From the Hearth: Health Challenges

I've always prided myself on being able to handle anything and everything that came my way, but apparently I have reached my limit.

For those who don't know us personally, Grandpa B is a 100% disabled Desert Storm veteran. Years after his service, the effects of that deployment began to catch up with him, and our lives have gradually become filled with doctor appointments, new diagnoses, treatments, and learning to navigate a new normal together.

Ajax on his mattress chariot since he has trouble walking with a torn ACL.

This year has brought an online business launch, children moving back home, a dog recovering from a torn ACL, and the everyday realities of caregiving. Somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention to how all of that was affecting me.

When chest pains sent me to my doctor, the tests were reassuring. My heart was healthy. What wasn't healthy was the amount of stress I had been carrying.

Which, in hindsight, explains the near addiction-level caffeine consumption.

In an effort to regain a little balance, I've decided to give up soda. What I really miss isn't the caffeine, it's the flavor that plain water just doesn't have.

So I've been revisiting my Pinterest account and rediscovering the "loaded tea" dupes I saved years ago. Truth be told, I never really drank them as tea. They were simply flavored waters that I enhanced with electrolytes, vitamins, or collagen.

Back in 2019, these drinks helped me give up soda completely, and over time I lost more than 40 pounds. I'm hoping they'll help me again.

Over the years I've collected hundreds of loaded tea recipes on Pinterest, and I've gathered the ingredients I actually keep in my pantry into one place in my Amazon storefront in case it helps someone else who's trying to drink a little more water and a little less soda.

Just to be transparent, if you make a purchase through my storefront, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, I only recommend products I genuinely use and enjoy.

Sometimes the people doing the caregiving forget that they need care too. I know I did.

I'll leave you with this one last bit of wisdom...

Granny-ism

The kettle can't pour if it's boiling dry.

From My Hearth to Yours

This isn't about becoming perfect, it's about making one better choice today than I made yesterday.

So here's to more water, less soda and giving ourselves the same grace we'd so freely offer someone we love.

~Granny B