Honestly, today was wonderful and really rough all wrapped into one big blob of a day. I felt like I accomplished a lot and nothing at all depending how I look at it.
The day has come to an end while we clean up the chaos it seems to have left in its wake. Michael has been in the kitchen scraping the remains of burnt popcorn off a pot for the past 30 minutes as I type. The sound makes my insides quiver. It’s grating.
I pulled weeds and my hair at the same time today but sang and laughed with my son while doing so.
Jude took a bath in the kitchen sink. Dinner was left unmade.
Some days it all swirls about in a big mass. I need to put a different head on to be able to see out of different eyes. It gets that way, your own head, if your not careful. It twists things and rings them through tight, ever-revolving wheels of hurts and insecurities. Then, it spits out my interpretation of what happened. Often it isn’t really what happened. Or is it? See!? That’s what I mean.
Feelings are strange guides. They remind me of prairie dogs. Popping up here and there. Chirping, barking, squeaking. Sometimes I think they are cute and loving and sometimes I just want to take a mallet, like in that whack-a-mole game, and smash them into oblivion!
Maybe that’s a little excessive. Who cares about excessive anyway. “Whack!”
Reconciliation is life giving. Getting to the core of a problem is freeing. Finding a solution, an answer, a common ground.
This day didn’t really make sense. It didn’t seem connected. I’ve decided this is how some days just go. They don’t make sense during the living of it.
It’s like chocolate cake. It needs to cool to bring out the best flavor. But when it cools, when the day is done and you look back, it has been oh so good. It has been full of the normal, everyday ups and downs wonderfulness.
Question: Have you ever played “Whack-a-mole?”
I read a quote by some monk this evening that said something like ” Half of life is making the meal, the other half is cleaning it up.” Cleaning up is never fun, yet it’s essential to living. And it’s essential to making the next meal (or batch of popcorn 🙂 ) . Our family all loves the Whack A Mole game at the local arcade, too…
haha I like that quote Michael!! Tis true, tis true.
Well said, Claudia dear! “Life is like chocolate cake!” and we all thought it was like a box of chocolates! 😉
Who knew… it is more like chocolate cake? 😉 hmmmm I wonder why both examples are chocolate. Maybe like is just actually like chocolate. delicious and meant to be savored…
Chocolate?! If life is all about chocolate we should all be enjoying ourselves while whacking away at our own personal “moles”. And yes, I have played that game. So anyway…where was that chocolate again? 😉
hahaha yup, it’s just all about chocolate. Dark only… no milk chocolate allowed! The darker the better 🙂
I might have to disagree a little there. I like at least some sugar in mine. I really don’t think I’d want to go around chewing on cocoa beans. 🙂
I hear you, Ryan. I like dark chocolate but there’s still something about the creaminess of milk chocolate!
Amen!
it’s so good to refect on days like these – cause otherwise it’s easy to feel like it went by in a slightly chaotic whirlwind and you finish the day feeling frustrated inside. but sitting down and reflecting helps me to say “hmm it WAS a good day and i DID accomplish things and most importantly i LIVED”. perspective, perspective, perspective!
And i like the chocolate cake analogy – so true! 🙂
True, true Crystal dear 🙂 Most importantly indeed!!!!
What do you do to find that perspective… are you a journaler, I don’t know if I know this about you… so I’m curious 😉
I used to be huge on journaling and have gotten out of the habit – but yes journaling is a great tool to help me process. Often just being by myself running or just chilling can help me sort through my mind and recognize my thoughts. Every now and then, I need to verbally process and have the person on the other side show me how this isn’t the end of the world, it will get better and that there is a way to work through this and bring it back into perspective! 🙂
More often than not at times Claudia! I think your statement: “This day didn’t really make sense. It didn’t seem connected. I’ve decided this is how some days just go. They don’t make sense during the living of it.” is perfect. And I think it all boils down to perspective. I had a bit of that today. We have a big project at work and my plan was to get 2 contracts that we need to have in place and several permits done. Well almost at the end of the day right now I got 1 contract done for review – the permits still are not done because I need to get answers and haven’t gotten responses. I didn’t accomplish nearly what I’d hoped. I could feel it was a wasted day. But I can also see it as getting information that will enable me to pull it all together Monday. Not such a bad day. Looking back always helps!
Looking back really helps me too Ann!
Hmmm, after reading your story from your day… I think it can be especially frustrating when your day doesn’t go as planned because of other people. Those might be my hardest days to keep it all in perspective. But, I like how you reminded yourself of what you DID do!
Sometime it seems like those days also end up being secretly the best ones when I actually open my eyes to see and my heart to learn. 😉
This is a great and honest post of what a day can really be! This is reality as it’s finest. Many times we set out to accomplish a successful day, but when you’re in the middle of it, it seems that nothing goes as planned sometimes.
You can play this perspective in the long term scheme of things. When you’re going after a goal, life just seems to keep getting in the way and it may seem you’re not getting anywhere. It’s like we’re just putting out fires, or whacking moles all day.
Yes it’s good to keep your plan fluid, and try to put first major priorities first; the Biggest things that take you toward your goal. That way if the day gets out of hand, and a lot of times it will, you can at least say, “all is well”…
But hey, Claudia… I think it’s okay to lose our minds from time to time… If we don’t, then we’re not humans, we’re robots…. Mole Whacking is a way of a life, and many times it helps us pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on the deeper meaning of what’s really going on, and get ready for the next that much more prepared.
Forget about those Moles; they shouldn’t have been there anyway, right? 😉
I like what you said here Rob. I remember you saying that about your goals… that you do the biggest things that get you closer to your goal first. Then, like you said, if the day goes differently than planned you have still made progress.
Hahah, so I can loose my mind some days?! 🙂 Great advice. Whack a mole, pause, breath, whack another and then reflect on what’s really going on.
This is truly wisdom. I think those are often the times when we learn the most 🙂
Awesome; I think you said it perfectly! It’s truly in the middle of our deepest struggles where all that wisdom is gained. It’s all preparation, and seeing it as such then the world becomes an amazing adventure with much anticipation for the next opportunity.
Rob,
When you talk about an amazing adventure… I am getting excited for your run! Now that is one crazy, awesome adventure!!!!
Yeah, I think it’s crazy too, and so does my wife… Well, somebody’s gotta do it… Haha 🙂
Rob,
That’s right!
My brother set out to hike the appalachian trail a couple years ago. He said they were taking a little break when this guy came running by and said a couple words in greeting as he passed. Come to find out… he was running the whole trail!
Will you run trails or roads or both??
I envision both 🙂 Not sure exactly how yet, but I had this thought of running across this wide open desert. And moving through mountains… Can’t wait to really route this entire course!
Reflection often brings clarity (at least for me).
http://www.liveitforward.com/6-bs-lead-your-life-from-quiet/
Thanks for sharing that Kent!
I really enjoyed it. I like how you lay things out clearly and in easy to remember ways…
Reflection is huge clarity for me as well. I am a constant journaler and have been for years. I am just now realizing how very beneficial it is! What a gift… gives me much broader perspective!