Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

"If we concentrated on the really important stuff in life,

there'd be a shortage of fishing poles"  By Junius P. Long

Our brains are so full of activities and worries, it can all be very over-whelming.  As the old saying goes... we need to stop and smell the roses. Or grab a fishing pole and head for the lake.... where we can be alone without all the distractions of our lives, where we can be quiet, a place to clear our heads and calm our nerves, where we can clear out the 'junk' and concentrate on only the important stuff. Do you have a special place or some way that you calm your restlessness? 

I've had an emotionally bad week but I'm beginning to feel better. Thank you to my wonderful friends who said a prayer for me. The meds I'm on for my migraine has a bad side-effect.... I'm losing my hair. It's had me so worried I could cry. I talked to my doctor and according to what she knows about the drug from her "little book of drugs", hair loss is not listed. But according to all the research I've done, I know better. I tried cutting back on the dosage, in hopes of stopping it or at least slow down the loss, but that only created a worse side-effect. I became depressed and angry. Hubby and I had a horrible fight the other day. We haven't had one like that in a long, long time. I knew what was wrong so I went back on my normal dosage. I guess I'll just have to be a bald woman, but I'll be happy, able to think clearly (at times) and be able to stand up straight. 

Our newspaper carrier must be a ball player. Hubby couldn't find the paper this morning, until he looked UP. It's on the roof! He had to get out the long ladder and that scared me. He's not too steady anymore. I watched him and he got down ok. I wouldn't mind getting old IF we could keep doing the things that we always did, when we never thought twice about climbing a ladder. 

Joseph, grandson #1 went up to stay a week with his aunt, our daughter Lori, in Michigan. When he came home, she sent back a gift for us. She finally has a nice home she's always wanted with a big yard for a garden. She's now been spending her time cooking, canning and loving it. She sent us a jar of her carmel apple butter. It's very good on warm toast. She did good. 

I feel so sorry for all those folks in Colorado who have been flooded out. One thing I never thought of that they talked about on the weather channel this morning... the rivers have re-routed themselves. Some of those people have no home anymore because what's left is sitting in the middle of the river. Other homes that were far back from the river are now water-front properties. Roads are completely gone and the natural gas lines are uncovered. And now, since water runs downhill, Nebraska will be facing the same next week. Does anyone else see the natural disasters getting worse, and more often? 

I'm going to end this and get back to some constructive activities I need to take care of. 

Until later.............

My grandson is growning up

This little guy, our #5 grandson, will be 7 years old tomorrow. The time is flying by so fast. I remember the day I took this picture of him. It seems like it was only yesterday. Next week he goes off to his first day of school in grade 2.

He was named after his father but we all call him Jr. I wasn't particularly happy with it, but I'm only his maternal grandmother, so I didn't have a say.

He's a great kid. Of course I have to think that. It's a grandma's duty. :)

He has such a quick mind. The other day his mother told him money doesn't grow on trees and he said it does. Money is paper, paper comes from trees, so money came from trees. Now how could you argue with that logic?

He has a little brother who is 5. They are very close, but being boys, they fight almost every day. Now that they are starting school, they've recently decided they have their own friends, not sharing them, and they each want to go separate ways. They don't even want to ride the same bus to school. However, that is not an option.

It's hard for Grandma to watch them change. I wish I still had the little ones to hug and hold. They won't do that anymore, of course. I do get a hug when they leave, but that's about all.

But they are healthy and happy... have a steady home life with a mother and a father... so they'll grow up to be good young men. With God's blessing.

Thursday Aug. 9, 2012

It looks like I'm back. I was on Multiply, doing a blog when the spirit moved me. Now they're closing down and I decided to move back over here. I haven't posted anything on here since 2008, but I've been a member since 2007.
I just hope all my stuff on Multiply will transfer over.
We'll see.

Being a sensitive person

I'M STARTING OVER...

As they say, today is a new day... a fresh start. I'm trying to look at it that way, but I would love to rewind my last week and do it all over again. This has not been a very good few days. I've made mistakes that I can't un-do, plus I haven't felt good physically. I have had a horrible sinus headache that makes my head feel as tho' it could explode. But I'm trying to deal with it.

As for the rest of it, I'm trying to handle some personality and relationship problems. As people get older, and especially at my age, besides having the physical changes we begin to go through, we also have personality changes, some good, some not so good. I'm sure you know the cartoon character, Maxine. I love that woman and have often thought I wish I could be more like that... saying what's on my mind at the moment and let others "just deal with it". But that's not me. And I don't want to actually be like that. I don't want to be referred to as "that crabby old lady". I'm more caring and sensitive to other people's feelings. At least I thought I was.

I've always had trouble dealing with others. I've never done well in social situations. I'm what society calls shy, fearful and introverted. I'd rather be called a 'highly sensitive person'. (I wrote a blog on that some time ago.) My nervous system is sensitive to subtleties so that I get overstimulated, stressed out and overwhelmed. My brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply than most. I tend to get nervous and often speak before I think. This is not good. Then I feel bad later and I'll relive the situation forever -- over and over -- kicking myself in the butt each time, for being that way. Did I hurt their feelings? Why did I say what I said? I should have kept quiet.

I also experience mood swings, sometimes occurring almost instantly and I am affected by other people's moods, emotions and problems. I can get overly concerned and worry a lot. So many times in my life I have been told "you take things too personally". And because of that, I've been made to feel like something is wrong with me. I have also had the experience of "cutting people out" of my life.

The really tough times are when life throws stuff at me too hard and too fast and I go into overload or meltdown which I have done a time or two. I think that is what's happening to me this week. I've had a rough time and my emotions are right on the surface.

But these are all things I have dealt with in my life and what I'm currently working on, trying to change, because I notice (and feel) these traits in myself more and more lately. I want to be a better person and I want my children, especially my grandchildren, to be comfortable with me and see me the way I hope they do. Loving. Caring. Thoughtful. Generous. Kind. Life is so precious, a gift from God, and I'm determined to live each moment to the fullest, and hopefully I'll leave behind some good feelings and good memories with those lives that I have touched.

So, be patient with me... I'm a work in progress.