Life can be frustrating. Sometimes, even though we
live in a fast-paced society of instant gratification, things don’t move along
as quickly as we’d like. We’re so accustomed to pushing a button on our TVs,
computers, etc. to immediately get the results we want that we’ve come to
expect life to be the same way. Simple fact: it isn’t.
My mother is eighty-six years old and has decided it’s
time to sell her house and move into an apartment. We’ve agreed to list the
house no later than October 1st. As you can imagine, after living in
the same house for many years, she’s accumulated a lot of stuff and there’s no
way it will all fit into an apartment. So, we’re slowly attempting to sort through everything and to get rid of what
she won’t be able to keep. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong!
Why? Because, while I’m a planner and an organizer,
she isn’t. (I take after my father in that regard.) I look around and see all
that has to be done and I cringe, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Things
are not moving along as quickly as I think they should and there’s no doubt
that, if I were given free rein, we’d be a lot further along than we are. But,
it’s her house, her stuff and the decisions are hers. I’ve often felt like I’m
pushing a boulder up a steep hill, trying to urge her into action.
I was complaining about the situation to another
author who has become a good friend. She reminded me that as long as we’re
moving forward, no matter how slowly, at least we’re headed in the right
direction. Baby steps! Of course, she’s right. I had to laugh at myself because,
as the author of four novels working on the fifth, I should’ve made the
comparison. I’ve never thought of myself as a patient person and yet I spend
months plotting each book and many more months writing and editing it. Do
things always go according to my plan and my timeline? No. But I persevere in
spite of that. I guess it’s time to transfer some of that patience and
perseverance to the situation with Mom.
Is there something in your life that’s causing you to
become frustrated? If so, how are you handling it?
Excellent, post, Patricia. Hard to enjoy whatever you're doing--but I try to tell myself, it goes by sooooo fast, stop and smell the roses as they say. Sometimes it works...
ReplyDeleteHard to see it right now, but these moments with your mom will one day probably be very precious--I have some memories like that.
Take care.
Believe me, Madeline, I'm thankful I have her but, I have to say, sometimes, she doesn't make it easy. LOL
DeleteLIKE the chocolate part Marja mentioned. Hang in there.
DeleteAlways! Thanks, Madeline.
DeleteI get it. Due to unexpected circumstances, my life has changed drastically. There are so many things going on that I haven't had time to even think about writing in months. I miss it, along with other things I've had to sideline. You'll get through this, Pat, and you'll be the better for it. You just can't see that right now.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to eat some chocolate and lick my wounds. Try it. In some odd way it helps. : )
Marja McGraw
Marja,
DeleteIf it weren't for chocolate and good friends like you, I don't know what I'd do. I know we'll both get through the rough patches we're going through right now. We're both optimists and we're gonna take those lemons and make some delicious lemonade!
You drink the lemonade and I'll eat the chocolate. LOL
DeleteOh no! I'm not giving up chocolate for anything, especially lemonade. LOL
Delete