This, That and the Other

There is no one central theme running through my mind this morning, so I'm just going to let my mind wander and see where my fingers take me ...

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Sometimes you just have to walk away from something and come back at it with a fresh mind.

Computer glitches, balancing the bank book, onerous jobs, crossword puzzles, tough homework assignments ...

You name it, if it overwhelms you and you are becoming frustrated, it is worth a few minutes of your sanity to walk away from it and come back later.

Neat coincidence ... last week, in a moment of frustration about not being able to solve my problem-of-the-moment, I picked up the phone and called my sister. She wasn't home. After that short break, I sat down and solved my mystery. Where had my sister gone? She too, had decided to walk away from something she just couldn't figure out. We were sharing the experience of 'just walking away' from something (so that we could come back at it later with a fresh perspective) at the very same time, across the miles.

It's not rocket science, but I have found this to be true more often than not. The key is to come back.

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You should follow through on your instincts.

I can't begin to count the number of times that I've just gone with the moment and done something without over thinking and talking myself out of it. I've run very close to a 100% success rate when I follow my instincts. Yet ... I continue to hold onto that habit. Of over thinking.

I was talking to my mom just before supper time on the weekend. As we were saying our good-byes, she asked if I'd had supper yet. I was in a whimsical mood because I wasn't responsible for anyone but 'me' on Saturday night. I thought of picking up the phone to call a friend and see if she had supper plans. But I was in the process of talking myself out of it. Who doesn't already have supper plans by 5:10 on a Saturday night? My mom's response? If she lives by herself, call her!

I called my friend immediately upon hanging up the phone with my mom. I don't even know if the phone rang one complete ring and my friend answered with a smile in her voice. After a few preliminary questions, I asked if she was busy and if she'd like to go out for supper. Well! She was just in the process of wondering what she was going to do about supper herself and was considering ordering something in. Within five minutes of our conversation, I was out the door. We had a most excellent supper and completely spontaneous visit. All because my mom encouraged me to follow through on my instincts.

Always listen to your instincts. It astounds me every time, when I call someone and they say "I was just thinking of you ..." (and the number of times someone has called me and I have been thinking of them). ESP? Coincidence? Whatever it is, it's worth the risk of dialing the phone.

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Sundays are not meant to be a work day.

I worked yesterday. It was not a good day. I had trouble accomplishing things, my self esteem was in the toilet, I was sensitive, I was frustrated and I was overwhelmed.

Thankfully our family Sunday Supper forced me to stop for a moment and prepare some nourishment. The desire to just go to McDonald's (insert McDonald's theme song here - "You deserve a break today") was at an all time high.

Instinct told me - put a ham in the oven. The rest of the meal will come together.

I knew I needed to walk away from my day.

I followed my instincts. I walked away. I sat down and had supper with my family.

The 'round (rectangle) table' conversation that followed our meal was light and easy. I vented my frustrations of the day and the comment was made "For having such a bad day, you seem to be in a good mood ...". And I was. I needed to stop. I needed to vent. My adult children listened to me and diverted my attention away from things-that-really-don't-matter.

I didn't return to my work after we parted ways last night.

It should be a law! Sundays are a day of rest. A day to walk away from the week's responsibilities. A day to be guided by your whims. A day for family.

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I guess I did have a central theme running through my mind after all.