March came in like a lamb ... so you know what they say. We are all expecting the arrival of the lion. But honestly? Did that lion have to start growling already?
It has simply been a very long winter. Apparently "...this is nothing compared to the winters 60 years ago...", but to the best of my recollections over the course of my adult years, this is the most snow that I can recall.
To top it all off there was a water main break in Our Fair City yesterday. When I woke up at 5:30, our water pressure was very, very low. So I went and filled up all of our water jugs, water bottles and kettle. Just in case.
We were fortunate. Our water was not affected by the water main break. There was simply an advisory to boil drinking/cooking water before consumption.
On top of this (which is truly rather minor in the whole scheme of things), our temperatures are dipping back into the -20 degree range. And it snowed (for what felt like all day, but it wasn't).
Two Saturdays ago, I was dodging puddles as I delivered papers. Not even a week later, my feet got caught up in an ice rut and I went down like a rock. Last night, I was quite literally 'dashing through the snow' ...
You can tell people are sick and tired of shovelling snow. Possibly half of the houses I delivered flyers to didn't bother shovelling their walks the last few snowfalls (these last few days). I have been out every day since Wednesday 'monitoring' the situation, since I had an extra day's worth of deliveries to make this week. The snow is piling up. And we are all getting sick of it!
I know, I know how fortunate that we truly are. Our city just missed a massive snowfall a few weeks ago. A storm was headed our way but just missed us. The same was not true for those south of us. Highways were closed and traffic was at a standstill.
Despite a major water main break, we were fortunate enough to have water. All day. Our power has not been affected. The furnace is keeping us warm, our homes are sheltering us and we have all of the luxuries available to us at the flick of a switch or turn of a faucet.
But it has simply gone on long enough. The sky has been gray most of the winter. We are craving blue skies and green grass.
The bright side of my little gripe session is that I 'lost' two days! I went through all of yesterday thinking that it was March 13th. I didn't realize how wrong I was until I hovered the computer mouse over the time this morning and saw "March 16th". I didn't believe it. I had to go to a calendar to confirm the date. Who knew!?!??
We are half-way through the longest month of the year. The month before spring (right?? ... spring is going to peak its nose out in April, isn't it??). The lion is growling ... I do not want to hear its roar as it blasts the last of what it has to offer before it goes out like a lamb. For good.
Snow, snow ... go away. We want spring to come and stay!!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday Smile :)
I got a text message from Older Sister this afternoon. At first glance, I thought someone must be sending me a message from her phone. My Sister doesn't text, does she??
My Sister is eleven years older than I am, and I am no spring chicken (and I am not a big fan of texting). So ... I was duly impressed that she texts.
Our conversation went as follows (FYI: our city had a 'boil water advisory' announced due to a water main break today):
Sister: How's your water. Are you boiling it
Me: Second Son called to let me know of the advisory
Sister: Yea right you foot listen to the radio. I knew at 730
Me: You foot listen to the radio?
Sister: I guess I should read my message before sending it. Radio
You had me at "... you foot listen ..."
But "Radio"??
My Sister is eleven years older than I am, and I am no spring chicken (and I am not a big fan of texting). So ... I was duly impressed that she texts.
Our conversation went as follows (FYI: our city had a 'boil water advisory' announced due to a water main break today):
Sister: How's your water. Are you boiling it
Me: Second Son called to let me know of the advisory
Sister: Yea right you foot listen to the radio. I knew at 730
Me: You foot listen to the radio?
Sister: I guess I should read my message before sending it. Radio
You had me at "... you foot listen ..."
But "Radio"??
Choose Happiness Instead
"You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead.
Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life.
Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life."
~Anaïs Nin~
These are such wise words and it sounds like it should be so easy to heed this advise...
In the real world, you wake up each morning and must walk out of the comfort of the positive zone that you have created within your heart. What if you must walk 'back into the lion's den' day in and day out? How do you win back that sense of peace that you fight to grasp onto when you are walking against the current in your work world?
What if you don't have a peaceful oasis to return home to at the end of a long, hard work day? What if you have demands and stressors within (what should be) your oasis at home? What chance do you have of trying to maintain the status quo of negative verses positive factors in your life?
Life is full of conflicting forces. Positive verses negative. Good verses evil. Health verses illness. Prosperity verses poverty. Happiness verses sadness. The list goes on ...
When you are in the thick of living your life and pushing through the hard stuff, it is hard to know if you are overcoming challenges that you will eventually triumph or if you are walking against the current and you should simply turn around and go with the natural flow.
