Ever have one of those days/weeks/months where you feel generally in a slump? That’s where I am right now. I don’t have anything much to comment on (despite the fact that there is much going on in the world today). Hence the title of today’s post.
What do you do to bring yourself out of the doldroms? How or where do you find your inspiration or muse? What changes in scenery do you seek?
So I read this on a blog recently (Newlywed Diaries – yes, I know….I’ve been married 21 years, but bear with me now….I got to this blog from another blog…Haven and Home and like the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” says, “So, there you go! Anyway, I digress!)
Do you ever find that you fall victim to the big, green-eyed monster envy? It is insidious. Some companies’ marketing approach is built on it. They show you stuff that you don’t have and work very hard to make you feel like to have to have it and you become very envious of those that do. Or, you go to someone’s lovely home and rather than simply admiring the lovely setting, the nugget of jealousy creeps in and you become envious of the
owner of this house. Come on, admit it, you’ve been there. Maybe it came over you when you got an email from someone and you saw at the bottom, “Sent from my iPad2″ and you realized you don’t have an iPad2 or even an iPad …..hmmmmm, that envy creeps in.
Well, the saying “Learn to admire without the need to acquire” seems to apply. I am going to work diligently to adopt this mantra. I really like it. It gets right to the heart of the matter. It doesn’t even send the guilt that “Count your blessings” sometimes does, at least for me. It simply suggests that we admire, without feeling that we have to do anything to try to match up.
I’m going to try it. What about you? What opens the door to your green monster of envy? How do you keep him at bay?
(I’m writing this upon hearing the news that Apple icon and master marketer, Steve Jobs, has died. What a legacy he built. RIP, Mr. Jobs. We love the products you brought to us.)
I’m at that age in life when my world is again shrinking rather than expanding. It’s all part of that Lion King “Circle of Life” thing, but it feels funny. There was a time when everything that happened was big – big groceries, big family, big laundry, big, full schedules, big minivan….it was because we had 4 kids in the house. Busy was our usual mode.
Now, we are empty nesters. Our house is quiet. Our grocery bills are small and our laundry is light. Interesting change of pace. Some very nice elements to it. However, the change is one that I’ve yet to fully accept, if I’m being honest.
I’ve always loved quiet and solitary pursuits, but lately, it feels a little too much like a blanket over my head – a little bit warm and cozy, but also a little suffocating.
How about you? How do you handle transitions in life? How do you discover the next curiosity? How do you illuminate the smaller path?
Several of my friends posted this image and quote online recently, and I found it really spoke to me! As I see it, sometimes the measurement we use to evaluate a person should be to determine “what is the talent they bring?”
In other words, being comfortable in your own skin, and allowing others the same thing. Each of us truly is a child of God, with talents and gifts the are divinely given. Why then, do we try to fit everyone into the same mold? (Maybe you don’t do that, but often I do!).
My children are a perfect example of this. Despite their shared genetics, they are very different from one another – different interests, different personalities, different goals. I am sometimes tempted to try to group them together and judge them by a common measuring stick. Of course, I shouldn’t be judging them at all, but that’s a topic for another post! Anyway, at any one point in time, I should use a clock to measure one child, a measuring stick for another child and a tuning fork for the next - you get the idea. Further, I can’t even use the same measuring device over time. For each child, I might need to use a ruler one day and a measuring cup the next.
While that presents a challenge, it also presents such blessings. Their rich diversity is what yields such a cornucopia of delight. I’m pleased that they are so different – both from each other and from me and their father. They all seem to “fit” differently in their own skin – sometimes better than other times, even. But, thankfully, they are forging their own pathway. And in the end, isn’t that when we are most happy – when we are forging our own path and comfortable in our own skin?
What do you think? Do you ever feel that you are being judged (or judging) by the wrong measuring stick? What unique talents do you possess and how do you get comfortable if your talent doesn’t line up with the one you are expected to use? How do you adjust?
It’s Friday – whew! I’ve had mixed blessings recently. My youngest son is home from college, for the first time. He’s a freshman and enjoying the college experience, and willing to share it with me. However, he’s now in that strange sort of “man without a country” phase – he enjoys being home and we enjoy his being here, but he’s already, in just a few weeks, become accustomed to not having to live with our rules – “being on his own” if you will. He wants his evening to begin at 10 PM and that is tough for us – mainly because of when it means his evening will end – early in the morning.
I recall my mother relating a similar experience when my brother and I would return home from college and leave disarray, dirty dishes in the sink and piles of shoes and clothes and newspapers in our wake. She said my father, a very wise man of few words, asked her “Would you rather that they not be here and for it to be all neat and clean?” Sort of puts it all into perspective.
So, I’m working to see more of the “blessing” and to ignore more of the “mixed” part.
How about you? What sort of mixed blessings do you have each day? How do you tip the scale to blessing?
Several years ago, after our oldest daughter graduated from college, our family was gathered to celebrate the Christmas holiday. One evening after dinner, we were all sitting around and my brother asked my daughter how her new job was going. He was catching up with her and making small talk.
After a short pause, she said,
“Well, it’s not as much fun as I thought it would be.”
I don’t know why, but we all cracked up! It was as if she was stating every Millenial’s view of the working world – this transition into the working world wasn’t exactly what she had envisioned. We all told her that’s why they call it work, rather than all of us going to play.
Anyway, it sort of has become a family “mantra” – often said in a very “tongue-in-cheek” way.
I’ve had a very busy several weeks, with many late nights at the office and many early mornings. It has been draining. It’s not helped at all by the economic news these days – Greek and European default prospects, American job losses, economic strain, political wrangling and more. But it’s gotten me thinking…..what can I do to restore the joy to each day? What can I do to make it more fun like I thought it would be?
What about you – how do you adjust your attitude when things are tough? How do you make it more fun than you thought it would be?
Ever have a task that seems to take on monumental dimensions? Cleaning out closets, laundry, journaling, a work project? Why do we build it so big in our minds?
Logically, I know that I have to divide the task into smaller, more finite tasks or bites of the project. But I can’t always make that transition.
How do you forge on? How do you overcome inertia? Do you “fake it ’til you make it”? Since it’s Monday, many of us have a lengthy “to-do” list. What strategies allow you to forge ahead? What inspiration can you share?
