Author: worrylessjourney

Too much is too much

by worrylessjourney, posted in aging, balance, choices, consequences, exhausted, help, learn, moderation

ehausted from yard work.jpgToday was a yard day. I didn’t really want to get out there but the hedges were desperate. Do you ever bite off more than you can chew?

The hedges were filled with vines which had to be pulled and cut away. Then it was obvious that pruning and shaping were important too. The problem is the hedge is too tall and too wide to just easily fix it with hedge trimmers. It can be done but it is a major job and I was already hot and tired. Nevertheless, I plunged ahead. Hot and dragging I managed to get all but a tiny smidgen finished. There was an area dead center at the top where it required a ladder to reach. I dragged out a ladder and did about half of that before I realized that I was DONE IN! I managed to get into the house. Crawled up the stairs and into a cold shower. I could hardly stand so I leaned against the shower wall.

I was revived some, took some ibuprofen and am recovering. It was a stupid thing to do. I could have collapsed from heat stroke. Thank God I didn’t. Lesson learned. No matter how bad you want to finish there is a limit. Don’t go past it!

Best wishes for a great weekend!

Disturbance

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, aggravations, belief, consequences, feelings, freedom, persistance

Today I thought about the word disturbance. It struck me in two different ways.

kerfuffle

This is what has been happening in my home and my life. Workmen tramp in and out. Stuff is carried about and dust collects daily on anything that doesn’t move. I clean in vain. I know that this will be over soon and the house will return to normal?? ( I use that word loosely) It will be wonderful to have things stay clean longer than one day. We will have a renovated and safe bathroom. We will not fall through the shower into the depths beneath.  Hooray!

Our home will return to what I hope is:

disturbance

An “I” society

by worrylessjourney, posted in aggravations, anger, choices, courtesy, little things, problems, responsible, selfish

Today my husband and I took our weekly trip to the grocery store. When we came back out and unloaded out groceries then (as usual) I went to take the cart to the “return carts” place. On the way to do that I found three more carts in the middle of parking places that people had not bothered to return.

Selfish-1024x740

Since this was no where near the handicapped area these were obviously people who were well able to return the carts. The total time that it took me to return all of the carts was less that one minute.

It is laziness? Are they too busy? Too important? Too uncaring? I mean really how long does it take to put the cart where it belongs. In addition to the cart not put away those carts blocked three parking places that could have been used.

We are really becoming a lazy, uncaring society. Yes, the carts would have been corralled by the staff of the store but in the meantime they are a nuisance to other shoppers and take extra time for the employees to retrieve.

It is not that this is wildly important but it is a symptom of a bigger problem. We have created a society of people who don’t care about anyone but themselves. I wish I knew how to fix this.

Do we appreciate our freedom?

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, belief, choices, commitment, consequences, control, decisions, freedom, gratitude, responsible, speak

In this country we take our freedoms for granted. Most of us are unaware of what it is like to live where there are few personal freedoms. We have never experienced it. Maybe we need to spend some time in North Korea or another country where the decision are not ours to make. As a people we are so naive.

freedom 3

Be grateful for the freedoms we have. We have to guard them carefully and speak out when we see them being eroded .

The insurance fog

by worrylessjourney, posted in aggravations, answers, choices, connections, coping, medical, persistance, wisdom

Insurance companies are so much fun. They approve claims unless…… somewhere in the fine print they don’t. The policies are difficult to read and parse the intangibles. I am sure it is deliberate. In the case of property etc it is aggravating enough but in medical issues it can be life and death.

aggravations (1)

When I worked as a Case Manager I had to be able to read and understand the policies. One of the best things I learned in my life. I can’t do it with property but I can read through the details on medical insurance and find the little catches that are used to avoid approving things. So very useful in today’s world.

onward

As in most things it is the squeaking wheel that gets action but doing that can take time and much aggravation. Confusion is one of the tools used to make us think there is no way through the fog. Usually there is but finding it is tricky. If you are struggling with a problem like this see if you can find an advocate who understands the system and can help. Sometimes physician’s office staff can help.

Invisible

by worrylessjourney, posted in aging, appreciate, compassion, empathy, help, Uncategorized

I was watching a tv program and there was a scene in a nursing home. One of the elderly men was talking about being there. He said the hardest part was being invisible. When we are younger we have an identity. We are handsome or beautiful, pretty or a nurse, doctor or workman. We have something to connect to. As we age we are just called old. Not connected to anyone or anything. Nothing special.

It is so sad but having visited nursing homes he is so right. The elderly are invisible. But they have had lives. They have stories to tell. We need to acknowledge them.

“Act as if”

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, aggravations, change, choices, control, feelings, habits, perspective, Uncategorized

why_holding_a_grudge_can_ruin_your_health_600xSometimes it is difficult to let go of a grudge against someone. Over time our church has had difficulties and unfortunately we (my husband and I) tend to feel some of them were because of some bad decisions on the part of someone.

We have struggled with this and know it is time to let it go. However just deciding that and actually doing it are two different things. I read something years ago that we don’t really let go until we can think about the issue without emotion

Act-as-if.

We will work on that. I like to use “act as if” to help change a pattern or habit so I will begin to “act as if” there are no feelings attached to this. Eventually it will go away.

“Act as if” works really well for lots of things. If I am feeling down I will try to act happy. Many times it works. Just setting your mind to change things can make a real difference.

Try it!

Go out…share your fears with someone

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, advice, anxiety, choices, connections, fear, friends, gratitude, share, understanding, viewpoint

dalecarnegie1

This is a lesson I have learned well in my life. There are many times that I have sat and struggled with anxiety and fear. Even though the last thing I want to do is go out I force myself to get dressed and find someone to talk to. Just getting it out in the open helps me to put things into perspective. For me, fears shared and divided in half.

Do I live in the same time?

by worrylessjourney, posted in appearance, change, expectations, frustration, the past, time sped up

impatience downloadYes, life continues to surprise and challenge. The tile is finished in the bathroom and looks great. The vanity is in (sans sinks) and now we wait for the countertop people to come and make a template. We thought that would go quickly but not so. They will be here next week and will take a week to make the countertops. Oh well. That means at least two to three more weeks until we are done. I just want to run away until it is over. Anyone for a three week cruise? Not happening since all our saving was for the bathroom.

Patience….the magic word. I knew this would take time but I didn’t expect this long. Of course the hurricane didn’t help. We lost a week.

Patience…..something I am not noted for.

DevopsCertified

We live in a world where everything seems to happen immediately. Reaching friends and family on cell phones means we can get them FAST. If they don’t respond we are upset. If we get an illness we expect to get a medicine that will fix it NOW! We don’t do well with waiting.

accelerating-clock

When I was young things were slower. We were less impatient over minor things and didn’t expect everything to be done immediately. We could be impatient but the timeline was much different. I think we were less stressed Sometimes I feel as if I have been transported to a world where time is sped up. Some kind of alternative universe.

 

Balance is the key

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, answers, balance, choices, control, coping, decisions, life, persistence

SurpriseToday was filled with surprises. Routine Dr visit where I learned that something that hasn’t meant much over the years may be causing some of the issues I have had lately. Will get that checked, resolved and maybe get some bonus benefits. Yea!

Again life is full of interesting things. Maybe this is the start of some things getting done. The bathroom may be finished by next week and then it’s moving everything back and enjoying. Thank goodness!

SSBlog_ImproveBalance_700x525

We definitely have to take one day at a time. Each day has been so different lately. One day up and the next down. Rolling with the flow is my wish but I don’t always do that well. We have to keep seeing that another day is coming with its own gifts and challenges and let the past day go. It is the only way to maintain balance.