A to Z 2019 Blogger Challenge - The Letter Z - Finished With Zeal

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.  

Zip-pity Do Da! I made it!!!!

Zeal

First of all I am giving myself a 👍 for finishing the 2019 A to Z blogger challenge. 

This year's challenge has been the easiest one for me.  I approached it with more of a new found zeal than in years past.   I believe one of the reasons for this is the fact that after being away from my blog for many months, I had only recently come back to writing again.
I did write and schedule 5 posts a few days before April 1.  This gave me a bit of a head start. 
In years past, the number of views and comments was a priority for me.  When there were only a small number of views and comments, I became discouraged and disappointed.  I think that's why I didn't finish the challenge last year. 
While this year I absolutely appreciated the loyal readers who came each day, and those who commented,  I cared more about who was reading and commenting rather than how many were.  
I must give a shout out to two lovely women in particular.   They each visited my blog every day and also left a comment on every post. Their visits and comments were a huge encouragement for me to finish the challenge.  
Thank you to Betty.  Her blog is "A Bench With A View".
Thank you to Liz.  Her blog is "Laws of Gravity".

I am excited that my new found zeal will carry on and inspire me to keep on writing.

A big thank you to the team of AtoZ organizers!

Arlee Bird (founder)
Blog: http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
@ArleeBird

J Lenni Dorner (team captain)
Blog: http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com/
@JLenniDorner 
 
Zalka Csenge
Blog: http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/
@TarkabarkaHolgy 
 
John Holton
Blog: https://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/
@onehandtyping 

Jayden R Vincente (Google forms)
Blog: https://jrvincente.wordpress.com
@JRVincente 

Jeremy Hawkins (graphics)
Blog: http://www.beingretro.com/
@iZombieJMH

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter Y - Yearly

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Yearly

I have mentioned in my previous posts that I host a YouTube podcast called Joey's Scarf.  The main themes are knitting, crochet and yarn.   The podcast name is in honor of my son Joe.  Joe passed away from colon cancer in 2011.
I started the podcast in January of 2017.  On an episode in February of that year I asked followers of my podcast to join me in knitting or crocheting something in honor of someone they lost.  Or perhaps they would want to create an item for someone they care about.
Personally, when I am making something for a specific person, I am thinking about that person while I am knitting or crocheting.    
I asked the participants to share what they were making, who they were making it for and why.
I explained that on the anniversary of Joe's birth, April 4th, I would randomly select someone from the group and send that person a gift of appreciation. 
Beside me there were six others who joined me.  The stories from each one touched my heart.  The items they made were beautiful. 
One of the women had just lost her daughter to cancer.  Even though we are thousands of miles apart, we made a connection and continue to keep in touch through social media.
That first year I decided to send each of the woman a little something to show my appreciation.  Their participation was a comfort to me, especially at that time of the year, near Joe's birthday. 

This has become an annual event.  April 4, 2019 was the completion of the third one.  Some of the same women have participated each year,  as well as a couple of new people.   I continue to appreciate the sometimes heartbreaking and but always heartfelt experiences that have been shared with me each time.

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge The Letter X - Can You Hear Me Now

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

eXam 

I know it's a bit of a cheat, but you don't mind do you?

On Tuesday I have an appointment to have a hearing exam.
I've had several indications that I am experiencing hearing loss.
One of the first is me having to ask others to repeat themselves.
Then there are the times I have to turn on "closed caption" on the TV.  Usually that is necessary when I am watching something on Netflix or Amazon Prime. For some reason the sound isn't as clear on those streaming apps.
Ross' hearing is better than mine.  He always hears when "The Godfather" theme is playing on my phone letting me know I have a message.   I don't hear it unless the phone is sitting right next to me.
I suppose for those reasons alone, it makes sense for me to have my hearing checked.
But, that's not the primary reason I am going for the exam. 
In the past few month or so I have developed something called Tinnitus.
I have read that it is common as people age.

"Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. A common problem, tinnitus affects about 15 to 20 percent of people. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself — it's a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder."

My Tinnitus sounds like the sound you hear when you put a sea shell up to your ears.  It's constant and at times distressful.

Most times I am distracted from it.  That is when I am watching TV, listening to a book, or having a conversation.

I'm not sure what answers I will get on Tuesday.   I wonder if I will pass the exam.

