Well, feliz mercoles everyone, it’s so good to be feeling better! I have to say, Valtrex is a wonderful medicine!

Yesterday, in an oddly generous gesture, my husband’s HR dept. handed him a wellness box that he, in turn, handed to me when he got home. Inside this box was an assortment of goodies intended to ensure their employee a step toward good health or maintenance of their healthy routine. Assuming they use the items-which, in Dave’s case, he thought they would be more my cup of tea.

Boy howdy, will they ever! I was amazed at all the little things they packed inside this box: A scented votive candle, a Luna protein bar, a 5ml bottle of Palmarosa essential oil, a spray bottle of hand sanitizer, a sample bag of dark chocolate espresso dipped almonds, a couple of interesting tasting yet long-lasting lozenges (I assume for sore throats/coughs), and — best of all– a bottle of dissolving VitD3 tablets! I take that every day, so now when I run out, I’ll be able to try these! And finally, some coupons for more healthy goodies and money off an order of D3 when and if I want more.

This box was to celebrate their partnership with his insurance company (through his work) which is Aetna. I tell you what, I was happy with it, whether Dave cared about it or not. He was pleased that I was happy, and it was so timely — with me getting over another bout with these awful tongue ulcers. I have to say though, I’m diffusing the palmarosa right now, and I don’t know if it’s the brand or what, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the smell. It’s supposed to smell like roses and lemongrass from everything I read, but that’s not what I’m getting. Its more like a strange pine mixed with something else…maybe lemon? I don’t like it, but it supposedly has many benefits. The brand is ANJOU, which I know nothing about. But here is a link to their products if you are interested.

The lozenge I tried yesterday tasted sort of like cloves and it’s effect lasted long after I ate dinner! There was no identifying labels on the drops though, they were tossed in the bottom of the box. I’d love to know the brand, because I would probably get more! I’m not sure what the candle is scented with, we will find out Sunday when we light one before our church service. The almonds were from Skinny Dipped and they are delicious! I’ll be on the lookout for these!

The vitamin D3 is from Frunutta who have a whole line of dissolving vitamins. The benefit to that is that they are super tiny and dissolve in seconds, and that also means they have no fillers like other vitamins. They cost more though, so it would be a personal choice to switch. Something to ponder, for sure. One of the coupons was for a powder drink mix called Ultima Replenisher, meant to replace your electrolytes, offer hydration, and includes VitC and Zinc. They come in canisters and single serve packets that cost about a dollar apiece.

This very generous box was a token of appreciation from the City of Bedford’s HR dept. and had a note at the bottom saying that and that the collection of items was intended for self-care, and that they wanted to encourage their employees to take time to relax, focus and rejuvenate during these challenging and unprecedented times.

Indeed, these are challenging times. Be generous with yourself, take care of yourself and your loved ones, eat for good health, not just to fill your bellies with something, be mindful as much as possible, journal if that’s your thing, meditate if that’s your thing. Whatever it takes for you to stay healthy, to relax, and rejuvenate, you should do it. We may have some rough roads ahead, we don’t want to detour into dispair, so let’s focus on healthy mind, body, and spirit! Keep everyone in your prayers, lift each other up, and help those who can’t help themselves.

Peace out!