Feeling overwhelmed is something I try to avoid. When you’ve lived 67 years, you start to learn what overwhelms you, like too many social events in one week, too many appointments, a crowded room where a lot of people are talking and not being able to hear the person next to you.
Thankfully, I’m not overwhelmed as often as I used to be before I retired. I just have to learn to not take on too much, as in volunteer work, community activism, and damn social events since I have embraced my inner introvert. It’s not that I’m anti-social, but I don’t do well at events that are purely social. Just the thought makes me cringe. So ENOUGH OF THAT!
I’m starting this post over.
But first, here’s my plan:
It might not always happen, but peace is a priority in my life. Do you hear that, mind? Step away from the drama and go to the light.
One of the things I learned in recovery meetings for codependency, overeating, or other side doors to recovery, is this:
“You can start your day over at any time.”
You can start your day over at 11pm if you want to. The past can’t change and maybe I messed up earlier in the day, but nothing can ruin my entire day, because there can be good moments mixed in among the bad ones. But those are judgements. As many of us have learned, something “bad” can eventually turn into something “good.”
In starting the day over, a deep breath can help. In my yoga class, we do this thing where we open our arms wide, raise our hands overhead so that our fingers touch in an overhead arch, then bring our hands straight down in front of our body as we makes a shhhhhhhsh sound. Sometimes I wiggle my fingers like rain is washing away the tension. We so it three times. It’s pretty simple, and I should/will use it more often at home…. or at social events when I retreat to the bathroom.
Starting over. What a good thing to be able to do.
After looking up songs about starting over, this cover was my favorite:
Are we ever too old to start over?
I don’t think so. What I really mean is, hell no!
Happy Mother’s Day to ALL Mothers,
including dog mothers, cat mothers, horse mothers…..
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “directions.” Find a household cleaner/bottle of shampoo/something in the freezer/anything you can find with instructions on it, then copy down a single direction (just one) on how to use/cook/etc. your chosen thing, and make it the first line or word of your post. Then keep writing whatever comes out. Have fun! __Linda G Hill
“Be sure to start with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Pour over tea bag, steep for 4 minutes (or whatever time you like), remove bag.”
(Directions from Ginger Peach Turmeric Tea)
I know we were only supposed to just copy down a single direction, but I’m not following that direction. Why do we need to be sure to start with fresh cold water? Fresh, okay, but cold? What happens if we start with warm water? Will the tea not work? I don’t think so. What I like about these directions is the part that goes: (or whatever time you like).
There was a time when I followed directions to the letter. It started in kindergarten and continued (with some exceptions in adolescence) for most of my life. Until now. Now, I’m retired. RETIRED. I only follow directions if I want to, if I deem it necessary, or for the good of the planet.
I’ve been making vegan banana bread without following directions or a recipe other than what’s in my head. After making banana bread for many years, I know that you mix the wet ingredients then mix the dry ingredients, then mix them all together. So I mash a couple of bananas, add a little oat milk, maybe some melted vegan butter (or regular butter because I’m not a perfect vegan). Then I mix the wet ingredients and put some flour on top, put a little baking soda and/or baking powder on top of the flour and mix that without dipping into the wet mixture. Then I mix it all together. Without eggs, it tends to be more dense and take longer to bake unless I add more flour. How long do I cook it? Until I can stick a knife or fork in and nothing comes out, or until it starts to turn brown on top. Then I turn off the oven and leave the banana bread inside the oven to cook a little more. Then I try not to eat it all in one day.
Driving is another matter entirely. I do follow directions from GPS or whatever, and I like them as detailed as possible. Give me landmarks. I will write them down even with GPS, until I know the route well, because I deem it necessary.
This is a good time to experiment with baking and creativity, but not with driving or social distancing directions. Keep your distance! Six feet apart is six feet apart, for the good of all. If the policy says, wear a mask, then wear a mask! And that’s all I have to say about that.
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For more directions on navigating the Saturday Stream of Consciousness, visit Linda:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
Do, do, do. I’m supposedly retired, but still have so much to do. I can’t imagine being bored ever again. Except when I go somewhere and do something I don’t really want to do. Trying to not do that so much anymore. I saw a meme the other day that brought back memories of my old job. Let me see if I can find it.
Okay. I’m back. That took longer than I thought because I went to Facebook to find it and got distracted by this guy rescuing an antelope out of a mud pit.
Here’s what I went looking for:
I would never post that when I worked at the forever short staffed place. Now, it’s such a relief not to be in that craziness.
My response: NO. No, I will NOT work myself to death.
Speaking of getting distracted, when I go to my parents house, which now belongs to me since they are happy together again in heaven, my ADD really kicks in. I’ve never been diagnosed with ADD and probably wouldn’t because it’s usually a mild case, and I’ve compensated well for it. But I think ADD is on a continuum, like the Autism spectrum. Except my continuum/spectrum theory is pretty broad. I know people who are introverts at heart who might be on the the spectrum… have just a tiny touch of autism, but would not be likely to be diagnosed. I might even be one of them.
But back to the ADD. My kids have more of it than I do. We have no H to go with it for hyperactivity. We are those spacey day dreamy types. I only have a tiny touch of it. But when I go to my parents house (my house now though I don’t live there) I get easily distracted. Because they have a lot of clutter. I’m not going to call it hoarding because their living room looks fairly normal. It’s just clutter. Clutter is on the low end of the hoarding spectrum. Or maybe it’s pre-hoarding. Yeah. I like that better. Because, hey, they grew up kinda poor around the “Great Depression” and you don’t through things away. Like my dad put things in his old empty Rx bottles. I found one Rx bottle full of those square, plastic things that you close bread wrappers with. Not the twisty ties, but the square things with the notch. Cause he figured he might have to use them one day for something.
Anyway, my goal yesterday was to clean in their house and porch to get ready for the “estate sale,” as I’m calling it. But I kept getting distracted by trying to organize items to sell. And then there are all the memories and sentimental artifacts. But my goal is to focus on one thing at a time. Cleaning. Then organizing. Then pricing. Good luck with that. I feel a sense of satisfaction when I can throw away a whole trash bag of “trash.” But I’m going to keep the Rx bottle of bread wrapper closers because it’s funny, and it doesn’t take up much room, unlike this typewriter my dad used probably right up until he died.
Its still works! Sort of.
Well, gotta go do stuff. So that’s it.
Thanks to Dan for filling in for Linda and giving us today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt: do/dew/due.
The rules of Saturday Stream of Consciousness are:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
Anything is Possible! 