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter W - Uh Um

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

WooHoo I made it to W

Words, Words, Words

I host a video podcast on YouTube called "Joey's Scarf".    I use my phone to record the video.  It's kind of weird to sit and talk to a screen.   

Because the subjects of my podcasts are knitting, crocheting and yarn I have a lot of props to help me feel a little more comfortable.  

Some podcasters have a partner.  It probably feels more natural to have someone next to you. It is more of a conversation between two people where the audience become eavesdroppers.

I often find myself stumbling over my words.  When I am playing back the video I notice that I say "um" and "uh" a lot.   I haven't been able to control that. 

At the end of the podcast, I usually invite Ross to spend a little time with me.  It doesn't take much to get Ross talking.   I throw out a word or two and he takes off on a tangent meandering from the original word to many other words, then finally circling back to the original word.  

He has a way with words.


Have you ever been in a situation where you find yourself stumbling over your words?

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter V - Throat Clearers

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Very

A couple of months ago I watched an interview with Benjamin Dreyer.  He is the author of the book

"Dreyer's English" -  "An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style".  

Mr. Dreyer is the Copy Chief of Random House.

From the book cover flap:

As authoritative as it is amusing, Dreyer’s English offers lessons on punctuation, from the underloved semicolon to the enigmatic en dash; the rules and nonrules of grammar, including why it’s OK to begin a sentence with “And” or “But” and to confidently split an infinitive; and why it’s best to avoid the doldrums of the Wan Intensifiers and Throat Clearers, including “very,” “rather,” “of course,” and the dreaded “actually.” Dreyer will let you know whether “alright” is all right (sometimes) and even help you brush up on your spelling—though, as he notes, “The problem with mnemonic devices is that I can never remember them.”

It's been many years since I have had instruction on rules and regulations of proper grammar usage. 

Don't ask me to diagram a sentence.   I could probably identify a noun and verb and perhaps an adjective or adverb.    

I googled and found this: 

The Eight Parts of Speech. There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence.   

Dryer has an opinion on this subject.   The title of Chapter 6 is "A Little Grammar Is A Dangerous Thing".   

 In the first sentence of this chapter he writes;  "I'm going to let you in on a little secret:  I hate grammar."

He does go on to admit that in order to do his job he did have to know at least a little something about grammar,  He then cites common confusions of grammar and the proper uses. 

Although I would classify the book as a reference guide, he has written it with prose and humor.

The one thing that caught my attention during his interview was when he described the challenge found in Chapter 1 - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Your Prose)".

"Go a week without writing 

• very
• rather
• really
• quite
• in fact"

Somewhere in the back of my muscle memory brain, (is that even a thing?) I recall, from perhaps a writing class, that those words, but in particular, "very" are what he calls, "throat clearers".

Therefore, every time I am tempted to use "very" I stop and try to think of another word to use in place of the word I am attempting to amplify by using the word "very".

That's why I bought the book.  I wanted to learn more about ways to be a better writer without depending on "throat clearers."

I am very pleased to say that the book is more than that.  I think it will be a valuable reference as well as an enjoyable read.

A to Z 2019 Blogger Challenge The Letter U - I Don't Get It

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Things I Don't Understand

I don't understand why we get 10 to 12 unwanted and unsolicited phone calls a day.   Eleven of those calls are not from humans.   Thanks to caller ID, which flashes the name and number of the caller across our TV screen, we almost never answer the phone.  Obviously, the robot making the call doesn't get offended or dissuaded from making these calls even though they are never answered. 

Do these companies and charities actually find these calls to be effective?   I imagine there is some statistical data to support their practice of making these phone calls?  

We are still old school and have land lines.   We have phone extensions in three rooms of our house.  I recently discovered that I could silence the ringers on all of the phones.  We do have an answering machine. So, if the call is urgent the caller can leave a message.  Also, most people who are important in our lives have our cell phone numbers.   

Along those same lines, I don't understand why most of the daily mail we receive contain unsolicited requests for money.    I don't understand why many of the charitable organizations send us stuff.

Calendars, labels with our name and address printed on them, note books, pens and even coins are stuffed into envelopes which are stuffed into our mailbox. 

Am I supposed to feel obligated to then "pay" for these items in the way of a donation?  I don't. 

