxillary sinuses:

Throbbing headache

Eye tearing

Nasal congestion

frontal sinuses

Allergy exacerbation

Postnasal drip

sphenoidal sinuses

Sinus pressure is no joke! Even my eyes feel heavy, and I want to sleep. I borrowed lines from various articles on barometric pressure and sinuses to craft my poem.