I used to have a sign in my army office that tersely told everyone
Which sums up my philosophy somewhat – Take a positive attitude, deal with the problems and call up the reserves!!!
But what happens when even with a positive attitude, when you have a plan of action to deal with the problems – and the reserves go missing??
John Donne understood that “no man is an island” and of course neither is a woman, and we all depend one way or another on other people to get through some of life’s little difficulties. So in the absence of all my reserves – I’m putting a help wanted ad out there!!
One of my usual methods of self preservation is to wander into my garden and commune with nature, but that was at the last house and the garden had taken ten years to achieve. I have not been here ten months never mind ten years and starting a garden straight from scratch is not the work of a moment.
It is exciting, visionary and lots of hard work – so a wander out to garden merely reminds me there is still much work that needs to be done; and I am already somewhat awash with that.
So my next coping strategy is meditation; quiet the mind and quiet the spirit. However, at this point of time meditation has become difficult due to outside distractions – it takes a strong mind to overcome chronic pain and ease the spirit – and I’m not quite achieving it at the moment. And although I do what I can with aromatherapy, relaxation music and meditation tapes; I still have a migraine and an abscess awaiting the dentist’s ministrations both making themselves well and truly felt – and the car is strangely still and silent!!
After that we fall away somewhat to chocolate and alcohol – and my waist band is definately getting tighter and I really couldn’t cope with hangovers as well as a fever and everything else!!!!!
So the temptation is to listen to the wee small voice that is telling me that I should just go back to bed and pull the blanket up over my head and spend the day feeling sorry for myself and just tell the world to move on without me! But – remember no reserves … and the world will indeed go on with or without my participation and there are certain things that simply must be done now – for time and tide (and business) waits for no-one.
So I’m sitting here, propped up with pain killers and caffeine; and a sense of self-righteousness that will wear off as soon as the painkillers do!
So I need help – what are your coping strategies in a situation like this? Is it to be dark or milk chocolate? Is it too early perhaps for a large scotch?? Is it possible to sit in a garden and ignore the weeding? Or shall I just go back to bed and take the cat?
Miserably yours
Michele @ Trischel