Most of the mail we receive is ripped up without even getting opened. 

I have lived a lot of years.  There are many things in my life that I don't understand.  Sometimes, thinking about inane things like unsolicited phone calls and mail is a good distraction to keep me from  thinking about other things that have happened in my life which remain heartbreakingly unexplained.  

A to Z 2019 Blogging Challenge The Letter T - Tink

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Tink

There are two meanings I will tell you about for this word.


Tink
It's a nickname I was given when I was a 19 year old woman entering the corporate world for the first time.   It was in the accounting department.     
In order to explain the nickname I have to describe what I looked like at age 19.   My height was (yes was) 4 foot 11 inches.   I weighed 87 pounds.  
One of the older guys in the group began calling me "Tinkerbell" which later became shortened to Tink.   
I was not offended by this because I considered the man to be a kindly, fatherly figure who took me under his wing.  I think of that time and the man fondly.  
Ironically, when I was a small child of 6 or 7 years old, my mom made me a Tinkerbell costume for Halloween. 



"Tink" is another Knitting Acronym.   If you look at it carefully you will notice that Tink is Knit spelled backwards.   

Sometimes a knitter may be going merrily along when she notices that the item she is knitting doesn't quite look like the pattern she has been following.   After a huge sigh, she checks her work and most likely will find she has made a mistake a few rows back.  

There are several ways to handle this.  Some knitters have a pretty laid back attitude and may choose to ignore the mistake with the justification that "no one will notice". 
I've done that.   I've found out, though,  that I am not as laid back as I thought and finally have to admit that someone will notice and it will bother the heck out of her.   The her being me.

Depending on the weight of the yarn, another thing a knitter who has made a mistake may do is take the needles out of the project and pull out the stitches until she comes to the row before she made the mistake.   She then has to carefully put the stitches back on the needle.  It is easier to do this with thicker yarn because the stitches hold up more easily and probably won't unravel as she is putting the stitches back on the needle.   Doing this with thin yarn is quite the challenge.   

The third method is to Tink.  
Tinking is basically undoing each stitch one by one until the knitter gets to the mistake.  At that point she can correct it and begin knitting again. 

If the knitter doesn't feel it's worth it to fix the mistake, but doesn't want to continue knitting leaving the mistake, she might choose to take the whole thing out.  That's called "frogging".  I'm assuming that's because the knitter is ripping out the knitting.  And ripping sounds like "ribbit" "ribbit" a sound a frog makes.

I've used all three methods to fix a knitting mistake.   I've also had the great satisfaction of frogging a project, especially if it has been giving me grief from the moment I cast on. 

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter S Foot Massage

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

A favorite item of mine to knit is a pair socks.   Non-knitters are usually surprised when I say I knit socks.
The yarn I use to knit the socks is a blend of 80 % merino wool and 10% nylon.   The nylon is necessary to give the socks more durability. 

Merino wool comes from the breed of sheep of the same name.   It is incredibly soft and feels like a foot massage when wearing hand knit socks made from merino wool.

I have knit many pairs of socks for myself. 

I usually don't knit socks for others, mainly because trying to get the size just right takes trial and error.
I have knit Ross two pair of socks.  I know he loves them because they get a lot of wear.  Also, he never misses an opportunity to boast to others about them.   He will pick up his pant leg, point to the socks and say, "My wife knit these." 

At the beginning of the year I had an idea to knit advent Christmas socks.  I would knit one pair for each of the 24 days before Christmas.  I bought a pretty holiday box to put my socks in as I finished them.  I never measured how long in hours it takes to knit a pair.  But they do take a bit of time to knit.   Knitting at the pace that I do, that is knitting a few hours a day, it probably takes me about 3 weeks to knit a pair. 

Now, in the middle of April, I realize that goal is a bit ambitious. 

Perhaps it will have to be scaled down to the Twelve Days of Christmas.

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter R - Rachel

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Rachel

The woman leading the group is my grandmother, Rachel.  I came across this photo years ago while going through my mom's belongings when my mom came to stay with us.  My mom is also in the photo.

She is the woman behind my grandmother and next to the woman holding a child. 

My mom didn't remember any details about the photo.   She couldn't identify the woman carrying the child or who the child is.   She thought the child could have been one of her brothers.

