AdjustAdaptChange

There will be Adjustments:

Adapt & Change

You probably think this will be another post about the world situation today.

Not really - but then again...maybe!

I actually thought of this title while I was cleaning my tub.

The tub?  Yes, odd as it seems - the tub!

Let me give a little bit of back story!

You see, many don't know about my life from 

2009 to early 2014.

I was in a lot of pain - all the time!

It took us awhile to determine what was causing my extreme back pain and muscle spasms.

Early 2009, I ended up in the ER in so much pain that I could barely breathe 

nor get myself out of the car.

That was the beginning of learning 

how to adapt - to accept change.

Fast forward to October 2014 - 

lower lumbar fusion at 3/4 as well as 
decompression surgery.

I now sport a 'biscuit' between the 3/4 vertebrae 

and 4 titanium screws to hold it all in place.

Fancy stuff!

Bottom line - it was the absolute best thing that I ever did for my life - 

to be able to get back to life I should say.  

It's been great.

Along with this pain free life however

there came 

adjustments 

adaptations 

 change

I was no longer able to bend over as before.

I was no longer able to lift heavy objects,

rake, mow, hoe, shovel.

These all add pressure on the spine 

and especially on a portion that is non-movable.

Picture your closed fist;

The vertebrae above and below still move -

 the fist (3/4 area) does not

You have to be ever mindful of your actions now.

Now the reason I was thinking about all this while cleaning the tub.

Most people are going to be doing this:

I can't work this way anymore. 

I had to adjust - adapt - change.

I stand up and utilize my feet and scrub with a pad under my foot. 

Up the sides - across the bottom - and it works fabulously!  

We have the 1960's style iron tub, so it's pretty big and tall. 

Now, I use this illustration because of a thought.

What have you had to make adjustments to?

What have you had to adapt to?

What have you had to change?

You see - my back pain originally stopped me.

Many times I came to a complete halt for days!

Since that time though - I have learned how  

to 'cope'

with my new normal.

This involved learning to adjust

I learned new ways on how to adapt

I most definitely had to change!

Life is the same way if you think about it

Our current situation of staying home - 

keeping safe distances :

We have no choice but to make adjustments

We have no choice but to adapt - 

if we don't we are not going to have 

what needs to happen:

CHANGE!!

Stay positive - 

check on a loved one

Share some laughter together - 

'There's an app for that'

Don't stay in on beautiful days - 

get some sunshine

Read a good book - 

Listen to some music - 

LOUD if you have to!

Get off of Social Media for awhile -

Stop watching the 'fake' news -

Shut off of the 'static' of the world

Take a moment

And

MOST IMPORTANTLY

... just BREATHE

Stuck_in_a_Moment

Stuck in a Moment

I was thinking today that sometimes I find myself 

stuck in a rut. 

It is a phrase I am familiar with.

It is a period of time I am familiar with.

The definition I found for 'stuck in a rut' 

comes from the Cambridge Dictionary

**'too 'fixed' in one particular type of job, 

activity, method, etc., 

and needing to change!**

A rut can be a short or 

long-term distraction during 

specific

seasons of your life. 

Boredom has time to settle in.

Self-Doubt has time to settle in.

Failure to move forward has time

 to become a way of life.

Fear becomes 'familiar'

Think of a rut in a rain soaked, muddy road.  

When you go quickly - you might not get really 'stuck'.

If you went slowly - the wheel would definitely sink faster

and you would be in the rut longer trying to get out.

I saw a post recently that really made me think.

 

This goes back to 

'Stuck in a Moment'

This period of grief will one day fade

This time of doubt could change to courage

This period of being unsure will not last forever

YOU are in control.

'Woe is Me' is way too easy to fall into.

The regular pattern of 'Why Me' 

is familiar territory.

How about a new outlook.

Changing your comfort zone won't happen overnight.

You might even feel 'withdrawal pains' 

when you step forward to change.

Change ... your attitude

Change ... your situation

Change ... your atmosphere

Change ... your process

CHANGE is HARD!

However, something that is worth it

should take work!

It should be 

A metamorphosis of your attitude

A metamorphosis of your situation

A metamorphosis of your atmosphere

A metamorphosis of your process!

Think of the butterfly:

While it is hidden - in darkness 

it is changing.

The metamorphosis of a butterfly

is beautiful!

I was looking at a couple articles for getting out of your rut 

a way to get into a 'moment'

a way to transform and change.

Check them out and I wish you well!

Remember - 

Change is HARD

Change is SO worth it

for YOU!

Success & Motivation

Get out of your Rut Strategies

RemoveTheMask!

Remove the Mask!

I was thinking the other day - 

how many of us feel that we hide behind a mask?

I am not talking about one you might actually wear in person -

It might be a mask of fear -

You are afraid to move forward after great hurt.

It might be a mask of anger -

You are angry with a situation that is out of your control.

It might be a mask of insecurity -

You are insecure in your own skin and you hide from others.

It might be a mask of pride -

You allow your pride to rule how you might deal with someone.

All of these 'masks' can limit your joy

these 'masks' can limit your future 

these 'masks' can limit YOU!

So, you've experienced a great hurt - 

There were possibly some highlights that changed you.

Continuing to allow yourself to revisit the hurt

will not allow you to move forward.

Remove the mask!

You have experienced anger - 

Maybe for whatever reason - your situation was not caused by you.

Continuing to be angry does no damage to the one who inflicted it.

Releasing your anger and allowing lessons to remain - that is the choice!

Remove the mask!

Insecurity is a myth - did you know that?

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best : 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 

You must not ALLOW anyone to tear you down!

Remove the mask!

Pride 

Pride always goes before a fall - nearly every time!

You can most definitely be happy about a job well done -

However, if you let it - Pride can also make you seem better than another.

