6(+1) Things to do before the end of October
11 more days in October! What to do? Here are 6 things to try before November comes along:
Evaluate 2015 goals
What were the top 15 things you planned to accomplish this year? Did you want to start blogging or designing? Did you plan to leave your job, get rid of some habits or a guy *side eye*? How much of it has been accomplished? Have no fear, there's still time for accomplishments! There are 11 days in october + 61 in Nov/Dec.
Write goals for November and December and set your deadlines
In the -ember months, I personally just switch off on goal-setting and chill till the following year to accomplish something great but there's so much time to accomplish so much still in 2015! I finally decided to write an exam I have been putting off in December. Yay! I'm seizing the -ember moment. No January is going to steal it's thunder. Set goals to be completed before the end of the year and start January on point.
Rewatch your favorite movies of 2015
For me it was the Avengers : Age of Ultron and Jurrassic world.
Nothing like Scarlett Johansson reminding me I can't dye my hair red, go to work in a leather cat suit and drive my bike under an 18-foot trailer on a regular sunny day all at once. I'd have to pick.
The lesson I learnt from J.world would have to be that family is more important than spending all your time nurturing a socially dysfunctional genetically-mutated pyscho dragon-dinasour.
Actually both stories seriously discourage you from creating crazy innovations that get out of hand and try to kill all mankind. Both also convey the fact that the cheek-bob hair style is back.
Have a before dawn- movie session on a Saturday morning
I have been trying to do this with Ed with little success. The plan is to have a complete lounging day beginning before dawn and watch a movie, probably Breakfast at Tiffany's. At dawn, we watch the sun rise from our balcony while drinking home-made herbal tea. What could be more awesome than that? Now that I've written this out I can see his reluctance. Lol.
After seeing the red moon, I've become more aware of the heavenly bodies, stuff goes on up there we hardly take note of. Maybe we'll just watch the sun rise and head back to bed.
Do something for you
Because you deserve it. 2015 is almost gone, a little pampering, huh? I, for one am in need of an economically viable exotic experience. Not sure what it is for now.
Do something for someone else
It's almost 2016! It's so exciting. Someone else probably doesn't see the excitement because they have lost hope of anything coming along with a new year. Reach out to people who need hope and give to them; time, money, love. October 22 is make a difference day, find ways to be a blessing to others!
Have a date with God
Contrary to popular opinion, dates with God does not involve dreary, long one sided conversations to someone you think might be somewhere above the skies, who may or not be listening as he has his giant white beard groomed by cherubs. A date with God really is like having a date with anyone else. I learnt this a few years back; grab your fave beverage (mine would be infusion tea), your bible and chill next to the fan/AC , in my case, the fire place and then soak yourself in the moment. No phones. No date has ever ended well with a phone between your faces. Best date ever!
What are you up to for the rest of October?
Pinktober or nah?
It's October!!! Pinktober actually, breast cancer awareness month!!!! But unfortunately..... (sorry to dampen the mood), most women do not remember to self-examine the other months of the year. I, definitely, am a happy, enthusiastic boob-kneader in October but in April...not so much. And can you blame us?It's because October is the period when breast cancer awareness peaks and when everyone is running a race for the cause or wearing the pink ribbon. Every month should be boob-month! Pagesbyike will be putting up monthly reminders to get us to feel-up our chest hills a little more often.
Here's a 3-point reminder on how to self-examine!
The boob-stare down
Funny, did you know we spend an average of 55 minutes a day staring at our faces in the mirror? Flipping the mascara, dabbing the lip gloss, making ourselves insta-worthy. If we could just let our eyes drop just a bit to boob-level for 5 minutes to stare at our breasts. Just 5 minutes. Know thy breasts. Seriously. Know everything about them. The shape, color, look out for changes; dimpling, swelling in the nipples. If you saw your boobs in a line-up, you should be able to recognize them in an instant.
The ceiling
(Chimamanda has officially ruined this word for me. Lol. Think Americanah)
Lie down on your back with your face to the ceiling and with one hand behind your head (see illustration), check for any lumps with the pad of your fingers (not your finger tips). If you feel a mass, check the other breast at the same location for a similar mass. If it's there too, its probably a-ok.
The shower
The shower is a great place to check too; 1) because you are, well, naked and 2) because your soapy fingers help to glide along the breast, which i find makes the task easier. Check for the same signs in (1).
Best time to check your breasts: A few days after your period, when it's less sore.
If you find a lump, do not panic. 8 out of 10 discovered lumps are not cancerous, pretty good odds. Schedule an appointment with your care provider and have it examined as soon as possible.
Please remember to share. 40% of diagnosed breast cancers are discovered by women who feel a lump. Let's keep reminding eachother, so that one day, we'll watch that pink ribbon go extinct.