positive – Sweat & Sparkle

Let’s Take a Break!

Blame it on the most wonderful, beautiful time of year being right around the corner (fall!) Or blame it on me just being in a seriously good mood today. But I simply can’t concentrate at work today, so I am taking a break to do anything but concentrate on work. Take a break with me, you lawless rebel!

I have so much bouncing around in my head. I adore fall and then all the holiday seasons, so I have started checking out some festivals and events for the rest of the year, and jotting them down on my calendar so I don’t overbook us like I have done in the past (sorry, Husband Guy). I want to strike a balance between quiet, cozy time at home but celebrating all the seasons too.

I also have Christmas shopping on my mind. I start very early, over the summer, so a lot of my shopping is finished already, but I don’t have much for my husband yet. I have some ideas scribbled down, though, and I will pay attention to things he looks at while we are shopping or things that he mentions between now and Christmas.

One of the most rewarding personal changes for me this year has been shifting my mindset to stay laser-focused on what really matters to me: my husband, my home, the kids, my peace, our happiness. I have a limited number of days on Earth and don’t want to waste a single moment on anything or anyone that does not add value, peace, or joy to my life. It’s amazing how much more you can get done, and how much happier you can be, when you slam the door on all the rubbish and leave it outside to be miserable on its own.

Well, there are about 140 days left in this year. Sure, the larger part of this year is behind us, but there are 19 weeks and 6 days stretched out ahead of us. What do you intend to do with them?

Setback

Sometimes life is not exactly cooperative. When I hurt my knee recently, I thought, okay, well, this sucks, but it will heal up. I will take it slower, limp around, and do what I need to do to take care of it.

Just as my knee finally loosened up, and I could walk semi-normally again, I ended up rushing from work to Urgent Care because I didn’t feel good at all. I left with a prescription for antibiotics, which upset my stomach so bad. I just want to curl in a ball and whimper, but alas, I’m at work instead, waiting for quitting time.

I’m excited for some things we have planned next week, so my focus this weekend will be resting and healing so I can be as close to 100% as possible and able to enjoy myself next week. I’m frustrated but also know that a bad attitude will multiply any problems and make things worse.

I’ve made a lot of positive changes and don’t want to slide back into any bad habits. Ultimately, though, that is completely up to me and in my control. I can let these setbacks toss me onto my butt and leave me there, or I can take a breather, remind myself of my goals, and get myself back to healthy so I can come back kicking.

New Week

I knew our weekend was going to fly by quickly, but damn…that was ridiculous. I was just walking through the front door on Friday, and now, rudely and abruptly, it’s the start of a new work week.

It’s hard not to get angry and frustrated and downright cranky, and hurling myself to the floor of my office and throwing my stapler and maybe some folders is still not out of the question. I look forward to our weekend for so long, then it’s gone in a flash, like an ice cream cone melting too fast on a hot day.

But I know that starting the week with a chip on my shoulder is just guaranteeing a long Monday and an even longer and more painful week. So in the interest of gritting my teeth and trying my damnedest to be positive, I have these to share:

Convinced yet? Yeah, me neither. But I do like the idea of using Mondays to ask myself, what do I want to accomplish before this week ends? Over the next five days, instead of just petulantly holding my breath until the weekend, what do I want to achieve…besides, of course, dreaming up plans for the upcoming weekend?