Sephy’s Platzish

22nd July - Some more flowers, originally uploaded by sephiroth.blog.

These flowers are just about everywhere on my path.

Today was quite interesting however, because I wound up getting chased (somewhat) by a dog - it was more a case of it approached me, checked me out, went away, came back, went away, came back and started barking, at which point its owner finally got it to get away from me. I have to say that, although I am a dog owner, it spooked me somewhat - mostly because I wasn’t expecting it and I didn’t know if there was someone with it until after it started barking at me. I wound up swearing a bit under my breath on my way back after that.

The path was the usual; distance 5084 steps, 4.06km.

Just a note - this is going to be the last daily posting of the walking photos. I know that it could get boring for y’all to read the daily travels (not that it’s uninteresting, but it’s repetitive, and it could lead to me posting only the photos each day, like I had done the last couple of days). However, don’t worry because I’ll be posting the photos, along with the logs, once a week, along with a progress report on how I’m going along.

Note: This post is a sponsored post.

A while ago, I had spotted a bunch of posts on a blog marked as “PPP” and they mentioned a thing about “Pay Per Post” - as it turns out, this person was getting paid for posting about products and services that they may or may not use. At the time, I was still relatively new to blogging, so I didn’t think much about signing up, but then a few months later, I took another look at the idea of getting paid to blog. As it turns out, there are quite a few services that you can sign up for, but one of the quickest to get started going with is payperpost - all you need to do is sign up, put in your blog’s information and within the space of a day or two, you can start earning money. Pretty nice, eh?

However, if you’re looking to use just payperpost to make all your money online, you really should consider diversifying your options, just like a good investor. Also, if you don’t have a Google PageRank or Alexa rating yet - you will be limited in your opportunities; however, as you start blogging and getting yourself out there to do blog marketing, that will get itself sorted over time.

If you haven’t checked out payperpost yet, it might be for you - just a couple of opportunities a month can pay your blog’s hosting for that month alone, depending on how much it costs. Or, you can set it aside and get something really nice for you - if it were me, I’d buy myself an HD card for my computer, or get some hosting for my blog.

21st July - Wild Turkey, originally uploaded by sephiroth.blog.
Part 1 - The (Sub)urban Explorer - no photos; total 4563 steps, 3.65 km (which might include some extra steps related to riding in a car).

Today we had to go down to a nearby city to pick up our dollar which might lead to a nice payout in a couple of weeks, and we always get there early so that we’re up to the front of the line. However, it just so happened that I knew that the location we were at was close to a shop I wanted to check out - CVS Pharmacy. So, I said that while everyone was waiting in line, I was gonna have a walk around the block. I get to the CVS, walk around the store, looking, almost futilely, for anything to do with aromatherapy. As has happened with just about every single store that I’ve gone to, they had none. I looked up and down each aisle - the closest thing I saw were massage oils - totally different to what I was looking for - essential oils.

As it so happened, I needed to use the bathroom. Apparently not only do they not carry aromatherapy products, this particular location doesn’t have a bathroom. I wound up walking out not buying anything, and going across the street to the conveniently located McDonalds - it was in and out and I got finished with the walk. That accounted for about half of the total, the other half was from wandering around a grocery store for a while.

Part 2 - On a Familiar Route - see photo above; total - 4498 steps; 3.59km

After doing some yardwork for a while and working on the lawnmower, I went for my regular walk, this time not doing the loop route, but instead just walking into the main open area and then heading back. One major difference between the walks was that the second one was much more strenuous than the first - mostly because there’s terrain I have to follow with this walk. The other one was on almost dead level ground, and paved with concrete.

20th July - Roadside Flowers, originally uploaded by sephiroth.blog.
These flowers are alongside one of the roads I walk along on my route.

Today, I took the same route I’ve been taking, but I took the loop part in reverse - going up the hills instead of down them (taking the left path in the second picture here, instead of the gravel path). Even though I walked later in the day, it was a lot more comfortable as the humidity has gone away. Also, I noticed a distinct lack of bugs compared to the last three days. The total distance - 4,913 steps, 3.93km.

Note: This is a slightly edited (mostly for locational references) version of a post that I’ve made at Snoskred’s blog, Life in the Country… (I’ve never actually linked to you with the “proper” title ;))

Many of you have seen or commented on a recent post there - Letting Go.., about one of Snoskred’s friends who has been battling with depression for a long time. Well, I am that friend. In fact, I have been battling it for longer than eight months. It’s only been in this time that we have been working on getting myself sorted out. Up until now, it’s been a lot of going through the motions, ultimately leading me back to where I started. I’d even learned the “right” things to say to appease her and make it look like things were going well. Of course, that led to her having false hope in me, and ultimately to the point where I needed to be shocked into action. I needed a major wake-up call.

That call finally came on Tuesday, when a very bleak picture of my world was presented - one where I’d be on my own, with nobody caring about me and about turning my life around. It would be hell on earth for me. From there, I had two options - 1) wake up and start to act on making myself better, or 2) ignore it and go forth on my own, with no support. After we finished our discussion, I went for a walk and then posted about my commitment to change. Included in that post was something that I hadn’t done before - make myself accountable for my actions. I also posted a comment on Craig Harper’s blog about my commitment to change. If you’re not reading his blog, you really should - it’s a great source of information about how to go about improving yourself.

After that, I then read the Letting Go post over there. I knew right away that it was about me, and essentially reinforced that I had to make the choice - shape up or ship out. It sounds harsh to think of it that way, but that is what it is. I’ve used up my chances, and now it’s time to prove myself. It’s making the small steps that lead to big things. It’s committing myself to doing the things that we had discussed all the way back in November - such as seeking out professional help. It’s about breaking the cycle of yes, ok, I’ll do that, wait a couple of months without doing anything, back into the hole.

As Snos said in her comment that she made today - this post was the catalyst. I’ve gone to see a doctor and have received an unofficial diagnosis of dysthymia - a mild form of depression - one that, without treatment, can last for a very long time. I received some samples of an antidepressant and start taking one a day from tomorrow. I was also told to get a consultation with a counselor to start with counseling appointments.

It’s definitely a start, but it’s a long road and I know that there will be ups and downs. I need to keep myself honest and that starts with myself. I mentioned yesterday the Post-It® notes that have begun to surround my monitor. One of them says “I will hold myself accountable for following my plans”. Part of that is posting a photo from when I go out to walk; it’s also keeping you all updated on my progress via my weekly updates. I’d really appreciate it if you all would help me out with the accountability - it doesn’t have to be constant, but the odd reminder will not hurt.

Lastly, this wouldn’t have happened if Snos didn’t care about me - she could have said “Fine, you’re on your own” and let me spiral. However, it is like she said in one of her comments - we are there for each other - it’s not always emotional support - most of the time it’s just to shoot the breeze and share what’s going on with our lives, or to solve a problem that one of us is having with a program or site. Thanks for letting me post this over here

I am posting this here, and also at Sephy’s Platzish, my blog.

Sephy