Happy Monday, my lovely ones!
The sun is shining, it’s not brutally cold, and PeaceBang is loving her French Press and French Roast coffee as we head from morning into the afternoon. It’s a quiet day: sermon editing (both print and audio recording format), responding to e-mails, Worship Committee meeting, some dissertation work. I leave in the wee hours of Saturday morning for ten days of vacation in the Dominican Republic, followed by a few days in Florida to visit family. Happy about all of that, although as you know, preparations for two weeks’ absence is hectic.
I do want to put in a plug for www.UrgentPassport.com, a company that was THERE for PeaceBang when she was informed that, hello dingbat, it is NOT such a smart idea to leave the country with an almost-expired passport! Especially thanks to Mr. Underwear Bomber, security is tighter than ever and my ten year-old passport was likely to earn me special and unwanted attention at the airport. Feeling that my cousin would probably feel a little better about my availability to officiate at her Florida wedding if I wasn’t detained in Punta Cana, I decided to investigate lickety-split renewal options. I FedEx’d the folks at UrgentPassport my photos, documents, old passport and wads of cash on December 31st and received my spanking new passport less than a week later. That’s what I call pronto. Well played, ladies and gentlemen of UrgentPassport.
Now, let’s talk about the winter voice.
Very simple: if you live in a cold climate, you must take special care to stay hydrated. PeaceBang has noticed that she tends to drink a lot more coffee and tea this time of year (it’s warm, it gives me a buzz when I’m dragging, etc.). Caffeine, that drug so many of us know and love with all our addicted little nervous systems, is not only a stimulant but a diuretic, which means that it is dehydrating. Add the influence of all that caffeine to the drying effects of radiator heat and you’ve got a doozy on your vocal chords (not to mention the rest of your bod). So please, kittens, stay replenished with lots of water.
PeaceBang, not being a big fan of plain water or of those disgusting powdered “flavor adders,” has a big aluminum water bottle that she fills two or three times a day with filtered water from a Brita pitcher. To that, she adds one herbal teabag (current favorite flavors= mint, blueberry, apple) and a squirt of clear liquid Stevia. Shake, and voila, yummy, healthy drink with no calories and no chemicals!
(This is the brand I use, but I use the clear, plain flavor.)
Truvia is the first powdered form of Stevia that I think isn’t horribly bitter and gross, and I’m happy to endorse it here (although it’s better in hot bevs than cold):
Listening to yesterday’s sermon on audio, I was amazed by how tired and dry my voice sounded in the first few minutes. Part of that was a result of my decision to speak in a less enunciated voice (having thought that I sounded too crisp and preachy in other recordings), but part was obviously just dehydration. A word to the wise: even if you choose to use a more casual tone in preaching or leading of worship, make sure you still speak with lots of energy, embodying your words and giving them resonance through a committed delivery.
And stay hydrated.
MWAH!. Kiss of peace.
SO glad you’ve got the passport thing sorted out. It’s best not to take chances with that.
Nobody in the UK even stocks stevia. GRRR.
I tried Truvia. I bought some and used it in a snack just before going to bed. I thought it tasted good and might be a nice change from Splenda. The next morning, my husband asked me what “that” was. What “what” was, was hives on my back and sides. (The hives went away after I showered.) I didn’t even think about my snack the night before. The next day I put some Truvia on my cereal. Within 15 minutes I had hives again, mostly on my abdomen and upper legs. This time, I made the connection. I discussed with my doctor, and he thinks I am allergic to the stevia. So I will avoid stevia in the future.
I’m not suggesting this is bad stuff. I liked Truvia. If it weren’t for the allergy, I’d recommend it highly. However, if you have a personal history of food allergies (I didn’t up till now), you might want to avoid it.
I’m a big fan of the non-caffeinated herbal teas this time of year. Can’t do without my hot drinks in the winter, but even decaf coffee has some caffeine in it.
PB, I have found that peppermint tea with a little honey (use local honey by preference) does nice things for the vocal apparatus if taken just before speaking. Anyway, it works very well for me.
PB- thank you! I have been drinking tons of water, after moving from the south to the north, and was worrying that there was something drastically wrong (diabetes runs in the family) by I am most intrigued by your audio recording of your sermons- does it get posted? do you record off your computer? do tell!
[I use a little Olympus W5-100 model digital recorder with a microphone in the pulpit. I take it home, plug it into my PC and sound edit using Blaze Media. We post the podcasts on our website, http://www.firstparishnorwell.org and also on i-Tunes, I believe. – PB]
I do a lot of non-caff fruit infusions all year long. Warming, invigorating, tasty, but don’t interfere with sleep.
What a fascinating observation that you get “winter voice.” At present it is revoltingly hot (in Australia) and you’ve made me realise I currently have “Summer Voice” which I think can be characterised as parched, and enervated. I don’t know if it is possible to drink more than I am currently (can a hymn be used as a loo-break by a priest?!) I wonder if “Summer voice” might be alleviated with the use of lozenges?