Tag: Living on the Senior Side

KICKING THE TIRES OF MAY 14 2019

S R Janssen
Graphic
Changing Habits

Doing What I Don’t Want to Do

Caught myself blaming circumstances for not accomplishing what I want to accomplish. As the old saying goes “point one finger at others, and four are pointing back to yourself.”

I Have Met the Enemy

In the words of Pogo, “I have met the enemy and he is us.” In my case, I have met the enemy and it is me. G.’s needs are not preventing me from anything. The domestic needs of the home are not preventing me from anything. What holds me back is my resistance from plunging both hands into the core of the activity I want to accomplish. I dance around it, and build up to the spirit of doing it (which never happens.) Simply put, it is resistance.

Accomplishment

I added words to my novel: not a thousand, but some. I did some cleaning, I framed and tarped my tomatoes. I really waste time and energy with negative thoughts. It’s a far, far better thing to have no thoughts at all.

KICKING THE TIRES OF MAY 7 2019

S R Janssen
First thought of the morning

Stay in Bed Until You Lighten Up

Woke up thinking hard thoughts about life and feeling depressed and grumpy. Thought to myself “why bother getting up if I feel like this” particularly if my general goal is to extract as much fun and satisfaction as possible from each day. So I stayed in bed and looked at pretty, saccharine photos and listened to music until I reached a point of feeling better.

Shifting from sour to silly

Both “The Master Key” and “The Great Divorce” emphasize the value of feeling happy, and satisfied, and filled with appreciation. I am experiencing the validity of that for myself more and more each day. Yet, as I type, there is a voice of protest in the background. Speaking for myself, I notice how I cling to my old habits of sour and dour. That which I considered myself to be is revealing itself as nothing but a veneer covering my essential silliness and lightheartedness.

When life requires completion of a task I don’t like, find a way to gain a grain of satisfaction from it.