I don’t know about you, but I’ve had major mixed emotions about falling into the category of “non-essential.”
On one hand I’m grateful I can stay at home, and limit my time out of the house to trips for essentials.
BUT, on the other hand I feel guilty and wish I had more of a purpose other than to be at home.
Continue reading “MID-WEEK MEANDERING – Finding Purpose When Classified Non-Essential”As each new month starts, I tend to take the first couple days to ponder the theme for that months post.
Sometimes I know exactly what it will be because of some epiphany I had or something that happened.
This was particularly the case when I was writing “Waking the Walker – a Mother’s quest to survive her Son’s zombie years – aka his teens.” When raising a teen, there is always something happening.
https://wakingthewalker.wordpress.com/twd-apocalyptic-parenting-tactics/
Other times I can spend half the month tossing ideas around, seeing what sticks, even struggling to make something out of nothing.
Which is kind of odd when this blog is about self-rediscovery.
Am I so lost I don’t even have a clue which way to turn?
Continue reading “The Best Laid Plans”Last month I met an old friend for dinner. This is something we had tried to do for years, but between raising kids, and caring for our aging Mom’s, time just got away from us. BUT, with both of us now having our children back at college for their sophomore year we knew we had to make it happen.
OR, it may never happen.
Once seated at our table, my first words to her were “How are you doing since the girls went back to school?”
Without any hesitation she stated sophomore year has been tougher than freshman year. I agreed, confessing I was downright depressed the first week or two.
I hate to say it, but it was refreshing to find out it wasn’t just me feeling this way.
Freshman year I had many texts, emails, and even a somewhat regular Sunday afternoon call from my Son. Plus, I had a few runs to the college to aid with roommate issues and moving. And, bring things he discovered he needed for the dorm.
This year however has been drastically different.
Which is good for my Son. It means he’s becoming more independent, self-confident and self-reliant.
For me however, it has been beyond challenging. The feeling of not being needed was overwhelming at times.
Before I let it get the best of me though, I knew I had to put my energy into something positive. I needed to be proactive and not dwell on the void.
With an endless list of unfinished projects staring me down, I set my sights on those, and created a plan of attack based on the time I had till my Son’s first visit home for Fall Break.
Continue reading “Signs of Growth”With my annual exodus to the beach to recharge my soul now behind me, I’m working hard at carrying the calm that comes from the sea air and surf with me as I face each day in the real world.
As I told a co-worker “I’m trying hard to hang onto my vacation shine.”
This is something I tell myself I’m going to do every year, but a month or two into the real world post vacation I’m working my way back into the “when is my next day off mind-set.”
I don’t mean the weekend; I mean an actual vacation day, a day with no real schedule, a day to play.
Like a day off is the cure all for the every day stresses we all endure. Granted it helps, but there has to be a way to find peace throughout every day, not just on a vacation day. Especially when they’re so few and far between.
Continue reading “Finding Peace in Every Day”If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s you can’t force things into being. Sometimes you just have to be, and let things fall into place as they were meant to be.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s you can’t force things into being. Sometimes you just have to be, and let things fall into place as they were meant to be.
You also have to learn to “trust” that everything is as it’s suppose to be and the universe will let you know when it’s time to make a move. As my Mother would say “God’s time is not our time. Be patient.”
I have learned however this is easier said than done. It’s human nature to want to find an answer or resolve a dilemma as quickly as possible. It is not that simple to “just be.”
There have been periods in my life when I truly lived this though. Sort of working at something I wanted to change, or resolve, but allowing things to flow, not forcing anything. And no freaking out when things seemed to stall.
I have also had times when my frustration with my situation had my mind constantly spinning on ways to force change or find a resolve. All this did was bring on more frustration and anguish. And, even polarization. I was so consumed by finding an answer just achieving day-to-day tasks was daunting.
To be honest, just going with the flow can be very challenging, especially when you want change or an answer so bad you can taste it.
When I look back over the roads I’ve traveled thus far, I realize the times when I did just go with the flow, my life was more pleasant and actually more productive. Being fluid and flexible, even bending when necessary is what brought results.
At this time though, I find myself somewhere in between these two.
Self-Image –
one’s conception of oneself or of one’s role
the way you think about yourself and your abilities or appearance
One of the key things I’ve discovered since my Son went off to college is the fact that my self-image is very much tied to being a Mom.
Not that there’s anything wrong with this. Being a parent is at the same time one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs anyone can take on.
As a parent you’re responsible for molding a little human. For me I prayed every day I was making the right decisions in guiding my Son on the right path to become a competent and compassionate human being, capable of standing on his own two feet.
I put my heart and soul into being a Mom, working tirelessly day and night never looking for anything more than a hug or an “I love you.”
My life revolved around my Son’s needs. I took a back seat.
Who I was before having my Son became a distant image in the rear view mirror of my life.
BUT, what happens to me when my position as Mom is downsized because my Son went off to college?
Continue reading “Confused Self-Image”So, after my ever-optimistic “Dare to Dream” post last month I headed into March feeling really good about everything. All seemed right in my little world.
I had direction and an end game when it came to my writing. Even if I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there.
I was adjusting to being an empty nester and even looking forward to free weekends that I could start to fill with unfinished projects.
AND
I was in a rhythm at work, busy, but not overloaded. I felt like I was firing on all cylinders.
UNTIL
The first week of March when I started to feel ”out of sorts.” Everything seemed out of whack. My mojo was seriously off and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
OF COURSE THIS MADE ME WONDER…
Continue reading “OUT OF SORTS”“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”– Eleanor Roosevelt
This is one of my favorite quotes. I used it often when discussing college with my Son, and his dream of becoming a video game designer. Having a child just starting out on the path to pursue their ultimate dream is both invigorating and scary.
I know first hand the passion it takes to truly hang on and persevere, even when all the odds are against you. You most certainly need to believe your dream is attainable. If not it’s much too easy to give up.
When the spark to become a screenwriter ignited in my mid-thirties, many people thought I was nuts. And to be honest, they were probably right, but it didn’t stop me. I dove head first into learning everything I could about screenwriting, from concept to finished script, to all that goes into actually seeing a script become a finished film.
It truly became my passion. I could see nothing else but the dream of seeing one of my stories come to life on the silver screen. To say I was driven is an understatement.
Continue reading “DARE TO DREAM”It is hard to believe my Son’s first semester of college is now behind me. Those first couple weeks my heart ached. I missed him immensely.
As a single Mom with only one child, when that child heads off to college, your empty-nest becomes salt in the wound of being alone.
I reminisced longingly at all of the highlights of his Senior year. And for that matter all of high school.
With time though I settled into my new norm and even embraced the opportunity to re-discover the me that got lost while raising my Son.
Don’t get me wrong, I looked forward to every visit home he made, and was thrilled when we started to have weekly phone conversations. Something I certainly didn’t expect from a teenage boy.
So, I could hardly wait for Winter Break. He would be home for five weeks. And with how wonderful all his other breaks went, I thought for sure him and I were heading into a whole new dynamic between parent and child.
I was however in for a rude awakening, and a reminder that change does not come quickly or easily.
Continue reading “Change Ineffective Behavior”
Waking the Woman 