Remember the tortoise and the hare?
This is what I’m trying to remember, on days like these.
A slow start
When I first entertained the idea for starting a blog, I was full of energy, ideas percolating, ready to dive right in and get started. I would have 2 or 3 posts up in no time! My intention for this little blog was to capture these “Little Pockets of Bliss” in my everyday chaotic life, focus on the good, and leave the bad out of it. I wanted my blog to be a place of uplifting inspiration, not a negative space where I vent my frustrations. Who wants to read that stuff? Everybody has that kind of crap! They don’t need to be reminded of it!
And then life happened, as it always does. It had been a particularly trying couple of weeks, although really, that is normal around here. Dealing with work and household chores that never seem to get done. The stress of an ongoing (and seemingly never-ending) legal battle with my ex-husband over custody of our two boys. Add to that the normal whining and sarcastic comebacks (what I hope is typical) of a 13yr old. And cap it off late last week with my 9-yr old, fighting with me about everything, storming off upstairs hollering, “You’re such a jackass!”
All before 8am. Sigh.
As I hung my head in despair, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, I thought to myself, “How can I possibly blog about bliss, when there is nothing blissful about this life?” This is my life.
It’s a long story, for another time.
In and out of wallowing
I did a full on misery wallow for a few days. Feeling sorry for myself, I avoided the very things that bring me joy. I got caught up in the “woe-is-me”, scrolling through Facebook for hours, reading and deleting emails (okay, sometimes unread). TV watching consisted of guilty pleasure shows like Dance Moms, not even the new fall shows (and I have a list…we’ll get to that).
I did absolutely nothing productive, watching my vacation time tick away on the clock. Another day lost and nothing accomplished.
Luckily, the sun came back out, literally and metaphorically, shining light on my self-made shadow. In my endless internet-fest, I hit up some of my favourite people on Facebook, Twitter, and the blog-verse. They weren’t posting the pretty. They were documenting the nitty-gritty, full-on face plant meltdowns the toddler took in the grocery store. The burnt breakfast, the entire carton of juice spilled on the floor, the overflowing toilet, the car that won’t start when you’re already late. They don’t only post the glamorous, Pinterest worthy portions of their lives. They dig deep, and let it all out, exposed, naked, for the world to see. Because it’s honest, and it’s real life.
So with that in mind, I pulled out the laptop, determined to just start, just write, and get a blog post published. And if some of crap of my real life makes it’s way into the blog, so be it. This is me. All of me.
Okay…most of me. Y’all don’t want the naked…
It all starts with a first step
When push comes to shove, I know what to do to pull myself out of funk. I just don’t always listen to myself when I am hunkered down on the couch under a blankie, feeling sorry for myself. But when I manage to throw off the blankie, and drag my sorry ass off the couch, I go back to the list.
Yes, I have a list, and I carry it around with me everywhere in my traveller’s notebook.
Things That Make Me Happy
- reading
- listening to music
- journalling
- cooking
- making art
- meditation
- yoga
- Hawaii
There is more to the list, but I pulled one out and went to work. Here is what I came up with.
Make soup. You can blog about the other stuff another day. I wonder if tortoises eat soup?
[recipe id=”46″]
Let me know if you make it, and what you think! What do you do to pull yourself out of the “woe-is-me” when life gets you down?
P.S. This soup freezes nice too! Just label your zip-loc bag, use this handy-dandy gadget, the Jokari Hands-Free Baggy Rack Storage Bag Holder
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