The building sign in the background identifies that the photo was taken in Newark, NJ.   The building was a department store called Kresge's.   It looks like my mom was in her late teens or early 20's.   That would mean the photo was taken around 1940.

Because the subjects in the photo appear to be in motion, I am assuming the photo is a candid, not posed.  Also, the women's expressions are serious.  I wonder why.  I wonder who took the photo. 

I want to know where they were going and why where they going there.

One thing about the photo that I find typical is that Rachel, my grandmother, seems to be the leader.  

At age sixteen she led the way from Italy to America to look for her father.  Her father, my great-grandfather, had left for America months earlier with the intention of getting settled here and then send for his wife and two daughters.

As far as we know, she never found him.  My mother told me that it was a subject that my grandmother would not talk about.  Perhaps she did find him?  But, we have always assumed that 

the day he left his family was the last time anyone ever heard from him again. 

Another reason I feel that it was typical for Rachel to be leading the group in the photo is that she was the "head" of a large family.   My grandmother gave birth to at least 14 children.  We know that two of her children did not live more than a few days or months after birth.   Her first born daughter died at age 7.  By the time my aunt Antonette passed away, she had given birth to several more children.  Ten of her children did survive.  

She began to have grandchildren when the youngest of her own children were only 8 to 11 years older than those grandchildren. 

She led this large family as one who belonged to a  generation of a European immigrant would. Her role was to care for her husband, children and household. 

   

I am the oldest of many grandchildren and my strongest memory of her is that she made each of us feel as those we were her favorite. 

Rachel was an influential part of my life.   She made me feel loved of course, as only a grandmother could.  But more importantly she made me feel special.  

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge The Letter Q - Shhh

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Quiet, Please

I consider myself to be a quiet person.  I've always been.  Quiet people are usually quite misunderstood.   Some people assume that quiet people are not interested in communicating.  And perhaps that is true for some.   And sometimes it's true for me.  But, mostly quiet people wind up being good listeners.   I am a good listener. 

I am married to someone who is not a quiet person.   But unlike some non-quiet people, Ross is also a good listener.   

My favorite time of the day is early morning.   I am usually up before Ross.  It's my quiet time.   It became my routine when my children were little.  I would get up before the kids to have a few minutes to myself. 

I suppose writing is a form of quiet communication.  It allows me to be alone with my thoughts while also quietly communicating. 

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter P - ASAP

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Policy

Before I begin, I am fine.

Last Thursday I had to go for a CT scan.   The radiologist told me that the results would be sent to my doctor within 24 hours. 

I didn't expect to hear anything on Friday, but was hoping that I would hear something by Monday.

On Monday morning the doctor's receptionist called and told me that the results were in and the doctor wanted me to come into the office to discuss them with me.

Of course my mind started to race.  If everything was okay, why wouldn't they just tell me that. 

As I wrote about in my N post, I am an anxious person.  My heart started to pound.  Ross said the color drained from my face. 

Then the receptionist said the appointment would be in one week.  WHAAT???

I said, "No, I would like the results today." 

Receptionist:  "Sorry, it's Doctor's policy that she doesn't discuss results over the phone."

In a more forceful voice, I say, "I want the results today!!"

She said she would get a note to the doctor.

When I got off the phone, I was shaking.  Ross was clearly upset also.

The receptionist called back about 15 minutes later to tell me that the CT scan came back normal and everything was fine.

When I go for my next appointment I will let the doctor know that she needs to rethink her policy.

If test results are okay, the patient should be told as soon as they are available.    If the test results are complicated, an appointment to discuss with the doctor should be made as soon as possible.  

A to Z 2019 Blogger Challenge The Letter O - Orl Korreki, Okay, OK, K

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Orl Korreki, Okay, OK, K👌

I wondered where the expression Okay came from.   This is the explanation according to the Oxford dictionary:

A more likely explanation is that the term originated as an abbreviation of orl korrekt , a jokey misspelling of 'all correct' which was current in the US in the 1830s. The oldest written references result from its use as a slogan by the Democratic party during the American Presidential election of 1840. Their candidate, President Martin Van Buren, was nicknamed 'Old Kinderhook' (after his birthplace in New York State), and his supporters formed the 'OK Club'. This undoubtedly helped to popularize the term (though it did not get President Van Buren re-elected).