It isn't until we are looking at our life backwards, that we see things more clearly. The answers unveil themselves and we see that certain challenges were necessary for us to learn what we needed to know, to grow.
What I've learned from where I've been, is that I need to fill myself up first. It is like grabbing the oxygen mask so that you can help others. You are no good to anyone else if you are not breathing yourself.
Secondly, you must 'maintain your oxygen supply'. Read, watch and surround yourself with that-which-is-positive. You can only take in so much fresh air at a time. Keep the flow coming in like a trickle charger for a car battery. A small, continuous amount of positive is necessary to maintain the negative energy drain that is all around us.
Do what is in your power, to change that which is bringing you down. Not many of us can afford to walk away from a job that is draining us. But can we seek the positive within that job and draw our focus to that? Can we seek alternate employment? Seek out any and all resources to find coping mechanisms and strategies. Above all - seek out positive people to walk at your side. Don't feed the negative ...
Look at your relationships with those who are an influential part of your life. Are they energy drains or do they fuel and support you? Examine those that are draining your energy. Are they expendable? Can you 'let them go'? Or are they an integral part of your life? Let go of that which is not good for you. If you can't let go of the relationship, find positive coping mechanisms. Don't take on the negative. Find strategies to help you maintain a healthy perspective within an unhealthy relationship (Alanon taught me many mantras and coping strategies that remain a part of my being, 25+ years after the fact. It is possible to separate the person from the disease).
We sometimes feel powerless, but we always have the ability to choose how we react. Sometimes that is all that we have. Maybe we can make small changes within something we cannot change. Other times we do have the power to change what feels unchangeable. If we cannot change something right now ... maybe we can strategize and make future plans. Anything we do to help us see beyond the moment empowers us.
Don't become one of those who becomes 'a destroyer of life'. Instead, "...take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life..."
Thursday, March 14, 2013
My Oprah Moment(s)
Oprah is coming to Our Fair City soon and a friend asked if I'd like to go with her. I would have loved to go, but I couldn't justify the cost of the tickets. So I declined the invitation (but thought to myself "... but I'd sure love to win some tickets!").
Another friend forwarded an email to me this morning about a contest that one of our radio stations is having - to win a pair of tickets to Oprah's show. All you had to do was send an email telling the radio host about your 'Oprah Moment'.
I felt a little bit wordless this morning, so I went and searched my blog with the word "Oprah" and came up with 36 posts. I sent in excerpts from six of them ...
As I reread those old posts, a spark was ignited within me. Suddenly I was feeling more upbeat and ready to take on the day.
Oprah brought a wide variety of experts and thought provoking stories onto her stage. As I replayed some of these episodes that I had written about in my mind, visions of her guests and stories came to mind. It was not specifically 'Oprah', the person that I was thinking about ... but 'Oprah', the television show.
It was like opening a book and thumbing through the pages and stopping at a few of the chapters that caught my interest. It was a myriad of memories, thoughts, wisdom, inspiration and key phrases that resonated within.
I like to think that I keep a little morsel of that-which-inspires-me within me at all times. Simply waiting for something to fan the flame and bring it to the forefront of my thoughts from time to time.
Oprah and her television show provided me with many embers that are deeply embedded in my subconscious mind. As it is, with my day-to-day life.
Take a small moment and savor it. Keep the lesson and let it inspire you. And then carry on ...
That is the lesson that Oprah taught me.
Another friend forwarded an email to me this morning about a contest that one of our radio stations is having - to win a pair of tickets to Oprah's show. All you had to do was send an email telling the radio host about your 'Oprah Moment'.
I felt a little bit wordless this morning, so I went and searched my blog with the word "Oprah" and came up with 36 posts. I sent in excerpts from six of them ...
As I reread those old posts, a spark was ignited within me. Suddenly I was feeling more upbeat and ready to take on the day.
Oprah brought a wide variety of experts and thought provoking stories onto her stage. As I replayed some of these episodes that I had written about in my mind, visions of her guests and stories came to mind. It was not specifically 'Oprah', the person that I was thinking about ... but 'Oprah', the television show.
It was like opening a book and thumbing through the pages and stopping at a few of the chapters that caught my interest. It was a myriad of memories, thoughts, wisdom, inspiration and key phrases that resonated within.
I like to think that I keep a little morsel of that-which-inspires-me within me at all times. Simply waiting for something to fan the flame and bring it to the forefront of my thoughts from time to time.
Oprah and her television show provided me with many embers that are deeply embedded in my subconscious mind. As it is, with my day-to-day life.
Take a small moment and savor it. Keep the lesson and let it inspire you. And then carry on ...
