In my case, it was medical issues and a long hospital stay that invoked my epiphany and started me down the path but it need not be the case for everyone. Oddly enough, in a fit of boredom I'd started looking up ideas for using up leftovers so that fewer things would die in our fridge, which would save us money.. and in true internet fashion I'd gone on a fantastic voyage..
I began by taking a look at the things that were working, the things that weren't, the things I wanted to do, and how I might modify my plan in order that I could still accomplish my goals despite the limitations I was facing.
Some things came more easily than others -- like using an electric frying pan to cook a meal when I couldn't stand at the stove -- but others weren't so simple, even more still remained impossible.
I have to be honest, I didn't always get it right (and still don't!) but the main thing is remembering that every day is a new day to try again. I'm lucky that I have some pretty amazing friends and family that serve as my sounding board and aren't afraid to tell me that I'm crazy when they think I need to hear it.
Though here I am almost 9 years later walking on my own two feet, and working with and among some of the most creative people I've ever known. I still have a ways to go, but I won't forget how blessed I am or how easily things could have turned out so much differently.
Today is the first day that my fingers have touched a keyboard since before Christmas. That's pretty rare in my world. We've been pretty swamped lately, and this week brought us not one but both of our grandkids for the week. Hubby took a few days off and it seemed like a good time to just unplug for a bit. (turn it off and back on again makes everything work better, doesn't it?) Dancing in the medzone never helps, but I'm not allowing it any airplay. There's no time for that.
We have allowed ourselves to get so busy, the white spaces on the calendar are filled with everything for everybody else. There is no "me" and very little "we" and now that I am wrangling grandkids most of the week I have achieved a new level of exhausted.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE having my grandkids here and watching them grow and change. We have enjoyed all of our adventures of Grandparenthood immensely. We consider them among our greatest gifts.
I have become quite aware however, of how my schedule seems to be making me, and not the other way around. So much of it revolves around what others need of me, and not what I actually want to plan. There are more than a couple out there hell-bent on causing regular disturbances to the force rather than anything productive too. It has really forced me to re-think what time management is, and at times get really creative about it. As with most things, it is a process. I can hear a former instructor's voice in my head telling me that I have to get better at saying no. (Thanks Ed!)
We upgraded our phones over the holidays and I purposely didn't add any apps or anything to it, was using my old phone to play Words with Friends, and the tablet to play what Brayden calls "Moo Cow." I checked e-mail every or so only to make sure there was nothing critical, and did spent an hour or so cleaning up my personal e-mail on the tablet (mostly deleting crap-mail) but that was it. What should have been weird, was actually pretty awesome.
I really hadn't planned to take a week or so "off", but it has been a long time in coming. While the temptation is to make some hot tea and cuddle up with a book or some crafting in the corner, we have both been plugging away on our own respective honey-do lists, while enjoying time with our grandbabies, as well as all of the rituals of the holidays. 2 of our kids came home for Christmas; it was wonderful to get to spend some time with them as well. We even had a surprise visit from a friend who used to live nearby but now lives in SK!
Like many great things in my life, I didn't plan it, it just happened rather organically.
Bring on this wonderful new year.. I'm ready!
No comments:
Post a Comment