There are times in my life, like now, when the task before me seems insurmountable. Imagine a jumbled up pile of ropes. The task is to untangle them, sort them out, and distribute them according to their usefulness.
At first you just look at the mess; maybe freak out a little. You might wonder how these ropes could get so tangled up. You can’t see any rope ends, so you don’t know how many there may be.
If you’re like me, you want to assess the entire situation and come up with a plan before you begin. This might take a day or so. You know that if people just start pulling on ropes without an action plan, you could end up with a bigger mess than you started with.
This is how it has been with my daughter’s father’s estate. The action plan has been slowly evolving; the tasks were split among several people. Progress has been painfully slow, and that has induced a lot of stress for everyone.
Thank goodness for supplements like ashwaganda. It is really effective in helping me manage my stress.
Part of my stress is self-induced because I want things to progress along faster than how it has been progressing. I have finally reconciled myself to believe and accept that everything will work out fine in due time. We all have to be patient while doing our part when required. (Seriously, the process of settling the estate will be a 6-month process; much longer than normal.)
So I have turned my attention to gardening. Spring has come early, and it looks like it is here to stay. Trees are budding and blooming, flowers are coming up, frogs are chirping, and the vegetable plants are being sold everywhere.
I have planted Brussels sprouts and kale so far. I will sow seeds for greens and spinach this weekend. The flowerbeds need weeding, and I have some flowers to plant, too. I can hardly believe that it is only the first week of March. I hope that we do not have a hard freeze later this month. It usually happens about the time everyone has spring fever.
The ten-day forecast shows nothing but warm weather with some rain sprinkled in there. If we get a late freeze, it will be devastating for all of nature. I ordered frost covers for my plants, just in case.
I believe there may be an emerging theme for my 2016. It looks something like, “Let go of your expectations and get ready for something great!” Or, “Don’t worry about the timing of things, just do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.” I know this year is going to be amazing.
I have never been good at just sitting around. I am happiest when I am being productive. Now, I don’t want to sound like I am all work and no play. Certainly, when there is work to be done, it is hard for me to do something else. But spending quality time with my family qualifies for being productive.
I can only sit in front of the television for about 30 minutes before I get restless, but I can spend all day on the lake fishing. I am usually the last one who wants to leave.
For me, a large part of my stress management is to just keep moving. I have to keep that in check, though. Within me is the tendency towards becoming a workaholic. I can work from sun up to sun down. I take a break when the work is done.
I have been called a task master by people working with me, but those people really have no idea how much mercy I had on them. At least I let them take breaks!
I am looking forward to doing some gardening this weekend; it is really very therapeutic for me. I hope that your weekend is wonderful and provides what you need to recharge.
Be well.
Psalms 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
