Heh heh. Here’s an appropriate title for me to write about today. It’s Sunday, such a beautiful Sunday. I LOVE Sundays because it is the only day of the week that I do not need to be anywhere at any certain time- which means I can sleep until I am done sleeping. One day to get enough sleep. One day without an alarm clock. I always look forward to Sundays. It’s my reward for going full force all week. I believe strongly in a work/reward system.
I had a fantastic time last night. Went to a bbq, met some new people, ate well, had some wine, and came home ready for a good night’s sleep. Ahhhh….
I don’t know what time it was, but I know it was before 7. I do not permit myself to communicate much before 8am because for some reason, things always come out wrong. Funny, but true. Anyway, sometime, in the 6am arena, Daisy the Wonder Dog went into a rant. Daisy resides at my Jersey Weekend Getaway, not in the city with me during the week, and is a sweet dog most of the time. I have a tendency to forget that she rants. But she was on a rant in the arena of 6am-ish. On Sunday.
When I say rant, I mean RANT! It’s not like your dog barking. Even if your dog is stark raving mad and bark bark barking like crazy, it’s still nothing compared to Daisy’s rants. She is deaf and she has something to prove. So for seemingly no reason in particular, she went nuts. And kept going nuts. When Daisy starts this stuff, it stops your heart for a moment. It literally hurts my stomach. Fun way to wake up! On Sunday…
So, here I am, trying to figure out what to do with my baggy saggy eyes and all the helpless hopeless thoughts I am having. Think about it- what can I do? Stab the dog? Horrible! I don’t think so. Perhaps send her to obedience school, or get one of those citronella collars, but it’s not my call.
I can’t do one thing about Daisy’s rants. I can, however, do something about my actions. How many of you know the Serenity Prayer? What do I have the power to change? What do I have to let go of? Can I just accept the Sunday morning Rants?
Now, let’s be honest here, this is an easy breezy example of this. One more day of not sleeping enough isn’t going to kill me. But it’s a good place to learn a lesson. What DO I have control of in this situation? I can control whether I am around Daisy on Sunday morning, I can wear ear plugs (though I’m guessing they won’t help, but maybe I’ll try). I can get up early on Sundays with Daisy and take a nap in the middle of the day.
I don’t like any of these choices, but the fact is- there ARE choices! You ALWAYS have a choice! When you feel hopeless and helpless- whether it’s a life or death matter or something as benign as the dog barking out of control- look at your choices. They are there. They may be crap, but if you look at them, you put yourself back in the power seat. Look at your choices. If you choose to do nothing and just whine and complain, then that is your choice.
Hey, it’s valid. Today I chose to whine and complain from 7-10am. Now I’m done with that and going to figure out how to approach next week. Making your choices one day at a time or even moment to moment makes things more manageable.
So what is going on in your life that you feel helpless about? What choices have you made? To complain? (Hint- it’s still complaining even if it’s only in your head!) To accept? Do you mean it? Did you really accept it and let it be? Figure out what your next move is- just in this moment. Make that choice, take that step. Figure out the next step when the time comes. You’ll know.
If you ever feel anxiety or dread- here is a short video from Michelle Bersell that may help you make choices: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-2kBE1UdUE
Empower yourself with the knowledge that you have choices. Good luck!
Your Wellness Coach,
Miranda Zukowski