That is the lesson that Oprah taught me.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Momentum
I could have curled up into a little ball and cried when the alarm went off this morning. It felt like I had just closed my eyes. Wait!! It felt like I had just closed my eyes?!?? That meant that I slept soundly last night. It has been a while since I woke up to the alarm, with no memory of anything since setting the sleep timer on the TV. Hooray!!
The reason that I didn't want to get up was because I didn't want to face the flyers that would inevitably be dropped off this morning. Creak ... crackle ... pop... and moan. And I was out of bed.
I haven't sat still (for long) since.
The flyers were not dropped off until almost 6:45 a.m., so I couldn't get an early start. But I could get a start. So I set one foot in front of the other, grumbled and complained when I saw that the bin was crammed full of flyers (spring is in the air and all the sales associated with the change of seasons, so the flyers were thick), plus a one-page 'topper' to boot. Grumble ... grumble ... complain ... complain. And I was off.
I delivered two thirds of the flyers before my daycare family started arriving. We got every one in, fed, bathroomed and ready to go outside. Shortly after 9 a.m., I had my little daycare family of three ready to tackle more flyers. Two in the stroller and one 'helping' me push. The sidewalks are a mess and the roads are not much better. It took every muscle in my body to push the stroller as well as carry a full load of flyers in my carrier bag. Grrrr ... hrumph ... grumble ... whine ... complain. And we just kept on putting one foot ahead of the other.
My two girls (that were lucky enough to be in the stroller) fell asleep. The decision to continue to tackling the job was easy. Especially because my two-year-old was so co-operative. He was pretty amazing as a matter of fact. One hour and twenty minutes later (it would have taken no longer than 45 minutes if I didn't have three kids in tow) ... all of the flyers were delivered!! Hallelujah!!
I kept the momentum going throughout the day. Little things got done. Nothing major but a handful of little things all add up. We aren't sticking to the kitchen floor. Meter readings got done. I vacummed a little (the kids love the game of running away from the vacuum cleaner). Oh, and I did take care of three small children all day as well (man, these ages are demanding!).
It was a day that I did not want to confront. It was a day that was better off dealt with head on, than ignored. Bit by bit, step by step, hour by hour ... the day was spent.
It is a very good feeling to sit back at the end of a somewhat productive day and be happy with what you have accomplished.
I guess it was worth getting out of bed this morning. Now, I just have to do it all over again tomorrow. There will be about 166 Leisure Guides to be delivered. Not to mention that our forecast says that it is going to feel like -20 degrees in the morning (after reaching a balmy -8 this afternoon) ... grumble ... grumble ... complain ... whine ...
The reason that I didn't want to get up was because I didn't want to face the flyers that would inevitably be dropped off this morning. Creak ... crackle ... pop... and moan. And I was out of bed.
I haven't sat still (for long) since.
The flyers were not dropped off until almost 6:45 a.m., so I couldn't get an early start. But I could get a start. So I set one foot in front of the other, grumbled and complained when I saw that the bin was crammed full of flyers (spring is in the air and all the sales associated with the change of seasons, so the flyers were thick), plus a one-page 'topper' to boot. Grumble ... grumble ... complain ... complain. And I was off.
I delivered two thirds of the flyers before my daycare family started arriving. We got every one in, fed, bathroomed and ready to go outside. Shortly after 9 a.m., I had my little daycare family of three ready to tackle more flyers. Two in the stroller and one 'helping' me push. The sidewalks are a mess and the roads are not much better. It took every muscle in my body to push the stroller as well as carry a full load of flyers in my carrier bag. Grrrr ... hrumph ... grumble ... whine ... complain. And we just kept on putting one foot ahead of the other.
My two girls (that were lucky enough to be in the stroller) fell asleep. The decision to continue to tackling the job was easy. Especially because my two-year-old was so co-operative. He was pretty amazing as a matter of fact. One hour and twenty minutes later (it would have taken no longer than 45 minutes if I didn't have three kids in tow) ... all of the flyers were delivered!! Hallelujah!!
I kept the momentum going throughout the day. Little things got done. Nothing major but a handful of little things all add up. We aren't sticking to the kitchen floor. Meter readings got done. I vacummed a little (the kids love the game of running away from the vacuum cleaner). Oh, and I did take care of three small children all day as well (man, these ages are demanding!).
It was a day that I did not want to confront. It was a day that was better off dealt with head on, than ignored. Bit by bit, step by step, hour by hour ... the day was spent.
It is a very good feeling to sit back at the end of a somewhat productive day and be happy with what you have accomplished.