Perhaps "OK" is the precursor to the shortcut way of communicating that is today's norm.   Texting, Tweeting, Instagram and Facebook all encourage the use of the most minimal words.  

Quick, tweet it in 140 characters (or is it now 280?) and leave it up to me to figure out the abbreviations.  Perhaps,"telegraphing" was the granddaddy of tweeting and texting.  Since you were charged per word, the sender had to be word-frugal with their communications. 

According to Wikipedia 

"The telegraph companies charged for their service by the number of words in a message, with a maximum of 15 characters per word for a plain-language telegram, and 10 per word for one written in code. The style developed to minimize costs but still convey the message clearly and unambiguously." 

On Facebook, use the least amount of words to describe the photo of your lunch.  Well, how many of us really care about your lunch?  BTW, I am guilty of food postings.  Oh, and BTW, stands for "by the way". 

My social media choice is Instagram.  Instagram subscribes to the "a picture is worth a thousand words" idiom.  You can caption the photo, but I bet most people don't even read your description.   I mean look at the title of the app.  INSTA.  That tells you right off the bat, don't waste my time with lots of words.  Instagram counts a "view" as a user spending more than 3 seconds looking at your post.

Now, with the use of emojis we don't even have to use words.   If you're anything like me, though, I use the emoji along with the corresponding word.  I'm sure that annoys some people.

I am a little sad that communicating has come down to acronyms and emojis in the same way I suppose that some were unhappy when people stopped communicating via handwritten letters. 

I wonder,  are people still reading blog posts?  Is blogging passe? I know I'm not getting a lot of "looks" at my posts during this challenge.  But, then again I never did, 😏

Up to this point there are 463 words in this post.

Are you still with me?

Here are a few Social Media acronyms you might want to use the next time you are in a hurry. 

OAN – On another note

Ex. “@andydwer That makes sense. OAN, where’d you get your cool cover photo? :)”

OH – Overheard

Ex. “OH: The show is standing room only tonight.”

OMG – Oh my God

Ex. “OMG! I can’t believe how great this new app is. :)”

OMW – On my way

Ex. “OMW. See you in a few!”

OOTD – Outfit of the day

This social media meme has people sharing which outfit they’re wearing that day. Popular on Instagram, OOTD often will appear as a hashtag.

Ex. “New shirt. New pants. #OOTD”

OP – Original poster

Ex. “OP stated it best in her original question.”

ORLY – Oh really?!

Like LOLz, this abbreviation can be used sarcastically as well as seriously.

Ex. “ORLY? RT @kevanlee Firecrackers aren’t made from crackers.”

OTP – One true pairing

This refers to two people or characters that you feel are meant for each other.

Ex. “Lady and the Tramp are my OTP.”

A to Z 2019 April Blogger Challenge - The Letter N - Nervous Nelly

It's April - That means I will be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

I will be posting six days a week for the month of April - (with a rest day on Sunday).
Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.

I began participating in this challenge in 2012.   With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year.   Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.

Nervous Nelly

I suffer from anxiety.  Although there are times when I can't tell where the anxiety is coming from, most of the time it is situational.  I imagine it is not unusual for most people to feel anxious under certain circumstances. 
When I tell those who don't know me well that I am "very nervous" they are surprised and often say, "but you seem so calm."    I suppose internalizing is not the best way to manage anxiety. 
When my anxiety flares, it spreads like wildfire.   I'm not sure whether I am in flight or fight mode.  During those times no amount of deep breathing,  closing my eyes or listening to soothing piano music helps.  
When I am experiencing an attack, my symptoms are rapid heart beat, shaking and nausea.   It's then that I must rely on medication.   While I wait for the medication to kick in, I do try to calm myself. 
I will wrap myself up in a warm robe,  plug my earphones in,  listen to a boring book, and pick up my knitting.  
Some say that Yoga and meditation are ways to practice calmness so that it becomes second nature.    I've never been successful with meditation and I've yet to try Yoga.
My doctor has recommended a daily medication.  I did give it a try and it made horribly nauseous.   
I am still interested in meditation and am willing to seriously consider it once again. 
One of the things I have found out about myself, though, is that when I am faced with the most serious of times,  I find the strength to handle whatever needs to be handled at the time.  
After the crisis is over, though, I give in and basically crash. 

Image found here