A lot of days, it's run, run, run from the moment I get up until I'm ready to go to bed. I remember someone telling me once upon a time that life started gearing down a bit in these last few years before retirement, but man, it's been anything but that for me - there's always more added to my plate at work, something else to clean up or fix at home, somebody I haven't seen in a dog's age to meet for dinner.
It's a full schedule most of the time, one that can be daunting at time, and it doesn't help that this old dawg doesn't get around as easily as he once did. That's a fact of life I've acknowledged; so what do I do about it?
Sometimes, nothing at all. Nada. Zip. It sounds so simple, and yet it can be so hard. And yet it works, if a person only allows the time to be lazy.
I'm lucky in that I have a job, as long as the work is done by its weekly deadline, where I have some flexibility in when I go into the office. So here's what I do when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed: I get up, sip my morning coffee. Ponder what I really to do, and remember a tongue-in-cheek line I read decades ago in my mom's high school yearbook - Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. And then, if I decide that fits my situation, if I know I can take a mental health break and still do what I have to meet the demands of my job, that's what I do - I put off everything.
I drink more coffee. I go for a long walk. I watch something mindless on the tube, or listen to some music. Or maybe I just lie in bed until noon, unapologetic about being slothful.
And my batteries recharge quickly, and I'm happy and refreshed overnight. And when I'm happy, I can keep my focus, and what seemed like too much a day before suddenly is a piece of cake. Heck, that mountain on my desk truly was a molehill.
I know everyone doesn't have the luxury I do of having a flexible work schedule, but anyone can take a break in a workday to do nothing, even if it's just for a few minutes. Sit back, chill, relax....and smile for a few. Then keep that grin the rest of the day, thinking of what a good time you had doing nothing. And strive to take a few minutes in the void every day; nothing is ever so important that you can't enjoy at least a few minutes of downtime.
That's all for now. See you next time dudes.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Greetings from the Happy Old Dude
Just before Christmas last month, I was in a decidedly downer mood. We had an ice storm that knocked out the power in frigid weather; presents mailed out weeks earlier were lost in a postal vortex. And to top it all off, there was a health scare with a family member where the worst was a distinct fear.
I fretted. I stewed. And I worried. I got myself so worked up I actually became sick, my stomach a spewing volcano.
But you know what? The power was restored in a couple days; our house was cold, to be sure - it got down to 48 degrees -but I have been outside for late winter weekend excursions that were far chillier. All the presents arrived just in the nick of time. And that family member ended up having what turned out to be a minor surgery.
The entire chain of events was an epiphany for me. I've always been the glass is half empty kind of guy, but finally, after 57 years on this planet, I truly realized that most of what works me up doesn't amount to diddly. That somebody, somewhere, always has it far worse that I do. And that there is no sense in worrying about things that are out of my control - that is going to do absolutely nothing to change them.
I decided to make a little New Year's resolution to focus on the positive. I've been developing that zen, water-over-the-rock attitude, where I just go with the flow, and I've found that it actually is making a difference in life. I woke up this past Sunday to the greatest sense of self content I've had in my adult life; I've acknowledged that I'm never going to be rich, that I'm going to have my aches and pains, and that life is going to have ups and downs. That the modest home I share with my wife and our cats and dogs is all I need. That I have so many gifts to be thankful for.
That we're all mortal, and that I should enjoy my time here to the fullest. That I should smile and laugh when I can, and that will take care of most problems.
And so here I am, pecking away on my laptop, because writing is one of those things that I enjoy, both professionally and as a hobby. My goal is going to be to write for this blog two or three times a week, maybe more if the urge strikes, about what ever is making me happy that particular day. It's probably going to be pretty random at times, but hey, so is life.
Right now, I am happy because I have a Bloody Mary I made that I am sipping on, but it's getting low....time to make another, so I'm going to say adieu. See you next time, dudes.
I fretted. I stewed. And I worried. I got myself so worked up I actually became sick, my stomach a spewing volcano.
But you know what? The power was restored in a couple days; our house was cold, to be sure - it got down to 48 degrees -but I have been outside for late winter weekend excursions that were far chillier. All the presents arrived just in the nick of time. And that family member ended up having what turned out to be a minor surgery.
The entire chain of events was an epiphany for me. I've always been the glass is half empty kind of guy, but finally, after 57 years on this planet, I truly realized that most of what works me up doesn't amount to diddly. That somebody, somewhere, always has it far worse that I do. And that there is no sense in worrying about things that are out of my control - that is going to do absolutely nothing to change them.
I decided to make a little New Year's resolution to focus on the positive. I've been developing that zen, water-over-the-rock attitude, where I just go with the flow, and I've found that it actually is making a difference in life. I woke up this past Sunday to the greatest sense of self content I've had in my adult life; I've acknowledged that I'm never going to be rich, that I'm going to have my aches and pains, and that life is going to have ups and downs. That the modest home I share with my wife and our cats and dogs is all I need. That I have so many gifts to be thankful for.
That we're all mortal, and that I should enjoy my time here to the fullest. That I should smile and laugh when I can, and that will take care of most problems.
And so here I am, pecking away on my laptop, because writing is one of those things that I enjoy, both professionally and as a hobby. My goal is going to be to write for this blog two or three times a week, maybe more if the urge strikes, about what ever is making me happy that particular day. It's probably going to be pretty random at times, but hey, so is life.
Right now, I am happy because I have a Bloody Mary I made that I am sipping on, but it's getting low....time to make another, so I'm going to say adieu. See you next time, dudes.
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