I guess it was worth getting out of bed this morning. Now, I just have to do it all over again tomorrow. There will be about 166 Leisure Guides to be delivered. Not to mention that our forecast says that it is going to feel like -20 degrees in the morning (after reaching a balmy -8 this afternoon) ... grumble ... grumble ... complain ... whine ...
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
98%
As I was talking with my cousin the other day, I mentioned that living with one's adult children can be 98% good ... but sometimes that 2% feels bigger than it is in reality.
Isn't that the way it is with life?
I had a minorly frustrating daycare-day yesterday. It was fueled by the fact that I was tired. I wasn't rolling with the punches the way that I am capable of doing. The kids were tired on top of my tiredness. All things tolled, it wasn't an awful day. But at the end of it, that 2% was all that I felt.
I have come to a happy realization that my return to daycare is exactly where I am meant to be right now. The families that have come to me are wonderful. In reality, I need one or two more children to make this financially feasible. But the dynamics between the children that I have are 98% good. To add one more unknown to this formula could tip the balance. I like where things are at. I believe we will focus on what we have and add more to the mix when my one-year-olds are a little older.
The flip side to this contentment is reality. My daycare income alone does not quite pay the bills. So my extra income sources are a necessity. I cannot afford to say 'no' to any opportunity right now. Each and every one of my extra jobs is 98% good. The 2% is the sacrifice I must make to fit all of this into a seven-day-week.
I like what I am doing. I am content with my life. As long as I keep my sights set on shorter (under five years) term goals, I know that I have steered my life in the direction that I want to go. When I look long term? It becomes just a tad frightening. I am 98% certain that it will all work out in the wash. It always does. Keep my eye on the prize and I will go where I am meant to go. It is that 2% of fearfulness that niggles away at my sense of security that feels bigger than it is at times.
My home life is pretty much wonderful right now. Our house is full. Three adults, a 14 year-old, two dogs and a cat take up a lot of space in a home and in a life. There is such a sense of harmony within all of the creatures within this 1000 square foot home. How did I manage to get so lucky?!? It is good 98% of the time. That nasty 2% rears its head from time to time and seeps into the contentment within these walls.
I have strong and supportive relationships within my friends and family. I am 100% happy with the people that I have in my life. Do I miss the idea of a forever-partner-in-life? Possibly .5% of the time. 99.5% of the time, I know that my life is complete, rewarding and fulfilling just the way it is. To bring a 'partnership' of foreverness into the mix would be beyond challenging. Compromise, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse ... those are big promises. Life is safe and easy this way. It is just that .5% of the time? It would be nice to have someone to hold my hand as I walk through this life.
Ninety eight percent is a pretty good overall average. I'll take it. I will savor it and be grateful for it. Life isn't perfect and it wouldn't be good for us, if it was. We need those contrasts in life to fully appreciate what we already have.
Isn't that the way it is with life?
I had a minorly frustrating daycare-day yesterday. It was fueled by the fact that I was tired. I wasn't rolling with the punches the way that I am capable of doing. The kids were tired on top of my tiredness. All things tolled, it wasn't an awful day. But at the end of it, that 2% was all that I felt.
I have come to a happy realization that my return to daycare is exactly where I am meant to be right now. The families that have come to me are wonderful. In reality, I need one or two more children to make this financially feasible. But the dynamics between the children that I have are 98% good. To add one more unknown to this formula could tip the balance. I like where things are at. I believe we will focus on what we have and add more to the mix when my one-year-olds are a little older.
The flip side to this contentment is reality. My daycare income alone does not quite pay the bills. So my extra income sources are a necessity. I cannot afford to say 'no' to any opportunity right now. Each and every one of my extra jobs is 98% good. The 2% is the sacrifice I must make to fit all of this into a seven-day-week.
I like what I am doing. I am content with my life. As long as I keep my sights set on shorter (under five years) term goals, I know that I have steered my life in the direction that I want to go. When I look long term? It becomes just a tad frightening. I am 98% certain that it will all work out in the wash. It always does. Keep my eye on the prize and I will go where I am meant to go. It is that 2% of fearfulness that niggles away at my sense of security that feels bigger than it is at times.
My home life is pretty much wonderful right now. Our house is full. Three adults, a 14 year-old, two dogs and a cat take up a lot of space in a home and in a life. There is such a sense of harmony within all of the creatures within this 1000 square foot home. How did I manage to get so lucky?!? It is good 98% of the time. That nasty 2% rears its head from time to time and seeps into the contentment within these walls.
