A girl's guide to surviving Monday

5:45 a.m., the alarm goes off and a song that brings bad memories is playing, you remember that yesterday the ac went out and you live in Texas and the highs are still in the 90s. You have to dress up and have a good hair day for an event so that means hair dryer. You finally get out of the house after two showers and a couple of fluff and buffs you get in the car and realize you have to stop and get gas. You get to work and the postage meter is jammed AND the copier is down and you're still a little tired from working 7:45 - 6:00 on a Sunday. You're computer is slow and people are awaiting your approval on stuff that has to go to print yesterday. Take a deep breath, get something cold to drink and continue on to the next thing.

Go to lunch with Channel 8 and negotiate cost for this year's Live Christmas Eve worship. Realize you really like your rep. She's kinda fun...hmmm...maybe we should hang out more and talk about girl stuff...marriage, jobs, faith, why my clothes don't fit, our husbands, how we deal with the need for control and what place in life and in our faith that really holds. Go back to church, check hair and makeup for participation in the stewardship video...worry way too much about how you look, feel bad about that. Complete filming, go to the bathroom and notice big zit on your nose. Look around for the cameras from PUNKED. Say you don't care and go back to your office to respond to emails and voice mails. Actually, what great emails...from people who visited the church yesterday...lots of great correspondence...lots of great questions.

You know...in the midst of this truly hysterical day (isn't it after all, just funny, when a day like this happens to you) lots of great stuff can be found as well. I actually don't mind that it's 87 in my house right now since I have 5 fans and a tall glass of iced tea. Is it really so bad in the big scheme of things? I think not! It's not always an easy struggle to make the decision that it was a good day but today was a good day. I've decided!

Got that 'fed up' feeling!?!?!?

So here's what happens when you get back to work after a week of not working...you clear off 150 emails regarding free degrees, people wanting you to be the heir to their greatgrandfather's uncle's son's wife's fortune and some other unmentionable topics regarding enhancement. Then you get a good look at the stuff that went wrong that you were ultimately responsible for. Then the post vacation blues really hit when you realize that it's going to be this way until at least Thanksgiving...but then you say, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm on the staff of a downtown church and Lent and Christmas worships, studies and activities are just around the corner..." Aghhhhhhhh! And don't forget about the Chili Cook off that's after the first of the year!!! Wow, I gotta get a grip! I don't know who that little girl in the picture is but boy does her face embody my feelings right now. What to do, what to do???
Okay, take a deep breath, get that look off your face and get it together! How does one get it together when all you want to do is let it all fall apart? First, get something to drink (no, I'm only suggesting some hot tea or something, geez!) Now, take full advantage of the organizational qualities that God so generously bestowed upon you. Next, take a deep breath and repeat after me..."It's okay to be fed up but GET OVER YOURSELF ALREADY!"
Like every other feeling and emotion we have, it's healthy for only so long. God gave us every emotion we have (yeah, a present!) but we have to use the free will God gave us and recognize when we need to move on to the next more productive emotion. I'm pretty sure that when we feel stuck, it's our own doing. We often feel like victims of our emotions...sadness, anger, being fed up. But how can we function when we roll around in the scent of these emotions. They just get even more stuck on us and it's that much harder to shake it off. So, now I must go and shake this off by brewing some ginger tea, taking a quick walk around downtown and then try to get started again...you try it too :)

From Bad to Worse to Better

Tomorrow morning I have to go to the podiatrist. I really don't want to because I know I have to get a shot in my foot. My foot hurts now but it's going to hurt way worse after the shot but just for a day or so. After that, it's going to feel GREAT!!! I think sometimes our physical pains play out in much the same way as our emotional pains. In my own life I know I've experienced that. Especially when I'm trying to make some sort of improvement to myself. Let's say, just hypothetically mind you, that I am a stubborn person...just for kicks. If I were stubborn and wanted to improve in this area, I'll bet that I would first become more stubborn before I began to see a difference. I would fight the change with all my gumption and strength...after all, aren't our attributes what make us up...an inherent part of our personalities? Maybe that is why it has to get worse before it gets better. Growing pains are both physical and emotional but the final product is something in which we rejoice. We rejoice in our own progess, growth and improvement...I guess that's worth a little discomfort. BRING IT ON DOC!!