Some days I feel like I’m on the wrong side of happy – has that ever happened to you?
We lose enthusiasm because of the small unavoidable defeats we suffer during the good fight. And since we don’t realize that enthusiasm is a major strength, able to help us win ultimate victory, we let it dribble through our fingers; we do this without recognizing that we are letting the true meaning of our lives escape us.
— Paul Coelho,
from The Pilgrammage
You may remember that a few weeks ago I wrote about being in a blue funk. Since then I’ve failed to completely shake off that funk. Funk 21, Ellie 0… Maybe it’s in the water or the air, this feeling of being on the wrong side of happy… PattiAnn recently shared her own Life Crisis – she’s in a yucky place and feeling less than resilient. And another of my friends reports feeling down, another, discouraged… all in all, I find the lyrics from the sixties rock band Guess Who echoing in my head…
She’s come undone
She found a mountain
that was far too high
And when she found out
she couldn’t fly
Mama, it was too late
It’s too late
She’s gone too far
She’s lost the sun
She’s come undone
I know I need carry on anyway – and I am. I know that it’s normal to feel blue at times. And I know that “this, too will pass.” I know, I know… But I don’t know it in my gut, yet. And, although I’m determined not to get stuck down in the depths of a blue funk, I still find myself on the wrong side of happy more often than I like to admit. Continue reading » She’s Come Undone…
Ever feel like the world is closing in and you’re about to implode? If so, you’re not alone!
It’s going to happen. No matter who we are, there will be times in our lives where we get into a funk. Our motivation takes a back burner and we just get funky.
— Darrel Larson
Even when you’re on the verge of implosion you can still shake off that blue funk – you can stand strong, you can resist a funk’s cascading pull and you can regain your power. Shake off your blue funk – fortify your resilience with one or more of Continue reading » Are You Fighting a Blue Funk?
Feeling frustrated with the in-betweens?
We are a goal-oriented people, and we like to know “where” we are headed–whether it’s by the end of the day or the end or our life. It’s just the in-between that befuddles us.
— Terry Hershey
Today is a “moodling day” in which I get to do some enjoyable tinkering and, hopefully, arrive at some creative insights about the “in-betweens,” AKA the “not quite there yets,” also called the second stage of a transition: The Neutral Zone.
I’m starting my moodling session by playing with a silly little prefix named “Peri” – and just in case you wondered, I’m not referring to the mythical and possibly vengeful sprite named Continue reading » How to Unfuddle Your In-Betweens
Do you find it hard to accept help when it’s offered? I do.
Receiving – the ability to fully accept gifts and enjoy and appreciate being given to – is an essential part of the human relationship equation. It is the complement of giving and just as important.
— Melissa McCreery
As I bask in the sweetness of the photo above, I realize that there is something very touching about how this little-girl-in-blue bestows her quiet trust upon the protective grown-up who walks beside her. She’s obviously not entangled in the terrible two’s, the “ME do it” stage in life!
Ah! If – only us grumps – that would be “grown-ups” – could so easily accept help when Continue reading » Embracing the Gift of a Helping Hand
What do YOU do when a case of the coulda-woulda-shoulda’s seize your brain?
Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one’s liberty.
— Unknown
A Minor but Satisfying Victory
Shortly after the holidays I experienced a minor but very satisfying victory. Sometimes it’s BIG stuff that throws me for a loop. Sometimes it’s little teeny stuff that throws me for a loop. This time it was the latter… here’s my story:
Late on a post-Christmas evening, just before the stores closed, I was driving from one store to another feeling quite smug about the complicated transaction I’d just navigated. (Returning merchandise, finding just the right replacement, using up a frequent-buyer award before its expiration date… all in all, getting a very good deal for my trouble.)
When it hit me like a brick – I’d forgotten to ask for the senior discount! Compound that stupid mistake with the fact that the only reason I’d ventured out amidst the after-holiday retail melee was because it was senior discount day!
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Thus began this silly sashaying debate: Continue reading » When Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda’s Seize Your Brain
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