Don't let Pride rule the roost!

Remove the mask!

Just like in a masquerade ball,

Removing the mask reveals the

 TRUE IDENTITY 

of the one who was hidden.

What will your true identity reveal

when you

Remove the mask?

Don't Quit! Keep Writing!

Don't Quit! - Keep Writing!

I attended a writers conference 

April 26th - 29th and it was my first time 

attending anything for writing before.

I did get discouraged early on -

Thankfully I have decided I

Won't Quit Writing!

I don't usually venture far from home - 

especially the comforts of home 

I missed my hubby 

Sleep was like 4 hours each night!

Sorry, I'm also not a Starbucks gal

*when I had to Google what the drinks were -

 that should explain!

It's funny - socializing isn't the norm for a writer.

You attend a conference about and for writers -

You should mingle - 

You should network

You should have others see your work.

That was tough.

Most of the attendees were already authors

most were already on their path to being published

most already knew friends they were seeing again

most were a lot more in their comfort zone!

Since my 'genre' is poetry - 

In a world of book writers - 

I still stood out 

I still didn't socialize comfortably

I had to learn how to start conversations

I realized that I was still unique.

Guess What?

I am okay with that!

I enjoy being unique!

I did learn some key points....

If you want to write - Don't quit - just do it!

Don't let rejection stop you....

STAY and learn why your work was rejected

STAY and listen to how to make it better

STAY and successfully make your work acceptable!

If you have a book idea floating around

Don't keep it in your head - 

you have to write it down!

Find out what great writers are doing right

Follow their lead - do what they do!

If you want to be a great writer...

You have to be a great reader!

Pulitzer prize writers - Only the most distinguished win!

Nobel prize writers - Outstanding work wins!

 Get your work out there for others to see

If you never share what you can do - 

how can an Editor choose you? 

Believe in yourself!

Always believe in yourself!

If you don't believe in yourself..

Who Will !?!?

Writers Block is a LIE!!

 I loved this lesson the most :D 

 I always seem to find a way to get my words out.

It might be on this blog

It might be on a post on Social Media

It definitely happens when I write poetry.

While I was at the conference,

I found that I needed more connections.

Connections are important.

Connections are where you find your readers

Connections are where you find your mentors

Connections are where you find your publishers!

I am thankful for all that I learned...

Especially because

 I Won't QUIT!

I am going to DO IT!

Bloom Where You are Planted

Bloom where you are planted - 

seems easy, right?

I married my sweetheart the day after

our High School graduation.

7 months later, we started a new military life in NM.

Our first Christmas was the beginning of a new life as a Military wife.

I had to learn one thing - 

Bloom where you are planted!

I grew to absolutely love our NM life.

Balloon Festivals - Old town -

Indian Fry Bread sold on the side of the road -

camping trips

in the Jemez Mountains

and SO many more beautiful memories were made.

11 years there -

Also where our son was born

I was thriving and blooming! 

Soon, it was time to uproot our lives and move again.

We were transferred from our home in NM to Hawaii.

*I know, how could Hawaii be bad, right? Bear with me*

I had a 4 year old that I was moving across an ocean

to a new life for four years.

I must admit -

that could also apply to his momma! 

I felt like a scared 4 year old -

my son however was super excited to live by the ocean! 

I had to learn to embrace our new world once again.

While talking to a friend from church -

she wisely told me to

"Bloom where you are planted"

Even my son's school lesson after that meeting was a story

about a flower that was not happy with where it lived.

It really was a shift in my world.

Hawaii was by far the best of all the places we lived.

My son and husband loved the sun and the water -

I watched them while in the shade...

but I embraced the world we now lived in.

Four years later - it was time to move again -

time to embrace another new world.

Hawaii to Texas -

now if there was ever a polar opposite -

that move sure was!

I remember it being so blisteringly hot -

we'd sometimes wait until 10pm to go to the park!

The sunsets - the 4H events - the homeschooling adventure- lifelong friends -

buying our first home -

the lasting memories we'd carry forever.

I was pushed and I was pulled and

not always in a great way...

I again learned to bloom where I was planted!

5 years comes - and we're getting ready to retire.

20 years actually went really fast!

However, Evil crashed into our worlds on  9-11 

Such a terrible way to see lives lost and forever changed!!

Our country needed their military forces strong

so, we waited until they let my hubby retire.

Nearly a year later-

we were headed back home- 

back to where our lives first began.

Rocky Mountains again - yay!!

I knew I'd be okay - but my teenage son?

I wasn't so sure he'd embrace the new life

He wasn't embracing the move at all!

It was a struggle at first -

I focused on making his world okay.

Eventually he soared -

found new friends and HE bloomed.

This was 15 years ago that we came back 'home'

You know Miranda Lambert's song 

'The House that Built Me'?

I think of that often since we came back 'home'

Family and Friends have come and gone

Sometimes you can go home again -

but it's not what it was 20 years later -

or even 35 years later for that matter!!

I was thinking about all this today

If I allow it - discontentment can creep in -

I won't allow it!

If I allow it - disappointment can creep in -

I won't allow it!

If I allow it - fear and doubt can creep in -

I won't allow it!

My husband has worked hard
for the last 36 years to ensure
we were well taken care of -

He does a fabulous job.

Our comfort and joy has always been
his first priority.

When I start speaking discontentment words
and doubting the next step...

I make sure and let him know it's not a 'lack'

it's just a feeling I fight even now.

I know first hand -

Feelings will trip you up EVERY time!

I refuse to let those feelings rule!

 I WILL allow....

Joy

that I still have my wonderful life.

Joy

that I am blessed  when I think of all my life has given me.

Contentment

that I am not alone in any of my adventures.

Contentment

in the knowing that once again....

I WILL

bloom where I am planted!!