I have strong and supportive relationships within my friends and family. I am 100% happy with the people that I have in my life. Do I miss the idea of a forever-partner-in-life? Possibly .5% of the time. 99.5% of the time, I know that my life is complete, rewarding and fulfilling just the way it is. To bring a 'partnership' of foreverness into the mix would be beyond challenging. Compromise, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse ... those are big promises. Life is safe and easy this way. It is just that .5% of the time? It would be nice to have someone to hold my hand as I walk through this life.
Ninety eight percent is a pretty good overall average. I'll take it. I will savor it and be grateful for it. Life isn't perfect and it wouldn't be good for us, if it was. We need those contrasts in life to fully appreciate what we already have.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Balancing to Zero
If someone had told me that I had to do all that I did this past weekend, I would have been some kind of grumpy. Instead, it was a weekend of perpetual motion. One activity segued perfectly into the next (and the next and the next) and it was well balanced weekend.
I delivered all of the Friday and Saturday flyers/papers on Friday. It felt heavenly to know that job was done and behind me for the weekend, before I went to sleep Friday night. Why don't I always do this? Well, perhaps -20 and -30 degree weather and (what feels like) unending darkness throughout the winter months played a factor. I will endeavor to make this become a habit.
I worked for three hours Saturday morning (cleaning for a friend) and five hours Sunday afternoon (bookkeeping). As much as I don't like the idea of committing a little bit of each weekend day to extra-curricular income earning activities, I must admit that this way was better. It kept the work:play ratio in balance.
I had time to 'play' after my work was done. Supper with a friend on Friday; I met my cousin for coffee Saturday afternoon; My Youngest and I went to a movie Saturday night; and I went out for supper with My Oldest Sunday night. Each activity was played by ear and the only plan that I knew in advance was changed from 'coffee' to 'supper' on the spur-of-the-moment.
I had enough time in the mornings to write. Just a bit. I have more columns due and I must sit down and do some serious writing soon. But this past weekend? At least I had enough time to let my fingers wander the keyboard and see where they wanted to go. Time to let my subconscious speak its mind ...
Thankfully I had few errands to tend. I bought groceries and put them away. That was enough! I washed a load of laundry and completed that small task. I tidied the kitchen and readied our world for my daycare family to reenter it this morning. Even the housework and errand-running tasks were kept in perfect harmony this past weekend.
Life maintained a sense of balance. A little work, a little play, time for family, time for friends, a few household items to tend and still enough time left over to write, to sleep and to watch the episode of "The Gilmore Girls" that I had taped on Friday.
In the world of bookkeeping, life is black and white. It is right or it is wrong. There are checks and balances. Your goal is to balance to zero. In my mind, this is the vision that I have of this past weekend. It was a weekend in perfect balance.
I delivered all of the Friday and Saturday flyers/papers on Friday. It felt heavenly to know that job was done and behind me for the weekend, before I went to sleep Friday night. Why don't I always do this? Well, perhaps -20 and -30 degree weather and (what feels like) unending darkness throughout the winter months played a factor. I will endeavor to make this become a habit.
I worked for three hours Saturday morning (cleaning for a friend) and five hours Sunday afternoon (bookkeeping). As much as I don't like the idea of committing a little bit of each weekend day to extra-curricular income earning activities, I must admit that this way was better. It kept the work:play ratio in balance.
I had time to 'play' after my work was done. Supper with a friend on Friday; I met my cousin for coffee Saturday afternoon; My Youngest and I went to a movie Saturday night; and I went out for supper with My Oldest Sunday night. Each activity was played by ear and the only plan that I knew in advance was changed from 'coffee' to 'supper' on the spur-of-the-moment.
I had enough time in the mornings to write. Just a bit. I have more columns due and I must sit down and do some serious writing soon. But this past weekend? At least I had enough time to let my fingers wander the keyboard and see where they wanted to go. Time to let my subconscious speak its mind ...
Thankfully I had few errands to tend. I bought groceries and put them away. That was enough! I washed a load of laundry and completed that small task. I tidied the kitchen and readied our world for my daycare family to reenter it this morning. Even the housework and errand-running tasks were kept in perfect harmony this past weekend.
Life maintained a sense of balance. A little work, a little play, time for family, time for friends, a few household items to tend and still enough time left over to write, to sleep and to watch the episode of "The Gilmore Girls" that I had taped on Friday.
In the world of bookkeeping, life is black and white. It is right or it is wrong. There are checks and balances. Your goal is to balance to zero. In my mind, this is the vision that I have of this past weekend. It was a weekend in perfect balance.
Now the challenge is to maintain that sense of balance to the week and weekend ahead ...
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