Waking Up to Life-As-I-Know-It

You know you have been watching too much TV when the characters within the dramas you are following infiltrate your dreams.

I woke up to a vivid dream this morning. It was a dream. It was only a dream.

The world was coming to an end. I was in a house which was on a beach. Unexplainable and unusual things were happening. 

I was told to get Dr. Shaun Murphy [The Good Doctor] for some medical emergency. But someone said he is dead. I go to him anyway. He is alive and jumps out of bed to help ...

People were being gobbled up by something coming from the ocean and/or air. It was a dream. Details are weird. An orca was washed up on shore. The world was ending.

I was suddenly back in my own home, running around closing the blinds. Yes, closing the blinds will definitely help the situation. As I'm racing around the house, someone says, "We are out of milk" and we have all of Meredith Grey's children [Grey's Anatomy] to feed. 

I woke up. In my own bed. The world was exactly how I left it when I drifted off to sleep last night. Except ... the election results had been tallied up while I slept.

Immediately I checked the election results. From what I understand, the Liberals are still in power, with a minority government and the Conservatives came in very strong.

I don't understand politics. I think our world is just fine and we weathered yesterday's election well enough.

And ... we aren't out of milk. All is well in the world. Carry on!

This message is brought to you as a gentle reminder that waking up to life-as-you-knew-it before you drifted off to sleep last night is a blessing like no other.

The Good Old Days

How is it possible to lose the afterglow of a holiday so soon?

I have been back to work four days. I had a weekend after three of those days. Yet I woke up this morning feeling as if I was never away.

Exhaustion over-ruled any thoughts I may have had about how I would spend this past weekend. How can a person feel so worn out after working three days?

I woke up this morning and visions of my daycare days wafted through my mind. They were long days. They were challenging days. But we had quiet time. And I had some control over how I could manage my days.

Walks. Time at the park. Simply playing outside. Watching nature. Savoring the moments of children playing contentedly.

Even within the most challenging days, I was home. I was grounded. I could call a friend. Someone could drop by. I was home.

Another perk was the fact that I did not rely on my car. Winter is coming and if this car and I are going to weather the seasons ahead, I need to fix the stone chip in the windshield and look into getting better tires.

I liked working from home. I liked it a lot. I miss those good old days.

Best of Intentions

So many intentions. So little follow through. So went the days of my weekend.

I was home. All weekend. It was glorious. I was ecstatic. It was exactly where I wanted to be.

But the whole while, I was chiding myself for all I was not doing. I was not walking. I was not reading. I was not turning off the technical distractions.

I revelled in a Netflix marathon weekend. I was thrilled when I could watch Toy Story 4 from the comfort of my own home.

I cooked very little (I heated up spaghetti sauce I had leftover from another time and boiled spaghetti noodles - does that count?). I snacked on Cheezies and popcorn but I did not count them as meals.

I visited a little. But it was hard. I couldn't wait to retreat back into the solitude that is our home and life as I know it.

I did not accomplish what I set out to do this weekend past. But I've done fairly well with this Monday-in-progress.

Baby steps. Small steps in a forward direction. Just keep swimming ...

Joy

You know you are in the right place ...

... when "Joy" is the focal point of the kitchen.

*Compliments of our most excellent BnB in Guelph*

Watching the World Go By

The life of a cat ... 

... oh, to see the world through their eyes!

The Afterglow of My Vacation

It has been a week without to-do-lists, grocery lists, wish lists or guilt lists of any kind. I have returned back to life-as-I-know-it and I'm living in the present. It is a most wonderful place to be.

Unfortunately the weekend has arrived and the need for some groceries has arisen. I wrote a list. The car needs gas, I am out of cash so the need to cash in our bottles has arisen and if I want to move forward with getting a passport, I must get a passport picture taken.

I found myself scribbling down words in my "morning pages" which consisted of a dream list. The author who led the writing workshop I recently attended has three suggested life changing actions I (hope) to incorporate into my life:

• Morning pages - three pages, written in long hand each and every morning. This action declutters your mind puts your thoughts into a "send" mode
• Artist dates - set a date by yourself, for yourself to seek out and enjoy whatever is calling to you, to be in a "receive" mode
• Walk

My morning pages consisted of writing ideas of what I could do by myself, for myself to set myself in a mode to "receive" whatever may be forthcoming.

Normally, I return from a holiday and I'm intent on catching up on the blogs I follow, working to catch up on my online word and number puzzles and new lists begin.

This holiday, I came home and did none of the above. I simply took one forward step at a time. This motion got me through to today. A day where new lists have begun but I hope without the frenzy of anxiety that has been my motivating factor lately.

I feel renewed. I know this feeling will subside but it is my hope if I follow the advise I learned in the writing workshop I attended, I can keep my feet on the ground and focus on the present.

Being "present" and at home is where I most want to be. I wish you the same.

Removing Obstacles

It was a holiday I didn't know I needed until I walked back into life-as-I-know it.

A writing workshop gave me the tools I need to make the most out of my life outside of work. I rekindled friendships and family connections. This holiday has sparked the idea of "next time" ...

I went back to work yesterday and I started filling out my application for a passport this morning.

The passport will be good for ten years. I just want to make it easy to say "yes" to whatever opportunity presents itself next.

My default answer has become "No, but thank you for asking". I have been grateful for the obstacles that assisted me in declining invitations. Applying for a passport is one step in a positive direction. Saying "yes" is still a little daunting to me. But I think I'm ready to remove one of the obstacles I have fallen back on many times.

What can you do NOW, to make it easier to say "yes" to the next invitation life may present you? One small step in a forward direction is a very good step to take.